The first season's purpose is to rip the future of the MCU and the Marvel franchise wide open, and it certainly succeeds. Any obsessive can probably half-guess the overall conclusions coming from the series but really the content is so massive it is difficult to completely get your head around it. Everything will tie in together over coming installments in the MCU, but this series works alone too.

Whilst evidently there is a whole heap of backstory relevant to the series, it isn't relied upon heavily and someone coming in without watching previous films can pick up the basic premise. The titular character is centre stage, and as half the timeline is disregarded, understanding his characteristics and motives is sufficient.

The first few episodes do take a while to warm up. There is clearly a lot to set up and an entirely new setting to explain. The issue with the complete overhaul is that is does lessen all of the impact of previous installments in the MCU story. With the storyline adopted, it very much gives the impression that actions don't have consequences, all the emotional climactic endings before are irrelevant, things don't have much meaning so forget what's come before. Good for the future, a bit of a jab at the past.

The latter half of the series is definitely where everything picks up. Visually it is hugely impressive, with the settings being the most other-worldly they have been in Marvel, even surpassing Guardians of the Galaxy. The soundtrack is fitting, the humour is kept consistent and fitting, and the acting cannot really be faulted. Being a new storyline not lifted from comics, the audience is kept engrossed in each passing scene as everything unravels towards the end. A great series and an even better vehicle for the future of the MCU.