A lot of the talk regarding Marvel these days centers on television shows. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is best known for the blockbuster movies it puts out, but it has focused on TV over the past few years. WandaVision, Loki, Ms. Marvel, Agatha All Along, and more are among their biggest hits, while they also brought back characters from their Netflix days in Daredevil: Born Again. Even the franchise’s longest-running TV show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., is likely coming back into prominence after the announcement of a new series called Zodiac. However, some of the best Marvel shows aren’t even in the MCU.
Without that clear connection to the wildly popular franchise, so many of Marvel’s better series have been overlooked or forgotten. They didn’t get the large viewership numbers they deserved and most of them were canceled way too soon. These shows should’ve had more notable runs and been remembered more fondly. One is a uniquely animated series, while two were meant to connect to the MCU but barely did. The other two are excellent to go back and watch right now with the impending arrival of the MCU’s X-Men, as both shows feature characters and stories from that section of Marvel lore.
Legion is easily one of the weirdest projects Marvel has ever put out. The show, which ran from 2017 through 2019, centers on David Haller, a mutant with psychic powers who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, as he encounters a mutant woman who he falls for at a psych hospital. If you think you know where this series will go, you’re likely wrong, as it does so many unexpected things and features plenty of odd moments that will leave you unsettled.
Dan Stevens and Rachel Keller deliver great performances, though Aubrey Plaza steals the show. Before appearing as Death in Agatha All Along, she nailed complex characters on Legion, including a version of primary antagonist Amahl Farouk. The show lasted three seasons, all met with critical acclaim, and feels like nothing else to ever grace the screen in Marvel’s history. Far too many people aren’t even aware of its existence, yet if they give it a chance, they’ll find a special X-Men-related show.
Unless you know MODOK from comic books or video games, you likely remember him from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. That take on the villain was poorly received, especially when it came to how the character looked. Admittedly, being a giant head in a floating chair is difficult to portray without coming across as goofy, which is why the M.O.D.O.K. TV series was so smart. Using stop-motion animation and a comedic twist allowed the character to be funny, rather than intimidating.
Released in 2021, M.O.D.O.K. followed the titular villain in his everyday life, which included dealing with struggles at his corporate job and a mid-life crisis while surrounded by his family. The animated sitcom felt a lot like a throwback to similar live-action shows from the ’80s. Patton Oswalt was fantastic as the lead, while Melissa Fumero, Aimee Garcia, and Ben Schwartz rounded out the family, making for a stellar voice cast. It’s a hidden gem that’s an easy watch if you want something lighthearted.
Before the Netflix shows about the Defenders but a few years after Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter was a series set in the MCU. Following a great debut in Captain America: The First Avenger, Peggy Carter had another standout role in a short film (also known as a One Shot) called Agent Carter. It was a hit that spawned a TV series of the same name, which premiered in 2015 and lasted for two seasons. Agent Carter focused on Peggy’s adventures in the 1940s before she helped found SHIELD as an agency.
Despite its connection to the larger MCU, Agent Carter struggled with low viewership numbers. However, those who watched it appreciated the setting, Hayley Atwell’s performance, the supporting cast, and a look at young versions of characters like Howard Stark. It featured great action and fun spy mysteries at its core. The show only consists of 18 total episodes, so it’s something that can be binged in a weekend and give you a new appreciation for Peggy, especially given her prominence in the MCU over the years.
Cloak & Dagger is another show that was set in the MCU, yet didn’t really connect to it in any way. It shared that in common with The Runaways, which it crossed over with at one point. Cloak & Dagger ran from 2018 through 2019 and centered on Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson, two teens in New Orleans who gain superpowers that work best when they’re together. It turns them from total strangers into people who care for one another and rely on each other.
The Freeform series was praised for the chemistry between the leads, its thoughtful themes, and its use of a post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans as a setting. Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph are perfect together, making each scene brim with electricity. The abilities of their characters set the show apart from other superhero stories, and the way the show utilized them added depth and layers to the storytelling. Cloak & Dagger was a critical darling, with the two seasons sitting at 89% and 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.
For as little-known as Legion is, The Gifted is an even more obscure X-Men show. Instead of following the most popular mutants, the show shone a light on characters like Eclipse, Polaris, Blink, and the Frost Sisters. Set in a world where the X-Men have disappeared and mutants are hunted down by the government, the main plot follows the Strucker family. The father works for the government, yet the family has to go on the run when they learn that their children have mutant abilities.
The show was a success with critics and got better with its second season, but like the others on this list, lackluster ratings led to it getting canceled too soon. Each episode felt like an intense cat-and-mouse game where the heroes were never truly safe. Jamie Chung, Stephen Moyer, Amy Acker, Emma Dumont, Skyler Samuels, Natalie Alyn Lind, and the rest of the cast gave us a fresh look at a world where mutants are oppressed that felt true to the comics while also coming across as different from what had been depicted on the big screen.
Let us know which underrated Marvel TV show is your favorite in the comments section!
