by Sam H.
I don’t have many controversial opinions, but the one that gets me into the most heated arguments is that I don’t think MCU shows are that good. For some context, I watched Wandavision (which I did not enjoy) and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (which I thought was a decent show) the minute each new episode dropped on Disney+. I watched Loki as well but didn’t enjoy it, hence why I didn’t watch Hawkeye. As of this writing, Moon Knight has not finished airing weekly and Ms. Marvel hasn’t premiered yet either. However, as someone who has watched over 30 different TV shows in 2021, Wandavision and Loki were probably my least favorite watches for that year.
I thought that I only disliked MCU shows because I hadn’t watched a lot of superhero shows before – the only show I could consider close to falling into that genre is probably The Mandalorian. Plus, I figured that if I were to enjoy any superhero show, it would be an MCU one, considering that I was familiar with the characters from the movies, so I was extremely disappointed to find that I didn’t enjoy the shows as much as I enjoy the movies, even though TV shows are my preferred format of watchable media. However, come 2022, I started watching Peacemaker and instantly fell in love with the show. Then, I finally watched Doom Patrol after months of hearing one of my friends rave about the show and became obsessed with it too.
Admittedly, I don’t know as much about DC, and the phrase “DC shows” is a broader generalization since it includes DCEU shows and Arrowverse shows. However, I'm most familiar with DC shows that are HBOMax originals (or were once DC Universe Originals and now are HBOMax originals). Obviously, I’m not the most qualified person to be writing about the DC franchise, but for this article, I’m not specifically writing from a Marvel or DC (or even just superhero in general) fan perspective.
As much as I admire fan dedication to making connections to canon, I still believe that it’s important to approach these superhero TV shows from the perspective of a casual TV watcher as it can be easy to get lost in the frenzy of fan lore. One could argue that these shows are pure fan service and whatnot, but I still think that even if this is the case, a strong show could figure out how to balance what fans want with a meaningful plotline and include an ample amount of character development.
I don’t believe superhero shows perfectly fit any standard TV categories. They usually have some jokes, but not enough for it to be considered a comedy show. They have action sequences and are usually categorized as action, but sometimes, they can get chucked into the drama category for awards shows mainly because that’s the closest fit. I’m most experienced with comedy shows, which are very character-centric, and drama shows, which often have convoluted plots for the sake of dragging out seasons, and I feel like superhero shows fall in between these two categories.
So, to find out what makes a superhero show “work,” I will examine elements of two of my least favorite MCU shows, Loki and Wandavision, and compare them to those of my two of my favorite DC shows, Peacemaker and Doom Patrol. (There will be spoilers for all the aforementioned shows below!)
1. Character development
Arguably, this should be the strongest point of a superhero TV show, considering that superhero movies are usually able to develop characters effectively within two to three hours and that superhero shows should develop characters to an even greater extent given the format of having multiple episodes and the ability to construct an overarching character arc throughout an entire season.
One would think that since the show is called Loki that the titular character would gain more character development – instead, he remains fairly static throughout the show. The show, at best, fleshes out his character by allowing us to see a softer, more caring side of him, but it’s only because he falls in love with a female version of himself… so I don’t know if that’s exactly a huge step up from narcissism. While Loki gains some character development, Sylvie’s character is sort of flimsy considering that her only motivations are revenge and justice, both of which are hazily outlined and leave the watcher wondering if the point of her character was just to balance Loki’s out even though Morbius seemed to be there to serve the same purpose.
With Wandavision, the show focused on Wanda extensively but included too many side characters, leaving many underdeveloped. Sure, Agatha was a fun villain, but how much did we really learn about her from Wandavision, especially after her big reveal? Monica also has some great character development but they don't let her complete her character arc. She used her powers to burst through the seemingly impenetrable barrier and into the town Wanda created in Westview during the climax of the finale – only for her to stand there and watch Wanda and Agatha hurl magic at each other in the sky.
On the other hand, Doom Patrol has incredible character development in the first season (I will mainly be focusing on Doom Patrol’s first season since all the other shows mentioned only have one season so far). Its pilot episode already establishes the cast of characters through introductions to their backstories so that in the following episodes, the characters have a chance to reflect on their tragic pasts before they gained their powers and learn from their mistakes, allowing each character to complete their unique journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Their collective gradual path from denying the fact that they’re a team to treating each other like family by the end of the season is a refreshing progression to watch. The friendships between the characters are so enjoyable – Cliff’s father-like care for Jane and Larry and Rita’s decades-long friendship – to see too.
In Peacemaker, the plot heavily focuses on Chris Smith (Peacemaker, who wasn’t a particularly likable character in James Gunn’s adaptation of The Suicide Squad). It delves into the guilt he feels about accidentally killing his brother and his desperate attempts to please his piece-of-shit, white supremacist father because he believes that his father is his only family left. One of the most shocking moments of the season was when Chris shoots his father as his father taunts him after attacking Chris and spewing homophobic, racist, and bigoted bullshit while beating him up. This is when Chris finally realizes that he’s been idealizing his father and that his father teaching him to kill from a young age impacted who he became as a person when he grew up to the point where he couldn’t help but give his father a taste of his own medicine.
Despite the concentration on Chris’ storyline, other characters helping Peacemaker also get their own stories. Leota Adebayo, most notably, undergoes a journey as she starts off the series agreeing to frame Peacemaker per her mother’s request, but by the end, she realizes she needs to stand up for the people she cares about and exposes her mother’s corruption to prevent her mother from continuing to infiltrate operatives. Truthfully, the only characters who didn’t get much development were Vigilante (Adrian Chase) and Judomaster, but I didn’t mind as they provided much-needed comic relief during tense moments.
2. Plotlines
Honestly, the plotlines of superhero shows, in general, aren’t always great because they have to incorporate a lot of worldbuilding and explaining along with the introduction of a plethora of new characters that become entangled in the plot as the show progresses. This is also the case with superhero movies (I can’t think of a single superhero movie that has had an extremely original plotline that made my jaw drop and proclaim that it was one of the best plots I have ever seen) so it doesn’t come as a surprise that this translates to the shows.
With Wandavision and Loki, I couldn’t explain the complete plotline to you even if you dangled me over the ledge of the Empire State Building and threatened to drop me if I couldn’t recite it point by point. Though both started with simple premises, the plot became increasingly complicated to follow to the point where I just gave up on trying to make heads or tails of what was going on with all the different characters in various places. Also, the plot felt like it was stretched unnecessarily long for the sake of progressing throughout an entire season of a TV show, especially with Loki considering that this is a show about a variant of a dead character.
This is similar to the issue Doom Patrol faces as well. As much as I love the show, I can admit that its plot isn’t its strong suit. However, at least its plot is interesting and unpredictable, constantly keeping viewers on their toes, and the execution of new plot points is far more effective than that of the aforementioned shows. That’s why one of my favorite hobbies is explaining Doom Patrol plotlines to friends – I love seeing their reactions when I talk to them about one of my favorite episodes of the show is “Danny Patrol,” an episode in which Larry and Vic discover a teleporting gender queer street named Danny that can communicate with them (it also contains one of my favorite musical scenes in a TV show: Larry and Maura Lee Karupt singing “People Like Us” by Kelly Clarkson to liven up a perpetual cabaret).
Although Peacemaker’s plot is nowhere near as complex as those of the aforementioned shows, its simplicity makes it more accessible to viewers, allowing us to acquire a thorough understanding of both the plot and characters without ever making us have to choose which one to focus on.
3. Consistency
This is, by far, one of the essential elements of a robust TV show. Especially with drama shows that are heavily based on plot, the consistency of the shows throughout seasons can make or break the watching experience (think like how most people recommend starting on the second season of The Office and stopping once Michael Scott leaves). In these four shows’ case, they haven’t had enough seasons to compare the consistency throughout the various seasons, but they each have enough one-hour episodes per season (the shortest, Loki, consisting of six episodes, and the longest, Doom Patrol season one, consisting of fifteen episodes) for us to analyze the consistency of each show overall throughout their respective season.
As I mentioned in the previous section, Wandavision and Loki both start strong and provide the context for the plot in the first few episodes rather clearly. With Wandavision, I enjoyed the TV trope twists that the show focused on in the early episodes of its season, and with Loki, I could follow along as the first episode introduced the world that the series would take place in. However, as the shows progressed, it became frustrating to try to keep up with the show as the quality of the plot and character development (and the show in general) declined as the episodes went on. I mean, how did the plot in Wandavision end up including some weird face-off between Wanda’s fantasy Vision and a white Vision in the finale?
Doom Patrol has the longest first season out of all these shows, but the consistency of the season is great as I enjoyed “Penultimate Patrol,” the second to last episode of the season, just as much as I enjoyed the pilot episode. In the first season, the show never compromises its nature to compensate for the way the plot advances or the characters change.
The same can be said with Peacemaker as the series consistently balances the emotional growth of characters while also including comedic moments and smooth plot progression that naturally and satisfyingly wraps up in the finale.
Of course, these three facets are far from the only aspects of TV shows that are important, but these are the ones that stood out to me the most. Ultimately, I hope that by thoroughly inspecting these shows, I can start venturing into the category of superhero shows (perhaps I’ll start Daredevil!) knowing what to look out for to determine whether it's a superhero show worth watching.
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