4. Echo
There was so much anticipation heading into Marvel's Echo for two reasons. One, Hawkeye had been a surprise and Alaqua Cox's Maya Lopez made an impact in her debut; Two, it was Marvel Studios' first ever TV-MA series, promising a darker, more graphic, and violent story within the MCU franchise. The show delivered on both fronts.
Echo spotlights Maya Lopez in a way that Hawkeye couldn't, which is pretty fitting considering that it is the first MCU series to exist under the "Marvel Spotlight" banner. The show adopts a much more grounded approach, focusing on Maya's origins, her family, and her refusal to bow down to the Kingpin in spite of their history together.
The series also made history as Marvel's first ever binge-drop, as Disney Plus released all five episodes at once, and it was successful in being so as the show essentially functions as a five-part movie. It gets in quickly, does what it needs to do, and doesn't stick around on our screens for too long - something some of the more well-known MCU shows could have benefitted from doing, too.
It also features some of the strongest fight choreography that we've ever seen in the MCU, with the showdown in the bowling alley being an absolute triumph.
A major step forward for representation in the Marvel Studios franchise (and Hollywood itself), Echo earned itself a place among the very best shows of the year. We know it's a limited series, but we can't wait to see the titular character make her return to the MCU in the future.
Hopefully it's sooner rather than later!