How Every Marvel TV Show of 2026 Ranked, With X-Men ’97 and Daredevil Above Punisher
A busy Marvel TV year
Marvel’s 2026 TV projects ranged across the MCU and related franchises. The MCU slate included Wonder Man, Daredevil: Born Again season 2, The Punisher: One Last Kill, and VisionQuest, while X-Men '97 returned for its second season.
Prime Video’s Spider-Noir drew on the popularity of the Spider-Verse franchise. VisionQuest’s post-credit scenes teased a connection to Avengers: Doomsday, an example of how television has become increasingly important to Marvel’s franchises.
Punisher brings brutal action
The Punisher: One Last Kill, a Disney+ special released shortly after Daredevil: Born Again season 2, follows Frank Castle as he shifts from personal vengeance toward protecting people as a vigilante. Its runtime is just over 50 minutes, and its action is its main strength.
Jon Bernthal delivers the violence, rage, and tragedy associated with Castle, but the special offers less in storytelling and character development. It revisits familiar material and makes few new moves with the character until its final moments, leaving it below the other shows discussed.
X-Men '97 expands its story
X-Men '97 season 2 retains the vivid animation, action, character work, and voice cast that helped define its first season. Apocalypse provides a threatening adversary as the series continues its story.
The season’s writing is solid, but it does not reach the level of season 1. Its larger, more science-fiction-focused conflict broadens the story while giving less attention to the prejudice themes and affecting dialogue that distinguished the earlier season.
Daredevil raises the bar
Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is described as an improvement over its predecessor, with stronger writing, a tighter focus, returning characters from the Netflix shows, and action sequences. Its character arcs also compare favorably with those in season 1. The season is presented as a sequel to Daredevil season 3 and as nearly matching the original series from 2015.
Key points
- Marvel’s 2026 TV lineup spanned the MCU, animation, and Prime Video.
- The Punisher: One Last Kill stands out for its action and Bernthal’s performance.
- X-Men '97 season 2 keeps its visual strengths but falls short of season 1’s writing.
- Daredevil: Born Again season 2 improves on its predecessor in several areas.