After ten years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has created a vast network of films and television shows with a shared continuity. The declaration of something being part of the MCU is a nod to place in this wider continuity. If Marvel comics take place, primarily, on one of plane of Marvel’s multiverse, then all of the shows and films of the MCU take place on another. This ambitious concept has made it necessary for the events that take place in one movie or episode to exist in the background of all other movies or episodes.
Sure, this allows for fan bait and continuous summer sequels, but it’s also an attempt at a larger kind of serialized storytelling. When one walks into a comic shop, and sees all the Marvel titles on the wall, it’s presumed that all of the events are taking place mostly concurrently in real time. There’s a presence and immediacy that comics and the subscription sales model have grown into beautifully. As a reader, this opens more and more doors in the imagination; trying to connect events between comics, or reading something and wondering how another title will react to it, is part of the fun.
By connecting the shows and movies even closer together, fans of both can be exponentially excited by the myriad crossover potential of their favorite characters. It’s all one universe, but it’s not always as simple as that.
Here are 10 Times Marvel TV Shows Fit With MCU Continuity (And 10 Times They Ignored It)
FIT - THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK
The Avengers, directed and written by Joss Whedon united the superteam and simultaneously introduced audiences to what it can be like when the superhero genre is fully realized on the big screen. The ultimate showdown in that movie’s climax showed a group of heroes defending the planet from their home in New York City.
The TV side of the MCU references The Battle of New York frequently in each of the Netflix shows and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
It’s mostly as a reference point to demonstrate the culture shift in a world where superpowered beings and the cosmic unknown are now part of daily life. Often these references are barely more than off-handed comments, but it does go to prove the connection between TV and the movies. It also serves as a useful timeline reference.
IGNORED - LUKE CAGE ISN’T APPROACHED BY THE AVENGERS
He’s only been in the universe for two seasons, but of all the Netflix Defenders, Luke Cage at least should be approached to work with the Avengers., Similar to the way Tony Stark scouted Spider-Man.
It seems like a glaring omission on the team’s behalf to miss this highly powered hero who’s become a Harlem phenomenon.
Between Cage’s high invulnerability and super strength, he’s definitely as powerful as some members already on the team, and he’s a local guy, so at least they should reach out.
Now, the first few times they ask, Luke Cage should turn them down. He’s never been much of a team player. Maybe sometime in the future, though.
FIT - NICK FURY IN AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury, brought to life, and back to life, by Samuel L. Jackson, was last seen summoning Captain Marvel to assist in the Thanos invasion, but before that, he was also a key part of the birth of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
He only appeared in two episodes - first to set Agent Phil Coulson, Clark Gregg, on his mission, then to bail him out once Grant Ward’s evil plan throws the team into flux.
The cameo felt a little gimmicky, but it was still Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg, so it recalled The Avengers movie.
There are no rumors of Jackson’s return to that show, but Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has developed a strong following, in part because of that link to the movies.
IGNORED - THE ATTACK OF THE HAND
It’s a big world, even within New York City, but the crossover between these major criminal events isn’t quite where it should be.
When the Hand infiltrated the high rises of Manhattan, and Alexandra launched her attack on the city in Netflix’s Defenders miniseries, her team caused an earthquake and tried to excavate mystical energy for a good while before she was found out.
The Avengers team is in complete disarray at this point in the timeline, understandably, but Doctor Strange seemed conspicuously absent.
Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme for Earth, he lives blocks away, and he was completely absent during a major magical event in his town.
FIT - AGENT CARTER SPINNING OFF FROM CAPTAIN AMERICA
Taking after the Agent Phil Coulson model of show-building, Marvel next spun off Agent Peggy Carter into her own show. Taking the character that first endeared fans on screen in Captain America, Agent Carter expanded on her role in the war effort and as an early progenitor of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The show was peppered with references to characters and technology that would one day appear in the MCU’s timeline on the big screen, as well as featuring characters who had appeared in The First Avenger.
For its entire eighteen episodes, Agent Carter reminded fans why superheroes were invented in the first place, and demonstrated an example of how these stories are timeless.
IGNORED - FITZSIMMONS AND TONY STARK HAVEN’T MET
While they’re already working pretty well separately, the fact that three of the top scientists in the MCU haven’t met and worked together is just unfortunate.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. ever reconnects with the Avengers, Agent Leo Fitz (engineering) and Agent Jemma Simmons (biochemistry) could be of great assistance to any of Tony Stark’s works in progress. At the very least, they could match him for laboratory banter.
To take things a step further, Shuri, Princess of Wakanda is another character who would play amazingly off the television duo.
Think of all the plot devices that could be rationalized by having that much brain power in one laboratory.
FIT - AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. INTRODUCES THE KREE
Under Marvel Studios’ watchful gaze, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has, at times, worked as a story farm for the larger MCU, dropping in so many references and Easter eggs, that it writes continuity ahead of the movie plots.
The Kree species were introduced in season three of the show, but in the most recent season, Agent Coulson and his team have faced off against the alien species to protect the farming of Earth’s Inhuman population.
It’s unknown if that storyline, temporarily wrapped up, will connect to the Kree-Skrull War in the Captain Marvel movie, but S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents Nick Fury and Phil Coulson are reported to be on the cast list for the ’90s period piece, so slowly the MCU’s next movie will take another step toward cross-medium collaboration.
IGNORED - RUNAWAYS
It’s early in the story of Runaways on Hulu, but a connection to the present day MCU was sorely lacking in the first season’s ten episodes.
There was an abundance of Marvel Easter eggs, but the show kept its distance from any acknowledgement of the Avengers or events since the Battle of New York.
The studio has said this was an intentional choice, but it’s still jarring. In the world where superpowers are common place, everything would react to those events. Otherwise, after New Warriors and the next Avengers team, the question becomes: how many different 18-35 year old super groups can the MCU drive around the bumper car course without crashing them into one another?
FIT - THE SOKOVIA ACCORDS RIPPLE EFFECT
The Sokovia Accords, enacted in Captain America: Civil War, have been a permeating plot device ever since.
The Accords have kept Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on the run for a couple seasons, trying to protect Inhumans who are being targeted.
Jessica Jones referenced the anti-superhero sentiment as the protagonist’s battle with discrimination, with the Sokovia Accords playing a part in briefly threatening her with jail time.
This is the kind of wide-ranging event that the MCU needs, but beyond a convenient reference and a dark, ominous threat, the Sokovia Accords seem unlikely to have any real ramifications going forward, in films or TV.
IGNORED - HULK IN LUKE CAGE’S HARLEM
Luke Cage isn’t the first superpowered strong man to brawl on the streets of Harlem. In the early days of the MCU’s formation, the Hulk got into one of his most terrible brawls in that very neighborhood in the movie The Incredible Hulk (2008).
General Thaddeus Ross and special operative Emil Blonsky pursue a fugitive Bruce Banner, but are thwarted by his strength until a cocktail of Super Soldier Serum and Banner’s own blood combine to turn Blonsky into the Abomination.
The Hulk and the Abomination had a vicious fight all over Harlem.
One would think that’s the kind of thing people might talk about in Luke Cage, which features that neighborhood and its history with superheroes.
FIT - GHOST RIDER AND DOCTOR STRANGE’S PORTALS
Season four of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. brought on a version of the Ghost Rider as a recurring character. Gabriel Luna plays Robbie Reyes, unlikely recipient of the Spirit of Vengeance, who was an anti-heroic foil to Daisy, Coulson, and the rest of the team.
Little was explained about his powers, but all became clear when he summoned portals to other locations.
The same sparking circle of energy surrounds the doorway that fans have seen in the Doctor Strange movie.
The fact that the visuals are so similar can’t be an accident. In this exciting connection, the TV side of the MCU has offered up something to the continuity that hasn’t been explored yet, new angle for some classic characters.
IGNORED - PHIL COULSON IS ALIVE
While his casting in Captain Marvel tells fans that Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson will make a soft return to the big screen MCU in the ’90s, in the present day timeline, the Avengers are under the impression that the Agent Coulson is long gone.
Now, this is under strict orders from Fury to stay out of the public eye, but at some point, it’s got to be addressed that Coulson has been faking his passing and hiding it from his friends for almost ten years.
His recent change of circumstance on the show might make this problem a little easier to clean up, but if Coulson eventually does make a full return to the MCU films, keeping the show and the movies separate will be more complicated.
FIT - ROXXON CORPORATION
In addition to the Battle of New York and the Sokovia Accords, the other creeping vine surrounding the MCU is Roxxon Corporation.
It was most recently in the Cloak and Dagger series, but Daredevil, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, and even Iron Fist all mention Roxxon. It is a puppet conglomerate, controlling a significant portion of the criminal enterprise that takes place in their respective cities.
The Roxxon Oil Corporation, a classic Iron Man foe, has also appeared in the background of that film franchise.
Other than functioning as a political and financial power source, the villain hasn’t yet made its mark on the MCU, but it’s perfectly positioned to do so.
IGNORED - INHUMANS TV SERIES
Maybe they’ve just been biding their time, but while the Inhumans, genetically reengineered from Terrigenesis, have been flourishing on television with two shows, one successful, the other, less so, Marvel Studios hasn’t opted to include their story in any of the movies.
Creating a cinematic universe with an interconnected continuity will never get trickier than when Marvel tries to juggle TV and movies for the Inhumans and the X-Men, but it raises questions when the entire meta species is left out of any conversation amongst the top level of superheroes.
Everything doesn’t have to be connected all of the time, but the channels have to be open for creators to work in the whole universe. Save it for future phases.
FIT - LADY SIF ON AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. dipped yet another toe in the communal character pool when Lady Sif, as played by Jamie Alexander, made an appearance on two episodes of the secret agent spin-off. Her mission, chasing a Kree warrior, brought her to Earth.
Mixing these two larger elements alludes to a much larger story planned, maybe alongside Thor: The Dark World, but it clearly never worked out.
This crossover is so direct that the actor is an exact lift from the movie.
Despite so many comments to the contrary, there are creators within the Marvel machine who want to see the whole sandbox play together.
IGNORED - THANOS’ FINGER SNAP IN MARVEL TV
Apologists will be quick to point out that Avengers: Infinity War came out after most recent seasons of Marvel shows were already aired or at least well after they’ve gone into production. One phone call could have given showrunners a heads up that this huge event is coming.
The only show that mentioned it was Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., whose characters were conveniently off planet for the battle with Thanos.
In all likelihood, the events of Infinity War - if they’re even left as part of the timeline and not erased from existence - will become the next subtle joke or comment that acts as the shows’ only connection to the broader world of Marvel.
FIT - HAMMER INDUSTRIES
One of the latest elements to be picked up and accidentally crossed over into Marvel television is Hammer Tech. Most recently seen in Luke Cage season one, Hammer Industries was the weapons manufacturer who adapted Chitauri weapons for street resale, once Diamondback and Cottonmouth got ahold of them, they became Luke’s problem.
Before that, Hammer Industries, and Justin Hammer himself made his debut to the MCU in Iron Man 2. After losing a military contract to Stark Industries, Hammer, played by Sam Rockwell, enlists the assistance of Ivan Vulko, Whiplash, played by Michael Rourke, to eliminate Tony Stark. Everyone loves a good easter egg, but one has to wonder how much longer the trope of the faceless, evil, corporation can run without being updated for modern economic anger. How does a corporate character generate emotion?
IGNORED - DOCTOR STRANGE IS THE LEADER THE DEFENDERS NEED
Stephen Strange isn’t the best role model for a hero in desperate need of maturity, but between he and Luke Cage, Danny Rand would be on a new track. Strange and Cage would get off on the horrible foot, but over time the two would learn to respect their mutual incomprehension of each others’ worlds.
Daredevil and Doctor Strange would clash the most over the leadership of the team. It would be refreshing for Jessica Jones and Strange to get along. They’re both people who really don’t care what others think. They wouldn’t be the first to bond over sarcastic indifference.
FITS - ANY JOKE OR REFERENCE TO THE AVENGERS
As throwaway as they may seem, all of those one liners and references to “big green guys” and “Captain America the ridiculous boy scout,” are all additions to the vocabulary in a world where superheroes and=supernatural events are possible.
Aliens, creatures, technologies, intentions, schemes, biological phenomenon - it’s a crazy world for these TV characters to live in, but referencing makes it feel more real to the viewer.
Normalizing these things through conversations littered with Easter eggs and super-speak goes a big way toward suspending the audience’s disbelief even more. The more frequently characters are speaking casually explosions and invasions, he more natural the world will seem.
IGNORED- REPEATED PUBLIC STATEMENTS FROM MARVEL STUDIOS AGAINST COLLABORATION
On the page, words can be moved around almost as easily as ideas; any characters with any circumstance can run off into the sunset and have adventures. On the big screen, where characters are properties, adventures are investments, and circumstances are laws, things aren’t as easy to move around.
If there’s a massive Netflix/Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. crossover with an Agent Carter flashback, and then Captain America comes in to wrap it all up, who says how that goes? Who puts that project together? Is it the Netflix production team? Kevin Feige? A Whedon brother?
Imagine the finger pointing if it went poorly. Then, after all of that, half the fans hate it, so the whole projects goes down as a failure. It’s an accountability nightmare. Maybe one day, though.
What’s your favorite Marvel TV/movie crossover? Let us know in the comments!
