As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand in insane ways onscreen, it’s doing so on television, too. Right now there are about a dozen different Marvel TV shows spanning all sorts of different comic universe, and combining characters we never thought we would see together on the screen. And this is only the beginning, as some major Avenger MCU stars will soon make their way to Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, with their own stand-alone series.
While we patiently wait to see the likes of Falcon (or is it Captain America?), the Winter Soldier, and Hawkeye on our TVs, we tallied up the most popular Marvel characters currently gracing the small screen. Did your favorite (or favorite teams) make the cut?
20. Aubrey Joseph "Tyrone Johnson" - Cloak & Dagger
Working together with his other half, Tandy, there’s nothing Tyrone — aka Cloak — can’t overcome.
19. Rachael Taylor "Trish Walker" - Jessica Jones
We finally saw Trish get some superpowers of her own during Season 3 of Jessica Jones, and we’ve never been so excited to see Hellcat.
18. Virginia Gardner "Karolina Dean" - Runaways
She sparkles and glows, literally, because in real life Karolina’s true form is iridescent as she manipulates power from the sun.
17. David Tenant "Kilgrave" - Jessica Jones
The Purple Man is still haunting Jessica’s dreams, and ours, too.
16. Olivia Holt "Tandy Bowen" - Cloak & Dagger
There’s a reason they call Tandy “Dagger,” and it’s because she can create powerful dagger-like knives out of light.
15. Elodie Yung "Elektra Natchios" - Daredevil
Elektra is the bad girl when it comes to the Marvel TV shows on Netflix, but it was definitely thrilling watching her on and off-again relationship with Matt.
14. Jessica Henwick "Colleen Wing" - Iron Fist
An incredibly skilled martial artist, Colleen also once gained the powers of Iron Fist.
13. Rosario Dawson "Claire Temple" - Luke Cage
Claire has helped out Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and finally Luke Cage where she seems to have found a happy life, finally.
12. Deborah Ann Woll "Karen Page" - Daredevil
Karen is one of the few people on this list who aren’t a Marvel hero and isn’t an agent themselves. But with her whip-smart knowledge and dedication to Matt, she’s a valuable asset in Hell’s Kitchen.
11. Hayley Atwell "Peggy Carter" - Agent Carter
Peggy Carter knows her value, and here’s hoping she somehow makes her way back into the MCU again, whether on the big or small screen (and maybe with Steve Rogers?).
10. Ming-Na Wen "Melinda May" - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
There’s a reason they call May “The Calvary” because there’s no situation or opponent she can’t takedown.
9. Elizabeth Henstridge "Jemma Simmons" - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
As the brains behind many S.H.I.E.L.D. operations, if there’s a problem that needs solving you need Simmons.
8. Clark Gregg "Phil Coulson" - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
Coulson was the first MCU character to make the jump to the small screen, and also the first to show us that just because you’ve died doesn’t mean you’ll stay dead forever.
7. Iain De Caestecker "Leo Fitz" - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
Poor Fitz. Over the last six seasons of S.H.I.E.L.D., he’s been through so much, including losing Simmons (but only for a short while), memory loss, and also death. But somehow he’s managed to overcome everything.
6. Finn Jones "Danny Rand" - Iron Fist
As Iron Fish, Danny can channel the chi for superhuman force, and yeah, sometimes his hands glow.
5. Mike Colter "Luke Cage" - Luke Cage
Sweet Christmas, we love Luke and his motto (adopted form Pops) of “always forward).
4. Chloe Bennet "Daisy 'Skye Johnson" - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
We met her as Sky, but now she’s Daisy, aka Quake, and we’ve been with her through all different S.H.I.E.L.D. ups and downs.
3. Jon Bernthal "Frank Castle" - The Punisher
Frank was introduced as a Daredevil villain, but he was so popular and well-received he landed his own spin-off series that lasted for two seasons.
2. Krysten Ritter "Jessica Jones" - Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones redefined what it meant to be a gritty hero, and also a female superhero. If you didn’t want to be her, you at least wanted to be friends with her so she was on your good side.
1. Charlie Cox "Matt Murdock" - Daredevil
The first Marvel hero to take Netflix by storm, Matt (and Daredevil) set the bar incredibly high for what could be done in Hell's Kitchen — including fight scenes.
*The "Top 20 Marvel TV Characters" is based on character votes in TV Time.
