by Chris Snellgrove
| Published
We've been very hard on Disney+ here for a very specific reason: the MCU's lackluster TV content. When the streaming service was first announced, the prospect of more movie-quality Marvel content on the small screen was the biggest draw, even more than the promise of a Star Wars movie on the small screen. The House of Mouse has unfortunately wasted most of the TV potential of the MCU, but they could turn this ship around by doing something radical: namely re-embracing Netflix's Marvel model of creating shows around smaller characters that don't connect to the movies.
Before the arrival of Disney+, Marvel TV content was split across multiple platforms. And more family friendly Shield agents It aired on ABC while Marvel acquired shows tailored for adult viewers, including reckless, Jessica Jonesand Luke Cage.
The ABC show has a lot of fans, as do shows that have subsequently aired on other streaming platforms (I'm totally partial to Hulu's Runaways myself), but this series is on Netflix It instantly became a global phenomenon. They were everything fans thought we couldn't get with the MCU — gritty, brutal, and brooding — and one of the only downsides was that the shows distanced themselves from the Marvel movies (and vice versa).
Although I understood the logistical difficulties of scheduling roles into very different filming schedules, I was one of the fans who was always disappointed that we didn't get to see characters like Jessica Jones appear in the film. Avengers films. However, now that a lot of Disney+ content has replaced shows, e.g reckless It proved so disappointing, I completely changed my mind. The simple truth is that no The connection to the movies has been one of the greatest strengths of Marvel Netflix's content, and trying to force such a connection is even greater weakness From Disney+ shows.
How Marvel's transformation into a connected universe destroyed Marvel
For example, Loki It was a very popular Disney+ TV show, and its only major flaw was that it spent two seasons trying to set up Kang the Conqueror as Marvel's next Big Bad. It's easy to say now that this was a waste of time because Jonathan Majors' legal drama resulted in Kang being written up from court. MCU completely. But here The thing: Even if these legal issues never happened and Majors was “the one who stayed” for future films, spending so much time setting up a future film means that Loki missed the opportunity to tell a more independent and intimate story for his main character. .
It's the kind of mistake Disney keeps making with these shows. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier It told an uneven story that exists mostly for setting Captain America 4a film that suffered from delays and was reported to have to be reshot. Secret invasion He mishandled the classic comic book storyline, apparently just to determine why Nick Fury He was in space at the right time Wonders. Likewise, end Ms. Marvel Preparation was sacrificed Wondersa film that became a historic box office failure for Disney.
Uniqueness is Marvel's strength
Again, it's easy to pick on these shows through the lens of hindsight because we now know that the films they were making suffered from production difficulties and box office problems. However, wouldn't it have been better if these shows had nothing to do with the movies? They would be able to tell their stories and provide satisfying endings regardless of what happened with the release of subsequent films. Marvel shows on Netflix were forced to stay in their own little corner of the world and ended up thriving Although Because there is no connection to movies however because From him.
Jessica Jonesfor example, could have afforded to do some fun stunts by having David Tennant as the evil purple guy. In the age of Disney+, it would be difficult to sign on Doctor Who A star because executives want him on a 10-year contract for future shows and movies. Likewise, I'm confident that Vincent D'Onofrio would have been easier to sign as the villain in a solo TV show and that he might have abandoned the strict contracts of the modern Disney+ era.
The Netflix shows' distance from the larger MCU has helped them tell different types of stories about different types of heroes. For example, the hard-drinking and unabashedly vulgar Jessica Jones might have clashed with the bright heroes in a cheerful Avengers adventure, but she thrives in the noir-heavy world of a show whose sex and violence would never make it to Marvel's big screen. Likewise, Luke Cage was able to address discussions of race and racism in a way that would have horrified Disney executives, who were afraid to even hint at controversy regarding their tentpole films.
We're running out of time to save Marvel And Disney+
This is more than just nostalgia. More than just another old Marvel fan saying things used to be better.
For what it's worth, the Netflix Marvel era offered better shows, bigger names, and bolder performances, and they were able to do so largely because there was no real attempt to connect them to the MCU films. If Disney+ wants its future Marvel shows (including… Daredevil: Born again), will need to copy Netflix's formula, focusing on telling self-contained stories rather than endless setup for future blockbusters.
Otherwise, this franchise may be deadlier than Kang's future in the MCU, and there's no amount of excitement in casting Robert Downey Jr. in the role. Dr. Doom Or restarting everything will bring it back to life.
