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With the finale of the Infinity Saga officially ushering in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel executives teased a lineup of live-action television shows to help outline future Phase Four films. While some fans were on the fence about committing to full-length series as well as films, it’s important to have an understanding of the Disney+ Marvel series before heading to theaters as Phase Four continues to roll out.
In 2021 alone, Marvel Studios released WandaVision, Loki, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye on Disney+ in addition to their animated series What If…?. With the announcement of more shows on the way including Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Ironheart and Echo, Marvel is clearly gearing up to introduce major heroes and villains within these series that are sure to crossover to the big screen in the future.
While finding the time to watch any television show is its own commitment, Marvel’s decision to make live-action series is a smart formula for the MCU moving forward. Having the ability to introduce both new and old characters and their backstories across a multi-episode event gives viewers a better chance to connect with these heroes over a longer period, rather than just trying to cram as much information as possible within a two-and-a-half-hour run time.
One issue fans took note of with the newest Phase Four films Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was the lack of character development in both these stories. While both films were on a more epic scale compared to previous introductory outings, trying to jam-pack so much context and backstory into their already impressive run times left fans feeling that too much time was wasted on the epic proportion of these heroes’ problems and not enough on the heroes themselves. Perhaps this is why the MCU has started introducing live-action series: to serve as that backstory before revealing the ultimate plot points of subsequent films in theaters.
Disney+ Shows Give Overlooked Characters More Development
Most of the MCU Disney+ offerings feature shorter seasons, ranging from six to nine episodes, with some acting as standalone miniseries and others serving as a continuation of beloved heroes’ stories. Telling stories across multiple episodes ranging in length anywhere from 40 minutes to just over an hour provides a format that enables the introduction of new characters while also allowing the audience to learn more about them throughout the entire series. This also allows fans to learn more about characters who don’t get as much attention in the movies. For instance, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier gave more screen time to fan-favorites Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who collectively only have about an hour of screen time within the entire Infinity Saga.
Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye Navigate a Post-Blip World
While featuring Sam and Bucky as an unlikely duo in their own series was a surprise at first, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also helped to usher in a new tone for the MCU as familiar characters learn to re-navigate the world post-Blip. In Avengers: Endgame and even Spider-Man: Far From Home, audiences got a first-hand glimpse of the immediate after-effects of Thanos’s actions with the Infinity Stones, but Marvel goes more in-depth into this post-Blip dynamic in the Disney+ shows.
Both Hawkeye and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier show the opposite side of the proverbial Avengers coin: on one hand, the universe was saved and billions of beings got their lives back. This knowledge alone should bring relief and joy to those left behind after the Blip. But on the other hand, those that survived the Blip persevered and navigated a newly “cleansed” world, only to throw five years of rebuilding down the drain once Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) snapped everyone back in Endgame. This struggle between those who were blipped and those who weren’t carries some parallels to the civil rights battles happening in the world right now, grounding these particular Marvel Disney+ offerings in reality more than other titles on the roster.
WandaVision Sets Up Multiple Future Projects and Key Characters
While Hawkeye and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier read more as buddy-cop series grounded in reality with high-intensity fight sequences and the witty dialogue all MCU fans know and love, there are other Marvel Disney+ titles suspended in magic, mystery and superpowers. WandaVision, the first live-action series to premiere on the streaming platform, provides both a backstory for Wanda Maximoff and sets her up for future MCU appearances. While many fans have hailed Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) as the most powerful Avenger, little was known about her backstory before WandaVision. Giving this character her own show quite literally broke the barriers of what Marvel was capable of producing, ushering in a new wave of chaos magic unheard of in the MCU before this point.
WandaVision also introduced characters set to appear in other Marvel titles, including a tease of Monica Rambeau (Teyonnah Parris), who later becomes Photon, Agatha Harkness, who is set to receive her own spinoff Agatha: House of Harkness in 2022, and also Wanda’s sons Billy and Tommy, who might become more important characters later on in the MCU. In Marvel Comics, Billy becomes Wiccan, a super-powered individual, while Tommy becomes the superhero Speed. Both are later recruited to the Young Avengers.
Other notable members of the Young Avengers include Kate Bishop and Cassie Lang who have already been introduced via Hawkeye and the Ant-Man films, respectively. The introduction of Billy and Tommy and Wanda’s subsequent search for them shown in the WandaVision post-credits scene could be hinting at the formation of the Young Avengers in the MCU’s future.
Loki and What If…? Introduce the Multiverse
Arguably the most important Disney+ Marvel title to set up the multiverse is Loki. With Tom Hiddleston taking the reins as the mercurial God of Mischief once again in this wildly successful spin-off, fans were introduced to the concept of a multiverse and various timelines within the MCU. Introducing formidable players from the comics like Kang the Conqueror and Ravonna Renslayer, Loki sets up the creation of the multiverse in its season finale, implying that the very MCU as fans know it is about to be turned on its head. With What If…? also centering around the possibilities of different versions of beloved heroes in different timelines, the introduction of the multiverse means anything can happen in the MCU as Phase Four continues.
It might be a lot to ask of Marvel fans, having them commit to multiple television series before seeing the Phase Four films. However, Marvel’s chief creative officer Kevin Feige has confirmed that the events of the Disney+ Marvel shows will tie directly into the Phase Four movies and has stated that fans will want to stay up to date on the series to better understand the events that will unfold in the feature films. Die-hard MCU fans don’t take issue with consuming more Phase Four content, regardless if it’s on the small or big screen, and are already chomping at the bit to see what becomes of their favorite characters after the wild success of the Disney+ Marvel shows so far.
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