Ever since Disney+ was launched in 2019, it has provided Marvel fans with the kind of comfort they had never had before. Today, all shows based on the popular comic brand can be found on the streaming service. The platform’s launch also influenced Marvel Studios to produce several new shows, a move aimed at populating the library. While some have been good, many have been average, leaving fans wondering whether things were better when different production houses handled the heroes.
A look back at the pre-Disney+ era proves that there were indeed several high-quality Marvel shows. Even though they didn’t have a Disney war chest, these shows had compelling storylines and strong performances. Most of them weren’t as strongly tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe either, making them appealing to wider audiences who didn’t intend to watch everything else.
The good news is that most of these shows can now be found on Disney+, so those who miss the old and hate the new can still sit back and relive the good old days.
10 Legion (2017 – 2019)
Set in an alternate timeline of Fox’s X-Men universe, Legion follows the mutant David Haller (Dan Stevens), who was diagnosed with schizophrenia while he was a boy. His illness isn’t completely a curse. He has various psychic abilities, including telekinesis, telepathy, and teleportation. Crises occur (mainly instigated by the government agency named Division 3), but ultimately the hero brings normalcy in this buoyant, multi-award-nominated show.
A Detailed Study of Mental Health
There’s plenty of fun in Legion. After all, it’s the brainchild of Fargo creator Noah Hawley. The series is a charming slice of the Marvel world, where the amusement park kind of spectacle takes a back seat to its affectionate exploration of mental health, analysis of fresh superhero concepts, and development of colorful characters. With scenes such as a dance battle between the hero and the antagonist, the show has the kind of self-indulgence that was ahead of its time.
There’s also a strong emphasis on uniqueness. For example, other telepaths with mental health challenges in the X-Men franchise — Jean Grey in X-Men: The Last Stand, Jason Stryker in X2, and Charles Xavier in Logan —were treated with drugs, but here, alternative therapy is used.
9 Luke Cage (2016 – 2018)
Luke Cage stars Mike Colter as a former convict who develops super strength and unbreakable skin from a sabotaged experiment. After the incident, he heads to Harlem, hoping to hide and clear his name. Soon, he faces new challenges in the form of outcasts of different stripes and the ne’er-do-wells that populate his neighborhood. Most of them are shown to be linked to local crime kingpin, Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes (Mahershala Ali).
Harlem, as Seen from a Marvel Canvas
The superhero landscape is short of socially conscious shows about black culture, so Luke Cage feels completely essential. The series effortlessly tackles themes such as race and economic struggle, while using neo-blaxploitation, and neo-Western approaches. Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker heavily relies on the hood chaos style that he was known for while serving as a writer on shows like Ray Donovan, and NCIS: Los Angeles. What results is an addictive show that definitely deserved more seasons than it was ever allocated.
8 The Defenders (2017)
The success of the Avengers films in the early 2010s proved that piling superheroes together is always a good idea, so Marvel decided to do it on the small screen. The Defenders was thus born. Set a few months after Season 2 of Daredevil, and a month after Season 1 of Iron Fist, the series sees the superheroes Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Iron Fist teaming up to fight The Hand in New York.
The Hand Has no Chance Against the Numerous Superhero Hands
The superhero team-up story delves further into Marvel lore with a lot of tenderness and a poetic charm. The Hand isn’t strong enough as an evil organization, but the compelling narrative (partially drawn from two various Marvel Comics) hoists the show while accentuating the quotidian magic of teamwork. Influenced by various other great MCU offerings and featuring music by John Paesano, this crossover miniseries stands on its own as a franchise classic.
7 Runaways (2017 – 2019)
Runaways follows six gifted teenagers from varied backgrounds who unite to rebel against their villainous parents (the leaders of the criminal organization known as Pride). As the show progresses, the rebellion grows more intense and the kids find themselves at the very core of their parents’ bestial instincts. Will they succeed in the mission of bringing down the people who raised them, or will they lose themselves in the attempt?
Perfect Protagonists, and a Formidable Adult Cast
The series stands as an enthusiastically ambitious, enthralling acid trip of a superhero show that melds together some of the best teen drama tropes with the inevitability of adult malice. The result is a major spectacle, augmented by clever use of dialogue. The actors playing the villains all achieve an unmatched intensity, making this a show that’s worth viewing because of the performances alone. It’s the kind of show that casual viewers would love, and one that should be explored a little more in the future.
6 Agent Carter (2015 – 2016)
Peggy Carter has appeared in numerous Marvel productions, but it’s in Agent Carter where she gets ample time to shine. Season 1 takes us back to the late ‘40s when Peggy is juggling her job at the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) in New York City and a side gig as Howard Stark’s shadow assistant. In Season 2, she relocates from New York City to Los Angeles to confront the challenges of the new Atomic Age brought about by the Council of Nine after World War II.
Peggy the Super Spy
Tense, fast-paced, and heart-poundingly suspenseful, Agent Carterplays out like a spy TV show and delivers the goods. Even so, it still has everything fans could want in a superhero story, including comic terminology, and useful details that update the origin stories of popular heroes.
Besides that, the colorful costumes and intricate period set design complement the meticulous performances by all the actors. Most importantly, the show makes a strong case for why the love interests of popular superheroes need to have more of their own adventures.
5 Jessica Jones (2015 – 2019)
Jessica Jones focuses on the titular hero, who is an alcoholic private investigator with super strength. She is suffering from PTSD, stemming from an incident when the mind-controlling villain, Kilgrave, caused her to murder someone. When Kilgrave returns, Jessica is left with no option but to do everything she can to stop him for good.
The Most Relatable pre-Disney+ Marvel Show
A nail-bitingly tense tale of psychological battles, this superhero show evokes the white-knuckle enthusiasm that some of the greatest TV dramas are known for, and draws on the anxiety that drives the protagonist’s actions in each episode. Throw in some interesting romance twists, such as Jessica’s one-night-stand with Luke Cage in the series premiere, and you have quite an intriguing show.
And in an era where showrunners put little effort into the title sequence, Jessica Jones has a marvelous jazz-style theme that justifiably brought home a Creative Arts Emmy win.
4 X-Men: The Animated Series (1992 – 1997)
Inspired by Jim Lee’s early ‘90s comics, X-Men: The Animated Series follows Professor Charles Xavier and his band of skilled mutants as they work to solve various mysteries and get the world back on course whenever corrupt government agencies and malicious and deranged Marvel villains disturb the peace. At the same time, they must outsmart various other enigmatic underground forces who nurse grudges against them.
Enough Goodies for Both the Kids and Adults
This astounding superhero world jumps off the small screen with its atmospheric, colorful images, talented voice cast, and cinema-level action sequences. From the outside, it might seem like it’s made for the kids, but the show tackles plenty of grown-up topics, including divorce, religion, racial divide, solitude, loneliness, and sexual health.
The fact that the show spawned a new comic series, a manga series, and video games is further proof of its awesomeness. X-Men: The Animated Series is also credited with inspiring the development of the Fox X-Men live-action movies.
3 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2013 – 2020)
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D places the spotlight on the Marvel Comics organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division), a spy/peacekeeping agency dealing with superhero affairs. The agents face off against enemies from all areas, including Hydra, the Kree, and Chronicom. Many episodes also cross over with other MCU productions.
A Perfect Companion to the Movies
The series captures the inevitable ebbs and flows of the superhero landscape while explaining many topics that the movies didn’t have enough time for. Beyond that, the numerous obscure superheroes are a welcome break from the A-listers. Despite being unknown, they are given proper character development like their counterparts on the big screen. Additionally, there is a cool version of Ghost Rider, the kind that Nicolas Cage might look at with envy. So far, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is still the longest-running Marvel show, and it isn’t hard to see why.
2 Spider-Man (1994 – 1998)
Three decades later, Spider-Man remains one of the most enjoyable shows for Marvel fans. Here Peter Parker is juggling his college studies at Empire State University and his life as a superhero. The animated series also dives into Peter’s messy romance life that involves a love triangle between him, Felicia Hardy, and Mary Jane Watson. Thankfully, he has Harry Osborn to count on for support.
Fun and Innovative
Despite being produced as a Saturday morning cartoon, Spider-Mandoesn’t get oversimplified for younger audiences to enjoy, and older audiences to lose focus. It has plenty of weighty themes and is also the first Marvel production to introduce the Spider-verse concept, something that has become wildly popular in recent years.
Writer and producer John Semper Jr. paces the series skillfully, shifting seamlessly between action-packed scenes in New Yorker and lighter indoor moments at school and at home. Nominated for an Annie award, the ‘90s hit show is still essential viewing for modern audiences.
1 Daredevil (2015 – 2018)
In Daredevil, Matt Murdock is a lawyer who has overcome all odds and made great strides in his career. Unknown to many, he also uses his heightened senses to fight crime on the streets of New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood at night. During his stint as a vigilante, he crosses paths with various other vigilantes, including Frank Castle, aka, Punisher, and forms a superhero team known as The Defenders.
Fighting Crime Using Kicks and Words
Crafted with assurance by Drew Goddard (known for his storytelling work in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost), and anchored by superb performances from stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onforio, Daredevil thrills more than fans would expect it to. From both a courtroom and street justice perspective, it captures the menace brought about by the scourge of crime. Dialogue and martial parts are both utilized in driving the point home. Consequently, viewers are gifted a show that is both entertaining to watch and to listen to.
