Now that the first three MCU TV shows have been released onto Disney Plus, it's interesting to compare them and discussed what worked and didn't in each one. Obviously, WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and Loki are all very unique and are tackling very different genres and stories, and they all have their individual strengths and weaknesses. However, there is one flaw that they actually have in common that could have been improved.

Despite being pitched as a way to explore certain MCU characters in more detail than the movies would allow, the character development on some of these shows has fallen a bit flat, because they simply didn't have enough time to explore them and pace the development properly. 6 episodes is enough time to show already established characters having a side adventure, but not to realistically portray massive character development. The shows start to suffer from pacing issues and rushed development because they have such a limited time to tell the story, which means that Marvel should have made these shows the length of a normal TV show (even 12 episodes) instead of miniseries.

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WandaVision was actually well-paced for the most part and felt as though it was long enough to tell the story it needed to tell. It helps that the story was fairly contained and wasn't trying to overhaul Wanda's character entirely, instead choosing to show her process of grief and her simply coming into her own a little more. Despite the nature of the show and the fact that it is a parody of sitcom television, it didn't need to be as long as a typical sitcom season because it had a succinct story to tell that wasn't full of filler, and the miniseries format worked well for it. This is also considering the fact that the show will likely not be getting a second season according to Elizabeth Olsen, so it managed to wrap up its character development all in the course of 9 episodes.

The other two shows, however, struggle from a lot of pacing issues. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier introduced too many plot points at once and seemed to have trouble juggling them all and wrapping up all of the threads in a satisfying way. There were too many potential villains, and just too many characters to focus on in general. As a miniseries, it already had to focus on two protagonists at once, so introducing as many extra elements in as they did just made the job harder. Plot aside, the character development in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier felt somewhat incomplete. The audience doesn't really know Bucky or Sam any better than they did at the start of the series, as they both had very few moments dedicated to actually exploring their personalities.

The entire appeal of the show was that these two people who were beloved side characters in the films would finally get a chance to shine, and the audience would have a much better grasp on what makes them tick, but it really doesn't feel like that goal was accomplished at all. Bucky's main personality trait is that he's...grumpy. Sam is the straight man who stands for what's right even when it's difficult (as Captain America is apt to do). These are all things that fans already knew about the characters from watching the films, and so we really never got to learn anything new about them. What's the point of giving these guys a whole show if they're not even going to explore the characters more deeply?

Loki has had the exact opposite problem so far. In this show, the character development has been very rushed, to the point where you really need to suspend your disbelief to accept the rapid development that Loki has gone through over the course of the series. Remember, for the Loki in the show, The Avengers just happened. He's only been with the TVA for...what, 3 days max? And he's already a completely different character, evolved even past where his character was in Avengers: Infinity War before he died. Even in the first episode, he watches how his life was supposed to go in the Sacred Timeline and almost instantly feels like a different character.

Granted, it would be difficult to craft a sympathetic protagonist out of Avengers Loki, and that character is flawed in a number of ways, but it's difficult to believe that Loki - who has always been so closed off and slow to change - would have a change of heart that quickly. This is also the case for his relationships with Sylvie and Mobius. He has known these people for about 48 hours, and yet it seems that he already trusts them more than anyone else in his life. Sure, it's easy for him to connect with Sylvie because she's an alternate reality version of him, and being put in a life-or-death situation really helps one bond with a person, but again, it seems strange that a character who has always struggled with trust and loyalty would be able to change that easily over the very short run of this show.

This is especially relevant if his relationship with Sylvie is intended to be interpreted as romantic, because they literally set up earlier in the show that he's never been in love. Anyone who's been alive for a thousand years and never had those feelings would never show them as quickly as Loki has in the show. It took him multiple movies (spanning the course of years) to rekindle his relationship with Thor, and they've known each other their whole lives. Of course, he feels like he knows Sylvie better than he's known anyone (because once again, for all intents and purposes, they're basically the same person), but it still feels very rushed.

Both shows could have solved these problems by simply making more episodes. Even having 12 instead of 6 would be a massive improvement, and would give the shows more time to breathe, sit with the characters, and have believable development happen. It's possible that both shows could be getting a second season, which would certainly give them more time to explore the characters, but if the original intention was to tell a full story over the course of 6 episodes, both fell a little short.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier didn't explore its characters as much as it should have, and Loki had too much development happen too quickly, which is unsatisfying to watch. Perhaps due to budgetary restrictions, Marvel was only able to make these series somewhat short (as the episodes would cost a lot of produce), but this is Disney and the MCU we're talking about, and they're not exactly strapped for cash.

All of these shows have had some really high points and have been well-made and enjoyable to watch, but the minor improvement of just extending the episode could have helped them so much. Despite there only being 6 episodes, it often still feels like these shows have moments of filler, which they can't afford to do with such a limited run time. Perhaps in the future, Marvel can plan for their Disney Plus series to be a bit longer, and give the audience more time to sit with the characters. The shows so far are great, and could have been close to perfect if they'd managed to sort out their pacing issues. Hopefully, Marvel realizes this, and the second seasons of TFATWS and Loki will be much more tightly written and include more meaningful and well-paced character development.

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