This year marks the end of an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Avengers: Doomsday kicking off the two-part conclusion to the Multiverse Saga as a divisive era comes to a close. Broadly, the Multiverse Saga is polarizing compared to the Infinity Saga. It could be that people are burnt out on superheroes, or it could be the fact that nothing after Avengers: Endgame comes together in an equally rewarding way.
Even Marvel itself seems to acknowledge it, as Avengers Endgame: Encore strives to connect everything at the last minute. And Kevin Feige confirmed Doomsday would be a reset of sorts. In some ways, that’s a relief, but it also means a disappointing shift in focus. Although placing the X-Men at the heart of the franchise is exciting, the fact that we’ll see fewer Disney+ shows is less so.
Marvel will reportedly cut back on its live-action TV projects after VisionQuest‘s run, according to sources like Wall Street Journal‘s Ben Fritz and Collider. That certainly tracks with the franchise’s unexpected cancellation of Wonder Man earlier this year, as well as the news that Daredevil: Born Again would end after Season 3. After VisionQuest, there’s nothing major coming down the pike, and it’s a shame the studio has chosen now to make this shift. It feels like the worst time, as the MCU’s shows finally seemed to have found their footing.
The MCU’s TV Shows Finally Felt Like They Were Paying Off
It’s no secret that the MCU’s Disney+ series have been hit-or-miss since the streaming service’s arrival. Shows like WandaVision and Loki have garnered praise and collected dedicated followings. Yet, for every one of those, there’s a She-Hulk or Moon Knight. These series are compelling in their own right, but they tend to divide audiences on whether they’re worthwhile. It doesn’t help that they don’t connect much to the larger MCU, a repeated issue with many of its TV series. (Even the ones that do tie in don’t always do it well.)
That’s something 2026 had started to rectify, if only with its biggest series. VisionQuest is finally paying off the events of WandaVision and Agatha All Along — better than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — and it’s likely to connect their storylines to Doomsday and the MCU’s future.
Meanwhile, Avengers: Doomsday will bring the timeline issues of Loki front and center. Given how critical they seemed throughout Seasons 1 and 2, that’s a refreshing prospect. With any luck, Sam Wilson’s journey from Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Captain America 4 will also feel more rewarding after the movie. It’s about time he got to lead his own Avengers team against a greater threat.
Even Daredevil: Born Again seemed to be intersecting more with the movie side of the MCU. Frank Castle showed up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, after Matt Murdock made an appearance in No Way Home. This opened the door for more overlap between the two New York-based superhero arcs. Now that Daredevil’s series is canceled, there’s no telling when we’ll see Charlie Cox’s vigilante again. As he’s an MCU favorite, and the show’s characters have great chemistry with Spider-Man‘s, that’s a frustrating reality.
It’s a shame that Marvel is choosing now to opt out of its Disney+ storytelling, as its series are starting to feel more relevant than ever. Had the payoff between the MCU’s TV and movie universes been this promising earlier, the Multiverse Saga might have better continuity and a better reputation overall.
Marvel’s 2026 Disney+ Shows Have Been Consistently Impressive
In addition to the MCU making its Disney+ shows more relevant to the bigger picture, the franchise has also done a consistently impressive job with its 2026 releases. Wonder Man, which kicked off the Disney+ slate for the year, is easily one of the most interesting projects Marvel has made. It’s fun, takes risks, and, most importantly, doesn’t do so in a way that divides viewers. Looking at its 91% critic score and 87% Popcornmeter rating (via Rotten Tomatoes), it’s one of the rare series to unite critics and general audiences on its quality.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is another great addition to this year’s lineup, marking a step up from the prior chapter. It feels more like the beloved Netflix series it followed. Its Rotten Tomatoes critic score, which is the same between seasons, doesn’t highlight that quality. However, it’s telling that the Popcornmeter jumped from 79% in Season 1 to 85% in Season 2.
Finally, while VisionQuest is only two episodes into its run, it’s already shaping up to be a unique and well-made series. It’s sparked a bit more division in the wake of its premiere, but its 90% critic score and 84% Popcornmeter scores speak to its strengths (via Rotten Tomatoes). Like Wonder Man, it’s unafraid to take swings against what’s considered standard for the MCU.
Perhaps if the franchise had been more willing to lean into such storytelling, it would be eager to do more with Disney+, not less. It’s tragic that it’s moving away from so many live-action, prestige releases at a time when it feels like they’ve cracked the formula. At the very least, this era is going out on a high note — and by focusing on Wanda and Vision, it’s ending where it started.
- Movie(s)
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Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, ​The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, Werewolf by Night , The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, The Punisher: One Last Kill
- TV Show(s)
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Inhumans, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Agatha All Along, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Wonder Man, Echo, Marvel Zombies, Eyes of Wakanda
- Cast
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Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh, Vincent D’Onofrio
- Director
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Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, Shane Black, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, James Gunn, Peyton Reed, Taika Waititi, Ryan Coogler
