The MCU recently acknowledged TV shows like Daredevil and The Defenders as canon. There are 6 more live-action TV shows that could join the official timeline of the MCU.
Marvel live-action TV shows predate Disney+, and many of those shows were designed to exist as a part of the MCU. Their canon status has been an unclear matter of debate within the fandom for years. Recently, “The Defenders Saga” was added to the MCU watchlist on Disney+.
When The Defenders Saga was placed onto this watchlist, it indicated that these stories are in continuity with everything else in the franchise. Is it possible that Disney will move other Marvel TV shows onto the timeline and make them canon too?
The MCU & Agent Carter
Peggy Carter has a complicated relationship with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hayley Atwell has been a signature part of the Marvel brand since her first appearance as Peggy in Captain America: The First Avenger. She returned to the role many times in MCU movies, and she is a major character in What If…?. Even her one-shot short film, Agent Carter, is on the Disney+ watchlist. The strange thing is that Hayley Atwell starred as Peggy in two seasons of a TV show by the same name…and that TV show is not on the watchlist.
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Why has Marvel Studios turned a cold shoulder towards the Agent Carter TV series when it features footage from The First Avenger? Edwin Jarvis appeared in Avengers: Endgame alongside Howard Stark after both characters worked with Peggy on her TV show. Maybe the time when Agent Carter appears alongside Avengers: Endgame as an officially acknowledged part of MCU canon will come soon.
Cloak & Dagger & The Runaways
Cloak & Dagger and The Runaways could add to the MCU’s more youthful roster. Tyrone (Cloak) and Tandy (Dagger) are heroes of New Orleans with unique powers. Tyrone can teleport and can access the fears of others, while Tandy can manifest daggers of light and witness the greatest hopes of those she touches. Cloak and Dagger ran for two seasons on Freeform before cancellation. The show continued in the third and final season of Runaways. Tandy and Tyrone crossover with The Runaways – a group of teens with unique abilities who run away together upon discovering the criminal ways of their parents.
Nico Minoru is a witch, Karolina Dean is a light alien, Alex Wilder is a genius, Gertrude “Gert” Yorkes has a psychic connection to a velociraptor named Old Lace, Molly Hayes Hernandez is super strong, and Chase Stein is also a genius, but he has techno-gloves called “fistigons” which can shoot lasers too. Runaways has unfortunately been removed from Disney+ entirely, and it would need to be returned to the catalog before it could join Daredevil on the MCU watchlist. Both Cloak and Dagger and Runaways would add to the amazing tapestry of the franchise.
Agents of SHIELD & The Inhumans
Agents of SHIELD is another bizarre and frustrating situation. While this is literally a TV show about Phil Coulson, a character created for Phase 1 Marvel movies, it has been distanced from the MCU just like Agent Carter. But even though it isn’t on the MCU Disney+ timeline yet, it could be someday, and it has a lot to offer. Agents Of SHIELD follows Phil Coulson and his team of SHIELD agents as they fight to keep the world safe.
Coulson is already a beloved part of the MCU, and his team deserves that same recognition. Scientists Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons are layered individuals who share the most touching love story in live-action Marvel history. Melinda May is a hardened badass with a big heart. Daisy Johnson, AKA Quake, is the Inhuman superhero on the team.
The Inhumans TV show itself isn’t worth watching, as much stronger Inhuman storylines can be found on Agents of SHIELD or in the comics. However, Anson Mount played Black Bolt both in that show and in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. For that reason, the likelihood that Marvel Studios canonizes Inhumans is arguably as strong as the likelihood that they canonize Agents of SHIELD. It’s possible, but it might never happen.
The Unlikely Candidate: Helstrom
Marvel could add Inhumans, Agent Carter, Agents of SHIELD, Cloak and Dagger, or The Runaways to the Sacred Timeline of the MCU. Inhumans is downright awful and Runaways isn’t available to stream anymore, but even they have a better shot at MCU canon than Helstrom. Never heard of Helstrom? Marvel barely marketed their horror TV show before canceling it unceremoniously, so don’t feel confused if this is the first time you’re hearing about it.
Helstrom is about Damon and Ana Helstrom, siblings with a human mother and a demon father. They use their supernatural powers to fight the forces of hell. This show was originally going to crossover with a Ghost Rider TV show, a show which would have been a spinoff of Agents of SHIELD starring Gabriel Luna. It was originally intended to be part of the MCU, but the showrunner later stated that Helstrom is not canon. Disney could retcon his announcement and merge Helstrom with the MCU, but such a move is unlikely given how far Marvel has gone to distance their brand from the show.
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Helstrom opens the door to more horror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Runaways and Cloak and Dagger appeal to a younger generation like Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man. Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD add so many layers to the espionage side of the MCU. And Inhumans could be improved upon and reimagined with the Marvel Studios touch.
Which of these 6 Marvel shows would you like to see join the MCU? Let us know your thoughts on social media, and thanks for reading! We are always watching.
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