The MCU first expanded to television after Marvel Television was formed in 2010, with that studio producing 12 series withABC Studios and its production divisionABC Signature Studios. These were released from September 2013 to October 2020 across broadcast onABC, streaming onNetflix andHulu, and cable onFreeform. The mainABC series were inspired by the films and featured film characters, while a connectedgroup of series for Netflix crossed over with each other.Young adult focused series were produced for Freeform and Hulu. The latter also had a group of series called "Adventure into Fear" planned before Marvel Television was shut down in December 2019.
Marvel Studios, the production studio behind the films, began developing their own series in 2018 for the streaming serviceDisney+. Some series focus on supporting characters from the films while others center on new characters that later appear in films. Marvel Studios' series have much larger budgets than the Marvel Television series and interconnect with the films in a way that the Marvel Television series did not. Marvel Studios also began producing animated series under itsMarvel Studios Animation division, andtelevision specials under the "Marvel Studios Special Presentation" banner. Actors from Marvel Television series have since reprised their roles for Marvel Studios productions.
Eight series and two television specials were released by Marvel Studios as part of theirPhase Four slate. Six new series and three continuing seasons were released inPhase Five, and at least four new series, four continuing seasons, and one television special are expected inPhase Six. Additional projects are in development for the future. In 2024, Marvel Studios began releasing its series under several different banners: "Marvel Television", not to be confused with the earlier company; "Marvel Animation", for animated series; and "Marvel Spotlight", which focuses on character-driven stories with less impact on the larger MCU narrative.
Jeph Loeb led Marvel Television and served as executive producer of every MCU television series on ABC, Netflix, Hulu, and Freeform, while Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige executive produces all of that studios' series for Disney+.
Marvel Television was launched in June 2010, led byJeph Loeb.[1] The studio began producing television series inspired by theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)films,[2][3] and was made aware ofMarvel Studios' plans to avoid interfering when introducing someone or something to the universe.[4] In August 2015, Marvel Studios was integrated intoWalt Disney Studios with PresidentKevin Feige reporting to Walt Disney Studios chairmanAlan F. Horn instead ofMarvel Entertainment CEOIsaac Perlmutter, while Marvel Television remained under Perlmutter's control.[5] This was seen as widening the existing divide between the Marvel film and television divisions, and making it unlikely that the films would acknowledge the series' events and characters.[6] By that point, the only series that had significant involvement from Marvel Studios wasAgent Carter (2015–16).[7][8]
By September 2018, Marvel Studios was developing several series for Disney's streaming service,Disney+, to be centered on supporting characters from the MCU films who had not starred in their own films. The actors who portrayed the characters in the films were expected to reprise their roles for the series. Feige was taking a "hands-on role" in each series' development,[9] focusing on "continuity of story" with the films and "handling" the returning actors.[10]The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), atelevision special, was the first project Marvel Studios began planning for Disney+.[11] Loeb said Marvel Television would continue to develop new MCU series, including their own Disney+ series.[12] In March 2019, Feige said the Marvel Studios series would take characters from the films, change them, and see those changes reflected in future films; new characters introduced in the series could also go on to appear in films.[13] By September 2019, many of Marvel Television's existing series were canceled or ending, and several developing projects did not move forward.Variety reported that Marvel Television was likely being phased out in favor of the new Marvel Studios series, which had access to well-known MCU characters,[14] and much larger budgets than the Marvel Television series.[14][15] Disney gave Marvel Studios an initial mandate to create as much content as it could, as quickly as it could, to bolster the new streaming service.[16] Feige was named thechief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment in October 2019. Marvel Television moved under Marvel Studios and its executives began reporting to Feige.[17] Loeb was expected to leave Marvel by the end of the year.[18]
Feige stated, in December 2019, that Marvel Studios' series were "a new type of cinematic" story, and "for the first time ... the MCU will be on your TV screen at home on Disney+ and interconnect with the movies and go back and forth".[19] The next day, Marvel Television announced that it would complete work on its existing television series, but would stop developing new projects. The division was set to shut down, with several executives moving to Marvel Studios to oversee the completion of existing series. This included executive producerKarim Zreik. Other staff were laid off, while Loeb was set to remain with the company until the handover was completed.[20][21] Zreik left his role as senior vice president of original programming and production for Marvel Television Studios in June 2020 to become the head of television forPhil Lord and Christopher Miller, whose projects included several Marvel-based series forSony Pictures Television that were intended to connect to the superhero films ofSony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU).[22][23] After the shut down of Marvel Television,ABC executives said they remained committed to featuring Marvel content.[20] In January 2020, ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said talks were beginning with Feige and Marvel Studios about what a Marvel Studios series on ABC could be, but she noted that Marvel's focus at that time was on the Disney+ series.[24] In 2021, Marvel Studios formed several production partnerships to develop new series for Disney+: in February,Black Panther (2018) andBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) directorRyan Coogler's production companyProximity Media was set to work with the studio as part of a deal withWalt Disney Television;[25] that May,WandaVision (2021)head writerJac Schaeffer signed a three-year deal with Marvel Studios and20th Television;[26] and in December,Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) directorDestin Daniel Cretton signed a multi-year television deal with Marvel Studios.[27]
In February 2023, Disney CEOBob Iger said the company was re-evaluating the volume of content it output as a way to cut costs over the next few years.[28][29] Reflecting on the amount of Disney+ content released for the MCU'sPhase Four in a short time, Feige anticipated that Marvel Studios would space out the releases of thePhase Five andSix series so each could "get a chance to shine".[30][29] This necessitated the delay of some previously announced series to spread out release dates.[16] In May 2024, Iger said Disney planned to release two Marvel series a year moving forward, down from around four series a year, as part of the company's larger strategy to reduce its content output and focus on quality. He said some upcoming series were a "vestige" of Disney's previous desire to increase Marvel's content output.[31] When Disney+ announced that six Marvel series would be released in 2025,[32] Feige explained that many of these had been in development for a long time and were ready to be released. He expected the studio to begin releasing three series per year after 2025.[33] The plan by May 2025 was to release two live-action and two animated projects a year.[34]
In June 2021, Marvel Studios executiveVictoria Alonso said the studio's expansion to animation with the seriesWhat If...? (2021–2024) was an opportunity to make the MCU more diverse and allowed Marvel Studios to work with new companies around the world.[35] Marvel Studios created an animation division,[36] namedMarvel Studios Animation,[37] to focus on animated content beyondWhat If...?. They built infrastructure to handle a slate of Disney+ animated series and looked to hire around 300 new staff for production roles.[36][38][39]What If...? directorBryan Andrews said each animated series would exist on its own terms and explore different elements of the MCU.[40]Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel Studios,[41] said the division would only tell stories that they felt needed to be told in animated form,[38] and Marvel Studios was open to working with corporate siblingsPixar Animation andWalt Disney Animation under the right circumstances.[42] During Marvel Studios Animation's panel at the 2022San Diego Comic-Con, the slate of animated series were described as the "Marvel Animated Multiverse".[43] Winderbaum said the MCU's exploration of themultiverse allowed the studio to look at alternate versions of MCU characters, and that concept had become their "guiding light" for animated projects.[44] This includesX-Men '97 (2024–present), a revival and continuation of the seriesX-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997), which Winderbaum said had the potential to connect to the MCU through the multiverse.[45] He later stated that the success ofX-Men '97's first season had opened up new development opportunities for the studio's animation slate, including the possibility of making an animated film.[46]
Marvel Spotlight logo
Television specials are marketed as "Marvel Studios Special Presentations".[47][48] In November 2023, the studio announced the "Marvel Spotlight" banner for select series that focus on more grounded, character-driven stories with less impact on the larger MCU narrative.[49] Winderbaum said the banner was created during post-production onEcho (2024) to indicate to audiences that they did not need to watch any other MCU projects to understand the series.[49][50] The banner was inspired by theMarvel Spotlight anthology comics (1971–1981) and features a new opening logo with a musicalfanfare composed byMichael Giacchino.[49]Echo was also the first Marvel Studios series to be simultaneously released onHulu along with Disney+.[51] WhenX-Men '97 debuted in March 2024, it did so under a new "Marvel Animation" banner separate from the existingMarvel Animation subsidiary.[52] In May, Marvel Studios revealed that its live-action Disney+ series would be released under a new "Marvel Television" banner, separate from the previous company of the same name, starting withAgatha All Along later that year. Winderbaum explained that Marvel Studios was now using the "Marvel Television", "Marvel Animation", and "Marvel Spotlight" banners to indicate to audiences that they did not have to watch all of the studio's projects to understand the overall story and could choose which storylines and characters under these banners to follow.[53]
The first television series that Marvel Television developed to be part of the MCU wasAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; it was ordered topilot by ABC in August 2012.[2][58] In January 2014, the seriesAgent Carter was announced;[3] it was canceled in May 2016 after two seasons.[59] That November, Marvel and theIMAX Corporation announcedInhumans, based on the speciesof the same name, after a planned film starring the characters was removed from Marvel Studios' slate.[60][61][62] ABC canceled the series in May 2018.[63] In July 2019, theseventh season ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was announced to be its last.[64] Loeb explained a month later that Marvel categorized its ABC series as the "Marvel Heroes" series due to their close connections to the MCU films, especially with the main characters of bothAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. andAgent Carter having originated in films.[12]
By October 2013, Marvel was preparing four drama series and a miniseries to present tovideo on demand services and cable providers, withNetflix,Amazon, andWGN America expressing interest.[75] Disney announced the next month that it would provide Netflix with live-action series based on the charactersDaredevil,Jessica Jones,Iron Fist, andLuke Cage, leading to acrossover miniseries based on theDefenders team.[76] In April 2016, Marvel and Netflix orderedThe Punisher as a spin-off fromDaredevil.[74] Netflix had canceled all of the series by the end of February 2019.[77] The characters could not appear in any non-Netflix series or films for at least two years following the cancellations.[78] Loeb said in August 2019 that Marvel Television categorized the Netflix series internally as the "Marvel Street-Level Heroes" or "Marvel Knights".[12] All of the series were no longer available on Netflix starting March 1, 2022, due to Netflix's license for the series ending and Disney regaining the rights.[79] They all began streaming on Disney+ from March 16, where they were collected under the title "The Defenders Saga".[80]
At the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, Loeb announced a series based on the comic book charactersCloak and Dagger was in development;[83]Freeform ordered the project to series in April 2016.[84] That August, Hulu ordered a new series based on the comics group theRunaways.[81][85] Marvel initially said there were no plans to crossover these series,[86] but Cloak and Dagger were announced to be appearing in the third season ofRunaways in August 2019.[87] Loeb explained that Marvel categorizedRunaways andCloak & Dagger as its "YA" or "young adult" franchise, and said Marvel Television's push into the young adult genre was in response to Marvel Studios doing the same withSpider-Man. Loeb hoped there would be further crossovers between the two series,[12] butCloak and Dagger was canceled in October 2019,[88] followed byRunaways that November.[89]
Hulu ordered two series based onGhost Rider and the siblingsDaimon andAna Helstrom in May 2019, intending to build an interconnected universe in a similar fashion to Marvel's Netflix shows.[90] Marvel announced the series as the cornerstone of the "Spirits of Vengeance", and Loeb said they were moving into a "chilling" corner of the Marvel Universe.[91] Loeb revealed in August that Marvel was now referring to these series collectively as "Adventure into Fear", and said more series under the banner were in development.[12] A month later, Hulu decided not to move forward withGhost Rider due to creative differences.[92] When Marvel Television was folded into Marvel Studios in December, the studio said production onHelstrom would be completed but no further series would be developed.[20] UponHelstrom's release in October 2020,showrunnerPaul Zbyszewski said the series was "our own separate thing" and not part of the MCU,[93][94] having been "siloed off" in part because of its darker themes.[95] Zbyszewski called it "freeing" to not be part of the MCU.[93] He also said there wereEaster eggs in the series that hinted towards the planned Adventure into Fear universe.[94] Unlike Marvel Television's other series, each episode ofHelstrom does not begin with the Marvel logo.[96] The series was canceled in December 2020.[97]
After [running something by Jeph] Loeb we'll run it through New York, Joe Quesada, Dan Buckley, and those guys. [Then we] pitch our stuff to Kevin Feige and his movie group to see if there's something we can tie into, to see if they're okay about us using a character, or a weapon or some other cool thing. Everything is interconnected.
—Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. executive producer Jeffrey Bell in September 2014, on the process of working in with the MCU[98]
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. executive producerJeffrey Bell revealed at the show's 2014 PaleyFest panel that the producers and writers were able to read the screenplays for upcoming MCU films to know where the universe was headed.[99] He noted that since the films have to be "big" and move "quickly through a lot of huge pieces", it was beneficial to have the television series fill in any "gaps" for them.[100] His fellow executive producerJed Whedon explained that each Marvel project is intended to stand alone first before there is any interweaving, and noted that the series have to be aware of Marvel Studios' plans so as not to interfere when introducing someone or something to the universe.[4] Bell said this was preferable so people who do not watch the films could follow the series, and vice versa.[100] CreatorJoss Whedon said this meant the television series got the "leftovers".[101]
In October 2014, Feige said there was potential for characters from the Netflix series to appear in the crossover filmAvengers: Infinity War (2018).[102] In March 2015, Loeb said Marvel Television would have to earn the ability to have the Netflix series cross over with the films and ABC series, feeling that each series had to be established and defined on its own before crossovers could occur.[103] In September 2015, Feige elaborated on the films referencing the television series, saying it was inevitable but the timing would be difficult because, though the series' production schedules allowed them to be made faster and align with the films, the long development period for the films made it difficult to reference a series' events.[104]
Loeb reiterated in July 2016 the issue of scheduling, questioning how a television series actor could have a major role in a film when they had to spend six or eight months filming the series. He said this would be less of an issue for minor cameo appearances, but Marvel was not interested in cameos and Easter eggs just for the sake of fan service which could detract from the story.[105]Vincent D'Onofrio, who portrayedWilson Fisk / Kingpin inDaredevil, said in January 2017 that he was open to appearing in the films, but believed it would most likely not happen. D'Onofrio cited Feige's previous reasoning as well as the fact that the films already had difficulty handling the large number of characters they had.[106]Anthony Mackie, who portraysSam Wilson / Falcon in the MCU, said in March that he did not think a crossover between the films and television series would work given they are "different universes, different worlds, different companies, different designs" and "Kevin Feige is very specific about how he wants the Marvel Universe to be seen in the film world".[107] The next month, Marvel Studios executiveEric Carroll, a producer on the MCU filmSpider-Man: Homecoming (2017), said it would be fun to reference the Defenders in a film given the members of that team and Spider-Man are all based in New York City.[108] In May, Feige said a character appearing in a television series would not necessarily exclude them from appearing in a film. He elaborated that "at some point, there's going to be a crossover. Crossover, repetition, or something."[109]
In October 2017, Loeb explained whyAvengers Tower is not seen in the series when they depict New York City, where it is seen in the films. He said Marvel Television wanted to be vague about the television characters' relationships to the tower because that "helps the audience understand that this could be on any street corner", and the characters could be in an area of the city where you would not be able to see the tower.[110] In June 2018, speaking to how the MCU television series would be affected by the events ofInfinity War, Loeb said most of the series would take place before that film due to "production and when we are telling our stories versus when the movies come out".[111]James D'Arcy reprises his role ofEdwin Jarvis from the television seriesAgent Carter in the next crossover film afterInfinity War,Avengers: Endgame (2019). This marked the first time a character introduced in an MCU television series appeared in an MCU film.[112] Marvel Studios executive Brad Winderbaum stated that during the development ofInfinity War andEndgame, the two companies were in communication with each other and easy references to the films were included in Marvel Television series, but to include references to the television series in those films "was just too much for us to wrap our minds around at the time".[113]
Speaking about how the Marvel Television series fit within the larger MCU timeline in May 2019, Loeb said, "We don't want to ever do something in our show[s] which contradicts what's happening in the movies. The movies are the lead dog. They're setting the timeline for the MCU and what's going on. Our job is to navigate within that world."[114] TheRoxxon Corporation, which had been featured in theIron Man films, is referenced in multiple Marvel Television series. Adam Barnhardt ofComicBook.com called it "the go-to Easter egg for most shows involved in the Marvel Television sphere".[94]
TheDarkhold, a magical book, appears inWandaVision with a different design from the one seen inAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. andRunaways.WandaVision's head writer, Jac Schaeffer, said there were no "big conversations" among the writers regarding its appearance in the Marvel Television series.[115][116] DirectorMatt Shakman believed it was the same book seen in those series, despite the new design.[117] The newDarkhold was designed by the props team of the MCU filmDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), since it appears and has more screentime in that film.[118][119] The film also shows that multiple copies of theDarkhold exist.[120]
Following the introduction of the multiverse in thefirst season ofLoki (2021), Jack Shephard ofTotal Film suggested Marvel Studios announce that the Marvel Television series take place on a different timeline within that multiverse since he felt the studio was not taking the events of those series into account as part of the main timeline.[121] In December 2021, Feige announced thatCharlie Cox would reprise his role asMatt Murdock / Daredevil from the Netflix series in future Marvel Studios productions,[122] and Cox first reprised the role in the filmSpider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Additionally, D'Onofrio first reprised his role as Kingpin in the Disney+ seriesHawkeye (2021),[123] and stated that he was playing the same character fromDaredevil.[124]Inhumans starAnson Mount portrayed a version of his characterBlackagar Boltagon / Black Bolt from an alternate universe inMultiverse of Madness.[125] Following Cox's appearance on the Disney+ seriesShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022),Marvel.com described the character as "very much the same Matt Murdock audiences have come to know and love".[126]
With the release ofThe Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline in October 2023, Feige wrote in itsforeword that Marvel Studios only considered, at that time, projects developed by them in their first four phases to be part of their "Sacred Timeline", but acknowledged the history ofother Marvel films andtelevision series that exist in the larger multiverse;[127] Marvel Television's series were not included in the timeline.[128] In January 2024, Winderbaum acknowledged that Marvel Studios had previously been "a little bit cagey" about what was part of their Sacred Timeline, noting how there had been a corporate divide between what Marvel Studios created and what Marvel Television created. He continued that as time had passed, Marvel Studios began to see "how well integrated the [Marvel Television] stories are" and he personally felt confident in sayingDaredevil was part of the Sacred Timeline.[50] Marvel Studios began looking at the Netflix series as a more integral part of the MCU once the reboot seriesDaredevil: Born Again (2025–present) underwent a creative overhaul and became much more connected to the originalDaredevil series.[129][130] Footage fromDaredevil was used in promotional material forEcho, which also features appearances by Cox as Daredevil and D'Onofrio as Kingpin.[131] James Whitbrook atGizmodo felt these connections and Winderbaum's comments were "vindication" forDaredevil, but also questioned if Marvel Studios' official seal of approval was necessary after characters from the Netflix series started appearing in Marvel Studios projects.[132] To coincide withEcho's release, all of the Netflix series were added to theMCU Disney+ timeline, primarily alongside the MCU'sPhase Two content.[133][134] Acknowledging thatEcho has some discrepancies with Kingpin's backstory inDaredevil, D'Onofrio said some things would change slightly moving forward to keep the stories interesting and it was more important to align with the tone of the previous series.[129]
Winderbaum was asked aboutAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s place in the franchise in August 2024. He praised the series for its connections to the films and acknowledged that Marvel Studios could consider it part of the Multiverse Saga, but he was unwilling to confirm that at the time.[135] In February 2025, Winderbaum said Marvel Studios was open to bringing back more elements from the Netflix series, including the rest of the Defenders,[136] withKrysten Ritter cast that May to reprise her role as Jessica Jones in thesecond season ofDaredevil: Born Again.[137]
All Marvel Studios series are being released on Disney+ unless otherwise noted. They exist alongside the films of their respective phase.[138] Animated series are produced by Marvel Studios Animation.[37] Beginning withAgatha All Along, live-action series are released under Marvel Studios' Marvel Television banner, except for those released under the Marvel Spotlight banner which are noted below.[53]
At any given time, Marvel Studios has series planned five-to-six years out from what they have announced.[198] In July 2025, Feige said they had a seven-year plan through 2032 with potential projects on magnets which could be moved around. Marvel Studios was looking to release one live-action series a year at that point.[199]
Feige described Marvel Studios' approach to television series in January 2021, explaining that streaming on Disney+ gave the studio flexibility with the formats for each series. He said some were developed as one-off miniseries that were intended to lead into feature films,[204][205] though additional seasons could be added to these in the future.[206] Other series were always intended to cover multiple seasons, in addition to connecting to the films,[204] such asLoki.[207] These could have several years between the release of seasons, similar to series likeGame of Thrones (2011–2019) andStranger Things (2016–present).[204] Feige said each miniseries or season was intended to be around six hours of content, but this would be split in different ways depending on the story, for example six hour-long episodes or nine half-hour episodes.[208][209] Marvel Studios intended for each series to be an event.[210][211] They were reported to have budgets of $100–150 million each,[14][15] though some were as high as $200 million. The high costs were primarily attributed to actors' pay and visual effects.[212] The deal structure used for actors to appear in these series and then continue on in films was one of the reasons many of Marvel's initial series did not receive a second season, because it would have made additional seasons too expensive to produce.[213]
Winderbaum said Marvel Studios' series were produced in "waves",[214] with many of the studio's first series approached with a feature film structure that gave the characters one arc across a single,serialized story.[215] These were followed by series such asMoon Knight (2022) that were intended to establish characters that would tie-in with the MCU's future plans.[214] The earliest series were directed by a single person, but later series have multiple directors taking on different numbers of episodes. Feige said this happened due to a combination of logistics, the needs of each story, and the studio learning more about making longform television.[205] The studio also began experimenting with more episodic storytelling after the first few series, such as their initial plans forDaredevil: Born Again.[30][154]
Marvel Studios initially used the term "head writer" instead of the traditional showrunner title. They encouraged directors to join their series'writers' rooms and take part in the creative process, as is done with their feature films, working alongside Feige and the Marvel Studios executives assigned to each series.[216] Many of the junior executives had been production managers on MCU films and were able to act as production leads and liaisons between the head writers, Feige, and executives in the "Marvel Studios Parliament";[217] Feige retained final approval for major creative issues.[212] The studio's approach was confirmed byWandaVision head writer Jac Schaeffer,[218]The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) directorKari Skogland,[216] andLoki season one directorKate Herron.[219] Skogland described it as "effective and efficient", feeling that the series were too much for a single showrunner to take on.[216] Each series had multiple writers working in a writers' room under the head writer, and they also used "created for television by" credits for the head writers.[218][220] Explaining the decision-making process and hierarchy for Marvel Studios' first three series,Loki season one head writerMichael Waldron said the head writer of each series would have final say on creative decisions before filming began. At that point, the series shifted to a "more feature centric model" where the director took on the role that a traditional showrunner might have and had the final say for creative decisions while on set and in post-production.[220] The head writer was still present on set and during post-production for any necessary rewrites.[216][218][220] Additional examples of directors taking more creative control on series from writers includedMohamed Diab withMoon Knight after head writerJeremy Slater quit;[154][221] andKat Coiro withShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, though head writerJessica Gao was brought back to oversee that series' post-production, "the rare Marvel head writer" to do so. Marvel Studios relied on their executives to shepherd each series and, as with their films, heavily relied onreshoots during post-production to fix any issue with the series. The series were described as being filmed "on the fly";[154] an example of this wasSecret Invasion (2023), which underwent extensive reshoots after several crew members, including head writerKyle Bradstreet and the series'production and development executiveChris Gary, were replaced during production.[154][222]
Marvel Studios changed its approach to developing series in 2022,[53] moving to a more traditional model of putting multiple series into development that would not necessarily all be produced.[223][224] This was part of wider changes to the studio's television approach that were revealed in October 2023: moving away from the head writer model in favor of showrunners; hiring dedicated executives to focus on television; and planning more multi-season series so audiences could form relationships with characters over time, rather than series just being one-off events. The studio came around to the idea of hiring showrunners after Gao returned to aidShe-Hulk in post-production,[154] and after the critical and commercial failure ofSecret Invasion.[225] Winderbaum said the studio was trying to "marry the Marvel culture with the traditional television culture",[154] and he felt this would separate their streaming content from their theatrical films.[215] Moving forward, showrunners would write television pilots andseries bibles to have a creative throughline for the entire production process,[154] and series would not receive an official greenlight until the studio was confident in its pilot and bible.[224] Despite the shift to a more traditional development model, Winderbaum said Marvel Studios would not shoot pilot episodes before a full series received a greenlight. He said they might shoot the first episode of a series ahead of the rest of principal photography to allow a "pivot" if any creative changes were deemed necessary.[226]
Discussing the studio's philosophy change forThe A.V. Club, Sam Barsanti said it was good that Marvel recognized the issues with "turn[ing] its Disney+ shows into stretched-out movies". However, Barsanti believedWandaVision andShe-Hulk did not have the same problems and therefore felt it was possible to make more traditional television under the previous approach.[227]/Film's Ben Pearson called the previous approach "seriously flawed" and said "tried-and-true methodologies work for a reason"; Pearson was hopeful that other Hollywood studios would not try to replicate Marvel's initial approach.[228]
VisionQuest, which was announced in May 2024, was the studio's first live-action series pickup in nearly two years and the first to move forward under the studio's new development approach.[192]Agatha All Along, released later that year, was the first Marvel Studios series with a showrunner in Schaeffer, who was initially hired as its head writer.[163][155] The studio had adopted a more budget-conscious approach to producing their series by then, withAgatha All Along being the least expensive series to date with a budget of less than $40 million. Winderbaum said this more "responsible" budgeting approach would be used forBorn Again and other series planned for the next few years.[229] By February 2025, the studio was exploring giving second seasons to miniseries such asAgatha All Along andHawkeye,[230] but their priorities had shifted to a new wave of multi-season series designed to be released annually, "more like television",[214] with their own ongoing stories and fewer plans to cross-over with films.[212] Some series in development during the creative switch, such asMarvel Zombies andWonder Man, were described by Winderbaum as being "caught in the middle" of not necessarily being planned for additional seasons, but ones Marvel Television would be open to if there was strong audience responses to them.[213] Though the focus was to create more stand-alone content, Winderbaum said there would still be some connections to the larger MCU, because "if it's not connected, it's severing what makes the MCU the MCU". Marvel Studio's series moving forward would be less focused on giving leading roles to characters from the films, as the studio's initial series were, though those types of characters could still appear in supporting roles.[34] Winderbaum wanted to get to an annual "seasonal cadence" that audiences could rely on, something that streaming services in general had struggled to do.[46]
By May 2025, Winderbaum had extended his contract with Marvel Studios to continue overseeing its television output,[34] with Feige returning his focus to the studio's films.[212] Feige reiterated in July that they planned for future series to have less overlap with the films, comparing this to the Marvel Television series on ABC and Netflix. He said the studio was returning to the notion of "allowing a TV show to be a TV show",[231] and he anticipated they would make around one live-action series a year moving forward.[199][231] Feige hoped to avoid holding series for release after they were completed, which happened withIronheart andWonder Man.[231]
The first two series were released on Fridays. The majority of series since the first season ofLoki were released on Wednesdays, whileShe-Hulk was released on Thursdays. Thesecond season ofLoki (2023) andEcho were released inprime time in the United States, with the former on Thursday evenings and the latter on a Tuesday evening.[232] Thesecond season ofWhat If...? (2023) was the first Marvel Studios series to be released daily,[233] whileEcho was the first series released all at once; all previous Marvel Studios series had weekly releases.[234][211] The first season ofYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2025) was released weekly in groups of two or three episodes, which Chris Agar ofComicBook.com called unusual for an MCU series. He believed this was done to prevent the season's release from overlapping with thefirst season ofBorn Again (2025).[235]
In February 2021, a drama series set in Wakanda was revealed to be in development from Ryan Coogler through his company Proximity Media.[25][236]Danai Gurira signed a deal to reprise her role asOkoye, the head of theDora Milaje, in the series by that May. It was said to be anorigin story spin-off for the character.[237][238] In November 2022, Marvel Studios executiveNate Moore said the series was not "far along" in development given their focus onWakanda Forever and its spin-off seriesIronheart (2025).[239] Gurira confirmed in January 2023 that there had been discussions surrounding an Okoye-led series.[240] In April, Moore said the studio was wary about detracting from the "cinematic experience" of the franchise by featuring characters from theBlack Panther films in Disney+ series.[241] In February 2025, Winderbaum said the series was no longer being made.[242]
Also in February 2025, three series that were in various stages of development and had yet to receive an officialgreenlight were put on pause.[243] One featured the characterRichard Rider / Nova,[243][244] which was originally revealed to be in development in March 2022 with writerSabir Pirzada. Development slowed down by February 2023.[245][29] In December 2024,Ed Bernero replaced Pirzada as writer and showrunner,[246] prior to the development pause. The other two series were adaptations of the comic booksTerror Inc. (1988–1992) andStrange Academy (2020–2022).Amy Rardin was working on the latter, which was expected to focus onBenedict Wong's MCU characterWong as he leads a school for young people with magical abilities. There was potential for the three series to come to fruition at some point, but Marvel Studios was prioritizing other projects at that time.[243]
^A version ofthe first two episodes debuted in IMAX theaters on September 1, 2017, and ran for two weeks, before their television premiere on ABC on September 29.[56]
^Production ofHelstrom was moved to Marvel Studios following the shut down of Marvel Television, with executives from Marvel Television staying on to supervise the completion of the series.[20]
^By October 2023, Marvel Studios shifted their creative philosophy to a more traditional television development process, moving away from head writers and beginning to hire dedicated showrunners for their series.[154] The showrunner title applies toJac Schaeffer onAgatha All Along andDario Scardapane onDaredevil: Born Again,[155][156] while Jeff Trammell served as both the head writer and showrunner ofYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.[157]
^During production ofSecret Invasion, Bradstreet was replaced as writer byBrian Tucker,[154] who received the majority of the writing credits on the series.[158][159]
^Zeb Wells served as thehead writer forMarvel Zombies,[176] while Jeff Trammell served as both the head writer and showrunner ofYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.[157]
^abLee, Chris (January 13, 2023)."Inside the VFX Union Brewing in Hollywood".Vulture.Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2023.Alonso heads up Marvel's dedicated "mini-studio," Marvel Studios Animation, which is behind such shows asWhat If ...? [...] and the summer 2022 series of Vin Diesel–voiced original shorts,I Am Groot.
^Robinson, Johanna; Gonzales, Dave;Edwards, Gavin (October 10, 2023).MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios. New York City:Liveright. p. 414.ISBN978-1-63149-751-3.Marvel Studios was represented on each show by a designated junior executive, each of whom had acted as production managers on previous MCU films... Having those rising producers as liaisons meant that [head writers] didn't have to pester Kevin Feige and the Parliament with every single creative decision.
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