Things The MCU Should Change From The Netflix Shows

Highlights

The dragon bones plot in the Marvel Netflix shows was too disconnected from the MCU and should be wiped from history.
The lack of interweaving between the Netflix shows and the wider MCU was a missed opportunity for character crossovers.
The MCU should start fresh and not feel obligated to continue old plot lines from the Netflix shows, allowing for a clean slate.

When Marvel teamed up with Netflix to create a series of interconnected TV shows based on more street-level superheroes, it seemed that the idea was too good to fail. This notion was also bolstered by the glowing reviews of the first season of Daredevil. This franchise would see diminishing returns as it continued, though, and the project ended in 2020, and the MCU left it discarded, until now.

All MCU Movies in Phase One, Ranked

Phase One of the MCU introduced fans to the most iconic characters in Marvel comics, but how do these movies rank?

With the production of Daredevil: Born Again well underway for Marvel Studios, many fans speculate on what will carry over from the Marvel Netflix universe into the mainline MCU canon. With more merging of these two worlds expected to come, there are some other aspects of the Marvel Netflix shows that the MCU should ditch.

6 Dragon Bones

A Plot That Breaks The MCU

One of the main selling points of the Netflix Marvel franchise was that there would be a set of shows that would run parallel to the main MCU. However, it slowly became clear to viewers that these two universes were separate as the shows continued. The biggest offender in this department was the dragon bones that made up the central plot of The Defenders team-up series.

In the show, the street-level heroes in New York had to team up to stop the villainous organization, The Hand, from reviving a long-dormant dragon hidden under the city. Such a premise was a bit wild, but it does not gel with anything that was going on in the MCU at the time. Trying to find the dragon bones caused collosal earthquakes in New York, something that should have alerted any other hero established in the MCU. Both Spider-Man and Doctor Strange live and operate in New York, so it was a bit far-fetched that they both ignored this plot. Hopefully, this idea is long dead and is wiped from MCU history.

5 Disconnection

Interweaving These Characters With Others In The MCU

Some of the fun that comes from a franchise that deals with an interconnected universe of heroes is seeing these characters interact. The Netflix Marvel shows did have a few crossover characters in their own series, but nothing that related to the wider MCU was ever mentioned. There were a few newspaper headlines dotted about like Easter eggs in the shows that hinted at the events in the movies but nothing concrete.

fake infinity gauntlet, ultron turning his head, kevin robot

7 Weirdest Marvel Easter Eggs

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has housed some incredible movies and shows, each with its own weird and wonderful easter eggs.

Spider-Man and Daredevil have a great relationship in the comics, so it would have been nice to see these two hang out on the small screen. Now that all these characters can exist in the mainline MCU, let's hope that audiences get to see more of these characters connected.

4 Plot Lines

The MCU Could Work With A Clean Slate

It is clear now that the Daredevil currently operating in the MCU has had a past. Plus, the version of the Kingpin in Echo has the same backstory as the one in the Netflix shows. However, there is no reason why the MCU should feel obligated to continue all the plot lines left unaddressed in the Netflix Marvel shows.

6 Marvel Villains Who Could Replace Kang As The Next Villain Of The MCU

With the recent news around the MCU's Kang the Conqueror actor, Marvel Studios should look to these villains to confront the Avengers.

Marvel Studios has been given a chance to give all the characters from this franchise a clean slate for MCU television. As such, that means they should avoid returning to any old plot lines from previous incarnations. Sadly, that does mean getting rid of some of the plots and characters that worked, including the return of Bullseye that was teased at the end of Daredevil season three.

3 Low Budgets

Disney Can Now Up The Ante

Working in a TV environment meant that the Netflix Marvel shows would not have anywhere near the same budget as the MCU movies. Therefore, the creators had to get creative with their action scenes and plot lines. As a result, a lot of the fight scenes were shot in the cover of darkness, and some characters' power sets were nerfed.

Few viewers are aware that Jessica Jones can fly, and Iron Fist rarely gets to use his signature power. Now that these characters can work on a bigger budget, let's hope audiences get to see them shine in the way they are meant to now under the Disney Plus banner.

2 Bloated Stories

Many Of These Shows Had Too Many Episodes

One of the biggest criticisms of the Marvel Netflix shows was the fact that they were all too long. Each series, except The Defenders, was thirteen episodes long, even if there wasn't enough story to fill this runtime. This led to a lot of bloated plot lines, and some episodes that felt like filler with little payoff.

The most obvious example of this was in the first season of Luke Cage. The main story in the show was wrapped up by episode six, which led to a further seven episodes of filler. Now that these characters and shows are under the watchful eye of Disney, perhaps they can all receive the attention they deserve.

1 Different Cast Of Characters

Not Everyone In The Franchise Was Beloved

Danny Rand wearing the classic Iron Fist headband in season 2 of Iron Fist

Some of the actors and characters in the Netflix Marvel shows are seen as the definitive versions of these heroes. Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio have already been brought into the MCU franchise as Daredevil and Kingpin, respectively. However, every time fans ask for Kristen Ritter as Jessica Jones and Mike Colter as Luke Cage, there is nothing but silence instead of confirmation on their return. There are a few characters fans would not be happy, or indifferent, to seeing return into the MCU.

Iron Fist in a 2022 comic cover; Finn Jones as Iron Fist wearing a face covering in the Netflix series

Disney+: 8 Easter Eggs Only Die-Hard Marvel Fans Noticed In The Iron Fist Series

Disney Plus just added Iron Fist, and there are several references to the Marvel Comics fans are picking up on.

Finn Jones was not favored as Iron Fist and Elodie Yung's femme fatal Elektra was mixed on reception. Now that these characters are with the MCU, the studio is free to recast these roles instead of ditching the characters altogether, as they get to decide what stays as canon and otherwise.