Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every One-Shot & Webseries Ranked Worst To Best
The MCU's short films may be gone, but they're definitely not forgotten.
Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe only continues to expand as it heads into its tenth year of existence thanks to an increasing number of feature films and television shows, one thing that fell by the wayside several years back was the production of short films known as One-Shots. Though only a handful were produced between 2011 and 2014, they were a pretty popular and welcome addition to the franchise.
The One-Shots gave characters from the films a chance to take the spotlight in their own adventures, in some instances helping answer unresolved questions from the movies in the process. Beyond that, the MCU pumped out two different webseries over 2015 and 2016 - one a unique promotional tool, the other a companion piece to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - that worked similarly to the One-Shots in terms of making the world of the MCU that much richer.
Over the years, the return of the One-Shot concept has been teased as a possibility, but nothing has yet to come to fruition, while the webseries idea similarly laid dormant throughout 2017, which is unfortunate, as both mediums have proven to be smart ways of fleshing out the franchise. While the wait continues to see if they'll ever return as we start to close out the MCU's first decade, let's take a look back at what we were given over the years to sort out which of the One-Shots and webseries still stands as the best examples of what both formats are capable of...
7. The Consultant
The One-Shot that started it all was released all the way back in September of 2011. With Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger behind it and The Avengers looming on the horizon, The Consultant helped piece together why Tony Stark approached General Ross in The Incredible Hulk.
Aside from giving us more of Agent Phil Coulson, the short also established Agent Sitwell's presence in the MCU a little more several years before the big HYDRA reveal, helped clear up what happened to Emil Blonsky following the events of The Incredible Hulk, and also teed up the existence of the World Security Council ahead of their debut in The Avengers.
Considering what the One-Shots would become a bit further down the road, The Consultant may seem like a mere curiosity for diehard MCU fans than an outright necessity at this point thanks to its brevity, but that doesn't mean it should be dismissed. Thanks to its success, it paved the way for the short films to keep widening their scope in terms of narrative ambition and length, as well as further cemented Coulson's status as a fan favorite - something that ultimately helped give rise to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - and that's something worth acknowledging.