Welcome to the Multiversity Year in Review for 2021! To call this a weird year is a Hulk-sized understatement, but one thing that was a pleasant surprise was the sheer number of interesting and excellent comics that came out this year. We’ve got over 25 categories to get through, so make sure you’re checking out all of the articles by using our 2021 Year in Review tag.
3. Superman & Lois
For some people, the idea of a Superman series on The CW, produced by Greg Berlanti, does not inspire confidence. For some time now, the comicbook adaptations from this network have been lacking in terms of writing, acting and a bland low budget look that greatly hampered the storytelling. Shows like Arrow started out with great promise but ended up deteriorating with each subsequent season.
Superman & Lois is a departure from previous Berlanti productions. To begin with, the cast is very good. Tyler Hoechlin does a fantastic job as Clark Kent/Superman. For viewers burnt out on the gritty, gloomy Caped Crusader seen in recent adaptations, Hoechlin’s take is classic Superman. He smiles often and conveys a sense of sincerity better than any actor since Christopher Reeve. This makes him an engaging protagonist in today’s cynical media landscape. In addition, Elizabeth Tuloch is undoubtedly one of the best Lois Lanes so far. Her profession as a talented journalist is given ample screen time and she has great chemistry with Hoechlin. The most interesting alteration to the Superman mythos is the addition of twin boys for Lois and Clarkr to guide through their transition to adulthood.
The show’s substantial budget ensures that the kind of visceral action, usually reserved for theatrical experiences, is showcased in jawdropping setpieces. It’s clear that Man of Steel was a huge influence on the fight scenes. Snap Zooms, Snyder-esque cape flapping and other techniques combine to showcase some of the most visually dynamic comicbook action on the small screen.
If any of this sounds appealing, give the pilot a shot. Most viewers were pleasantly surprised by how the show’s creators were respectful of Superman’s comic origins and cinematic adaptations yet willing to try new things. The writing was quite good for a CW series and presented compelling characters with intriguing dilemmas. One hopes that Berlanti maintains this level of quality on all his upcoming shows. If he does, then the soon-to-be released Green Lantern is sure to be something special. – Jim Malakwen
2. Loki
There wasn’t ever really a world in which Loki wasn’t at least a moderately successful endeavor. Tom Hiddleston has been delivering dynamite performances as the character for a decade now and become an easy fan-favorite in the process. Hiddleston has been versatile in the role, displaying vulnerability, courage, rage, wiliness, cunning, and heart as he grew from tortured villain to hero willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. With a core performance like that, this was always going to be an endearing show. Thankfully, not only did this succeed because of its titular character but because of an excellent wider cast, fun multiversal adventures, and its genuine sense of scale and impact.
It’s impossible to pick an MVP of the series- the ensemble really is that good and each player is necessary in bringing some vital aspect of the show to life. There’s Owen Wilson as Mobius, the noble, mostly unflappable TVA agent who forms a touching bond with Loki. There’s Sylvie, played by the über charming Sophia Di Martino, the female Loki variant and Loki’s love interest (yes, it’s weird and yes, it works) whose more rough and tumble upbringing brings a nice edge to the character. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is a perfectly cagey yet warm authority figure as Ravonna. Wunmi Mosaku is a Hunter B-15, who becomes our window into the sad and sinister background of TVA agents. And of course, the other Lokis, most notably the inimitable Richard E. Grant having the time of his life running around in a classic Loki costume delivering the most delightful performance of anyone in the show.
Continued belowLoki‘s story, of course, deserves heaps of praise, too. It’s paced in a way that other streaming series should try to emulate, cutting off all the fat. Normally, the events of the second episode, in which Sylvie drops bombs throughout the timeline to create too many branches for the TVA to handle, would be season finale territory in the streaming world. Instead, we get 2/3 of the season after that, exploring its wide consequences and all the nooks and crannies of the TVA. It’s a smart decision that makes the show feel more full. Then, of course, that finale. With the introduction of Kang the Conquerer- sorry, He Who Remains- there are clearly some massive, fascinating stories coming to the MCU and Loki is a worthy origin point for those stories. – Quinn Tassin
1. WandaVision
The past two years have messed with the way we perceive time so much that January 2021 seems like ancient history. But in a year that brought us several new Disney Plus MCU television shows, WandaVision was both the first and the first one to break new ground in terms of live-action TV adaptations of a comic. When the first episode of WandaVision was released, no one really knew what to think. Where was Wanda? Why was she re-enacting scenes from classic shows like I Love Lucy and Bewitched? What’s with those Stark Industries commercials? The questions just keep coming.
Each episode presents us with Wanda and Vision’s take on an era of classic television, sending up shows like Three’s Company and Malcom In the Middle and including so many easter eggs it feels like you need to watch each episode several times just to catch them all. When we finally get the explanation of why Wanda is obsessed with classic television, it comes in the form of an extremely powerful sequence where Wanda relives painful memories from her past. She and Vision share a conversation about grief and love that contains an absolutely heartbreaking line powerfully delivered by Paul Bettany, who despite the special effects that made him into Vision, an artificial being, imbues his performance with real heart. Elizabeth Olsen is adept at the slapstick comedy of each era and carries the raw, emotional moments of the story. Their romance in the movies was so brief it barely registered but seeing it play out over nine episodes while the MCU story wheels also churn in the background is incredibly rewarding and surprising to those who weren’t well-versed in the ups-and-downs of their relationship in the comics.
WandaVision also gives us several side characters that steal all their scenes, including Randall Park as Jimmy Woo, alongside Kat Dennings who returned as Darcy. Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau is introduced and got a dose of superpowers, and Kathryn Hahn makes a truly excellent Agatha Harkness, the nosy neighbor-turned-mega witch.
Until the final episode, where the climax resolves, as all Marven movies do, with a CGI battle between super-powered flying opponents, WandaVision is a breath of fresh, surprising air in a landscape of TV comic adaptations that may be faithful but rarely try something new. It’s a delight to wonder with each episode where the story is going to go, and packs a substantive emotional punch at the same time, bringing Wanda’s grief and loss into real focus while she is forced to process her grief and finally become the Scarlet Witch. – Mel Lake
