Every Marvel Netflix Series Ranked by Season

Luke Cage Season Two has now been out long enough for fans to have watched it through, bringing us all up to date on the latest big developments in the Marvel Netflix Universe.

After all of the big, bloody, twists and turns of Luke Cage‘s sophomore season, it’s now time to step back an examine where it ranks in the overall lineup of Marvel Netflix shows. Read below for a ranking of all eight Marvel Netflix releases, ranked by individual season.

Fair warning: You should be caught up on the events of each show and season, as we will be discussing in full SPOILERS.

9. Iron Fist (Season 1)

At the bottom of the list is Iron Fist Season One, and that should surprise no one. The first season of Iron Fist had such a rushed production that fight choreography was being made up and practiced on set the day of shooting, and it felt like a lot of the story was as well. Uneven character arcs, a thin and circular storyline, and weak action, all made Iron Fist one of the most heavily criticized Marvel Netflix shows in the lineup. Still, it was also one of the most viewed, and despite the weak freshman season, anticipation is still high for the upcoming sophomore season.

8. Daredevil (Season 2)

After such a highly acclaimed first season, Daredevil Season Two unfortunately spread itself a little too wide, and too thin. The story arc that introduced Jon Bernthal’s Punisher to the MCU was strong, but unfortunately got lost in a larger story meant to set up The Defenders. Unfortunately, this Daredevil season stands as one of the biggest examples of how the Marvel Netflix show pacing can severely drag while trying to fill a 13-episode arc, and another example of how the MCU sometimes stumbles trying to open too many doors at once.

7. Luke Cage (Season 1)

Luke Cage Season One will forever live in infamy as Marvel Netflix’s big “half-and-half” story of success and failure. The first arc of the season featuring Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes (Mahershala Ali) as the villain was highly praised for its great storytelling and gangland drama, which is why the second arc featuring Willis “Diamondback” Stryker (Erik LaRay Harvey) threw so many fans, with its big tonal switch to pulpy comic book fantasy. With so many MCU fans left with a love and hate impression of the show, Luke Cage Season Two has had a lot to answer for…

6. Jessica Jones (Season 2)

Like Daredevil, Jessica Jones was an acclaimed breakout in its first season, and had a high bar to rise to in its second. Season Two of Jessica Jones earned high critical praise for its deep character arcs and female-centric themes and creative team. At the same time, the second season clearly lacks the same flair that David Tenant’s Kilgrave brought to the first, and the dark brooding nature of the storyline greatly lowers re-watch factor. 

5. The Punisher (Season 1)

The Punisher is a character that Marvel attempted to turn into a big franchise all through the 2000s to little success. Fans loved Bernthal’s take on the character in Daredevil Season Two, but filling an entire Marvel Netflix series was a much harder challenge. The Punisher Season One wasn’t perfect, and had some very weak subplots weighing it down (Karen Page, Micro’s family), but the main espionage storyline was thrilling, and there was surprising depth in character arcs and themes dealing with military service, PTSD, and the deep cost of committing violence. The fact that the season also has some of the most brutal moments of any Marvel project — or any project on TV and streaming — just means that Netflix didn’t shy away from giving us The Punisher we’ve always deserved. 

4. The Defenders

The Defenders miniseries was epic in the way it brought the initial Marvel Netflix heroes (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist) and their respective worlds together. Witnessing the dynamics of all the different characters and tones mixing together was a highlight as were the action sequences that combined superhero powers and abilities. However, an odd pick in villain (Sigourney Weaver’s Alexandra), and slow build to the big team-up were weakness. Unfortunately the fantastical storyline  about The Hand ninja syndicate didn’t get enough of a proper intro from Daredevil and Iron Fist to be as exciting as it needed to. 

3. Luke Cage (Season 2)

After a divisive Season One, Luke Cage Season Two had a lot to make up for, and showrunner Cheo Hodari Choker took the criticism to heart. In Season Two, Choker let the gangland drama and complex characters that fans loved in Season One take the spotlight for all of Season Two’s run, including some acclaimed villain arcs from “Black Mariah” Stokes (Alfre Woodard) and John “Bushmaster” McIver (Mustafa Shakir). In telling the hard-boiled urban crime story of a Harlem gang war, and still delivering the same sort of deeper character story that brought Jessica Jones Season Two acclaim, Luke Cage Season Two is the official “comeback kid” of the Marvel Netflix Universe. 

2. Jessica Jones (Season 1)

Few MCU fans had heard of or cared about Jessica Jones and the Alias comic series when the Marvel Netflix show debuted, but thanks to the series and its crew, Jones is now a bonafide Marvel icon. Season One’s dark Noir mystery storyline got a wonderful female spin thanks to star Krysten Ritter’s layered performance as Jessica, and former Doctor Who star David Tenant stole the show as the mind-controlling Kilgrave, who is still considered one of the best villains the MCU has produced. The nature of Kilgrave’s powers kept surprising viewers with shocks and horror-thriller sequences, as Jessica tried to stop her twisted abuser without hurting those she loved. One of the best neo-noir tales you’re likely to see. 

1. Daredevil (Season 1)

At the top of the list is Daredevil Season One, which should hold as little surprise as our bottom pick on the list. 

Daredevil wasn’t just the godfather of the entire Marvel Netflix brand; it broke the glass ceiling for what superhero TV series could be, with its dark and violent gangland tale, and creative flourishes that brought much more artistic maturity into the Marvel TV brand. Daredevil Season One also changed the game for what MCU villains could (and should) be, thanks to the meticulously controlled performance of Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin. After a sophomore slump, fans are ready for the upcoming Daredevil Season Three to skew much closer to Season One, including a full and proper new story arc for Fisk, and an iconic villain possibly making a debut. 

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That’s our ranking of the Marvel Netflix shows; do you agree? If not, what do your rankings look like? Let us know in the comments!

Luke Cage Season Two is now streaming on Netflix. Iron Fist Season Two will follow it at a date TBA, and The Punisher Season Two is also in production.