With box office records, streaming successes, and critics’ approvals, Marvel Studios had an incredible 2021. Using a combination of blockbuster movies and exciting television shows, Marvel bounced back from their lackluster 2020 with a new project almost every month.

     Fans had been in high anticipation for many upcoming movies and shows, and Marvel did not disappoint. Each month, they produced something new and exciting for viewers to enjoy.

     January: Marvel started off the year with a bang, releasing their Disney+ original show “WandaVision” on January 15. Adding to the tragic story of Wanda Maximoff, the show follows Wanda living her perfect life by using her powers to create a new town and enslave the people in it to do exactly what she wants. In this town, she brings back her dead lover Vision so they can both live out the ideal and happy lives they were stripped of in previous movies.

     February: Screens saw no new releases this month, but “WandaVision” ran through the entire month, so fans weren’t left with nothing.

     March: Another Disney+ original show, “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” was released on March 19. “TFAWS” for short, the show follows up on two beloved heroes in the MCU, Falcon and Bucky. In a comedic yet serious take on Captain America’s best friends, the public sees Bucky’s tragic backstory start to be healed and Falcon taking up the mantle of Captain America after Steve Rogers’ retirement.

     April: Again, there were no new releases this month as “TFAWS” ran through the majority of it. Unfortunately for fans, the same happened in May.

June: Making up for the missed month of May, Marvel released yet another Disney+ original show, “Loki,” on June 9. Following one of the alternate timelines created in “Avengers: Endgame” when Loki escapes, this new show introduces the Time Variance Authority and the concept of variants with many different takes on the character as he appears through the multiverse. This also introduces the new big villain of phase four, Kang.

     July: The first movie of the year, “Black Widow”, was released on July 9. As a prequel-style story, it focuses on the backstory of Natasha Romanoff and her long-lost sister Yelena Bolova. Diving deeper into the concept of the black widow program, this movie is gritty and realistic with no aliens or time travel. New characters are introduced, plot holes are filled, and a future show is set up for later in the year.

     August: The first animated MCU project, “What If?” was released on August 11. Ever wondered what would happen if the Avengers were all zombies? Or if Peggy Carter took the serum instead of Steve Rogers? That’s what “What If?”  is about. It answers theoretical questions about the MCU through the concept of the multiverse.

     September: Marvel’s second movie of the year Shang-Chi released on the 3rd. A new and refreshing taste on the MCU with new characters and no real connection to the rest of the story “Shang-Chi” follows the life of Shang-Chi the son of the Mandarin as he discovers his family’s past and the power within him.

     October: There were no MCU connected projects this month but there was the release of “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” a Sony project using Marvel characters. 

     Marvel fan Shannon Van Heiss says, “Even though it was not a MCU movie Venom 2 was my favorite this year.”

     This was a sequel to the original Venom movie from 2018. Van Heiss says, “I really liked the first Venom so I knew I would like the new one.”

     November: This month was huge for Marvel. First came another new MCU introductory movie, “Eternals” on the 5th about a superior race of superheroes tasked with defending Earth from the Deviants by the all-powerful Celestials. 

     Senior Brian Nichols says, “I really enjoyed Eternals, I know many others didn’t like it but it was one of my favorites this year”

     And second came a new Disney+ original show “Hawkeye” on the 24th expanding on Clint Barton’s story and introducing his younger replacement, Kate Bishop. While “Eternals’ did not perform too well with fans and critics “Hawkeye ” pulled it back together towards the end of the month.

     Nichols says, “It’s upsetting how bad Eternals did with critics. I think it’s a very underrated movie.”

     December: The big one. “Spiderman: No Way Home” released on December 17. Breaking box office records nearly immediately making 2.01 billion dollars so far. “NWH”, for short, had many familiar faces return, the multiverse fully open and some surprises that are too good to spoil. 

     Senior and Marvel fan Jack Godek says, “Spider-Man No Way Home was my favorite.”

     “NWH” is still in theaters at the time of writing this and according to fans and critics…it’s more than worth it to see.

     Godek says, “It was rewatchable in a heartbeat.”