How To Watch Every Marvel Movie Missing From Disney+

Disney+ has made an enormous amount of content available, but it is still missing lots of Marvel movies from before the MCU, as well as a few titles that are part of Marvel’s shared universe. Fortunately, most of these films can still be watched, but they may require other subscriptions, digital rental, or purchase. Some titles are solely available through DVD purchase. All in all, there are 58 Marvel films missing from Disney+.

The reason why Disney+ is missing so many Marvel titles is because of the way Marvel operated before Disney acquired it. Prior to the creation of Marvel Studios, film rights to the comic book characters could be licensed by any studio willing to pay, and while Marvel retains the ownership of those characters, that doesn’t automatically give Disney the distribution rights to films made and released before it took over Marvel. It’s possible that Disney could buy those rights from the other studios, but given that the MCU is a huge draw on its own, and the success of Disney+ shows that connect to the MCU, it seems unlikely that Disney will bother.

What follows is a comprehensive list of Marvel movie titles not owned by Disney, and are, therefore, not available on the Disney+ streaming service. Although, bear in mind that short films, shorts, and TV shows are not included on this list. For those seeking access to all other titles, the surest route involves having an Amazon Prime or Apple TV account and a willingness to pay to rent or buy digital copies. However, some of these movies are available for free elsewhere.

The Avengers

Disney+ has made sure to acquire most of the Avengers film content that exists since the MCU’s success thus far has relied on the Avengers as a necessary Marvel centerpiece. However, there are a few Avengers-related films, mainly animated ones, that Disney+ doesn’t have in its arsenal. Thor: Tales of Asgard (2011), Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight (2015), and Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013) are instead on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, or Google Play and have to be rented. Tales of Asgard is also available for free on Tubi, and Frost Fight with a Netflix subscription. The Invincible Iron Man (2007) is available to rent only on Apple TV. The animated features Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006), Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther (2006), and Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008) aren’t on any streaming services right now.

There have also been several live-action non-MCU movie treatments of Captain America over the years. Captain America (1979) is available to rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play, but its sequel, Captain America II: Death Too Soon, as well as Captain America (1990) and the old-school Captain America (1944), are all unavailable for streaming at this time – though fans may be able to find them on DVD. The made-for-TV film Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is also only available through DVD purchase.

Hulk

Bruce Banner and his alter-ego, the Incredible Hulk, have had one of the most interesting journeys in the MCU, as The Avengers (2012) saw Mark Ruffalo replace Edward Norton in the role. Norton’s The Incredible Hulk (2008) is technically still in the MCU, but it’s not on Disney+. Instead, it can be rented on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play. There have also been several animated Hulk features in the past few decades. Hulk Vs. (2009) is only available on DVD, and Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell (2016) is available on Netflix, with a subscription, and on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play for a rent fee. Planet Hulk (2010) is available through all the same rent sources except Apple TV and is also available for free on Pluto TV. In addition to these newer animated features, The Incredible Hulk TV show from the late 70s had three spin-off TV movies, The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988), The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989), and The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990). While the third installment can only be purchased on DVD, the other two can be rented on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play. Ang Lee’s Hulk (2003) is also available to rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Google Play.

The X-Men and Deadpool

The X-Men franchise is the most piecemeal of the Disney+ Marvel offerings, since it was made by Fox. Disney’s streaming platform does offer most of Fox’s X-Men movies, though, but not X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine, Logan, or The New Mutants (2020). Fortunately, all of these titles can be rented or bought through Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, and Vudu, and all but The Wolverine through Google Play. Premium Hulu or Sling TV subscribers can stream Logan and X-Men: First Class (The New Mutants is also on Hulu), and both films are available for free with a cable login on ABC and Freeform, respectively. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is also on Peacock, NBC’s new streaming platform. The only X-Men film stuck in the DVD realm is Generation X (1996), a made-for-TV movie that was intended to pilot an unproduced X-Men TV series.

Loosely related to Fox’s X-Men, possibly in the MCU, Deadpool is one of Marvel’s raunchiest heroes. If he does join the MCU, Deadpool and Deadpool 2 could get added to Disney+, but, for now, the films are both available to rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play. Deadpool 2 is also available with a premium subscription to Hulu or Sling TV, and for free on ABC with a cable TV login. The PG-13 version of Deadpool 2, Once Upon A Deadpool, is available everywhere the R-rated version is.

Spider-Man

Spider-Man is probably the most noticeable absence from Disney+, and the only official MCU branch missing besides Hulk. This is because of the complex Spider-Man deal between Sony and Disney+. YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play are the only platforms with the complete Spider-Man spread, which includes all three Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films, both The Amazing Spider-Man films starring Andrew Garfield, the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Sony’s Venom and Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. (Venom: Let There Be Carnage is still only in theaters). Amazon Prime and Apple TV have all but the first Spider-Man, and a premium Sling TV or Hulu account offers all but Spiderverse and the Andrew Garfield versions. Spider-Man (2008), its two sequels, and The Amazing Spider-Man can be streamed for free on TNT or TBS with a cable log-in, and Spider-Man: Far From Home is on fuboTV, which requires a subscription. For those seeking a blast from the past, the 1977 Spider-Man and the short Japanese Spider-Man from 1978 are only available on DVD.

Ghost Rider, Daredevil, The Punisher, and Blade

In addition to Earth’s mightiest heroes, the Marvel canon is also home to several grittier heroes and antiheroes, none of which have made it onto Disney+. Both Ghost Rider (2006) and its sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011) are available with an HBO Max subscription. Spirit of Vengeance can also be rented through Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, or Google Play. For Daredevil fans, Elektra (2005) is available for free on Tubi, or for rent through Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play. Daredevil (2003) is only available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV but leaves Prime on November 1st.

The entire Wesley Snipes Blade trilogy is available for rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play, and the first film only is on HBO Max. The Punisher (2004) and its sequel, Punisher: War Zone (2008), can be streamed for free with either a Hulu Premium or HBO Max subscription. They’re also available for rent through Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Vudu, and Google Play, and YouTube offers only Punisher: War Zone. For Marvel anime fans, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014) is available for free through Tubi, and for rent through Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play. The 1989 version of The Punisher can only be watched on DVD at this time.

Other

Despite Howard the Duck’s MCU movie and show appearances, his own film from 1986 isn’t available on Disney+. Instead, Howard the Duck is on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, or Google Play for rent, or can be streamed with a Peacock subscription. One of Howard the Duck’s old comic book partners, the swamp creature known as Man-Thing, also got his own film in 2005, and Man-Thing is available to rent on Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, or Google Play. It’s also free with a Netflix subscription or a Premium subscription to Prime.

Toei Studios, the creators behind the 1978 Japanese-language short film Spider-Man, also made two animated TV movies loosely based on the Marvel comics The Tomb of Dracula and The Monster of Frankenstein. These films, Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned (1980) and Monster of Frankenstein (1981) exist in parts on unofficial YouTube channels, but viewers will need to search for a DVD copy to see them in full. Doctor Strange (the MCU’s most powerful hero, possibly) had two films that precede Benedict Cumberbatch’s, Dr. Strange (1978) and Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme (2007), but they are also only available on DVD. Finally, the most elusive Marvel film is The Fantastic Four (1994), which was never released and only exists via bootleg copies. There is no official way to stream or purchase the film, let alone watch it on Disney+.