James Gunn: Pre-WandaVision shows not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Series like Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are Marvel shows, but are they part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? According to director James Gunn, not really.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most successful franchise in the history of the movies. From Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame, these movies have brought in untold sums of money and made fans of millions of people around the globe, and Marvel is just getting started. They’re now bringing us new MCU TV shows on Disney+, from WandaVision to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to Loki, with many more in the pipeline.

Marvel boss Kevin Feige is famous for being meticulous about the MCU, but there have been a few stray branches over the years, a few “variants,” if you’re watching Loki. For instance, obviously the Captain America movies starring Chris Evans are part of the MCU, but what about Agent Carter, an ABC show about Cap’s paramour Peggy Carter? The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is definitely part of the MCU, but what about all those Marvel shows that ran on Netflix a few years back, including Daredevil, Jessica Jones and The Defenders?

It sounds like Disney is pruning those from the tree. Again, if you wanna use a Loki analogy, perhaps they happened in alternate timelines. This comes from James Gunn, the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, who’s always up for a spirited debate on social media:

Quoth Gunn:

"Not including pre-WandaVision shows in MCU…There was never any coordination between the earlier TV stuff & the cinematic side of Marvel like there is now that they’re all under the purview of Marvel Studios."

That’s now to say that there weren’t connections between those earlier TV shows and the MCU. ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. featured MCU character Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) in a prominent role, and the Netflix shows made reference to stuff like the Battle of New York in the first Avengers movie. But while these shows were made with Disney input, they were made outside the Disney umbrella, whereas the newer shows on Disney+ are all under one roof. There may be some bleeding over, but I wouldn’t hold out hope for, say, Charlie Cox’s Daredevil crossing over with the Avengers anytime soon.

As for Gunn, he’s hard at work right now on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is due out on May 23, 2023.

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