Every MCU Disney Plus Pilot Ranked Worst To Best
Moon Knight, Loki, Wandavision - who will come in first?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe reinvented itself in 2020 with the first episode of Wandavision. Though the MCU had utilized TV series' before, such as Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, and the various Netflix shows which resulted in the Defenders crossover, they had mostly featured characters exclusive to those shows and therefore did not affect the overall story of the MCU beyond their seasons. Wandavision, however, was about (as the title would suggest) Wanda and Vision, two mainstays from the Avengers films.
After Wandavision, Marvel released The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If...?, Hawkeye, and most recently Moon Knight. Unlike the previous MCU TV shows, these series are all officially canon to the MCU, meaning that Wanda's development from Wandavision will play a role in the upcoming Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness, Sam Wilson is officially the MCU's Captain America, and a new character like Moon Knight could appear in an upcoming Avengers film.
Since Moon Knight has only just aired, it's too early to compare all of these shows. However, with Moon Knight's first episode out, it's now possible to rank the pilots of every MCU Disney Plus TV show.
6. What If...?
The first episode of What If...?, What If...Captain Carter Were the First Avenger, markes the first animated property in the MCU. The episode follows Peggy Carter in an alternate universe where, at the last minute, she replaces Steve Rogers and takes the super soldier serum herself, becoming the superhero Captain Carter.
While Captain Carter herself is a fun addition to the MCU, the episode fails to differentiate itself from the MCU film off of which it is based, Captain America: The First Avenger. The two projects have the same story beats, so What If...?'s pilot feels repetitive, as if someone hit fast forward on The First Avenger. Even the other episodes that take an MCU character and make them the protagonist of a different MCU film, such as What If...T'Challa Became Star-Lord, stand out from the original films, since, unlike Steve and Peggy, who share similar ideals, T'Challa and Star-Lord are fundamentally different in just about every way.
What If...?'s pilot may not have been the strongest start. However, it introduces audiences to the cool character and eventual MCU mainstay that is Captain Carter.