Looking Back At The Best MCU Content From 2021
While Marvel has had to slow content production some due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was still an amazing year for Marvel fans with some pretty amazing series and movies being released. The content reignited the flame for Marvel stories that had waned for some fans in the time between mid-2021 and the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home in summer 2019. And, we got some pretty amazing stories to really jumpstart Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Four MCU movies were released in 2021 starting with Black Widow. Black Widow was unfortunately pushed back from a May 2020 release date to July 9, 2021. It was released in both theaters and on Disney+ through a pay service, which was one of the first films to be released that way. According to the numbers, Black Widow did not do as well as they would have hoped as a movie, but it still made many Marvel fans happy. After all, Black Widow finally got her own movie after being the sidekick in so many others. Despite being delayed three times, the wait was well worth it for Scarlett Johansson’s last time as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. Plus, we finally got to see Black Widow’s back story!
RELATED: Why ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Is An Example Of The ‘Perfect Movie’
We had to wait until September 3, 2021 for the next Marvel film to be released: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. This movie was not so much a superhero movie as a coming-of-age/magic movie. It was unlike anything the MCU had done before, and captivated fans. And, it finally told the true story of the Mandarin (while poking fun at Marvel’s mistake with the Mandarin in Iron Man 3).
November 5, 2021 brought Marvel’s Eternals. While some fans were not as impressed as they were with the other Marvel films this year, Eternals brought its own magic to the scene by bringing together multiple characters that we had yet to be introduced to, and, hopefully, opened up the door to bring different characters into the main core MCU heroes.
December 17, 2021 was the date that all Marvel fans were waiting for. While the other movies were great, really everyone was excited about Spider-Man: No Way Home. And excited is probably an understatement. There had not really been that much hype for a Marvel film since Avengers: Endgame, and it definitely lived up to that hype according to most fans. It perfectly ended the year with some excellent storytelling, a banging cliffhanger, and great expectations and questions for what is to come. It perfectly ended one saga of Spider-Man with giving us a lot of Easter Eggs and twists and turns we did not expect, which definitely added to the awe-inspiring storytelling.
2021 was also the start of the Disney+ Marvel series, which was an exciting new addition to the MCU and the different character’s stories. There were mixed reviews, but overall, fans loved the Disney+ series and waited eagerly each week for the new episode of each series to drop.
The first series that was released was WandaVision with the first episode of the series airing on January 15, 2021. With nine episodes, it followed the story of Wanda and Vision or, more accurately, Wanda dealing with her grief of losing Vision. It introduced some new characters and was the beginning of stories for characters we will see in future movies. It brought in fun twists of old TV shows and amazing costume and set design, as well as, a compelling story with quite a lot of twists.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, whose first episode premiered on Disney+ on March 19, 2021, was a much different feel from WandaVision. While WandaVision was more whimsical and magical, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had the feel of an MCU movie with the characters dealing with bad guys and working towards a goal. Of course, it brought its own surprises, especially at the end, and left the door open for future seasons or movies. Despite being only six episodes, the storyline is complex, rich, and really helps to create amazing character development between Sam and Bucky.
The next Disney+ Marvel series to be released, and probably one of the most anticipated, was Loki. Loki’s first episode was released on June 9, 2021 and immediately dropped us into a story unlike any other MCU content. It was extremely fun to see things from the point of view of the villain and be introduced to many interesting characters. Just like the previous MCU Disney+ series, the twists and turns with this series was unbelievable. At the end, it revealed that, yes, in fact the multiverse is real and that it will play a large role in Phase Four. While Loki was also only six episodes, it left the door open for future seasons since they kind of did not fully finish Loki’s storyline.
The odd one out of the Disney+ MCU content that was released in 2021 was What If…? which first premiered on August 11, 2021. While it was not the normal MCU content, it still told stories of some of Marvel’s best characters. What If…? follows more of a comic book style of essentially what the title says. What if Captain America was Peggy instead of Steve? What if the Avengers were turned into Zombies? Season 1 gave us nine episodes of fun animated twists on the stories fans have come to know and love from the comics and the MCU.
The last Disney+ series to come out in 2021 was Hawkeye, which premiered November 24, 2021. Hawkeye’s six episodes focused on an MCU character that fans have been begging for his own story for years. Hawkeye brought its own twists and turns and some surprises for the future of the characters in the MCU. While Hawkeye disappointed some fans as far as story goes, Marvel did leave the door open for more adventures to come.
Four movies and five Disney+ series. For Marvel, who is just ramping up into full blown Phase Four of the MCU, that is pretty good for 2021. Fans were elated for much of the releases, and they brought some amazing storytelling, nail-biting cliffhangers, and absolutely crazy revelations that Marvel was sure to weave in somewhere. They opened the door for new characters in new content, and hopefully, continuing on some of the stories in the future. Marvel never ceases to amaze with their brilliant storytelling, and they are sure to tell quite a bigger story among all the movies and series that are set to be released in 2022.