As the MCU expands onto Hulu and ABC, is the Marvel Disney Plus boom already over?

Marvel seems to be — for want of a better phrase — in its finding-out phase. The studio has made the groundbreaking decision to expand the show to network television, a first in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s history. Kamala Khan’s (Iman Vellani) adventures will soon be available to watch on ABC, but that’s not all. 

The MCU’s exclusive relationship with Disney Plus came to an official end when the streamer announced on July 21 that the first three episodes of Secret Invasion will be available to watch on Hulu, also marking the first time the superhero franchise has shared its Disney Plus-exclusive content with another streamer, even if it is a Disney-owned one.

The move comes in the wake of Disney’s CEO Bob Iger admitting Marvel has released too many Disney Plus shows to sustain enthusiasm and retention. So, the only question now is whether Marvel’s Disney Boom is truly over. 

Boom or no boom, the MCU is not slowing down

At this juncture, Marvel still has several Disney Plus projects in the pipeline, so the superhero franchise has no intention of pulling back on its serialized content. Ironheart, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and Daredevil: Born Again are all scheduled to premiere in 2024, but none have definitive release dates at this time. 

Beyond these three projects, the second season of What If…? is also in the pipeline with Bryan Andrews and A.C. Bradley returning to the director’s chair and writer’s seat, respectively. An untitled live-action Wakanda series, an untitled Nova series, and VisionQuest are also in the works, presumably carrying the MCU’s Disney Plus content all the way until Avengers: Secret Wars debuts in 2027. 

Included with those live-action projects are several animated shows such as Spider-Man: Freshman Year, Spider-Man: Sophomore Year, Marvel Zombies, and a third season of What If…? 

Pulling out on any of these would be a major decision on Disney’s part, and would signal waters far more choppy than any decision to expand to network television or other streaming platforms. Nevertheless, it can’t be denied that the company’s ratings have been on the decline since the first season of Loki in 2021. 

The future of the MCU’s Disney Plus shows beyond the Multiverse Saga is as unclear as the outcome of its cinematic efforts. At present, Marvel still has four years’ worth of movies to make before we have a solid idea of what to expect in Phases Seven, Eight, and Nine, should we be so lucky to get them. 

As for how it will handle Disney Plus shows down the road – well… 

Things have gone downhill, but does that mean we’ve hit rock bottom?

When WandaVision debuted in January 2021, no one fully knew what to expect from Marvel’s Disney Plus endeavor. All we knew was that Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany knocked it out of the park as Wanda Maximoff and Vision. The nine-episode season brought in 1.6 million viewers according to Statista. 

Later that year, Falcon and the Winter Soldier brought in 1.8 million views, suggesting increasing excitement from fans. Then, Loki season 1 brought in 2.5 million viewers, becoming the highest-viewed MCU show on Disney Plus to date. 

Things took a downturn when Hawkeye premiered with 1.6 million viewers, landing right below WandaVision. Moon Knight course-corrected this downward trajectory with 1.8 million viewers, slipping in between Falcon and Wanda Vision, but then things only got worse from there. 

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Ms. Marvel brought in 1.5 million viewers and 780,000 viewers, respectively, resulting in the first back-to-back drop for the MCU on Disney Plus, both occurring within the same year. Secret Invasion did nothing to help this when it debuted with the second-weakest opening of all of the MCU’s shows behind Ms. Marvel.

This concoction of highs and lows (but mostly lows) gives greater insight into why Disney would decide to bring Ms. Marvel to network television and why it would temporarily allow Secret Invasion to be streamed on Hulu, especially with the espionage spy thriller racking up a budget to rival Marvel’s cinematic release.

So, yes — if we’re going off of track record, Marvel’s Disney Plus boom appears to be imploding, but as Moon Knight taught us, perhaps the best antidote to righting a plane’s nosedive is a strong and relatable superhero worth rooting for, a simple formula Marvel is in desperate need of implementing.

It goes without saying that all eyes will be on Echo, Ironheart, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos to see how they perform. Should none of them manage to climb above She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s 1.5 million viewers, Disney Plus might have to do more than just expand to other streaming platforms, and its Disney Plus boom will be the least of its worries.