2021 was Marvel’s first year of original TV programming. There were Marvel shows before this year; however, none of them were as integrated into the MCU as much as this year's four. There were also animated shows on top of the traditional movies. All around, it's been an explosion of Marvel content.
After taking a break in 2020 due to the pandemic, it was nice to see Marvel return in a big way. So, out of everything Marvel put out in 2021 (including non-MCU content) what was the best? It might be hard to remember everything that launched this year, so let’s go back to square one and figure this all out. And for those who haven't watched everything, don't worry — there will be no spoilers.
12 Eternals
Eternals marked itself firmly at the bottom of the list upon release. It received a lot of press for being the worst-reviewed MCU movie since the brand was established. Is it really that bad?
Well, bad isn’t the best word to describe it. Eternals felt lost in its own head, and fans got the impression that it just didn’t know what it wanted to do with itself. Plus, there were a plethora of plot holes that left viewers confused as well as a bit bored.
11 M.O.D.O.K.
M.O.D.O.K. has some great talent behind it. Patton Oswalt as the lead was great casting, and this hilarious stand-up comedian delivers a great performance. However, not even he could make this cartoon enjoyable
The art style and ideas were funny, but the execution left something to be desired. It was just too mean of a show, released during a dark time in history. It was hard to like the character of M.O.D.O.K. on any level, which is a huge problem for any lead in a show.
10 Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Venom: Let There Be Carnage gave fans exactly what they wanted. It showcased Eddie and Venom playing off of each other in hilarious ways. That’s good. The bad part is the rest, with the movie's lack of cohesion.
Unfortunately, the plot involving Carnage didn’t really come together. He was almost in his own movie, separate from the antics of Eddie and Venom until the final conflict. It was an odd choice to make from a storytelling perspective, and made the narrative feel disjointed.
9 WandaVision
WandaVision was the MCU’s first official TV show in 2021. It was an odd one to lead the pack since the format relied heavily on the viewer’s familiarity with old sitcoms. Wanda’s and Vision’s fast-paced life through various TV shows was not the most compelling piece of WandaVision overall.
Rather, it was the mystery box. Watching the show week to week was a thrill to see what was going to happen next. It created a dedicated fan base, and that alone should be praised. Unfortunately though, the ending didn’t really live up to expectations.
8 The Falcon And The Winter Soldier
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had a very strong start. Bucky and Sam played off each other like a classic buddy cop duo, and the action set-pieces were also top-notch. Baron Zemo’s introduction to the cast was also a fun choice.
However, halfway through the movie, the momentum seemed to stop. It became too predictable and fell flat by the end. Despite that, it was still pretty cool to see Sam get to become Captain America.
7 Black Widow
Black Widow was supposed to come out in 2020. Was the delay worth the wait? It turned out to be a better film than what some fans figured. It is not the best MCU film by far, but as a spy movie, it does not disappoint.
One of the most surprising things was how funny it was. In this film about Black Widow, she takes a backseat to the two real stars, Yelena and Red Guardian. Hopefully, the MCU will not be done with those characters anytime soon, as they really elevated this film.
6 Loki
Loki had a similar vibe to it that WandaVision did: It was a mystery that kept building itself up. What are Variants? Who is in charge of time? What’s up with that animated clock? Questions abounded and kept viewers interested.
The idea was solid, but it was another show that seemed to lose its footing about halfway through. Even with its faults, though, it was still fun to see Tom Hiddleston back in the role of Loki. He really is the MCU’s greatest villain/anti-hero. This show was also the only one to tease season two at the end of its run.
5 Marvel’s What If
Marvel’s What If seemed like it was going to be a fun cartoon, disjointed from canon. However, as an MCU show with most of the star talent returning, fans should have known there was going to be more it.
This show had a lot of ups and downs. Some episodes had cool concepts, while some didn’t feel different enough from the established material. The animation also did not overwhelm the eyes. The final two episodes, though, are Earth-shatteringly good — so the results are mixed.
4 Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home may not have been the best piece of Marvel media this year, but it was undoubtedly the most anticipated. A third MCU Spider-Man film may not have seemed entirely thrilling on paper, but it was after that first trailer that the hype intensified. Doc Ock is going to be in this movie and it’s the same actor from Spider-Man 2? Sign me up!
The end results were messy, but still fun. Ultimately, it was a successful story of multiverse crossover, and fans got to see beloved actors and characters from previous Spider-Man films.
3 Hawkeye
Hawkeye is the best live-action show from Marvel this year. It did what the other three couldn’t: it stayed consistent. Part of that might be because the scale was smaller, as Hawkeye and Kate had a small window of time and clear goals in mind during the story.
There was no time for dancing around, or waxing poetic about this and that. What's more, it had a lot of heart, which gave Hawkeye more urgency as a character. Through and through Hawkeye was a surprise wonder.
2 Hit-Monkey
Hit-Monkey came out of nowherel and sounded like too odd of an idea to work. It was about a snow monkey from Japan who took up the mantle of killing after his tribe was slaughtered. Let’s not forget that he was hunted by a human hitman either — and the odd characters don’t stop there.
This movie is bloody and hilarious all at the same time. It is reminiscent of Guardians of the Galaxy, in that it took a C-tier cast of characters from the comics and elevated them into stardom.
1 Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was the most action-packed Marvel movie in years. Fans were thrilled with its excellent martial arts choreography that borrowed from the best of its genre.
As an origins story, it also worked, since Shang-Chi already knew who he was. He just never applied himself until fate called him up one day. The final act is the only real issue with the film was the CG spectacle, which sometimes lasted too long. Other than that, the movie was very well done, and fans were thrilled.