Every Live Action Marvel TV Show, Ranked According To IMDb

The arrival of Disney+ has opened the door for many more television shows from Marvel, expanding the world of the MCU exponentially, and with others like Ironheart and Secret Invasion scheduled over the next few years, that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.

The MCU isn’t the only way that Marvel stories have been adapted for the small screen, though, as Marvel Television collaborated with 20th Century Fox to bring X-Men characters to life in shows Legion and The Gifted. As expected, though, some of these adaptations have found more success than others, a fact reflected in the shows’ IMDb scores.

Updated on April 10th, 2022 by Stacie Rook: With Moon Knight currently airing its inaugural season on Disney+, and Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk set to make their MCU debuts this year, the world of Marvel television has become as regular an output of comic book stories as the blockbuster movies. Often shining the spotlight on lesser-known characters, these shows are a chance for Marvel to explore heroes in greater depth. Some are set within the MCU, while others shined outside of it over the years.

18 Inhumans (2017) – 5.0

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It should come as no surprise that Inhumans is last on this list. The 2017 ABC series, considered part of the MCU, attempted to bring Marvel’s Inhuman Royal Family to the screen, but it was universally panned by critics.

The show never truly landed and was unsurprisingly canceled after one season. Though the Inhumans are an important faction in Marvel comics, their on-screen counterparts never found the same success, largely owing to the series’ dull narrative and underwhelming take on Attilan’s rulers, leaving comic book fans of the Inhumans still knowing far more about them.

17 Iron Fist (2017-2018) – 6.5

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Of all the Marvel shows that originated on Netflix, Iron Fist received the coldest reception from audiences and critics alike. The series introduced the last of the Defenders characters, Danny Rand, who wields the power of the Immortal Iron Fist.

Despite the fantastic addition of characters like Colleen Wing, Iron Fist was hindered by its lack of originality, and unlike Netflix’s other Marvel shows, its protagonist did not stand out as a complex and compelling character to root for.

16 Cloak & Dagger (2018-2019) – 6.7

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Although they might not be the most popular characters in the Marvel Universe, Cloak and Dagger are certainly two of the most fascinating, with incredible potential in their powers. When it was announced that the two were getting their own live-action series, then, there was plenty of hype around it.

Freeform’s Cloak & Dagger ran for two seasons before being canceled. Overall, the reviews of the show were mixed but closer to positive. Many cited issues with the plot, both in its slow development and its lack of direction throughout early episodes. On the other hand, though, many believed the strength of the characters and the show’s faithfulness to the source material made it a unique Marvel series.

15 Runaways (2017-2019) – 7.0

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Marvel’s Runaways ran for three seasons on Hulu. The series, simplified, tells the story of a group of super-powered teenagers that discover their parents are actually supervillains. The show strays from its source material, in some cases quite significantly, a choice that had both pros and cons.

With the story focused not only on the Runaways but also their parents, the show differed from many teen-led superhero stories, giving it a refreshing twist. There are many ways the Runaways could return in future MCU projects, and given the varied powers of its protagonists, they could add a new dimension to the world.

14 The Defenders (2017) – 7.3

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At its heart, The Defenders was a team-up story. It saw the clashing of four individual stories into one, bringing the characters of each Marvel Netflix series together to become a more street-level, Avengers-like team.

Overall, the series was more successful in the way it built relationships between pairs of heroes than it was in establishing connections between all four members. Nevertheless, it was a great bridge between the stories of each character’s title show and gave Marvel’s Netflix series the connected universe feel that it had been building towards.

13 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) – 7.3

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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw the ultimate team-up between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, two individuals whose chemistry had already been established in the MCU, and the series put it to good use.

Though this was one of the show’s strongest elements, alongside the arc which saw Sam reckoning with what it would mean to become Captain America as a Black man, the story did suffer from pacing issues at times, which unfortunately hinders the overall narrative.

12 Luke Cage (2016-2018) – 7.3

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The third Marvel Netflix show, Luke Cage brought with it plenty of anticipation and for the most part, lived up to it. It relied heavily on smart dialogue between a terrific cast of characters but unfortunately withheld some of the action that comic book fans crave.

Luke Cage was canceled after two seasons, and throughout both, Mike Colter’s portrayal of the titular hero was fantastic, showing a multi-faceted man striving to do what’s right as time and again he’s thrown into difficult situations.

11 The Gifted (2017-2019) – 7.4

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Fox’s The Gifted, which ran for two seasons, was one of the few Marvel series that operated in a universe outside of any other show, and although it utilized X-Men properties, it was not a typical X-Men production.

Much like Luke Cage, it was a show that relied more on dialogue and the development of engaging characters than hardcore action, a structure that actually made the show stronger. Bringing characters like Blink and Polaris to the screen, The Gifted delved deep into the struggle of Mutants with effectiveness.

10 Moon Knight (2022-) – 7.7

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The latest of Marvel’s Disney+ original shows, Moon Knight may still be airing, but it has already garnered positive reviews, with special praise given to Oscar Isaac’s performance in the title role.

It tells the story of Marc Spector, a mercenary with dissociative identity disorder who gets drawn into a mystery surrounding the Egyptian gods and later becomes the avatar for the moon god Khonshu. The series leans into the psychological horror side of things, which is a first for the MCU.

9 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013-2020) – 7.6

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Premiering in 2013 and running for a total of seven seasons, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is by a significant margin the MCU’s longest-running TV show. Though it had some growing pains in earlier seasons, as the series tried to distinguish itself from Marvel movies, it grew into a remarkable story unafraid to take risks, becoming all the better for it.

Though it was kickstarted as a way to bring Phil Coulson back into the MCU, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuted a range of powerful main heroes in its own right, moving from its initial premise as a spy show to an all-out sci-fi extravaganza.

8 Hawkeye (2021) – 7.7

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The last of the original six Avengers to get a solo story, Hawkeye showed Clint Barton as he dealt not only with the grief of losing his best friend, but also with the repercussions of his time as the vigilante Ronin.

Add into the mix Hawkeye superfan and talented fighter Kate Bishop, and Clint’s life became a lot more complicated. While its villain was a little underwhelming, Hawkeye succeeded in building up the partnership of its two leads and bringing some comic book zaniness to the screen.

7 Agent Carter (2015-2016) – 7.9

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2015’s Agent Carter followed in the footsteps of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as the second MCU-based television series. Telling the story of Peggy Carter after Captain America’s crash, the series did a great service to the character.

Given that at the time of the show’s premiere Peggy had only appeared in a single MCU movie, it seemed only fair that audiences got the chance to explore more of her character, particularly given her influence over some of the franchise’s institutions like S.H.I.E.L.D.

6 Jessica Jones (2015-2019) – 7.9

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Netflix’s Jessica Jones is a severely underrated series. It not only flips the typical superhero narrative on its head but also tackles some of the darkest parts of life not typically featured in a comic book film.

With one of Marvel’s most detestable villains, Kilgrave, as the antagonist of its first season, Jessica Jones was able to show its antihero protagonist tackling a deeply personal foe while also developing the connections she had to those around her.

5 WandaVision (2021) – 8.0

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As the first Disney+ Marvel series, WandaVision established that the MCU would be taking some creative risks with their new shows, as seen with its unique sitcom format.

Given all that Wanda has faced during her time in the MCU, it seemed only natural that a series focused on her was needed to unpack all that she’d been through, and WandaVision did just that, while also elaborating on her powers and her dynamic with Vision.

4 Legion (2017-2019) – 8.2

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Much like The Gifted, Legion uses X-Men properties without actually showing the X-Men, and follows David Haller, the Mutant son of Charles Xavier.

Over the course of its three-season run, Legion was praised for its new approach to the superhero story and use of surrealism. While it introduced a version of Charles Xavier in season 3, the show was ultimately successful because it didn’t rely on the presence of other X-Men characters.

3 Loki (2021-) – 8.3

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With a longtime fan-favorite character at the forefront of the series, Loki was met with high expectations, and the show delivered on the kind of mischief fans expect from a story about the Asgardian.

As well as showing the character of Loki in a new light, the show also introduced a whole host of memorable variants, including the series’ female lead Sylvie. Loki also played a crucial part in the wider structure of the MCU, by opening up the multiverse once and for all.

2 The Punisher (2017-2019) – 8.5

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After the character of Frank Castle was introduced as a villain in Daredevil season two, the character truly flourished in his own show, The Punisher.

The Punisher is brutally dark, thrilling, and packed full of excellent characters. It presents a perfect balance of gut-wrenching action and truly captivating emotion. With Matt Murdock’s return to the MCU, it seems there’s a chance that Jon Bernthal’s Punisher could show up again too.

1 Daredevil (2015-2018) – 8.7

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The original Netflix Marvel collaboration, Daredevil is widely regarded as the best Marvel series of all time, and fans have long been petitioning to have the series revived.

Daredevil is a comic book fan’s dream come true. It’s gritty and action-packed, yet filled with humor and great character dialogue that makes it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Charlie Cox portraying the devil of Hell’s Kitchen. With the character’s reappearance in the MCU in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it’s unlikely that the character’s time on-screen is truly over.