Heavy is the head that wears the crown. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most successful franchises in the world, there’s no doubt about it. The Avengers movies bring in billions of dollars at the box office, and there are even a few solo movies that can say the same thing. The shows that Marvel Studios releases on Disney+ also become the talk of the town, dominating conversations on social media for weeks. However, no amount of success will save the MCU from being roasted. It’s a rite of passage, after all, especially in today’s entertainment landscape, where there’s as much parody as anything else.
What is surprising is just how many TV shows have taken shots at the MCU. Some of the jokes are subtle and could apply to superhero movies in general, while others are meant specifically for Kevin Feige and his colleagues.
1) Community
The Russo Bros., who already directed four major MCU projects and are working on two more, cut their teeth on the NBC comedy Community. That’s why Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong all have roles in the franchise. To return the favor, Community Season 6 has Dean Craig Pelton do his best Steve Rogers in Captain America: The Winter Soldier impression when he takes out some goons in an elevator using a paintball gun.
2) The Boys
It feels like every scene in Prime Video’s The Boys finds time to poke fun at superhero movies. However, the MCU often gets the short end of the stick compared to its competitors due to Vought Studios. The production company releases films and TV shows starring Vought’s various Supes, referring to the franchise as the Vought Cinematic Universe. The projects even come out in “phases,” a move popularized by Marvel Studios.
3) The Franchise
After the success of The Boys, HBO attempted its own take on superhero satire with The Franchise, which followed a crew working on a superhero franchise. The show is much more subtle than its Prime Video counterpart, but it still gets its licks in. In addition to casting MCU actors like Daniel Brühl and Richard E. Grant, there’s a storyline all about taking a comedy actor and turning him into a superhero heartthrob, something Chris Pratt knows a thing or two about.
4) Rick and Morty
It’s impossible to escape Rick and Morty‘s wrath, as the Cartoon Network show enjoys firing shots at anything it can get its hands on. It takes aim at the MCU a couple of times, including when the Smith family attends Hulk: The Musical. There’s also an Avengers parody on Rick and Morty called the Vindicators, who are far less useful than Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
5) Saturday Night Live
NBC’s sketch series Saturday Night Live has 50 seasons under its belt, and in a good number of the recent ones, the MCU has been the butt of a few jokes. Whenever an MCU actor makes their way onto SNL, they’ll play their comic book character and make light of the situations they find themselves in. The best example is when Jeremy Renner brings Hawkeye to life on the small screen and stands around as the other Avengers roast him for only having a handful of arrows during a big fight.
6) Robot Chicken
The stop-motion sketch show Robot Chicken is famous for parodying Star Wars, but the MCU is never too far from its mind. The show’s official YouTube channel has a video up titled “Robot Chicken Enters The Marvel Cinematic Universe” that features nothing but sketches about Marvel characters. Some of the highlights include Iron Man crushing some grunts with his armor and Spider-Man getting a bit too comfortable in a public restroom.
7) South Park
Getting made fun of on South Park is a badge of honor. The MCU finds itself in Eric Cartman’s crosshairs in Season 21 when he’s trying to come up with a plan to release superhero movies and TV shows for him and his friends. A blackboard behind Cartman features names for potential that sound like ones the MCU would consider, such as “Mosquito: Tomorrow Is Yesterday” and “Coon and Friends: Civil War.”
Which of the roasts on this list is your favorite? Is there another show that makes fun of the MCU? Let us know in the comments below!
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