Greetings, reader!
This week marked the 10-year anniversary of DC Comic's Arrow (2012-2020) airing its first episode, thus beginning the multi-series 'Arrowverse' and spearheading what many might call the golden age of comic book TV shows. While cinema has been the main lifeline of comic book adaptations for both Marvel and DC, television shows based on their properties have been steadily gaining more and more traction, with popular streaming services now flooded with TV shows about various superheroes. But which ones are truly worth watching? Read today's list to find out.
Here are my honorable mentions: Iron Fist (2017-2018), Luke Cage (2016-2018), The Defenders (2017), The Punisher (2017-2019).
10. Hawkeye (2021)
The least ambitious out of the five MCU mini-shows that premiered on Disney Plus last year might be the least out of the bunch, but it still has its strengths - such as embracing and playing off its less-ambitious nature. People have complained about the stakes in MCU movies and shows feeling quite insignificant these days, as every single story seems to involve massive world-ending threats which just makes for a lot of noise at this point, and therefore it was a smart move to keep this show low-key and casual.
Hawkeye also gains points for new character Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) absolutely stealing the show, the intense and magnificently directed car chase sequence in the third episode, and the cozy overarching Christmas setting, while losing points for the final episode's slightly anticlimactic nature, the script wasting an iconic Marvel villain, and the overall lack of truly memorable material found in better MCU properties. So, it's a bit of a mixed bag, but an overall enjoyable experience for fans of the Marvel universe!
9. Legends of Tomorrow (2016-2022)
DC Comics' Legends of Tomorrow is many things: goofy, corny, silly, dumb, chaotic, and most important of all - spectacularly self-aware. If a series with this premise, these characters and these storylines tried to take itself one bit seriously, it would be a cringeworthy viewing experience, but as this series takes delight and bathes in the zaniest clichés of the superhero genre, truly feeling like an old-school comic book that came to life on the big screen, it is an entertaining and smile-worthy thing to behold.
A spin-off of Arrow and The Flash, this third entry into the 'Arrowverse' follows a rag-tag team of former supervillains, sort-of-superheroes and other weirdos as they travel through time together, getting into all sorts of situations. Apart from the blockbuster-like crossovers with the other Arrowverse shows being obvious highlights, my favorite episodes would have to include Fail-Safe (crew members are stuck in a Soviet gulag in 1986, and the two major characters played by Prison Break (2005-2009) alumni Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell must organize a prison break, with no subtlety whatsoever in the references), Abominations (the crew fight confederate zombies after a zombie invasion somehow breaks out during the U.S. Civil War), and Compromised (the one where the gang finds out that supervillain Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough) is working a senior adviser to President Reagan - wait, that one actually makes a lot of sense...). Usually, the more far-out and ridiculous an episode's premise is, the better.
8. What If...? (2021-)
Another one of the Disney Plus MCU shows from last year, this animated anthology series gained such popularity that it's actually getting a season 2 next year! I'm quite excited to see what they come up with, as season 1 was a delightful surprise. The concept itself is far out, as we follow key moments across the MCU, in parallel-timeline scenarios where things go a little differently. Each episode being its own story, this allowed for Marvel actors from Samuel L. Jackson and Jeremy Renner to Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch to reprise their roles, not to mention the late Chadwick Boseman's touching final performance as Black Panther.
The series isn't the world's most consistent, with some episodes falling more than a bit flat (looking at you, What If...Thor Were an Only Child?), but most of them are excellent, with a select few that surpassed my wildest expectations with groundbreaking storytelling (looking at you, What If...Ultron Won?).
7. Jessica Jones (2015-2019)
I remember hearing about Netflix's first attempt at MCU television shows back in the day, and getting all hyped up - four different superheroes were getting their own TV series, after which they would all come together in a miniseries called The Defenders? That sounded amazing, just like the original Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but for television. However, as many of us now know, the Netflix-verse never really took off in the way we expected, which is why Luke Cage, Iron Fist and the okay-but-not-nearly-as-good-as-expected The Defenders can be found in today's honorable mentions and not the top ten.
However, it's not all negatives - the two first shows of Netflix's addition to the MCU are actually really good, and this is one of them!
While there's a lot to like in Jessica Jones, between the private investigator viewpoint, the noir-esque atmosphere and the overall grittiness, I'd say that the show's best asset by far is the villain Kilgrave, played by David Tennant in one of the greatest performances in all comic book adaptations. Tennant steals every scene he's in, really making you wonder how the same guy who has played one of the most likable characters in television history (the 10th Doctor in Doctor Who) can play such a vile, cold-blooded villain and be equally believable in both roles.
6. WandaVision (2021)
The main reason for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's WandaVision being this high on my list can be found from the very first episodes of this miniseries - the sheer confusion and bafflement in the show's premise, and the ballsy manner in which the show takes its sweet time to bathe in mystery before starting to explain any of it, makes for one of the most compelling beginnings to a TV series I've ever witnessed. When the credits start to roll for the first and even second episode, the viewer still has no idea of what's going on, and feels an immediate need to watch the next episode ASAP.
The main reason for WandaVision not being even higher on today's list is that it falls a bit flat towards the end. Not so much that it would jump the shark or ruin the perfect feel of the first episodes, but just enough that the end product isn't quite the masterpiece one might expect after those first episodes. Then again, this slight feeling of anticlimax is hard to avoid with the mystery genre, as the opening "what the hell is going on" feel is hard to top once the writers start to give answers, so I'll cut the show some slack. All in all, very worthwhile watching from beginning to end for fans of the MCU, even if the first act is significantly better than the tail end.
5. Loki (2021-)
Another one of the MCU's Disney Plus expansions, Loki was released a few months after WandaVision, and feels like its exact opposite structure-wise; the six-episode debut season starts off quite mediocre, but gets spectacularly good towards the end. The first few episodes of the six-episode run are alright enough with Natalie Holt's otherworldly soundtrack and the grandiose set design impressing the viewer, but the story itself took a while to get me hooked.
However, the second half of the debut season escalates things into a creative, game-changing chain of events that elevated my opinion of the series by a lot and hyped me up for season 2. Between the plot twists, psychedelic visuals, extremely imaginative storytelling and exciting worldbuilding for the larger Marvel universe, the tail end of Loki is a seriously delicious viewing experience.
4. Arrow (2012-2020)
Ah, the series of the hour - as mentioned in my opening, Arrow turned ten years old this week. My view on the series has always been a bit conflicted - with its gritty, Dark Knight -style take on the Green Arrow and dramatic takes on various interesting DC characters, the OG Arrowverse series has the potential to be a masterpiece. Yet it never quite reached its full potential, always slightly dragged down by the soapy young adult -drama conventions so very typical of the CW channel.
It still makes it to fourth place, because at its best, it's a thrilling and compelling show packed with action and unforgettable moments. Stuff like the Undertaking storyline throughout season one, the Deathstroke (Manu Bennett) story arch in season 2, the infamous duel sequence in season 3's The Climb, and the insane payoff of five seasons worth of flashback storylines finally coming full circle and catching up with the beginning of the show in season 5? Legendary. But stuff like the overblown will-they-won't-they between Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Richards) and the constant dying and coming-back-to-life of Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy)? Well, that's why there are a select few superhero shows better than this mixed-bag thrill ride. Such as...
3. The Flash (2014-)
Yes, the Arrowverse's second series is a rare case of the spin-off being better than the original. The Flash was built up during Arrow's second season, as a brilliant two-episode arch saw the introduction of iconic character Barry Allen, played by Grant Gustin in one of television's finest casting decisions, and these episodes fully set the table for the spin-off to begin, up to showing us the electro-magnetic event that caused Barry to get his powers and become the Flash.
While I like the serious and gritty tone of Arrow, I equally appreciate how The Flash embraces the fun side of the superhero genre, often going fully tongue-in-cheek in order to recreate the zany atmosphere, cool fight sequences and wholesome life lessons from the comic books. It also has my inner sci-fi geek squealing as it embraces concepts from parallel universes to time travel paradoxes, making for constantly delightful viewing!
2. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
Generally, I'm prone to prefer a long series that is slightly inconsistent but amazing at its best to a series that is short and solid but not as plentiful in great moments and episodes (for example, I really don't get how anyone would like the British version of The Office more than the American version, no offense). As a viewer, I feel I get much more out of the longer series, and providing long storylines and multiple moments of greatness is a more important merit for a series than how flawless and without filler episodes it is.
Yet still, this six-episode MCU series is ahead of marathon shows like Arrow and The Flash, because, well, it's just that good.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier does a lot with its six-episode run, fleshing out two Marvel characters from fairly un-hyped sidekicks into complex and engaging leading men while weaving politics, espionage and clever tie-ins into the story. The well-directed fight sequences, dark story directions, and various under- and overtones of social commentary make for an engaging thrill ride that I easily find to be the best out the Disney Plus MCU shows.
Yet it's not the best superhero TV series or even Marvel TV series I've seen, because of...
1. Daredevil (2015-2018)
Now this is how you make a superhero show. Three seasons, each 13 episodes long, was the perfect length to get to explore all the most interesting narratives and villains from the Daredevil comics, without over-stretching anything as things are kept fresh and the writers quit while being ahead.
When watching the first season of Daredevil, one is in awe of just how fleshed out the setting is: usually, the criminals in comic book movies and shows are the most generic street gangs one can imagine, but here, you have a well-written crime drama with complex and fleshed-out dynamics between the different factions of the Hell's Kitchen criminal underground. This is all very intriguing to follow as it unfolds, and pulling the strings is Vincent D'Onofrio's take on classic villain Kingpin, who is vulnerable and humane yet magnificent and terrifying all at the same time. Watching Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) go up against his criminal empire, both as a lawyer by day and as a vigilante by night, makes for one hell of a debut season.
With season 2, everything is a tad bigger and better while still feeling like the same series; the setting is expanded with the introduction of new characters and storylines leading into The Defenders, with the scene-stealing star being antihero Frank Castle / Punisher (Jon Bernthal), a character so engaging that they had to give him his own spin-off. And with season 3, heroes and villains and various narratives from the first two seasons as well as many new ones come together to make for a dramatic final clash bound to leave the viewer satisfied. All in all, this Netflix crime drama is a gripping and fascinating take on the Daredevil character, and the best individual television series that the superhero genre has to offer.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I review Amazon's new Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022-) series, naturally in list form - Top 5 things Rings of Power does right, and top 5 things it doesn't.
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