The best Marvel TV shows, ranked: great action-packed series to watch right now

It wasn't going to be hard to surpass Ben Affleck in that woeful Daredevil movie (and, no, the extended cut does nothing to better the film), but the TV show of Daredevil did that and so much more. Charlie Cox is brilliant and brooding as Max Murdoch, the blind lawyer cum vigilante. Couple this with a likeable supporting cast and one of the best villains to ever grace a screen - Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin - and what you have are three sumptuous, blood-soaked series. And those long camera takes will go down as some of the best shots to ever grace our small screens.

NOTE: This show has now moved from Netflix to Disney Plus.

Loki is a another Disney Plus classic. It start off a little bit slow, with the first two episodes packed with exposition but after that it's a frenetic, mind-bending tale. We catch up with Loki after he stole the tesseract and, well, his actions have cause ripples in the Marvel timeline and he's been told that he needs to help fix things. But all is not as it seems.

The Punisher shouldn't be as good as it is. The character is pretty one note - a vigilante army vet whose family have been massacred - and, well, lacking in super powers. But the first season of The Punisher paints a bleak, vivid portrayal of the character with Jon Bernthal adding much-needed gravitas to Frank Castle. The show is peppered with extreme violence, which keeps the hardcore fans happy but it's the quieter moments of the show that work best.

NOTE: This show has now moved from Netflix to Disney Plus.

And there was you thinking that Legion was trippy! WandaVision is an absolute blast. While it is still streaming right now, the first few episodes are a joy and deserving of being on this list. Don't go in thinking this is one that is just like the movies, it's not. It's its own thing and takes some getting used to.

The first Marvel TV show is something that began inherently tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe - as Agent Coulson made the unlikely jump to the small screen (given, you know, what happened). The original premise was meant to be about the people behind the superheroes, the ones who had to clear up the mess and bring a little bit of balance back to the world. But the show soon span away from this, creating its own superheroes and, despite a dip after season 2, is six seasons in and still going strong and has followed the space-based continuity of the movies.

There's only two season of Agent Carter and that is unfair. Its refreshing to see a take on the Marvel universe that's a period piece and one that doesn't actually contain any superheroes. Instead, we have Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), an integral part of the Captain America story. She is teamed with Jarvis (James D'Arcy), the real butler of Howard Stark, Tony 'Iron Man' Stark's dad. The first season focuses on the 40s and the second in the 50s and they are good-natured, vintage romps.

Jessica Jones' third and final season is a fitting end to the character, and a sad coda as it represented the end of Netflix's love affair with Marvel. But let's not mourn - as who knows it could be revived now it is at Disney Plus - as what's left are three fantastic seasons charting the tale of super(hero) sleuth Jones, where she battles demons from her childhood, demons from the bottle and whatever other demons get in her way. While the arrival of David Tennant as Kilgrave in the first season isn't bettered, Krystan Ritter as the titular character is just sensational.

NOTE: This show has now moved from Netflix to Disney Plus.

We weren't really looking forward to Hawkeye, given the character is one of the more boring Marvel superheroes, but this show is an absolute joy, mixing in the right amount of comedy and action with a compelling storyline. Lovely stuff.

Fresh from reinvigorating Fargo for the small screen, Noah Hawley decided to take on perhaps the most powerful mutant that ever lived, Legion, the mutant son of Professor X. This is a psychedelic, squirming take on the character, complete with dance scenes, nightmare dreamscapes and a cast that's pretty much perfect. Dan Stevens is superb as Haller / Legion, but it's Aubrey Plaza who steals the show as one of the versions of Amahl Farouk, a mutant who's after Legion. The show is blistering funny in places, shocking in others, and it will end after Season 3 - so get on it now, if you haven't already.

We'll admit that this one nearly didn't make the list. Out of this, WandaVision and Loki, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier is definitely the weaker effort by Disney. But it has its moments that are on a par, cinematically, with the Marvel movies.

While this show is far darker than we wanted it to be (there is A LOT of death), What If...? does have its fun moments, such as Thor and Loki going on a big party, Agent Carter taking super serum and zombies! It also features the last voice work of Chadwick Boseman, which will bring a tear or two to your eyes.

Marrying a decent hip-hop soundtrack with some big action set pieces and a nice dollop of humour, Luke Cage's first season was a lot of fun. It actually felt like two seasons in one by the end, though, given the dramatic shift midway through the season. The second season was a step up, making us wish there was a place in the world for a little more Cage.

NOTE: This show has now moved from Netflix to Disney Plus.

Ms Marvel is one of the newer Marvel superheroes and this show's take on her origin story is a fresh, thought-provoking take. The first few episodes are filled with comic-book glee, much like the new Spider-Man trilogy then you are hit with the back story of her family's history and things take a poignant turn

We were fearing the worst when the original She-Hulk trailer came out but the show has fast become one of our favourite Marvel TV shows. It's a comedy of sorts, one which focuses on some of the more interesting characters of the MCU. Tatiana Maslany is perfect as Jennifer Walters, the lawyer who becomes She-Hulk, thanks to an accident that mixes her cousin's blood (Bruce Banner) with her's. The key here, though, is that she can control her rage... to a point. Each episode is fun and the inclusion of an Marvel favourite in later episodes is inspired.

MODOK is one of the strangest Marvel shows to be released. It's a stop-motion comedy with MODOK - a supervillain - voiced by played by Patton Oswalt. This is more Robot Chicken than Loki, but it's brilliant, and brilliantly rude, in places. It also has pretty much the most Marvel Easter eggs you will find in any show.

Created by ABC, Cloak & Dagger is a romance of sorts - it's about two teenagers who have superpowers Tandy Bowen (Dagger) and Tyrone Johnson (Cloak). The brilliance of the show is that while they both have powers, because of an accident at an oil refinery. it's when they combine their powers that they start to change the town they live in. There's a real love for these characters that raises this well above the normal young adult fare and while it's something of a slow burner, it's a great watch.

Another Marvel TV show that was stopped before it really got going. The premise is great: a family is on the run from the government, as their children are mutants and that's a big no-no in this show's timeline. The great thing about this show, is that it's not really about how these people got their powers but how they must now hide and go to extremes to be themselves. Shelved after two seasons, The Gifted asks some pertinent questions about who the real enemies are and some brilliant mutant set pieces, too. There were only two seasons of the show which is a shame as there was so much more story to tell.