The MCU’s intricately woven tapestry brims with incredible action and relatable heroes, yet it often doesn’t receive sufficient credit for its romantic relationships.
Storytellers have skillfully nurtured these romantic entanglements over the 16 years since Iron Man’s debut. Meet every MCU romance, ranked by order of appeal.
1. Vision and the Scarlet Witch
The tragic tale of love shared by an android and a witch occupies the top spot, a narrative where love and catastrophe intertwine. In Infinity War, Wanda must destroy her beloved to thwart Thanos, enduring the agony of watching Vision perish twice. While the Infinity Saga advances their romance, WandaVision on Disney+ reveals the depth of Wanda’s love and her profound grief.
Wanda’s loss drives her to extremes; she ensnares a town in her grief and later wields the Darkhold to scour the multiverse for an alternate version of her family. The audience watches The Scarlet Witch employ manipulation and violence, battling sorcerers and Marvel’s mightiest, The Illuminati, in a relentless pursuit of her family. Her actions across WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness embody the harrowing lengths to which one will go for love. Despite halting her quest, rumors from Marvel insider Daniel Richtman suggest a Scarlet Witch solo film is in development, hinting at a potential happy ending to this MCU romance.
2. Iron Man and Pepper Potts
The inaugural MCU romance between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts endures as a benchmark for on-screen relationships. Their journey, filled with challenges common to all couples, sees Tony Stark transform from a self-centered billionaire to a devoted husband, father, and hero. Witnessing their relatability and seeing their bond mature throughout the Infinity Saga serves as a testament to Marvel’s storytelling prowess.
3. Peter Parker and Mary Jane
Mary Jane and Peter Parker’s romance in the MCU/Sony Spider-Man trilogy captivates fans as a beloved Marvel pairing. More than the legacy of the characters themselves, Tom Holland and Zendaya breathe new life into MJ and Peter, crafting a connection that outshines the revered Tobey Maguire/Kirsten Dunst duo from the Sam Raimi films.
Holland and Zendaya radiate chemistry, their portrayals striking a chord with the authenticity of high school sweethearts juggling superhero chaos. This on-screen allure blossomed into an off-screen romance, with the actors confirming their relationship in September 2021, just ahead of the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
4. Peter Quill and Gamora
Peter Quill, known as Star-Lord, and Gamora evolve from adversaries to frienemies, united by a shared mission. Their bond deepens as Quill unveils the magic of 1980s Earth music to Gamora, who grows to admire his valor and eventually respects the former Ravager.
Despite a heartbreaking separation by Thanos‘s hand, their love story emerges as one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s finest. Their evolving romance showcases James Gunn’s talent for crafting endearing characters with intricate connections and profound emotional ties. With the introduction of Gamora’s variant in the modern MCU, the possibility of rekindling this dynamic romance lingers.
5. Captain America and Peggy Carter
In the climactic moment of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers seizes his long-cherished dream: a life alongside Peggy Carter, his first love. Overlooking his brief liaison with her niece, the narrative allows Captain America to alter history, sharing a dance and reigniting romance with Peggy. This twist grants fans a gratifying conclusion, bestowing upon Steve a second chance at happiness and a proper curtain call for his illustrious journey.
6. Doctor Strange and Christine Palmer
The love between Strange and Christine Palmer spans the infinite multiverse, as audiences learn in Multiverse of Madness and What If…?. Stephen Strange and Christine Palmer never seem to make it work, but no one can deny their on-screen chemistry. The will they/won’t they aspect of their relationship keeps audiences wondering if the two will ever end up together. The animated What If…? anthology series depicts Strange willing to tear the very fabric of reality and commit multiversal atrocities in the name of resurrecting his lost love.
7. Thor and Jane Foster
The love between Thor Odinson and scientist Jane Foster resides at the intersection of science and magic. Their romance blossoms in the first two Thor films, but Natalie Portman’s conspicuous absence from Thor: Ragnarok, briefly mentioning a breakup, seems to terminate their romance.
This changes when Natalie Portman reprises her role in Thor: Love and Thunder, wielding Mljonir and fighting alongside Thor and Valkyrie against Gorr the God Butcher, as she also battles stage four cancer. Before her body ultimately succumbs to the cancer, Jane and Thor reconnect, and Thor holds her as she passes into the afterlife. It’s a tragic but fitting conclusion to one of the MCU’s first on-screen romances.
8. Ant-Man and The Wasp
Hope Van Dyne, known as the Wasp, and Ant-Man’s love story initially portrays Hope finding Scott repulsive. However, his charm, courage, and can-do spirit eventually win her over. The two encounter some snags along the way, but as of Quantumania, they remain very much in love, having survived the Quantum Realm and returned to Earth safe and sound. Their love story will no doubt continue to flourish, as the two are likely to play a central role in halting the impending multiversal threat in Avengers 5.
9. Loki and Sylvie
Some would say being in love with a variant of yourself is the ultimate expression of narcissism. However, in the case of Loki and Sylvie, the showrunners of Loki make their romantic entanglement compelling despite the bizarre circumstances. Sylvie is perhaps the only person who truly understands Loki. The bond they forge over the first season of Loki is something new to Loki. This marks the first time Loki truly connects with another person and puts someone else’s well-being over his own.
While Sylvie betrays Loki, he forgives her and accepts her flaws, just as she learns to accept his. Considering the events of Loki season two, it seems unlikely that the God of Stories will have much time for romance as he maintains the continuously branching flow of time. However, Sylvie would likely be his first call if he ever needed someone to assist. Sorry, Thor.
10. Hawkeye and Laura Barton
Age of Ultron introduces Laura Barton and the Barton family, which completely shocks audiences who see Hawkeye as anything but a family man. Nonetheless, their love exudes genuine authenticity. She becomes Hawkeye’s confidante, someone he admires and whose advice the assassin-turned-Avenger relies upon. Audiences witness the dark turn Clint takes when his family is snapped away, leading him on a five-year killing rampage spanning the globe.
Clint further solidifies his devotion to his wife in the Disney+ series Hawkeye, where he goes to extraordinary lengths to keep secret the fact that his wife was once a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative to preserve his family’s anonymity. Clint’s dedication to his family and the extreme measures he’s willing to take to keep them safe testify to his devotion as a husband and a father.
11. Aunt May and Happy Hogan
The romance between Happy Hogan and Aunt May remains one of the best surprises of the Spider-Man trilogy. Reeling from the loss of his boss and friend Tony Stark, Happy Hogan finds refuge in Peter Parker’s aunt May. The two have what May calls a “fling” and, to the disappointment of many, she ends her romantic relationship with Happy before it becomes too serious.
12. Black Panther and Nakia
It remains one of the great movie tragedies that audiences will not see what this romance could have been due to the tragic loss of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman. However, one can still take comfort in the time they shared on-screen, which provided a warmth and radiance that captivated fans and made this MCU romance compelling as T’Challa grappled with balancing his love life and his duties as King of Wakanda. Again, tragically, the romance ended too soon, but it does provide a future for Wakanda with the introduction of T’Challa and Nakia’s son at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
13. She-Hulk and Daredevil
Despite receiving less than stellar feedback, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law reintroduces one of Marvel’s best street-level heroes – Daredevil. Returning from the Netflix Daredevil series, Charlie Cox excels, blending the perfect mixture of a brooding loner and witty quipster. Daredevil and She-Hulk connect, and Jennifer Walters finally finds a guy who isn’t creepy, a moron, or a supervillain.
With a Daredevil series on the horizon, it will be intriguing to see whether the MCU continues their courtship, given the way the series left the two. Nevertheless, the Daredevil/She-Hulk courtship remains one of the most enjoyable aspects of the She-Hulk series.
14. Ikaris and Sersi
The romantic relationship between Sersi and Ikaris in Eternals faces issues and lacks full development, but writers have many potential ways to make their relationship more appealing to audiences in future MCU projects. Ikaris and Sersi marry and spend over 5,000 happy years together, but obstacles exist that could potentially hinder their romantic courtship.
For instance, Sersi has an eye for another member of House Stark, Dane Whitman, portrayed by Kit Harrington. This could lead to a potential love triangle, even though Ikaris appears to die in Eternals. However, the MCU has shown us that death lasts about as long as fruit stripe gum. Time will reveal how this Eternal love story unfolds.
15. Black Widow and Bruce Banner
The MCU hints at a relationship in the first Avengers film and follows up on it in Age of Ultron. The romance between Black Widow and the Hulk feels awkward from the start, and the Russo Brothers did little to continue that romantic narrative in Infinity War and Endgame.
Audience response to the romance in the first two Avengers films lacked enthusiasm which explains why it was dropped for the third and fourth films. Nonetheless, leaving this romance in limbo as if it never existed may not have been the best way to conclude this awkward but prevalent MCU romance.