The Internet Lied To You – The MCU’s Shows Aren’t Worse Than Marvel’s Netflix Series

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s shows often being compared to Marvel’s Netflix series, it’s surprising to find out how they actually fare. The launch of Disney+ in 2019 meant that Marvel Studios had another platform to explore their fleshed-out universe. Though the franchise started out strong with its first series WandaVision, the general internet consensus has been that every following MCU show hasn’t lived up to the hype.

Before Disney+, Marvel developed a few shows for Netflix featuring the group the Defenders. Series like Daredevil are still highly beloved by Marvel fans to the point that it’s getting an MCU continuation in Daredevil: Born Again, but it also set the standard for the MCU shows. With how online discussions have reflected the MCU’s Disney+ shows, it would seem that they’re doing much worse than Marvel’s Netflix series. However, a comparison of review scores shows that that’s not the case.

The MCU’s Show Scores Show They’re Actually Better Than Marvel’s Netflix Series

Based on Rotten Tomatoes ratings, the MCU Disney+ shows actually have better statistics than the Marvel Netflix shows. The Disney+ shows received an audience average score of 78%, which is higher than the Marvel Netflix shows at 76%. The MCU shows also have a median audience score of 82% to 88%, which is again higher than the Netflix series at 71% to 78%. With how much criticism the MCU’s Disney+ shows have received on the internet, the average audience score is considerably better than expected.

Statistics show that critics also rank the Disney+ shows higher than the Netflix shows, as Disney+ shows have a critics average of 86% versus Netflix’s 74% average. The median critics scores are where the difference is really seen, with Netflix’s range of 78% to 83% being a much wider gap than the Disney+ range of 88% to 89%. With the MCU shows often regarded as a drop in quality compared to Marvel’s Netflix shows, critic numbers are actually showing how that might not be the case.

Why The MCU’s Shows Are Considered Worse Despite Having Better Reviews

With its decent reviews and higher critic and audience numbers, it’s surprising that the MCU shows are still considered to be worse than the Netflix series. This may be because the MCU’s most recent show releases, Secret Invasion and She-Hulk, have been the lowest-scoring Disney+ shows to date. Though both series did come with their problems, the dip in quality should not be a reflection of an overall downhill trajectory.

A major difference in the two types of Marvel shows is that the Netflix series felt more like standalone projects while the Disney+ shows are integral to building up the greater MCU. The forced cameos or references that the Disney+ shows have had to include for the sake of the bigger story may be what has turned off some viewers. Especially since the Netflix shows had an overall more serious tone to them, the Disney+ shows may come off as too light-hearted. These surface-level gripes are what can easily come to mind when thinking of the MCU shows, not the actual reviews.

How The MCU’s Show Scores Promise A Hopeful Future For The Marvel Franchise

The only reason the audience averages are even close is because of She-Hulk’s 32% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which drags the MCU shows’ average down greatly. However, considering that She-Hulk was a victim of plenty of review-bombing, the score doesn’t feel reflective of viewers’ actual sentiment. Keeping in mind that numbers aren’t everything and user scores are hard to monitor, the MCU’s TV future isn’t as dreary as it seems. In fact, Marvel Studios’ new take on producing television content suggests that the future of MCU TV content is actually quite bright.

The MCU’s Disney+ shows are often regarded as being worse than Marvel’s Netflix series, but review scores show that that’s not the case. The Disney+ shows mostly lean towards positive reviews, with both critics and audience average scores being higher than their Netflix counterparts. Although recent Disney+ projects have admittedly seen a dip, they are not a reflection of the MCU’s overall TV trajectory. Especially with Marvel Studios’ promised overhaul of television production, discussion surrounding the MCU’s TV shows will soon hopefully reflect its already decent statistics.