Marvel's Disney Plus Shows Have to Change

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Secret Invasion is the latest in a line of Marvel Disney Plus shows that just don't quite work. In this video, I go over where the MCU shows are failing and how they could improve.
Music by Epidemic Sound (www.epidemicsound.com)
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Special thanks to Andrew Elliott (Stalli111: / stalli111 ) for editing this video!

[@captainmidnight]

What has been your favorite and least favorite MCU show so far? The first 1,000 people to use the link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare skl.sh/captainmidnight08231

[@just-dashin]

bars

[@ethantlou4082]

Secret Trash

[@ameyskulkarni]

Favourite: Daredevil S1-3 Least Favourite: either She Hulk or Secret Invasion (tho I dislike Loki too)

[@isaacmapes]

Favorite: Loki Least Favorite: Ms. Marvel

[@chasehedges6775]

Loki, but even that was average at best. Only reason it was good was because of Tom Hiddleston. He always is wonderful to watch, along with his chemistry with Owen Wilson

[@justinh4576]

I think their biggest mistake was treating tv like a dumping ground for low profile ideas. Television offers you the ability to tell larger stories within a larger scope. It shouldn’t be treated like an excuse to make an elongated movie with the same basic narrative beats over and over again.

[@nayrb014]

💯

[@vee1766]

Loki was far from "low profile".

[@M53614]

​@vee1766 True in terms of writing and engagement its different and it was good. But besides that all the other ones are lame af.

[@bender4183]

Disney + is losing money tho

[@vee1766]

@@M53614 I'd say Moon Knight and WandaVision were at least bold and ambitious in trying weird stuff.

[@Waffletigercat]

The thing is that Disney is never going to separate the TV shows from the movies. Disney’s entire goal is to make the fans feel obligated to consume everything, whether each individual piece interests them or not.

[@blackosprey2219]

That strategy isn't going to work on casual audiences who checked out after Endgame or No Way Home. In fact, it might even be a deterrent since people don't want homework to enjoy their simple popcorn flick. And the longer everything is tied up together, the more that quality will suffer, which leads to even greater disinterest.

[@Waffletigercat]

@@blackosprey2219 I mean, I personally stopped watching Marvel after Avengers 1 for exactly that reason. But Disney sees dollar signs and isn’t gonna change.

[@StarryEyed0590]

@@blackosprey2219 Yeah, I think we're seeing the backfiring of that strategy as more and more people decide that if they have to watch everything to stay abreast of the storylines, they're just not going to watch anything.

[@tylerharaf5901]

@@StarryEyed0590Exactly. As someone that used to be a huge MCU fan, I’ve been picking and choosing only a few select shows to watch like wandavision, loki and moon knight. Outside of Loki and moon knight season 2 I don’t have much interest in the other shows, even though I was initially excited for secret invasion

[@princeprocrastinate6485]

A strategy that doesn't work, I among many have given up trying to follow it all and only watch that which actually interests me, which sadly is very little these days.

[@taurusstudios5497]

Disney is a perfect example of a media corporation focusing more on generating profit over quality content.

[@benwasserman8223]

WandaVision, Loki, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, What If, Werewolf by Night and Holiday Special. I’d say those were quality content.

[@taurusstudios5497]

@@benwasserman8223 Aside from the Werewolf by Night special, every single series that you mentioned suffers from a bevy of writing problems. They also tend to have rushed finales.

[@ameyskulkarni]

@@benwasserman8223 Wanda vision: Began well and then drove itself off a cliff. Loki: Severely overrated and really handled it's main protagonist badly.

[@benwasserman8223]

@@taurusstudios5497 Loki’s finale wasn’t exactly rushed. If anything it was the most unorthodox path a finale could have taken with He Who Remains’ monologue. Hawkeye wrapped up most threads but its real issue was how much people cared about D’Onofrio’s return as Kingpin. As for Ms. Marvel, I’d say the finale worked because, compared to most shows, it spent a lot of time giving personality to the supporting cast and family. So there was still an emotional component at play.

[@benwasserman8223]

@@ameyskulkarni Well luckily for us, season 2 is on its way and will hopefully rectify your problems. Plus Key Huy Quan in more shows is always a good thing.

[@AtlasNovack]

I took Endgame's advice, treated it as the finale. Been remarkable for my mental health

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

Sucks to hear but probably healthier

[@bwhere45]

@@zogwort1522 I dropped out at Infinity War. I knew they had to retocn all the characters dying so I checked out. Turned out it was even dumber than I thought I going to be.

[@johnnycage6676]

@@bwhere45smart man

[@majorgear1021]

I took Infinity War as the finale. It saved me a lot of disappointment.

[@MacTac141]

⁠@@zogwort1522I disagree, Compared to most ending we get these days it’s about as good as you could possibly expect In 2019 we also got the end of the new Star Wars trilogy and Game of Thrones, shows you how rare a good ending to a big franchise/saga actually is. It’s slower than Infinity War for sure but that’s also one of its strengths and it’s a pretty good send off to the 2 most popular characters in the MCU (ignoring Spider-Man)

[@TheMultiverseofSpidey]

I've said for a long time that I don't care how many characters they introduce from the comics, I just want the story to be good. If that means not introducing some characters or getting rid of some of these shows, so be it.

[@watertrooper]

Yeah, but they always have to bring them into the main MCU. Then you always have to have a cameo from an established MCU character. Which can take away from the character they are introducing.

[@maroshmarosh2173]

BUT... BUT THEY INTRODUCED GLIMDORF ??? DON'T YOU GUYS REMEMBER GLIMDORF ???

[@d3j4v00]

Remember when they didn’t cross over except for a few Easter eggs and in Agents of SHIELD?

[@gregvs.theworld451]

​@@maroshmarosh2173I love that I don't know if you just made that up.

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

That the problem probably when you have too many characters to show and momentum

[@Spud1189]

Adapt to television. Stop telling 6 part movies you’re stretching the story too far and it suffers for it.

[@chasehedges6775]

They need to do the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul approach

[@vee1766]

Marvel didn't invent mini-series, it's nothing new, it's been done for a long time, i don't know what you're on about.

[@Spud1189]

@@vee1766 I did not say they invented it I’m only saying the way they approach it with it being a “6 hour movie” stretches out the story unnecessarily. Many of the shows to me feel like bloated movie scripts.

[@marsbars6869]

@@vee1766 they are only "mini-series" by name. As many people have mentioned the shows don't seem to follow a tv structure but seem more like a movie concept that's been stretched out to fit a pre-determined number of episodes (usually six). HBO's Watchmen was a mini-series with 9 episodes and yet it was executed superbly, it didn't feel like a stretched out movie. Their only show that actually felt like a tv show was Wandavision but even that had its own issues

[@Windupchronic]

I'll say this about Agents of SHIELD: it managed to do both Secret Invasion and Flashpoint better than Secret Invasion and The Flash, and it did them both in the same season.

[@nahor88]

AoS went on for too many seasons though; I liked the story when it was more grounded, centered around the Earth. Once they started going into space and brought in the Kree, it just felt like a worse version of Star Trek.

[@jturner2577]

The Flash TV Series despite Flashpoint being one episode was pretty decent as well.

[@BalanceProper]

Season 4 of Agents of Shield was amazing .

[@bexyPTX]

The lack of episodic writing in almost any of the MCU Disney+ shows is really one of the big issues. It’s why to this day WandaVision is my favorite, as it actually needed to be told in that medium

[@StarryEyed0590]

Ms. Marvel could have been great if they had been willing to write it as an episodic, villain-of-the-week show about a girl trying to navigate her family, her culture, and her new powers. It's the back half where the weight of the limp villains and convoluted myth arc drag the show down too much for the great characters and charming lead to carry it.

[@vee1766]

Let me guess, you want the same trash formula that the CW has been milking to morons for a decade with their awful DC shows ?

[@Del-Dokan]

​@StarryEyed0590 Might I recommend Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur? It its a wonderfully written and animated show that basically accomplished what you were looking for in Ms. Marvel and then some

[@StarryEyed0590]

@@Del-Dokan I haven't watched that one! I'll check it out!

[@trevturp6891]

WandaVision still could have been a movie.

[@WillOnYT]

Imagine if they gave us the equivalent of Batman the Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, the entire DC Animated Series. The could do all of this with the budget of a single MCU show. This would also help with the amount of watchable content on Disney+, be able to do long story arcs, let characters breathe.

[@CrissaKentavr]

Or the new Adventures with Superman, it's amazing. Like they really got space to make it without being picked on. Or (not for kids) Harley Quinn. I like that both of these exist. Batman:tas was so good that I recorded every single one on VHS back in the day. Alot of my college friends didn't believe me, only thinking WB was the only old shorts.

[@WillOnYT]

@@TheCoolCucumberI mean we’ve gotten 8 different shows across 51 episodes across all of phase 4 , for simplicity sake let’s say each show is $200 million a pop. They’ve spent 1.6 billion on these shows. It’s not sustainable and what the audience has come to realize is that none of these shows are important to watch the movies in theaters. These funds could have be allocated to getting X-men and FF off the ground post endgame. Also they could build an Animated cinematic universe on the side to explore even more wild concepts

[@JosephDutra]

I think What If? is great

[@yeet4073]

​@JosephDutra what if might be one of marvels best projects, like ever

[@Kirasfox]

They ALREADY had several shows like that... but Disney bought things out and canceled them....which made no sense because those shows were pretty great tbh

[@c3920]

In a KZbin world full of loud and angry hot takes, your channel is a welcome change for the calm, measured, and constructive criticism. Thank you Captain Midnight.

[@benjaminwatt2436]

True, i can't stand content creators who yell 90% of the time

[@vee1766]

"Marvel is failing at TV", ah yes, very calm and measured take, not absolutist at all. That's just ridiculous recency bias based on the failure of Secret Invasion, i bet you anything that when the season 2 of Loki (still the best Marvel show by FAR) will release in a month nobody will say Marvel is failing at TV anymore and that take will sound ridiculous.

[@ApolloPlanetary]

@@vee1766exactly

[@rootfish2671]

Yeah being an Internet tough guy KZbinr who constantly yells belongs in Internet 1.0

[@fridgehorror4502]

@@vee1766dickrider

[@Rembreiker_lychec9257]

I agree with making fewer Disney + shows a year, but I'd like them to be a bit longer, say 12+ episodes per season would give me a really good Q of fun.

[@cancerstinks1]

That or make the episodes like 90 minutes

[@Random_dud31]

​@cancerstinks1 i disagree on that. If every episode is longer than an hour, its gonna be pretty bad. In fact, an hour is too long which they will a lot of fluff(and I'm not talking about side content) Unless its gonna be like chernobyl(or something on that level) its really hard to engage the audience for that long. I mean, its a movie at that point

[@Coolcoolcooldude]

I think Daredevil Reborn will be 18 episodes.

[@ameyskulkarni]

Also make them better in quality

[@ameyskulkarni]

@@Coolcoolcooldude From what I've heard it's 18 episodes in 2 parts (essentially seasons) of 9 each

[@matthewjarek3026]

For me, Agents of SHIELD will always be the peak of Marvel TV. With a smaller budget and a cast of unknown characters, the show was still able to accomplish more than any of the Disney+ shows thanks to its great writing, directing, and acting. Sure, the Seasons had 13-22 episodes instead of the usual 6-9 for the Disney+ shows, but the writers knew how to pace story and character arcs so nothing felt too rushed or dragged out. The ratings never increased and most people didn't have much hope in AoS, so the creators felt they had nothing to lose and set the show apart from the rest of the MCU, relying more on quality than quantity. I was loyal to the show from day one and watched AoS till the very end. It was worth sticking around and I wish Marvel would give Agents of SHIELD more attention. Also, Agents of SHIELD did Secret Invasion's premise much better. TWICE!

[@5Ci0N]

Wow, you think AoS is peak? I wish I could have low standards😢

[@matthewjarek3026]

@@5Ci0N Ok, well what's your peak then?

[@cmoihub]

Daredevil? Luke Cage?

[@trayb6058]

Daredevil was indeed peak marvel tv. In fact was peak tv full stop

[@vee1766]

You are everything that's wrong. All you want is CW level of trash. Agents of Shield was extremely mediocre from start to finish, it belongs with the Arrowverse and all that crap in term of "quality".

[@spencergordon2815]

I feel like these shows could be 1 hr specials like Werewolf by Night. Not a full movie or 6 hr mini series I think would be a good way to check up on the enormous roster as well as setting things up for the feature films that come out to theaters.

[@eileensnow6153]

I don’t understand how the Eternals movie got one movie, where Secret Invasion and She-Hulk got fleshed-out shows. It feels less like they’re trying to tell these stories, and more like they’re choosing what to make by throwing darts at a wall covered in Marvel comics

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

Exactly, Moon Knight and Ms Marvel did not need to be full series, their plots could be wrapped up in an hour

[@georgezee5173]

​@@jesusramirezromo2037 disagree with Moon Knight. It had the potential of being a proper 2 hour-long movie, only rethinking the plot a bit and having better and more expensive set pieces. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if before announcing it as a show the original script/draft was for a movie.

[@Thesmus]

@@georgezee5173 honestly though, moonknight could have been a proper movie

[@charles52able1]

I loved Agents of Shield and Agent Carter. You finally got a chance to see the impact of the MCU movies and really experience the lives of mortals in a war of God's.

[@camizimmerman]

And you get to know the characters, see their development.... SHIELD is so good

[@williamjeffries5074]

Those shows helped transform make the MCU feel like a reality I could live in and could keep up to date with as things happened week by week. I miss those days.

[@ItsmeInternetStranger]

I do feel like there was a "cozy" aspect to TV programs without huge, overarching plots. Like, you can pop on any random episode of Star Trek TNG or X-Fles and probably be able to follow along unless it happened to be a two-parter. Shows that try to tell a single cohesive story over the season have their strengths, absolutely, but they end up feeling more like long movies and losing that "episodic" quality that made Television really unique.

[@TheSuperappelflap]

Personally most of my favourite tv shows are either 1 season miniseries that tell a single contained plot line. I just watched a series on Netflix called "Treason" with Olga Kurylenko, it is never going to get another season and it doesnt have to, because it works as a 5 episode miniseries and has an actual start, middle and end. Or alternatively theyre long multiseason epics like Battlestar Galactica that have consistent themes, characters, and a plot that actually goes somewhere and builds on previous seasons. I absolutely hate shows like Lost or dramas like Suits or Mad Men that just meander on and on and nothing has any consequences. X-Files if you use a guide and skip all the inconsequential filler episodes is actually a pretty decent story. Then again, Im watching this video and seeing that image of Burn Notice, I did like that show and that definitely never went anywhere plot-wise besides recycling the same plot of the dude trying to get his life back together and ending up in the same place at the end of every season.

[@jamesknapp64]

I'm gonna add a bit though. Multi episode arcs are much harder to pull off but can be done. Major Crimes (cable show on TNT) had several 5ish episode single case arcs and imo were their best work. I think Marvel isnt hiring goos Veteran writers

[@TheSuperappelflap]

@@jamesknapp64 The Wire and Battlestar Galactica are my favorite shows when it comes to seasonal arcs. Veteran writers all quit hollywood in 2008 during the previous writers strike when the studios told them to fuck off.

[@chasehedges6775]

The MCU needs to change, really.

[@ytuser_3122]

I see you everywhere, bruh. What you said is a fact, though

[@KillaD69]

See, one of the problems with MCU movies is that they lack a certain eroticism. For the next Hulk movie what if we were to bring... an incredibly hot but skeptical female lab partner into the mix? And then that way, whenever The Hulk's not out busting heads because he fights crime, he's back at his lab performing outrageous sexual experiments on her supple young body. Now, here's the twist, and there is a twist. We show it. We show all of it. Because what's the one major thing missing from all action movies these days, guys? Full penetration. Guys, we're going to show full penetration, and we're going to show a lot of it. I mean, we're talking, you know, graphic scenes of The Incredible Hulk really going to town on this hot, young lab tech. From behind, 69, a**l, vaginal, cowgirl, reverse cowgirl-- all the hits, all the big ones, all the good ones. And then he fights crime again. He's out busting heads. Then he's back to the lab for some more full penetration. Fights crime, back to the lab, full penetration. Crime, penetration, crime, full penetration, crime, penetration... And this goes on and on, and back and forth for 90 or so minutes until the movie just sort of ends.

[@cameron2069]

Or just die

[@Bax365]

It needs to Die.

[@gos_7079]

Agreed

[@andrewfollette5342]

The problem here ultimately is a problem that started to plague a lot of Disney media since 2019, but crept in throughout the 2010s: which is that in trying to be as broadly appealing as possible, the shows and movies often have nothing interesting or artistic to say in its themes. Often, great character work would be a good alternative when the themes were lackluster, but even now many of these new characters in Disney's franchises (and some of the old ones) just don't feel super well defined or easy to connect to. Just a bunch of bland ciphers.

[@Horatio787]

Yeah, you can't make a universe of just Simpsons. You need Moe, Mr Burns, Chief Wiggum, Milhouse, Snake, you can't just have 50 Simpsons families.

[@TabalugaDragon]

"Agents of SHIELD usually had fun storytelling" that's an interesting way to describe one of the most serious TV shows ever. Sure, it started off fun and campy, but as it went on it kept getting darker, and darker, and darker.

[@JusticeLong3317]

Yeah it was quite interesting that was said as Agents of Shields most acclaimed seasons were actually the dark ones. Critics and fans absolutely adored seasons 3-5. The only light hearted seasons in my opinion were season 6 and 1.

[@CalvinChikelue]

Agreed 1000% It’s wild how the Netflix era shows trounce so much of the Disney Plus output even though those shows also suffered from bloat. Daredevil’s seasons might be long but they hour for hour are more compelling than chaff like Secret Invasion. Investing in animation is a very good call.

[@ARTHURDASILVEIRAFORTES2023]

It is good to hear someone like Captain Midnight backing up animation as a great and formidable medium to tell great and unique stories. Marvel really needs to invest more in great animation. Bonus: Other Marvel properties, besides Wolverine, that I think need animated adaptations right now: Hulk, X-Factor, Alpha Flight, Deadpool (Complete the one that was cancelled), Avengers (Renew Avengers:EMH), Heroes for Hire, Punisher, Captain Britain, Excalibur, Secret Warriors, New Mutants, Marvels, Black Panther, Blade (Samurai Jack style), The Runaways, Nova Corps, Ant-Man, Daredevil, Inhumans, Fantastic Four(Animation seems to fit them better) and The Defenders(Any version and roster).

[@suto5704]

💯

[@raymalik5171]

Animation suits Superheroes so much, they can get really wild and creative with it

[@iraford5788]

Marvel studios actually has a lot of upcoming animated projects in the works such as What if season 2, X-Men 97, I am Groot season 2 Spiderman Freshman Year and Marvel Zombies etc, as they have their own animated division that they started a few years ago.

[@melissaharris3389]

I've thought they should do a Captain America and the Howling Commandos animated series for years. All the stuff that got shoved into the montage in The First Avenger, including Steve and Peggy's growing relationship, could be flushed out in a limited 6 part series with the original cast returning to do voice roles.

[@crestofhonor2349]

Animation for Super hero shows has already shown how much better suited it is for it. Both Marvel and DC have shown how effective animation is for these types of shows and they seem to be easier to produce than the bad CG ridden live action movies. Plus it lends to more suspension of belief and won't have the issue of the more creative costumes being overdone or thrown out for somehting worse

[@ar_reactions612]

I’m really scared for the new Daredevil show after seeing how these shows have turned out so far. Sure it’s 18 episodes but what if it’s 18 bad episodes?

[@racool911]

I'm guessing if it's arc based some of the arcs will be great and some will be bad

[@aclassydinonamedzanthor563]

It’ll probably turn out to be 18 episodes of 20 minutes so it’s still the same thing as these 6 episodes of an hour :P

[@leithaziz2716]

Wait, Daredevil is still ongoing? I think it's better to put it to rest as is. The cancellation was sad, but it was a great run.

[@ar_reactions612]

@@leithaziz2716 it’s apparently more of a soft reboot then a continuation. Apparently Foggy and Karen won’t even be in it

[@Adam-nc6qg]

​@@ar_reactions612Then what's the point? Those two were the hearth of the show and important insight into how ordinary people viewed super heroes.

[@being47]

Agents of Shield was a very good show. and it ended with very high note on one of the best season . you don't get nowadays this kind of variety cast and all of them were imp. had proper character development , every character had a very good arc that defines them . also Agents of shield doesn't suffer from the trope that other superhero shows has is every new season the stakes continued .

[@Boris91939]

Watch Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, it’s a great stylized animated series based on a Marvel Comics character. It focuses on trying to be its own thing while still being faithful to the original comics it was based on

[@alexisdogbo7958]

I think avengers emh did a pretty good job with the secret invasion story. Though I guess it being animated gave it an advantage…

[@captainmidnight]

It did great!

[@benwasserman8223]

Well, to be fair, even the comics’ Secret Invasion was better in concept than execution. EMH managed to streamline a lot of its concept in a way that felt more character-centric. Same for streamlining Kang’s goals and threat to the Avengers

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

Yes I agree

[@kingofhearts3185]

EMH really managed to streamline a lot of stuff to be easy to follow without completely dumbing it down.

[@saisameer8771]

Yep. My only little gripe is that they revealed the whole thing at the end of season 1. It sort of ruined the sense of paranoia that this type of story should have.

[@clayongunzelle9555]

This is why I go back to agents of shield ever so often, the amount of stuff that happens in one season, the whole dynamic can shift in a big way setting up stuff in the first couple episodes that don't get paid off until episode 19.... we will never get shows like that anymore which is so sad

[@professorbaxtercarelessdre1075]

"clearly what they're doing now isn't working" is the understatement of the entire industry at this point, maybe we'll get lucky and some point soon they're start taking risks again and actually make effort in their productions, but my hope is almost non-existent

[@PsychedelicDude]

I think they should have merged some of these shows together. Imagine if Secret Invasion, Falcon & WS and Hawkeye was ONE show with maybe 10-13 episodes that are around 50 min each. Each of their stories would have been way more interesting.

[@kingofhearts3185]

I think FatWS and Hawkeye could work well together, call it something like aftermath or legacy as a more general succession story about the future of the mcu without some of the avengers. Antman 3 might have been better served here too.

[@d3j4v00]

@@kingofhearts3185Avengers: Aftermath is an amazing title

[@DACatface]

Marvel of Thrones. GoT had 3-4 stories each ep and had loads of episodes where certain characters didn't even show. I actually think that could have worked

[@UKProgRock]

One bonus of being British, nearly all of our TV series' are "miniseries". 6-12 episodes is all we get, and I think it's something that benefits many of our shows too

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

Genndy Tartakovsky's Wolverine sounds absolutely amazing. The way he can write episodes with no dialogue would fit the feral nature.

[@ACABadabra666]

Seriously. That idea melted my brain. Like that would be the COOLEST f**king thing ever made. Like, holy $hit how has this not already happened?? Who is in charge around here?

[@EquestriaGuy]

Can't imagine Wolverine with Genndy's atrocious style of animation. Take a look at "Unicorn: Warriors Eternal". The show looks awful. Stylization is completely out of place.

[@onepresence9460]

It would definitely be a crazy animated show to watch. I can see Genndy Tartakovsky’s Wolverine taking place in Japan or something.

[@willemdaho3]

it’s crazy to think that Disney has all the resources to make cool animation based on Marvel characters… but they chose to do the less risky options

[@ShadowSonic2]

It's because for years the guy in charge of Marvel Animation (Jeph Loeb) openly admitted he didn't like cartoons.

[@Tamajyn69]

I really enjoyed What If and WandaVision, the two shows where they tried the most left-of-field and experimental things. That Dr Strange What If episode really hit hard and to this day it's still probably my favourite non-comic story they've told. I want Marvel to be weird like that more often

[@greayworks7232]

I think overall with a lot of recent MCU stuff, it feels like the shows are trying to be movies and the movies feel like they're trying to be shows.

[@benwasserman8223]

I think the bigger issue is that Disney+ shows are more character-driven and movies more plot-driven. Shang-Chi aside, all the new Phase 4 origin stories have been made for TV, so people don’t really see them as extensions of the movie timeline. The Marvels will definitely test that effectiveness, since it directly ties into WandaVision and Ms. Marvel’s aftermath.

[@jacobfleming3926]

They need more episodes and to be darker. That’s what made shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones so great

[@chasehedges6775]

👍💯

[@chasehedges6775]

I agree but at the same time, to quote Doug Walker, “Darker doesn’t always mean better.” There has to BE A REASON why it’s dark.

[@Rodj71]

I loved the Defenders shows on Netflix, but there was still a huge amount of needless padding in them, 13 episodes ought to have been 10, or even 8

[@shariqhasan6220]

Secret Invasion would have worked better as a sequel movie to Captain Marvel. That movie introduced Skrulls as an oppressed alien race on the verge of extinction. So it would be a great way to show that not all Skrulls are good guys. This could be a nice conflict for Carol Denver's character as she was the one who also promised that she would find them a home.

[@louisduarte8763]

Tartakovsky running a Wolverine cartoon was something I never knew I needed to hear until now. If the MCU shows on Disney+ have big problem, it's pacing. They rush through the ending in the last episode of each show after very slow runnings in every episode before it. Especially if the 1st episode features an exciting action sequence. And I noticed most of them have the male leads being talked down to by female characters with less personality and screen presence, but that may be from watching too much Critical Drinker. And Dave Cullen. And a lot of other KZbin Critics, come to think of it.

[@xlz24]

I never knew how much I needed a Genndy Tartakovsky Wolverine show until now.

[@JamesLawner]

The problem is giving these shows 6 episodes when there should be more! Andor is a perfect example of this, however, She-Hulk wasn’t as neatly paced as WandaVision, so it all really depends on the writers and the writing. Also, Ms. Marvel was poorly paced in its 6-episode structure, and even Hawkeye suffered a little bit from its 6-episode structure as well.

[@timmytang7965]

the most frustrating thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. simply allowing creatives to come in and make stories they are passionate about and want to tell is an easy answer. It doesn’t even feel like some of these stories are worth telling bc someone felt so strongly about the story. It moreso feels like they just look at certain characters and rush to throw a project together and get it out rather than just having a really good story about the character first

[@matthewmoran1866]

For me, the biggest problem with Secret Invasion is that it feels like it should be an entire Phase. Obviously that wouldn't fix all the writing problems but it does feel like Secret Invasion is such a huge event that one tv series or even one movie feels too short and too minor for what Secret Invasion is supposed to be.

[@Eagle_Owl2]

Yes. I actually forgot about the show, then my bf started watching it but I checked out after 3 episodes because I wasn't hooked. When they first announced Secret Invasion I imagined an epic plot where we got to see at least some of the main superhero cast. But it felt so weirdly disconnected and self-contained to me.

[@AvengingTiki]

Oh wow, I didn’t know I wanted a Tartakovsky Wolverine show until now. What an amazing idea! And I second the hope that they go all in on animation tv shows.

[@Eidlones]

WandaVision was what I was hoping these MCU shows would be, giving them a "safe" place to experiment with the formula and see what they could get away with. Outside of maybe Moon Knight, I don't think anything else has come close to what it tried to do.

[@racool911]

Loki? Werewolf By Night? Ms Marvel and She Hulk were also experimental in their own way

[@Eidlones]

@@racool911 Loki was pretty Marvel, just not a lot of fights. I never watched the others, and didn't even know Werewolf By Night was Marvel until like a month after it came out.

[@noobmasterruben5167]

​@@racool911Werewolf by night is more of a short special thing and not an episodic show like Wandavision was

[@vee1766]

@@Eidlones "Loki was pretty Marvel"...? It's a super weird show that takes a lot of risks.

[@Eidlones]

@@vee1766 What risks did it take exactly?

[@Jonathan_Collins]

I think it’s possible for them to correct this. Play around the tone. Play around with the genre. Play around with the narrative and how you tell a story visually. Don’t get so hung up on continuity or building to events. Make us love these characters. Allow for some creative freedom. Reduce the amount of projects and put more time into them.

[@Small_child_punter]

I think theres a lack of passion for art. Doing things and making things for the sake of having something interesting to say. I think the culture in america is whats causing this. Noone has time to think about making cool and interesting stuff.

[@spinosaurusstriker]

''Don't get so hung on cuntinuity'' ''Explore new things'' - one of the reasons people are abandoning this shows is because the producers literally don't care about continuity. - marver trying new things is not going to work if they are going to make it badly.

[@timmytang7965]

@@Small_child_punterexactly my thoughts!! the reason I really hate ant-man 2 and 3 is that they does barely anything to progress the characters of scott and hope in a meaningful way and are perfect examples of just making a movie bc the previous one made money. No love or passion for the characters behind those films just slamming action figures together

[@camipco]

I quite enjoyed Hawkeye. And the first half of Ms. Marvel. And the better Netflix shows (eg Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Daredevil S1, Punisher) For me, the lesson is for the small screen, tell smaller stories. Don't have a world-ending threat, have a personal threat. Have the stakes be the character's relationships and personality.

[@FilmscoreMetaler]

"the better netflix shows" *lists everything except for Iron Fist* :D

[@Fluffy6555]

Nah Punisher was mid

[@StarryEyed0590]

@@Fluffy6555 For me, Jessica Jones fell off pretty hard after the first season

[@FilmscoreMetaler]

@@Fluffy6555 I think it was the best written show even if he himself was a kinda bland character. Daredevil was more entertaining and Luke Cage had more style but Punisher had a dense plot and some amazing writers.

[@camipco]

I also excluded The Defenders. Which has Iron Fist. :)@@FilmscoreMetaler

[@EmsionProductions]

I think Disney should be brave and put their MCU stuff on a long hiatus. Focus on one-off and unique stuff, untethered to it’s now established universe. More animations, horrors and short films… THEN reel them all back in with some new stories and fresh ideas, within the MCU.

[@vee1766]

Disney should have ditched the current MCU and set their new universe around the Cosmic Marvel and the Guardians Of The Galaxy. THAT is where the real potential is. They should have cut the MCU in two : the Cosmic Marvel (in space) and the Mutants/X-Men Marvels (on Earth).

[@LabradorIndependent]

Agents of Shield's Life Model Decoy arc in season 4 was a significantly better play on the "anyone you know could be an imposter" theme, and resulted in not only some of the best episodes in the whole show, but I dare say some of Marvel's best televised content.

[@camizimmerman]

All 3 arcs of season 4 were amazing

[@LabradorIndependent]

Complete agree. Can't sing the praises of that season enough, "Self Control" and "What if..." remain two of the best hours of television I've ever watched.

[@kbar4462]

Your opinions on great comic book runs getting detailed by unnecessary event minis is one I very much share. The better a run is, the more I groan when an event forces it's way in

[@hobokoala2623]

I was so stoked for the first issue of that Sam as Captain America book. Then issue 2 was the tie in to the stupid Axis event and I never picked that series back up.

[@CaptainEffort]

A Wolverine show by the guy behind Samurai Jack and Primal? Holy shit that’s genius

[@baked7423]

i wholeheartedly agree. I think animation is the step forward needed and can help these tv shows find their place better. Im glad james gunn is doing that with stuff like creature commandos. Even going as far as to keep the live action actors in their roles.

[@BrandonWhatTheF]

Time for my daily fix of MCU lambasting. Thought I was gonna go all of today without it. Thanks Captain Midnight!

[@racool911]

Can never escape some MCU lambasting. Follows me everywhere. Even my nightmares. At least channels like these are chill and reasonable about it

[@samfilmkid]

I liked what you said about animation. So many things that work well in a comic book end up looking ridiculous when you try to do them in photorealistic way(MODOK) and can actually be detrimental to the characters.

[@NadeemShekh-uy9zn]

Agents of shield did secret invasion better with the LMDS

[@wesmcinerny4524]

The MCU TV shows on ABC and Netflix were much better by comparision (albiet a mixed bag). I also miss when animated Marvel shows were awesome.

[@ibemanny99]

9:57 Genndy Tartakovsky doing a wolverine show would be MONEY!

[@TevyaSmolka]

Weren’t we in the same position a few years ago with Netflix marvel tv shows a very long time ago.

[@nathanmiller3447]

A Genndy Tartovsky Wolverine actually sounds amazing.

[@Thickasian]

Several options to improve the MCU content on Disney plus 1. Do actual episodic television shows for individual characters and that culminate into a “prestigious” miniseries for your event stories. Doing multiple “prestigious” miniseries is too difficult even for the best of creators. 2. Focus on short films or special presentations like werewolf by night and GotG holiday special. 3. Focus on animation but more stylized than what if. The doctor strange episode of what if is exactly what we need.

[@vee1766]

"Do actual episodic television shows for individual characters and that culminate into a “prestigious” miniseries for your event stories. Doing multiple “prestigious” miniseries is too difficult even for the best of creators." Oh fck off, i know what you want, you want that typical CW trash formula. Stay far away from Marvel with that crap, please.

[@The_Kentuckian]

I think the negative side of big connected universes is starting to hit Marvel. For years, we were all building up for the climax that was Endgame. That gave most fans what they wanted and Marvel has been kinda listless as it tries to find a way to keep ahold of everyone's interest with a new multi movie/TV event.

[@MyMiniMovieMagic]

Man I've always said Tartokovsky doing a 2D Clone Wars type show but with Gotham City and Batman would be my ultimate wish..... ...letting him do something cool with Logan would also be pretty damn awesome

[@supermodestmouse]

You nailed it: there's maybe one or two important elements to take away from the shows but the rest is just padding, filler, and verbal exposition. They were so concerned about cranking out content, the quality of writing def dipped. I also think there has been a huge issue in the overarching narrative as well. A of the phase 4/5 don't seem to be connected in any way, even with the stinger/post credit scene - ok, I guess Wong is the connecting thread?

[@ar_reactions612]

My favourite recent Marvel show was Hit Monkey. Had nothing to do with the MCU they just adapted the comic into a really solid well paced series.

[@CrissaKentavr]

Haha! I hated that one. To each their own ^-^

[@onepresence9460]

I totally support the idea of more animated shows by Marvel Studios. I really enjoyed What If tbh and i’m super excited for X-Men ‘97. I don’t know if it’s an unpopular opinion but i personally think that in some cases animation is the best medium to adapt comic book stories. Literally my favorite DC adaptations of all time are the DCAU (Batman TAS, Superman TAS, JL, JLU) and the Marvel animated shows (SPEC Spider-Man, Avengers: EMM, 90’s X-Men) were also incredible. They can do some incredible stuff with animation. Just look how Star Wars handles with animation.

[@XZAVIER-DAA-GOD]

There's just too much content, only 8 eps a show, a hour long epss, bad writing and not budget in theses shows, plus most people don't care to watch these shows because they're really not important or just burned out

[@TheRedHorseman1208]

I realize this video was about marvel, but that clip you showed from Star Wars Visions is SO FREAKING GOOD. I think I watched that episode like 5 times.

[@Iscream4j0y]

Yeah, honestly, that's what I've been asking for, more animation and a more filled out series, they could even just do what clone wars did and use that to build out the universe for the movies and stuff, they can even just essentially do what cyberpunk did and have the anime leave traces and stuff in the game that takes place a year later. I've mostly been asking this for like Batman stuff, I feel like there's so many stories that the general audience hasn't been able to encounter because we only tell what can look good and sell to everyone in live action

[@sethdanielw]

Based on your experience of comics, I really hope you're reading the new superman Batman: world's finest comic. It has an incredible story and art and feels like a return to why most people fall in love with comics.

[@captainmidnight]

I am! One of my favorites from DC right now.

[@sethdanielw]

@@captainmidnight same! It's one of my favorite comics out right now! Fire Power is another one I'm really enjoying. I'm getting tired of events and crossovers too, so these feel like a breath of fresh air.

[@JustSomeMexicanwithaMustache]

Remember Netflix shows, I wish we got more of those.

[@zakuraiyadesu]

Love the videos, man. Keep it up!!!

[@mitchellbambam5926]

Instead of bloating the main MCU with an overload of ideas, characters, and writers, they could instead focus on riskier stories by disconnecting them from the main universe. In other words, I want more of ‘What If?’ but without the constant cuts given to season 1.

[@playman350]

Since you mentioned Justified, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the City Primeval miniseries. It was eight episodes but it felt really, really stretched out and leaves behind a few loose ends anyway

[@MisterDrBob]

She-Hulk has really been the only one of these that felt comfortable being a show. If any of these should get a second season, it's that, but it seems pretty evident that won't happen.

[@professorm3136]

Lol I think no one will support your opinion on that woke garbage

[@gregvs.theworld451]

​@@professorm3136Where is the "woke" now? Is it in the room with you?

[@craigh4691]

Came here to say this, most of these shows should have been movies, except She-Hulk which was actually structured like a sitcom.

[@professorm3136]

@@gregvs.theworld451 if I look at your reply, my guess you’re the living body of “woke”

[@ShadowSonic2]

@@professorm3136 You use Boogeyman words like "Woke", you lose credibility

[@flowbot159]

One of the reasons people didn't go to see Shazam: Fury of the Gods, or Blue Beetle was that those films were seen as vestiges of a continuity that's getting replaced. DCEU fans didnt think that mattered. To claim Marvel needs to decouple its TV continuty from the movie continuity is so baffling to me. That's just going to make people less likely to engage. They've gotta be in continuity.

[@VOLTSmotion]

damn it why did you put the idea of a Tartakovsky Wolverine show in my head! its too good!!!

[@duncanw5644]

Agents of SHIELD runs circles around the Disney + shows.

[@JMurrinYT]

WandaVision was easily the best MCU show, and also the one that felt most comfortable just being a TV show (until the finale, anyway).

[@theliato3809]

I did not know I needed tartakovsky Wolverine until you reminded me of that one short comic he did for Luke Cage

[@Mysterey101]

I preed a little bit when you mentioned Gendy Tartakovsky & Wolverine 😊

[@ApolloXL5]

Agents of Shield did the secret invasion story much better with its LMD story.

[@Heresor]

I feel like their approach with Agents of Shield was pretty good. Have the events of the movies affect the series, but the series not the movies.

[@liviadossantosmarques4667]

Yes!! More animation please!! Loved your final take!

[@Envoy_Intuition]

Omg a Gendy Tartovsky Wolverine sounds amazing

[@ToddSweeney341]

I remember the MCU In the 80s Miss those days of Marvel 😢😢

[@Jonathan_Collins]

Tbh I think they should continue making Disney Plus shows but with better writing and quality.

[@chriswp5087]

Wow what a hot take

[@chasehedges6775]

@@chriswp5087 It’s a good take

[@Dirty_mike_and_dem_boys]

@@chriswp5087😂😂

[@plantishparasite]

your literally saying nothing lmfao,

[@ajdz1840]

Shortly after Disney Plus launched they sent me a survey asking what are the biggest reasons to subscribe. I selected Star Wars and Marvel shows. I am now begging Disney to stop making these shows but they don't sent me surveys any more.

[@SuperPal-tr3go]

They've trained their audience to care more about where this is all leading to as opposed to the actual individual movie/series which itself is a problem that isn't helped by those movies/series not being all that great to begin with. So with a lack of vision on where Marvel is going beyond "multiverse and Kang" which isn't as strong as a hook as the Infinity Stones and Thanos what you got left is audience that's increasingly checking out.

[@StuartLugsden]

Heres what needs to change: They need to be longer than 6 episodes All episodes should all be at least an hour long They need to slow down They need to push release dates back

[@chasehedges6775]

👍👍💯💯💯

[@chasehedges6775]

Totally agree.

[@pain2573]

Thx for the upload, makes the wait for starfield easier

[@laslalal8451]

If I had a nickel for every time Emilia Clarke starred in a season of a popular piece of media that soured its reputation in only six episodes, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

[@benwasserman8223]

What’s strange is how Marvel’s good to bad TV ratio still leans more in the good direction. Yes Secret Invasion was disappointing, but Ms. Marvel also stands as the highest rated Marvel… well anything to date on Rotten Tomatoes. Personally I think the problem is oversaturation. Limit the shows to 1-2 a year, and fans won’t be work down by the quantity.

[@katherinealvarez9216]

It's like after the pandemic, they just turned on the faucet to full blast and now there's a flood. They're not letting anything breathe or letting the people who create the shows proper time to get things right.

[@TheDeathsHead]

The biggest mistake was trying to fold everything into the MCU. It only adds more homework for the MCU audience, makes the formula feel dated, and it prevents really unique properties from arising through experimentation. I really miss the old animated shows that got cancelled by the Disney acquisition (Spectacular Spider-Man, Wolverine and the X-men, and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes) to make room for more MCU-lite cartoon shows. Not to mention the Marvel Netflix characters being warped to fit the MCU tone.

[@KA-wp6zo]

Burn Notice receiving that unintended stray was a little uncalled for

[@captainmidnight]

It was a compliment, mostly!

[@thomaskuzma4360]

It's funny how you mention the big events in comic books reminds me of the transformers IDW comics. Season 2 oF Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets The Eye had the Combiner Wars. MTMTE was somewhat promised in the event, but the main character of that series (an ex Decepticon) rants at the ludicrousness of the idea before hanging up on the series! Lmao

[@jtjvalenzuela]

Great video as always!

[@user-xl2qx3qv3c]

Just want it to recommend it here, because of your mention of animation: My Adventures with Superman

[@dillbert4084]

Seeing Genndy brought up, reminds me of how much I wanted to see a Genndy Marvel cartoon forever ago, especially after All of the loving parodies he put in to Dexter's laboratory and justice friends segments and dial m for monkey segments

[@mohdsyazwannuddin1975]

I haven't think about Burn Notice for over a decade. Thanks for reminding me

[@Not_So_Slim_Shady]

I think the point on episodic arcs is huge. Implementing that would vastly increase the quality imo

[@kreehomel]

I both love and hate you for putting the idea of a Wolverine show by Genndy Tartakovsky in my head!

[@bartplays3392]

Can’t wait for this one 🍿 looks like it’s going to be another Captainmidnight banger!

[@Zoofa188_Qe]

One of the only examples of a “superhero-esque” mini Series that utilised it’s format well was the Watchmen series. Its just so hard to pull off