As a part of its New Year's celebrations, Marvel Entertainment revealed a collection of the MCU's 2022 streaming best.
With 2023 finally here, Marvel Studios is about to start its third full year producing streaming Disney+ content alongside its regular theatrical releases.
Over the past twelve months, fans adventured through ancient Egypt with Moon Knight, went back to high school with Ms. Marvel, took to the courtroom with She-Hulk, and got a dose of new short-form MCU content in a pair of MCU Special Presentations (Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special).
And in honor of the turning of the calendar, the staff at Marvel Entertainment posted their picks for the nine best MCU Disney+ from the past year.
The MCU's Streaming Best of 2022
Marvel Entertainment rang in the New Year by posting a collection of favorite MCU Disney+ episodes from 2022. The list features nine episodes from across Marvel Studios' three streaming series from last year, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk Attorney at Law.
Moon Knight - Episode 1, "The Goldfish Problem"
The first entry on the list was Marvel Studios' first new piece of content in 2022. "The Goldfish Problem" was, and still is, a stellar debut for Moon Knight. The series premiere kicked things off in electric fashion, giving audiences just a taste of the adventure into the bizarre that was to come.
Whether it was the Christopher Nolan-esque cuts, the introduction of Ethan Hawke's villainous Arthur Harrow, or getting to see Isaac's Marc Spector/Steven Grant suit up as Moon Knight for the first time, this debut did a great job and introducing audiences to the world of Moon Knight while setting up the mystery of Steven's personality.
Moon Knight - Episode 5, "Asylum"
After a couple of episodes of building the world and answering a couple of questions, Moon Knight's fifth entry offered up one of the biggest twists of the entire series. After the previous episode ended with what looked to be the death of Oscar Isaac's Steven Grant/Marc Spector, the pair woke up in some sort of a psychiatric hospital.
From there the duo goes on a journey across the afterlife with the Egyptian god, Taweret. As noted by Brian Marquez, Associate Manager, Product Development - Marvel Games, this entire episode was "incredibly well acted by Oscar Isaac," as his conflicted hero finally came to grips with his pair of personalities.
Moon Knight - Episode 6, "Gods and Monsters"
The last Moon Knight episode to make the best of 2022 list its finale, "Gods and Monsters." This final installment saw everything come to a head, as Marc/Steven took on Arthur Harrow, as the series antagonist attempted to free Ammit.
"Gods and Monsters" came with a whole bevy of surprises. Not only did Isaac's mysterious hero save the day, but May Calamawy's Layla took on the mantle of the Scarlet Scarab, becoming a Marvel hero of her own. Pair that with the eerie post-credit scene and the reveal of Jake Lockley, a third personality for the titular hero, and that is what makes this finale one of 2022's best.
Ms. Marvel - Episode 1, "Generation Why"
"Iman Vellani is the perfect Kamala Khan" (Associate Manager of Content Distribution at Marvel, Haley Conatser), and Ms. Marvel's debut episode, "Generation Why" made that immediately apparent. This was not just the unveiling of Kamala Khan in live-action, but Iman Vellani as a mainstream actress.
Vellani was charismatic and lovable from the outset. From there, Ms. Marvel's premier was a stylish and bubbly introduction to one of the most heartfelt Marvel Studios projects to date. As superhero super-fan, Kamala Khan realized she had powers, "Generation Why" laid the first piece in what would become a joyous MCU adventure.
She-Hulk - Episode 4, "Is This Not Real Magic?"
There were plenty of funny episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, but Episode 4 (aka "Is This Not Real Magic?") might be the comedic peak from Season 1. This installment of the super-powered legal comedy saw Tatiana Maslany's Jen Walters in a courtroom battle against Donny Blaze, a magician who was expelled from Kamar-Taj for unethical use of the Mystic Arts and now works as a stage performer.
Throughout She-Hulk Episode 4, the entire cast audiences had become accustomed to thus far shined. But what was the highlight for many was the firecracker known as Madisynn, the poor audience member that was transported to a terrible Hell-like dimension by Donny Blaze. Madisynn did not come back after Episode 4, but she made quite the impression as one of the highlights of TV-watching in 2022.
She-Hulk - Episode 6, "Just Jen"
Sure, some may call She-Hulk Episode 6 a filler episode, but it was a filler episode playing on the idea of filler episodes. "Just Jen" saw the titular Jennifer Walters continuing to grapple with her new alter-ego, She-Hulk.
This was an episode "that focused more on Jen, than on She-Hulk," showing "Jen's relatability, specifically in her desire to be accepted for who she is." In a series that was all about identity, "Just Jen" was a fantastic showcase of coming to grips with one's true self vs one's 'best' self.
She-Hulk - Episode 7, "The Retreat"
She-Hulk Episode 7 makes the list for its amazing character moments. After seemingly having met someone who likes Jen as Jen (and not her green alter-ego), and then getting ghosted after a night together, Tatiana Maslany's Marvel hero visits Emil Blonsky on a spiritual retreat.
It is at this remote meeting that Jen is met by a number of D-list Marvel villains who all share their experiences in an attempt to better themselves. While Jen just thinks she is there to watch over her client, Blonsky, she realizes a little more about herself, deciding to no longer use She-Hulk as a protective shield and embracing both sides of her identity.
She-Hulk - Episode 8, "Ribbit and Rip It"
In "Ribbit and Rip It" fans finally got what had been teased for months before She-Hulk's debut, Charlie Cox as Daredevil. The actor's return alone warrants a spot on a list such as this, but as it turns out She-Hulk Episode 8 was excellent as well.
Seeing Cox suit up yet again as Marvel's Man Without Fear was a joy, and his "chemistry [with Jen/She-Hulk] was off the chart." The combination of Cox's return, some killer action scenes, amazing light-hearted comedy, and even a healthy dose of romance, made "Ribbit and Rip It" one of the MCU's best of 2022.
She-Hulk - Episode 9, "Whose Show Is This?"
Of course, no 'Best of Disney+' list would be complete without the She-Hulk episode that literally broke Disney+. Fans knew going in that Jennifer Walters' MCU debut was going to be a fourth-wall-breaking, meta affair, but no one could have predicted what would happen in the series Season 1 finale, "Whose Show Is This?"
After seeing what was going to be a final battle against a Hulked-out Todd, Jen turns to the came and says, "No thanks," before literally busting open Disney's streaming service and venturing into the real world. It was 35 minutes of mind-blowing meta-comedy, with pokes at Marvel Studios, the She-Hulk writing team, the X-Men, and even Kevin Feige himself. She-Hulk Episode 8 went places on one ever thought possible and set up a few fun nuggets for the Hulk franchise going forward.
All of these episodes are available to stream on Disney+.
