A Defence Of MCU Phase 5, Part 2: 10 Memorable Moments From The TV Series

A common complaint around the post-Endgame era of the MCU is that the addition of the TV series on Disney Plus have made it hard to stay up to date on MCU content. This complaint seemed to become more common through Phase 5. There is, they say, now too much homework involved to fully enjoy the MCU.

However, this is not necessarily as big an issue as some might think. For the most part, the TV series compliment the films, but apart from a few specific cases, the movies' stories can still be followed by those who haven't seen every show. That's not to say the shows aren't worth watching if you have the time. They very much are, and contain some great moments that will certainly add to the experience, even if they aren't one rundred percent required viewing.

As a companion to my recent piece on memorable moments from Phase 5's films, let's take a look back at the memorable moments from the MCU's Phase 5 TV series.

1. The Death of Maria Hill (Secret Invasion)

After debuting as in The Avengers, Maria Hill became one of the most promininent recurring supporting characters in the MCU. She most often appeared alongside Nick Fury, as one of his most loyal and trusted Agents. After having been absent during Phase 4 (Hill's appearance in Spider-Man: Far From Home was actually Fury's Skrull ally, Soren) fans were excited at the news that Cobie Smulders would return as Maria Hill in the Secret Invasion series, which would also put Nick Fury centre stage for the first time.

Those same fans were shocked and saddened when Hill was subsequently killed off in the closing minutes of the series premiere, shot by Gravik posing as Fury. While some expected a fake-out and eventual reveal that the dead Maria was a Skrull double, this did not come to pass. Many were disappointed, believing that such a long-serving character deserved a better ending.

2. Loki takes his throne (Loki, 2x06)

Throughout the second season of Loki, Loki and his friends struggle to either repair or adapt the TVA's Time Loom to handle the strain of the ever branching Multiverse. Despite their efforts, it eventually becomes clear that this is not possible.

Loki, giving up his wish to simply be with his friends, ventures out and begins taking hold of each Multiversal strand, fashioning them into the shape of Yggdrasil, the World's tree, and takes his throne at the centre of it all. Loki, now the God of Stories, has come full circle, now truly burdened with glorious purpose.

3. The introduction of Kahhori (What If..?, 2x06)

Season 2 of What If..? introduced the character of Kahhori, the MCU's very first original superhero. In a world where Surtur enacted Ragnarok much earlier, the Tesseract crashed into a lake near the home of a Mohawk tribe in the 15th century. Those who fall in the lake are transported to the Sky World, where they are granted superpowers and immortality, but are unable to return home.. at least until the arrival of a young Mohawk woman, Kahhori.

Refusing to give up on the family she left behind, Kahhori eventually escapes Sky World and changes the course of history, using her powers to prevent the Spanish Conquest and colonisation of the Americas. The episode was praised at the time for being presented in entirely Mohawk and Spanish language.

4. Maya makes Kingpin face his trauma (Echo)

The first MCU project to be released under the Marvel Spotlight banner intended for smaller scale, character based stories within the MCU, Echo arrived on Disney Plus in 2024. A spin-off from Hawkeye, the series focused on Maya Lopez, a Deaf but gifted former enforcer/protege of the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk, as she goes on the run after shooting Fisk in the Hawkeye finale. Echo reimagines Maya's power set from the comics, taking her from a simple mimic to instead being able to draw upon powerful echoes of her Choctaw bloodline. She can also prompt others to relive echoes of their own memories.

This comes into play in a big way in the series finale. As Maya's power is bloodline based, she is able to share it with her cousin Bonnie and Grandmother, Tula, allowing them to fight off and escape Fisk's henchmen. Maya transports Fisk to a traumatic memory from his childhood, trying to convince him to let go of his pain and be the Uncle she had loved. Instead, Fisk flees. Some fans believe the scene is a waste, as Fisk has not changed when he is next seen in Daredevil: Born Again. Others say it only makes him more evil, as Maya offered him a path to change that he chose not to take.

5. The Ballad of the Witches' Road (Agatha All Along)

Technically, this entry is not just one moment, but several. However, 'The Ballad of the Witches' Road', in all it's various versions, was so integral to the overall plot of Agatha All Along that it cannot be ignored.

Many of the series most memorable moments, from entering the Witches' Road, the second trial, and the tragically brief life of Agatha's son Nicky, involve the Ballad in some way. It is the connective tissue on which much of the series is built.

6. Lilia's Sacrifice (Agatha All Along)

Throughout the early episodes of Agatha All Along, the coven's Divination Witch, Lilia Calderu, suffers a series of seemingly random and nonsensical outbursts. Fans speculated wildly on what these outbursts might mean, before it all comes together in episode 7, 'Death's Hand In Mine'. The episode, centering on Lilia's trial, reveals that Lilia's mind sometimes slips forward or back in time, living certain moments of her life out of order. Each and every slip in previous episodes is significant, giving Lilia a piece of information she needs to pass her Tarot card trial.

Ultimately, Lilia uses her knowledge of the cards to the coven's advantage, giving her own life to save her coven mates from the Salem Seven. It is a perfectly crafted culmination of Lilia's character arc, lifted by Patti Lupone's performance. Many fans expected an Emmy nomination for the actress, and were sorely disappointed that she didn't get it.

7. Agatha and Wiccan vs Death (Agatha All Along)

Initially angered to realize she does not have her powers back upon completion of the Witches' Road, Agatha is soon distracted by an attack from Death/Rio. In the subsequent battle, Agatha attempts to make use of all she has learned from her fallen Coven throughout the series, and when this doesn't prove enough, she is rescued by Billy Maximoff, making his first appearance in full costume as Wiccan.

In the end, through a fatal kiss of Death, Agatha gives up her own life in exchange for Billy's.. However, in true Agatha Harkness fashion, her ghost later argues that this was not a 'sacrifice', but a calculated risk. It was a perfect climax to what had come before, leaving the final episode breathing room to wrap up the one major unanswered question (the fate of Nicky), and otherwise serve mostly as an epilogue/tease for the future.

8. The Assasination of Foggy Nelson (Daredevil: Born Again)

After early rumours that they would not return, fans were delighted with the news that Netflix Daredevil actors Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll would reprise their roles as Foggy Nelson and Karen Page for the Disney Plus follow up, Daredevil: Born Again. However, viewers soon became suspicious of Henson and Woll's lack of screentime in the series' promotional material, with some theorising a tragic twist.

They were proven right in Born Again's season premiere, when Foggy Nelson is shot dead by Daredevil's old enemy Benjamin 'Dex' Poindexter. A subsequent timejump reveals that in the aftermath of Foggy's death, Karen Page moved away and Matt Murdock 'retired' his Daredevil persona, beginning the character's new era with a drastic alteration of the status quo.

9. Matt takes a bullet for Fisk (Daredevil: Born Again)

Matt Murdock and now Mayor of New York Wilson Fisk, despite their previous history of enmity as Daredevil and Kingpin, spend most of Daredevil: Born Again's first season in an unlikely and very uncomfortable truce, mostly due to the fact that neither can straight out prove that the other is doing anything wrong.

Matt is nonetheless convinced that Fisk is somehow involved in Foggy's death. The situation comes to ahead at Fisk's Black-and-White Ball, when Matt realises that it is actually Fisk's wife, Vanessa, who may be more responsible for Foggy. However, he does not have time to do anything with this information before he detects the presence of a recently escaped Poindexter, diving in the way when Poindexter shoots at Fisk. It is a perfect pay off to an earlier conversation between Matt and Dex:

"That's what good men do. Defend their worst enemies."

Fisk unfortunately returns the favour by attempting to have Daredevil assassinated the following episode, but at least Matt's conscience is clear.

10. Mephisto Revealed (Ironheart)

Fans have long been speculating when the demon Mephisto, effectively Marvel's version of the Devil, would make his MCU debut. This speculation was at it's height around the beginning of Phase 4, with one of the most common theories around WandaVision having Mephisto somehow involved in the series events. Similar speculation occurred alongside Agatha All Along, which also wasn't the case, although Mephisto was briefly mentioned.

When Mephisto did finally appear, the location of said appearance was a surprise, despite the series Tech vs Magic theme. Mephisto debuts in the finale of Ironheart, where it is revealed that Parker Robbins' magic hood had came from a deal with Mephisto. In an unsettling final twist, it seems series protagonist Riri Williams may also have made a deal with Mephisto, to restore the life of her friend Natalie.

While the MCU's TV series, like most of the MCU's best content, can be watched alone, seeing them will very likely add extra wow to moments to come. Phase 5's small-screen offerings have only built on this further.