Disney+ Series Ms. Marvel Faces Drastic Fall In Viewers in MCU Show History

The latest entrant in the MCU timeline, Ms. Marvel has had a slow start on Disney+, making it the least-watched MCU show on Disney+. 

The miniseries is based on the Marvel comic character Ms. Marvel. The story follows the titular character’s journey, from discovering her superpowers to navigating the double life that comes with being a superhero. 

Starring Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, a.k.a Ms. Marvel, the 16-year-old budding superhero, the show hosts a culturally diverse cast including Yasmeen Fletcher, Mohan Kapoor, Zenobia Shroff, Aramis Knight, Rish Shah, and Matt Lintz. 

The show premiered its first episode on Disney+ on 8th June 2022 and pulled in positive reviews from critics, withstanding a slow start from the audience. Although, recently, Ms. Marvel directors have addressed a surge of recent bad reviews for the show.

According to Samba TV, approximately 775,000 US households have watched the premiere within the first five days, the majority being Asian, Black, and Hispanic audiences. The MCU shows on Disney+ ranked from highest to lowest viewer count are as follows:

• Loki (2.5 million views)
• Moon Knight (1.8 million views) 
• The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (1.8 million views)
• WandaVision (1.6 million views) 
• Hawkeye (1.5 million views)
• Ms. Marvel (775K views)

Ms. Marvel is a big hit among Gen Z viewers, earning it the highest viewership of any MCU show among the 20 to 24 age group.

Ms. Marvel’s introduction to a character that has not been in the news before might result in a lesser amount of interest among older MCU fans.

Other MCU shows were based on high-profile characters. Hawkeye centred on one of the original Avengers, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). Loki and WandaVision dwells into the depths of previously spotlighted characters like Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen).

Another reason contributing to the fall in viewership, the show appeals to a younger audience and thus creates a smaller market for itself to conquer.

Other than these facts, Ms. Marvel is sharing its time slot with the Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi, which might be another reason behind the low viewership. 

The lead actress, Iman Vellani, was unheard of before Ms. Marvel. Her newbie status didn’t help bring in viewers, unlike Moon Knight’s Oscar Isaac did for his show. One of the sadder factors behind the fall in viewers lies in the racist undertones of some MCU fan reviews. Their complaint lies against Kamala Khan herself, who is a Pakistani-American-Muslim.

Of course, the slow start is not entirely indicative of a failure. With four more episodes remaining in the six-part coming-of-age action-adventure series, Kamala just surprise the MCU audience soon, winning them over. 

With a new episode every Wednesday, Ms. Marvel has the potential to create its mark in Phase Four of the MCU.

About Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel is an ongoing American television miniseries created by Bisha K. Ali for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics character Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Kamala is a 16-year-old Muslim Pakistani-American from Jersey City who writes superhero fan fiction, particularly about her idol, Captain Marvel. Having dreamed about becoming a superhero herself, Kamala  discovers she has superpowers and dons the mask of Ms. Marvel.

Ms. Marvel will serve as a setup for the film The Marvels (2022), in which Vellani will reprise her role as Kamala. The series is produced by Marvel Studios, with Ali serving as head writer and Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah leading the directing team. Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, with Saagar Shaikh, Aramis Knight, Matt Lintz, Zenobia Shroff, and Mohan Kapur also starring.

Source: Hotstar