Most Disney+ subscribers take advantage of the streaming service’s enormous library of Marvel movies and TV shows, but not everyone knows about the multitude of secret features they can also delve into. As a whole, Disney+ offers a ton of bonus content and features pertaining to other properties, but Marvel perhaps boasts the richest array of additional items to immerse oneself in. From both new and old Marvel Cinematic Universe films and series to non-canon projects, Disney+’s Marvel catalog has everything to entice fans of the comic book franchise. The platform’s hidden extras greatly enhance the Marvel experience on Disney+, and subscribers need to pay attention to the best features available. Documentaries, behind-the-scenes looks, and deleted scenes are all part of Disney+’s additional content for Marvel titles, and they prove valuable in expanding the MCU’s vast world of people and places.
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The following seven secrets make diving into Disney+’s Marvel projects well worthwhile.
1) Deleted and Alternate Scenes
Almost every MCU movie is accompanied by a set of deleted scenes, alternate openings and endings, or extended versions of sequences. Under the “Extras” tab, subscribers can find and view these deleted scenes. It’s always interesting to see what got left on the cutting room floor during a movie’s post-production stage, and each film has around five to 10 deleted scenes available to watch on Disney+. After watching an MCU film, Disney+ subscribers should immediately take a look at what could have been in the movie.
2) The Marvel One Shots
Across the early phases, Marvel released eight One-Shots, which are short film that take place in-between MCU movies (and which were previously only available on blu-ray releases). Ranging anywhere from five to 15 minutes-long, these clips function as fun little snippets of content that expand upon the franchise’s world. In Agent Carter, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) embarks on an important mission while dealing with her annoying boss, and in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer, Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) finds himself in the middle of a crime scene at a random gas station. Marvel’s One-Shot clips aren’t necessary viewing by any means, but they offer a quick dose of additional entertainment outside of the main movies. Disney+’s official timeline order of MCU movies also includes these One-Shots, so it’s easy to find out the proper sequence in which to watch them.
3) A Ton of Bonus Features
MCU movies and shows from Phase 4 onward each have an behind-the-scenes documentary under the Assembled banner, which can be found on Disney+ through the search function and sometimes by looking at the “Suggested” section of any given project. These Assembled episodes provide an in-depth look at the making of an MCU project, detailing the writing, set construction, costume designs, visual effects, and lots more. Where an Assembled isn’t present, there exists a hefty amount of similar bonus content spliced into smaller video clips under the “Extras” tab. Earlier movies, such as Iron Man and Thor, may not have an Assembled doc, but do include over an hour of behind-the-scenes featurettes. This includes deep-dives on characters and the films’ comic book inspirations with special commentary from the creators, filmmakers, and actors. In addition, most MCU titles have a gag reel in the “Extras” section, thus giving fans another chance to laugh and experience all of the funny behind-the-scenes moments and bloopers that happen on the set of a Marvel movie.
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4) Insight From Directors
Directors are in invaluable piece of the movie-making process, and Disney+ gives them the platform to talk about their films. Under the Avengers: Infinity War‘s “Extras” tab, subscribers can find a 33 minute-long directors’ roundtable featuring MCU filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo, Jon Favreau, Ryan Coogler, Peyton Reed, James Gunn, and Joss Whedon. Elsewhere, other commentary from directors presents itself in different forms. Many titles, from Black Panther to Captain Marvel, enable audiences to watch a version of the movie accompanied by a quick introduction from the director. There’s also an “Audio Commentary” or “Director’s Commentary” option to watch movies, such as Eternals and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. with insight from the filmmaking team all throughout.
5) Non-Canon Marvel TV Shows
Marvel fans who have seen every MCU project many times over or who simply seek a break from the canon are in luck. On Disney+, subscribers have access to numerous non-MCU Marvel shows, such as Cloak & Dagger, Gifted, Legion, Hit Monkey, the animated M.O.D.O.K series, and Helstrom. These standalone series remain unique deviations from the MCU, offering something totally different from the world of Marvel comic adaptations that doesn’t belong to a giant interconnected universe.
6) Lots of Stan Lee Content
Stan Lee’s presence on Disney+ isn’t limited to his many cameos in MCU movies. The streaming platform also includes various documentaries about the co-creator of Marvel Comics. The 2023 documentary Stan Lee, and three season-long docuseries Stan Lee’s Superhumans are just two of Disney+’s selection of features about the entertainment icon. The “Extras” section of Avengers: Endgame also includes a “Remembering Stan Lee” featurette, which honors Lee following his death in 2018. These titles all open a window into Lee’s creative mind, as he shares the process behind bringing Marvel’s most popular superheroes to life on the pages and the big screen.
7) Character Collections
Not all subscribers known that Disney+ groups Marvel projects according to the characters they focus on the most. The collections include: Falcon and Winter Soldier, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Hulk, Thor, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Wanda and Vision. Wolverine, Deadpool and Spider-Man’s also have collections, which include films not produced by Marvel Studios, while Daredevil’s projects consist of several Netflix Defenders’ saga installments and the 2003 Daredevil movie in addition to the character’s Disney+ appearances. Disney+’s Marvel character collections are a super useful way to get to know a prominent hero for the first time or to go back and experience all of their highlights when feeling bored. Most of the MCU’s most renowned figures are represented here, so a good number of movies and TV shows are included. A separate section features collections of hero teams, such as the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the X-Men.
All of these features are available with a Disney+ subscription.
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