Every Marvel TV Show Of 2026, Ranked

Nov 14, 2026 - 23:10

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White Vision in a freezer in VisionQuest

Published Nov 14, 2026, 2:46 PM EST

Lewis is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant and has written for the site since 2022. This has allowed Lewis to explore a vast array of films, TV shows, books, comic books, and games from across the mainstream world of pop culture, reflecting his lifelong love of all media and typifying his experience in the world of fiction storytelling. To top this off, Lewis graduated from Northumbria University with First Class Honours in Film & TV Studies, truly exemplifying his experience in the medium.

2026 has been a good year for Marvel on TV, be it in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or its related franchises. Increasingly, Marvel TV shows are important to their franchises, especially those in the MCU. For instance, VisionQuest's post-credit scenes recently teased a massively important MCU movie like Avengers: Doomsday, proving how vital the TV landscape has become to the brand since the onset of streaming and Marvel's venture into it with Disney+.

In 2026 specifically, Marvel has had a successful year on the small screen. The MCU saw projects like Wonder Man, Daredevil: Born Again season 2, The Punisher: One Last Kill, and VisionQuest reignite excitement in the franchise's TV side, with other extended projects contributing to that. One such project was X-Men '97 season 2, which followed the highly revered season 1. Outside of the MCU's confines, a Prime Video show capitalized on the popularity of the Spider-Verse franchise with Spider-Noir.

It is worth pointing out that none of these TV projects were bad. In fact, all of them were very good, if not great, making a ranking somewhat difficult. That said, there were a few instances that stood out from the crowd as truly exceptional Marvel TV shows. With that in mind, here are 2026's Marvel TV shows ranked from "least good" to the best.

6 The Punisher: One Last Kill

Jon Bernthal holding a gun in The Punisher One Last Kill

Coming in as the weakest, but admittedly still good, Marvel TV show of 2026 is The Punisher: One Last Kill. This one-off TV special aired on Disney+ shortly after Daredevil: Born Again season 2, showcasing Frank Castle’s transition from a killer out for personal vengeance to a lethal vigilante willing to protect those in need. At just over 50 minutes long, The Punisher: One Last Kill’s primary strength is its action sequences. The bloody, brutal, violent ways of the titular character have never been more viscerally exciting, driven by Jon Bernthal’s commitment in the lead role.

Bernthal, after playing Frank Castle in Netflix’s MCU timeline, has a better grip on this character than ever, and still brings all the subtle tragedy, not-so-subtle emotional explosions, and over-the-top rage to life perfectly. Aside from the action and lead performance, though, The Punisher: One Last Kill simply doesn’t have enough going for it in the storytelling, longevity, or character department to rank it above any other Marvel TV shows of 2026.

It rehashes a lot of the same beats from Netflix’s series and other iterations of the character. Despite leaving Frank off in a new place that was especially rewarding to see in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the TV special itself did not necessarily do anything all that new with the Punisher’s character until the final few moments. Overall, The Punisher: One Last Kill was a fun, exciting, bloody good time from an action perspective, with only its lack of depth and new material keeping it below other Marvel TV projects of the year.

5 X-Men '97 Season 2

Apocalypse with his fist raised in X-Men '97 season 2

Despite being ranked as the second "worst" Marvel TV show of 2026, X-Men '97 season 2 is the first truly great entry on this list. X-Men '97 season 2 brought back a lot of what made its predecessor so exceptional, from its vibrant animation and fantastic action sequences to its strong character depictions and great voice cast. Combining this with a threatening villain in the form of Apocalypse, X-Men '97 continued the story in an enjoyable way.

The only thing that slightly ranks it below its predecessor, and the other Marvel shows of 2026, is its writing. Overall, the writing is solid and satisfying, but it falls short compared to season 1. X-Men '97 season 1's mature, thought-provoking, genuinely affecting dialogue perfectly explored the themes of prejudice that permeate this branch of the Marvel universe. Season 2 shifted focus to a bigger, more sci-fi-infused threat that expanded the scope, but it lost some of the hard-hitting elements of season 1. For this reason, X-Men '97 season 2, while still great, cannot rank any higher.

4 Daredevil: Born Again Season 2

Daredevil looking at Bullseye in Daredevil Born Again

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 was an improvement over its predecessor in almost every way. It had stronger writing, a much tighter focus, returning characters from the Netflix shows, and exciting action sequences that made the show almost as good as the original was in 2015. Most of the character arcs shone in comparison to season 1, acting more as a sequel to Daredevil season 3 than anything else. At the head of this were Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, both of whom remain two of the best casting choices in MCU history.

The rest of the core cast were also utilized much better this time around, be it Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, and Wilson Bethel, or those in smaller roles like Tony Dalton, Margarita Levieva, and Michael Gandolfini. With the teases for Daredevil: Born Again season 3 also included, the season was overall a massively satisfying continuation.

The only aspect stopping it from being ranked any higher is its first two episodes, which carried some of the baggage from season 1. Season 1 felt very much like a "Frankenstein'd" story, in that it mashed together two contrasting visions. Season 2 episodes 3-8 changed this for the better, feeling much more concise as one story. However, the opening two episodes still had some growing pains, meaning Daredevil: Born Again season 2 cannot quite match up to the other, much more consistent, auteur-like Marvel shows of 2026.

3 Spider-Noir

Perhaps the most original Marvel TV show of 2026 didn't belong to the MCU: Spider-Noir. What sets Spider-Noir apart is how it perfectly embodies its title, telling a superhero story in a 1930s New York with all of the genre goodness one could want from both. It has its exciting Spider-Man action scenes and lore, with the added benefit of some great body horror, alongside unabashed noir conventions, from a femme fatale and intimidating mob bosses to a black-and-white color scheme and the grizzled detective at its center.

Spider-Noir centers all of this around Nicolas Cage, who does exactly what Nicolas Cage does. The lead actor rides the line of absurdity and genuine greatness so well, in the way that only he truly can. Without Cage's central performance, Spider-Noir falls flat. Thankfully, the entire show is an old-fashioned, well-crafted, easily enjoyable time that knows exactly what it is, embraces that fully, and works all the better for it. The only thing stopping Spider-Noir from cracking the top two is the emotional stakes of the other Marvel TV shows of 2026, which, for me, worked better.

2 VisionQuest

The top three on this list have a big similarity in that they all feel incredibly unique. VisionQuest is another of this batch, coming in as the second-best Marvel TV show of 2026. Like Spider-Noir and the Marvel TV show holding the top spot, VisionQuest is wonderfully original. As a show focused on the AI side of the MCU, VisionQuest's creativity outshines every single other Marvel TV show. Even beyond WandaVision, Agatha All Along, and Loki, all of which had their own distinct styles, VisionQuest embraces the intricacies and uniqueness of its plot.

The show explores AI through the lens of filmmaking, finding ways to present complex simulations, conversations, and meetings in the virtual world in a way that makes sense to us humans. This leads to plenty of huge, practical sets and all the filmmaking magic that comes with them. In this sense alone, VisionQuest earns this spot on this list.

Beneath all that, though, VisionQuest is still an emotionally moving, exciting journey. The writing of VisionQuest aims to explore the humanity beneath the robotics, leading to genuinely impactful explorations of what it means to be human, with all of the flaws, mistakes, but no less endearing qualities addressed in the process. Thanks to this, VisionQuest's scripts include some all-time best lines concerning Marvel's TV shows, standing alongside its spiritual predecessor WandaVision.

Paul Bettany and James Spader lead VisionQuest expertly, with both providing their best performances in the MCU. Moreover, when the superhero action goes down, VisionQuest handles it with confidence, making the show just as impressive from a conventional point of view as it is as a complex character study. Combined with all the MCU goodness we've come to expect that concludes in VisionQuest's post-credit scene, which is the most exciting in years, the show is easily Marvel's second best of 2026, only falling short of the top spot based on personal opinions and tastes.

1 Wonder Man

Darkforce Energy and Wonder Man MCU Custom Image

What makes Wonder Man so special as a Marvel TV show is that, in just about every way, it doesn't really resemble Marvel at all. For many, this may be a drawback, but after so many MCU TV shows since 2021, Wonder Man was a wonderful breath of fresh air. At its core, Wonder Man was a show about two actors trying to make their way in an ever-changing Hollywood landscape, with the superpowers of one being more of an obstacle in the background than the true focus.

In choosing this balance, Wonder Man's creators allowed it to be a genuinely emotional, incredibly rewarding character study. For anyone with a passion for filmmaking, Wonder Man is a deeply moving journey that thrives on its exploration of what it means to work in the industry, warts and all. At the center of this exploration are Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley, who work excellently together as one of the MCU's best duos of all time.

Both actors are brilliant, from Abdul-Mateen II's compelling lead man performance with a lot of heart to it, to Kingsley's reinvention of a previously silly character like Trevor Slattery. Much like Spider-Noir and, to a slightly lesser extent, VisionQuest, Wonder Man is almost auteur-like in its execution, given how little it often resembles a superhero show. Sadly, this greatness won't continue after Wonder Man season 2's cancelation.

Despite this unfortunate fact, what we got in season 1 was one of Marvel's best ever in the TV genre, surpassing all of those after it in 2026 and many of those before it. Its superhero aspects may not be the strongest, with just about every other entry on this list being better in that department. However, that only goes to show just how strong Wonder Man's character writing, tonal balance, distinct vision, and moving depiction of an industry we all love were, earning it the top spot among the Marvel TV shows of 2026.

Movie(s) 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) 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

First Film Iron Man

First TV Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Cast 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, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors

Director Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, Shane Black, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, James Gunn, Peyton Reed, Taika Waititi, Ryan Coogler

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a long-running multimedia franchise drawn from the heroes, villains, and narratives of Marvel Comics. The MCU formally began with 2008's Iron Man, with other successes forming the basis for the contemporary path from comic page to screen, including over 30 films and 20 TV shows.