10 Reasons Why Marvel’s Netflix Shows Are Actually Better Than Their Movies

5) The Tone Is Perfect

The term “comic book adaptation” can be something of a troubling label. On the one hand, it’s simple; a literary source has provided the inspiration for the characters and events of a reimagining. On the other, when people get too hung up on the word “comic,” it can present all kinds of problems.

So far, creative teams in the MCU have struggled with that very hang-up. Movies in the franchise have too regularly leaned on comedy and cheap laughs to keep themselves breezy, but as a result there’s never a genuine sense of real danger or impending peril. While The Defenders was the latest in a successful line of serious threats to New York, adventures featuring Thor et al. have failed to capture any sort of suspense. Even the upcoming Ragnarok, a movie about what’s essentially Asgard’s apocalypse, has been left in the hands of a (damn fine) comedy director in Taika Waititi. Early reviews point out that comedic angle, too, with the term “goofy” appearing in multiple commentaries.

Admittedly, these are mostly family movies and judging them against far darker entries is a touch unfair. The lack of an R-rating is not an excuse for sheer frivolity, however; even the ending of Trolls felt more fraught than either of the Avengers films.