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Why Damage Control Deserves A Marvel TV Series

2025-12-20 00:19
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Why Damage Control Deserves A Marvel TV Series

Despite the MCU's TV success, there's one Phase 1 Marvel group with plenty of unique live-action storytelling potential that remains overlooked.

It’s Honestly Wild This Underrated Marvel Team Still Doesn’t Have A MCU Show Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Charlie Cox's Daredevil meet in New York Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Charlie Cox's Daredevil meet in New York 4 By  Nicolas Ayala Published 2 hours ago Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows.  Sign in to your ScreenRant account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

By 2026, the perfect Marvel TV show remains unmade. While Marvel has found massive success on the big screen, there have also been several Marvel shows that have become fan-favorite gems of the superhero genre. Agents of SHIELD, Netflix's Defenders shows, and a long list of animated series have their own dedicated following.

It took the Marvel Cinematic Universe thirteen years to venture into television. Disney+ shows like WandaVision, Loki, Moon Knight, and Werewolf by Night pushed the MCU's boundaries and redefined what long-form Marvel installments could be like. However, there's still a lot of ground to cover in this format, especially when it comes to lesser-known Marvel properties.

Damage Control Should Have A Marvel Series By Now

Damage Control Is The Perfect POV For A Series

The Department of Damage Control reports on Tony Stark in the MCU's Iron Man The Department of Damage Control reports on Tony Stark in the MCU's Iron Man

The people who clean up after gods, monsters, and superheroes have it even more difficult than the Avengers once every battle is over. The heroes defeat their enemies and carry on to the next conflict, and it's up to Damage Control to deal with the dirty work and the bureaucracy of cleaning up the battlefield. Watching ordinary workers repair leveled cities following superhuman battles and negotiate with insurance companies makes the Marvel Universe feel more tangible.

Damage Control is unique precisely because it treats absurdity as routine. The original Damage Control limited comic series by Dwayne McDuffie and Ernie Colón shows crews casually repairing what would otherwise be world-changing catastrophes in a world that's more than used to them. The fact that all Damage Control characters are regular humans adds a fresh perspective to the Marvel Universe. Damage Control works as satire, workplace comedy, and social commentary all at once, highlighting the collateral damage superheroes rarely stop to consider.

The concept was already recognized as TV-ready years ago. In 2015, a Damage Control series entered development under Marvel Television, planned for ABC, devised as a half-hour comedy show. Like New Warriors and the Ghost Rider spinoff tied to Agents of SHIELD, the project was canceled before it could enter pre-production. A decade later, its concept's absence is still felt.

Damage Control Is Underused In The MCU

Damage Control Has Only Appeared As A Minor Antagonist In The MCU

The Department of Damage Control arrives at the scene after The Avengers' Battle of New York The Department of Damage Control arrives at the scene after The Avengers' Battle of New York

Damage Control has technically existed in the MCU since the very beginning, yet it has never been allowed to matter in a meaningful way. The organization was quietly acknowledged in the background of the Iron Man films, and Spider-Man: Homecoming revealed they were in charge of cleaning up the Battle of New York's aftermath in The Avengers. The Department of Damage Control's first appearances set the stage for a show of their own.

Later MCU projects expanded Damage Control’s visibility, albeit without capturing its original spirit. In Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel, the agency stepped into full-fledged antagonistic roles, functioning as federal enforcers in pursuit of young superheroes. This shift stripped away the Department's blue-collar perspective and their workplace satire origins.

Since Damage Control already exists within MCU canon, it would be rather easy for Marvel Studios to give them a dedicated series without minimal setup. The foundations are in place and the concept remains fresh, especially given that the MCU has grown increasingly dependent on multiverse chaos and large-scale destruction. A Damage Control show could finally explore both the serious and the comedic consequences of the Avengers' battles.

Marvel Has Already Proved Damage Control Has Narrative Potential Without Superhero Protagonists

The Damage Control Comics Are Begging For An Adaptation

Spider-Man points at Damage Control workers with his thumb in Marvel Comics Spider-Man points at Damage Control workers with his thumb in Marvel Comics

Dwayne McDuffie and Ernie Colón's Damage Control limited series transforms the Marvel Universe into a workplace sitcom, where the primary antagonists are budget overruns, labor union disputes, and the logistical nightmare of hauling giant destroyed robots out of people's homes. In 1989, a Marvel comic with such an "everyman" lens proved that the structural integrity of the Marvel Universe is just as compelling as the heroes who occasionally break it.

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The absurdity of Damage Control's responsibilities has also shined after their limited series and outside their 2022 Damage Control comic revival. Every time they show up, the Damage Control crew reveals a new implication of the Marvel heroes' world-saving activities. One day they're navigating the insurance complexities of an alien invasion, and the other they're trying to collect an unpaid bill from the Avengers for rebuilding their mansion.

An MCU Damage Control Show Could Borrow From An Underrated DC Series

Powerless Follows Regular Life In A Superhero Universe From A Comedic Angle

The Powerless main cast poses as a superhero flies by The Powerless main cast poses as a superhero flies by

In 2017, DC’s short-lived series Powerless established a blueprint for superhero-adjacent workplace humor. Set within Wayne Security, the show leans heavily into the hilarious banality of living in a world filled with caped crusaders. It treats Earth-shattering superhero battles as mere traffic inconveniences, focusing instead on the R&D team tasked with inventing absurd products.

If Marvel were to finally greenlight a Damage Control adaptation, Powerless offers a lesson in balancing high-stakes action with low-stakes office politics. Powerless succeeds by centering on a charismatic ensemble who treat superhero antics as background noise. In fact, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law only scratches the surface of superhero absurdity from a legal point of view. A Damage Control show could dive deeper from the perspective of regular human characters.

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