Marvel took a bit of a step back this year, with only one theatrical release (at least as far as the MCU is concerned) and two live-action series. And yet, there was still a fairly large output from Marvel in general, even if a few of the projects were a bit below the standard. While some of these choices are probably obvious, I’m going to rank everything we saw from Marvel in 2024.
We are only focusing on television series and films here so things like Marvel Rivals or Deadpool’s arrival in the Disney parks are not going to be included, though they were certainly highlights. With that being said, we have a list of 13 projects, so let’s get to ranking.
13 – Kraven: The Hunter
Okay, before you ask: no, I have not seen this movie. Sony’s latest Spider-Man spinoff film hit theaters just a few weeks ago and after spending money on Morbius, I vowed to never do that again (a vow I broke for a specific reason you’ll learn about later). So how can I rank this without having seen it? Come on, we all know this film belongs in the bottom two of this list and I’m willing to bet it’s not as fun as the next Sony film in the countdown.
12 – Madame Web
Okay, before you ask: yes, I have seen this film. But that’s only because it came out long enough to reach Netflix. This movie is certainly not good, but it does lean into that category of “so bad it’s fun.” Everything about this film – the casting, the premise, the dialogue – it’s all ridiculous. Madame Web is not a character we ever needed to see on the big screen, and Sony decided to give her her own movie. This was doomed from the beginning, and the best we could hope for was for it to be enjoyably terrible – which it accomplished.
11 – Venom: The Last Dance
And here is the film I broke, what we’ll fall the “Morbius Vow,” for. I had no intentions of seeing the third Venom film in theaters until a trailer revealed the inclusion of the villain known as Knull. The 2021 comic arc “King in Black” is one of my favorite stories ever, so even a nod to that story was enough to get me into the theater. The finale to the trilogy was probably the worst of the three films, and that was a pretty low bar. However, Tom Hardy still delivers a comedic performance and there are enough other Marvel references in there to keep it a notch above Madame Web. And even though he doesn’t play much of a role in the film, Andy Serkis as Knull was a big plus.
10 – Moon Girl’s Lab
Probably the most under-the-radar item on this list, Moon Girl’s Lab is essentially Schoolhouse Rock! with Marvel characters. This series of shorts feature Moon Girl delivering musical science lessons as she and Devil Dinosaur capture various villains. It’s simple and it’s fun, it just doesn’t stand out enough to get any higher on this year’s list.
9 – Hit Monkey season 2
Speaking of standing out. Hulu’s animated Marvel series Hit Monkey returned for its second season and it is so different from anything else on this list (except for maybe one project). The over-the-top, comedic, gory series upped the ante from its first season, delivering more ridiculous action with some of Marvel’s lesser known characters. If you enjoyed the first season, you’re going to like this one as well. If you have not yet been exposed to this series at all, be warned that it is not your typical Marvel animated series.
Check out my review here.
8 – LEGO Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition
Another fairly under-the-radar project, the latest LEGO Marvel project actually a lot of fun. Last year, Disney+ debuted LEGO Avengers: Code Red, which was enjoyable for all ages despite ending up at the bottom of our annual rankings. This year, LEGO Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition proved to be even better than its predecessor and climbed the ranks a bit. This special features more Marvel characters than you can count, as well as some other interesting cameos. It’s also laugh out loud funny, even for a 30+ year old who watched it by himself (don’t judge me). Yes, a younger audience will probably enjoy it even more.
7 – Marvel Studios Assembled
A staple in these rankings, Marvel Studios Assembled returned with four new installments. It was a strange year for this behind-the-scenes documentary series, with one episode going straight to YouTube. However, we also saw some of the best examples of this series in 2024, especially The Making of Deadpool & Wolverine. While the series moving to YouTube doesn’t feel like a good sign for its future, I would be sad to see Assembled go, as it always provides a fun look at the making of our favorite Marvel projects.
Check out my review of The Making of X-Men ‘97 here.
6 – Echo
It almost feels impossible that Echo debuted in 2024, but it did. There were a lot of bad signs for this series before its release. It was the first MCU project to receive a TV-MA rating, the first to debut on Hulu (in addition to Disney+) and it dropped all of its episodes at once. And yet, many were pleasantly surprised by the grounded the series, led by a phenomenal cast. Alaqua Cox shined as the titular character while Vincent D’Onofrio’s reprisal of Wilson Fisk was as good as ever. The climactic moments of the finale kept this series from being a bit higher on this list, but Echo was an enjoyable series and a strong start to the year for Marvel.
Check out my review here.
5 – Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur season 2
This is the best Marvel project you’re not watching. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is certainly not for everyone as the Disney Channel series is obviously geared toward a younger audience. However, this animated series is laugh-out-loud funny and wildly entertaining with each and every episode. Season 2 also interestingly started to skew just a tad more adult with its finale, including a mildly dark brief moment. From the beautiful animation to the very talented cast, this series is great for Marvel fans of all ages and I’m looking forward to its third season.
Check out my season 1 review here.
4 – What If…? season 3
Sticking with animation, the third and final season of What If…? capped off another very strong year for Marvel’s animated projects. While the conclusion to the series may have fallen a bit flat, this third season featured some of my favorite individual episodes of the entire series. I mean, who doesn’t want to see Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis protect their child from everyone in the galaxy or the Red Guardian team up with the Winter Soldier? And crossing into the realm of mutants was one of the best Marvel nerd moments of the year for sure! What If…? Will certainly be missed, but at least we can always revisit the wild adventures it gave us on Disney+.
Check out Ben’s review here.
3 – Agatha All Along
It would be too far to say I didn’t expect to like Agatha All Along, but it certainly exceeded my expectations. In most years, this likely would have been in at least the top two of my list, but it just couldn’t quite top the next two from 2024. Still, Agatha All Along was incredibly fun, with one of the best casts Marvel has ever assembled. I also enjoyed that it was willing to venture a little bit into the creepy, perfect for its Halloween season release. And while it seemingly set up another member of the Young Avengers for us, it was nice to mostly enjoy a series for what it was rather than how it could impact the MCU.
Check out my review here.
2 – X-Men ‘97
Even as I am writing this, I am considering moving this up to number one on the list. But then I would have to delta stuff and move images around, it’s a whole thing. My point is, X-Men ‘97 was everything Marvel fans wanted it to be and more. It was nostalgic, funny and surprisingly emotional – don’t get me started on the end of episode five. It’s amazing how the creators of this series managed to capture the energy of the original series while still making the show feel modern and entertaining for an audience of all ages. This series was perfect and I can’t wait to see more of it.
Check out my review here.
1 – Deadpool & Wolverine
The long awaited arrival of Deadpool in the MCU did not disappoint. We got all the fourth-wall-breaking inappropriate jokes we wanted and then some and he even brought a friend along with him for the ride. I certainly never thought we would see Hugh Jackman portray Wolverine in the MCU, aside from maybe a cameo. Seeing him team up with Deadpool for a full movie AND put on the classic Wolverine costume with the cowl, it was a special moment for longtime Marvel fans. And on top of that, this film gave us some of the funniest cameos we’ve ever seen, some of the most exciting comic references we’ve ever seen and some of the best action we’ve ever seen. It’s one of the best theatrical releases the MCU has given us in a while and it was just barely (and I mean “barely” because I could still switch it…. no, no, I’ll keep it like this) good enough to top this year’s list.
Check out Mike’s review here.
2024 was another great year for Marvel and 2025 is set up to be even bigger. You can watch almost all of these projects on Disney+ now.