Every Canceled MCU TV Series & Why They Didn’t Happen

While some Marvel TV shows have been fantastic, the sheer number of them being released has likely contributed to the recent decline in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s popularity. Surprisingly, even more shows were planned for both traditional TV and Disney+. We’re taking a look at all the series that were cancelled before they could reach audiences. This list excludes limited series, which finished their planned run, and doesn’t include ‘Daredevil,’ as it was revived on Disney+. We’ve also left out ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ because it was given a final season to wrap up its story.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has produced several limited series, including WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Echo, Agatha All Along, Ironheart, Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, and Wonder Man. While these shows all had their moment, there were others that never made it to the screen.

15) Inhumans

Look, everyone knew going in that Inhumans wasn’t going to be a hit. There was a lot of hype around it – they even showed the first couple of episodes in IMAX, which is a big deal for a Marvel show! But honestly? It totally flopped. People really didn’t like it, and it kind of became infamous as a disaster.

Look, Inhumans had a couple of bright spots – I really thought Anson Mount was great as Black Bolt, and Serinda Swan made a compelling Medusa. But honestly, the show really hurt itself by being hyped as the next big thing in the MCU. It just didn’t live up to that, as that 11% on Rotten Tomatoes pretty much shows. You could see the problems right from the start. Still, I was happy to see Mount get another chance to play Black Bolt in that fantastic scene in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

14) Okoye and the Midnight Angels

I was first introduced to the Midnight Angels in the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – they’re these awesome blue-armored warriors from Wakanda. They’re really loyal to Okoye and especially to Shuri, who actually creates their incredible armor. I was excited because we were also supposed to see more of them in a Disney+ series, but that hasn’t happened yet.

Originally announced in 2021 with the participation of Ryan Coogler and Danai Gurira, the series – reportedly called Okoye and the Midnight Angels – was intended to be an origin story set after Wakanda Forever. However, by 2022, Marvel executive Nate Moore indicated that the project wasn’t progressing as quickly, as Wakanda Forever and Ironheart were considered higher priorities. Moore later explained in 2023 that concerns arose about diminishing the impact of the Black Panther films by giving its characters their own separate series. In February 2025, the series was officially cancelled.

13) Ghost Rider

Marvel once considered launching a dedicated series within the MCU called ‘Adventure into Fear.’ This branch would have centered around the universe’s more frightening characters and horror-based storylines.

Marvel initially explored supernatural content with the Helstrom series on Hulu in 2020. Plans followed for a Ghost Rider show, bringing back Gabriel Luna from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and another series potentially centered around the character Glyph. The idea was to eventually combine these shows into a larger crossover event, similar to The Avengers or The Defenders. However, none of these projects moved forward. The Ghost Rider show stalled due to creative disagreements about its direction. Ultimately, the shift of Marvel Television under the Marvel Studios umbrella in 2019 officially ended these plans.

12) Helstrom (Season 2)

The Adventure into Fear series began, but didn’t last very long. Although it’s officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Helstrom was created to be different, and it definitely feels separate from the main, popular Marvel stories.

Hulu’s Helstrom didn’t impress anyone, neither critics nor viewers. While the special effects received some positive attention, the acting and storyline were largely criticized. Although the show was cancelled due to changes within Marvel, the poor reviews likely sealed its fate and made a second season unlikely.

11) Marvel’s Agent Carter (Season 3)

The first season of Marvel’s Agent Carter was well-received by both critics and viewers, but the second season wasn’t quite as successful. It didn’t fail, but it wasn’t as strong.

Honestly, it wasn’t bad reviews that killed Agent Carter; it just didn’t get enough viewers. Those of us who did watch really loved it, and Hayley Atwell was absolutely perfect as Peggy Carter – seriously, one of Marvel’s best casting decisions ever. It’s awesome that they’ve kept finding ways to bring her back, even after the show ended in 2015-2016. She showed up in Avengers: Endgame and What If…?, and then played Captain Carter in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. I’d be genuinely shocked if she doesn’t make at least a quick appearance in Avengers: Doomsday.

10) Jessica Jones (Season 4), Iron Fist (Season 3), Luke Cage (Season 3), and The Punisher (Season 3)

The fall of the Netflix Marvel shows can all simply be summarized. They fell because Disney+ rose.

As a huge fan, it was fascinating to learn how much planning went into some of these shows, even when cancellation loomed. For example, they were already well into planning Season 3 of Luke Cage – all the episode titles were based on Public Enemy songs, which usually means the whole season’s story was pretty much figured out. And Iron Fist Season 3? They had a clear vision for Danny Rand finally mastering his powers, and, thankfully, a big focus on Colleen Wing – seriously, Jessica Henwick deserves another chance in the MCU!

9) A Nova Series

Last February, production stopped on three Marvel TV shows that were previously moving forward. While they haven’t been canceled, there are currently no plans to release them.

One of the most anticipated projects was a show based on the Nova character, originally announced in 2022 with Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada attached. However, that version didn’t move forward. Later, in late 2024, Ed Bernero, an executive producer from Criminal Minds, was brought in to write and run the show. It’s possible this project could be cancelled as Marvel scales back the number of shows it produces each year, but given Nova’s popularity, it’s likely we’ll see the character appear in something eventually.

8) A Terror Inc. Adaptation

I was really disappointed to hear that the Terror Inc. adaptation has been put on hold, just like the Nova show. While Terror Inc. wasn’t super well-known, I thought it would have been a fantastic pairing with the Werewolf by Night special – both leaning into that spooky, atmospheric vibe. It seems like Marvel is really focusing on projects they’re confident will succeed right now, and unfortunately, Terror Inc. just wasn’t seen as a guaranteed hit.

7) Cloak & Dagger (Season 3)

Joe Pokaski, the creator of Cloak & Dagger, originally envisioned the show lasting five seasons. While that didn’t come to fruition, plans were in place for Season 3 that involved Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson developing a romantic relationship – including their first kiss – which would have unlocked new abilities for both of them.

I really enjoyed both seasons, and it seemed like most critics and fans did too. The problem was, not enough people were watching. The first episode had almost a million viewers, but by the end of the first season, that number dropped to around 423,000. The second season started with about 477,000, but finished with only 346,000. Honestly, that’s just too low for a show to survive on a channel like Freeform. I’m still hopeful though – Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph are both really talented, and I think they’ll definitely show up in other projects soon.

6) The Eternals

The Eternals haven’t fared well in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. It’s ironic, because Marvel actually started with a good concept. The movie Eternals struggled largely because it tried to introduce too many characters at once.

Development on a show for ABC began around 2015, with occasional updates over the next two years. By 2018, the intended showrunner, John Ridley, remained tight-lipped about its status, offering no comment and hinting at restrictions related to Marvel. It wasn’t until 2024 that Ridley revealed the series was originally planned to be based on the Marvel property, the Eternals.

5) A Female-Fronted Superhero Show

Marvel announced a potential new show with Karim Zreik, but it never came to fruition. The series would have centered on female characters and had a similar tone to ‘Jessica Jones’. Though planned for ABC, the network ultimately decided not to produce a pilot episode.

4) A Strange Academy Adaptation

I was really disappointed to see Strange Academy cancelled, and it feels like it suffered the same fate as Nova and Terror Inc. – Marvel just kept changing when things came out, and that really hurt the series. Plus, honestly, Strange Academy, much like Terror Inc., wasn’t a mainstream title – it appealed to a smaller, dedicated group of fans, and that probably didn’t help when decisions were being made.

I’m still a little bummed about this one! Apparently, they had Amy Rardin from Jane the Virgin lined up to work on it, and it would have been all about Benedict Wong’s character, Wong! Honestly, if they’d kept the costs down, I think it could have been a real hit. Just imagine Wong teaching a group of kids who have magical abilities – it would have been perfect for a younger audience within the MCU, and a fun project overall.

3) New Warriors

Milana Vayntrub has been captivating audiences for around 25 years, often recognized as Lily Adams from the AT&T commercials. However, her excellent portrayal of Squirrel Girl wasn’t the only strength of the unaired New Warriors pilot. Calum Worthy and Kate Comer also consistently deliver strong performances.

The planned New Warriors series, starring Ana Vayntrub and Milana Comer, was intended to be a comedy. However, the pilot episode was never broadcast on Freeform due to scheduling conflicts, and Marvel Television couldn’t find another network to air it. Despite this, Marvel clearly believes Ana Vayntrub is the perfect Squirrel Girl, as she has continued to voice the character in various projects, including the TV movie Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, an episode of Marvel Rising Ultimate Comic, seven episodes of Marvel Rising: Initiation, the video game Marvel Rivals, and six episodes of Marvel’s Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show. Fans are hoping she’ll reprise the role in Avengers: Secret Wars.

2) Marvel’s Most Wanted

In April 2015, during the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a spin-off series was announced featuring Adrianne Palicki as Bobbi Morse and Nick Blood as Lance Hunter. The planned show was titled Marvel’s Most Wanted.

Despite initial reports, the project was cancelled at ABC the very next month. Paul Lee, president of ABC Entertainment, explained that the characters were valuable to the show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and they decided to keep them there because S.H.I.E.L.D. was currently successful. The idea resurfaced in 2016, but ultimately didn’t progress beyond a pilot episode.

1) Damage Control

Like a few other projects, Marvel decided to cancel the Damage Control show. However, the organization still appears within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s not hard to understand why they considered a TV series for this concept – a show focusing on bureaucratic processes would have been a natural fit on ABC, alongside Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I always thought the idea of a comedic Damage Control show back in 2016 was interesting, especially considering how serious they seemed when they first appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming. It’s a shame it didn’t work out at ABC, but looking back, it seems Marvel was really having trouble getting shows onto traditional networks. It wasn’t until Disney+ came along that they finally found a consistent home for their original series. Honestly, I think it’s for the best that Damage Control is being used as part of other projects now. A full-on sitcom just wouldn’t have suited them, and probably wouldn’t have lasted very long anyway.

What Marvel series would you have been most excited to watch? Share your thoughts in the comments and discuss it with other fans on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-02-17 03:15