Are television shows or movies better in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe brought everything that made it great to the small screen in 2021, so we must ask, which do you like better?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been an absolute hit since it debuted with Iron Man way back in 2008. It launched a franchise that has interwoven numerous stories through the years in a way many people would not have thought possible.

Prior to 2021, the Marvel Cinematic Universe consisted only of movies. All television shows, whether they be Marvel’s Agents of Shield or any of the Marvel Netflix shows, were not incorporated into the canon of the MCU. This was made clear when Disney announced their plans to launch Disney Plus, and Marvel television shows were going to be a big part of said plan.

We have now reached the end of 2021, and the fifth Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney Plus show Hawkeye is wrapping up in the coming weeks. All five have been different in tone and subject matter, much like the movies that preceded them. There has been plenty to enjoy from the television side of things.

With the introduction of this new brand of storytelling to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is only natural to ask what fans think is better and what they prefer so far when comparing the Disney Plus shows to the standard MCU movie. The reason I began to entertain this line of thought is due to a tweet sent out by The Abingers Podcast. I listen to their show and it got my brain working.

I began to debate in my mind what I have thought was better, but I thought I could do a better job of determining that by taking a closer look at it myself. There is a case to be made for both.

That is exactly what this post plans to do. I am going to make the case for the MCU being better as a Disney Plus show or as the standard feature length film. Let the debate begin!

The case for Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies

There’s plenty to argue that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is better when done as feature length films. The franchise’s backbone is the movies we have grown to love for the past thirteen years, so there is much to choose from as to why they are the better medium for the MCU.

For starters, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has that experience to fall back on. They’ve been telling superhero stories in 100 minute to 120 minute segments (or somewhere close to it) for a long time now. They are seasoned pros when it comes to movies.

The other reason why MCU movies are the better version of the properties is because you can’t have the spectacle in a television show that you can in a movie. When we go to the movies to watch an MCU property, we expect to be in awe at times with what we are watching. This sense of awe is very difficult to capture in a 35 to 45 minute episode of a television show. It’s not that it can’t be done, it’s just harder. One of the best moments of spectacle in the Disney Plus run of shows so far was when Alioth appeared in episode five of Loki. It was the exception, not the rule.

There are arguments against movies being the better medium. A two hour movie is not always the best way to truly flesh out a well thought out story. A movie doesn’t give the same room for nuance that a show lasting six to eight episodes can give you.

The case for Disney Plus shows

While there is a strong case to be made for the movies to be the better medium for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is also a strong case for the Disney Plus shows.  We don’t have as much to choose from so far with the Disney Plus shows, but they’ve made a strong start.

One of the first and most important reasons why one can argue the shows on Disney Plus are better is the breadth they allow Kevin Feige and his associates to tell stories. Taking six to eight episodes to really explore their characters in a Disney Plus show is something simply not possible in the movies.

Another aspect in favor of the shows is the shows allow the Marvel Cinematic Universe to devote time to lesser known heroes in the Marvel canon. Doing a movie on Loki or Hawkeye probably would not have gone over as well, but taking a television show and exploring who those characters are works really well. It allows Marvel to keep their big budget stars on the movie screen while allowing their smaller, less known characters to carve their own path on the small screen.

One of the drawbacks we’ve seen, though, with the Disney Plus shows is that it is apparent Marvel is still figuring out the differences between a show and a movie. There have been times with the TV shows that the pacing seems off, and there are times where it feels like an episode of a show finishes at a weird spot.

For now, the Disney Plus shows have been the better form of entertainment

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been great whether it has been in the form of a movie or a Disney Plus show. However, so far in Phase Four, the Disney Plus shows have been the better brand of MCU.

All five of the MCU Disney Plus shows have been critically acclaimed and embraced by fans. The stories they have told us have left us wanting more with each passing week. The success of the Disney Plus shows has exceeded what many of us thought they would.

The movies have had their moments in Phase Four as well. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a tour de force of an entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we have yet to see what Spider-Man: No Way Home will bring us when it releases in the not too distant future. It could swing the pendulum back in the direction of the movies.

Having said all that, Eternals was easily the most poorly received film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Black Widow really lost out in how compelling it could have been because the fate of Natasha Romanoff was determined in Endgame. The movies of Phase Four of the MCU hasn’t had quite the wow factor we are accustomed to.

The reality is this argument will change frequently as more of the Marvel Cinematic Universe unfolds. Kevin Feige and company have been telling a fascinating story for over 13 years now, and whether it is a show or a movie, we can expect that to continue in the years to come.

What have you liked more in the MCU since Phase Four began, the movies or the shows? Let us know in the comments.