When it was born back in 2008, no one could have possibly expected the Marvel Cinematic Universe to become the most profitable film franchise in history, and certainly not as much of a cultural phenomenon as it has become. Filled to the brim with memorable characters that have become some of the most iconic of the superhero movie genre, it has a natural tendency to pair many of these characters up romantically.
As an obvious result of that, fans of the MCU tend to love theorizing about which two heroes might end up together next, or at least keeping a wishlist of pairings they’d love to see. It’s always fun to see two characters that you’ve grown to love come together romantically, whether that’s an enemies-to-lovers plot, two old friends seeing each other in a new light, or simply two characters who haven’t met hitting it off nicely.
10
John Walker and Ava Starr
Played by Wyatt Russell and Hannah John-Kamen
Thunderbolts*, a.k.a. The New Avengers, has proved to be the MCU’s latest hit—even if it performed much more poorly than it should have at the box office. Bringing familiar faces into an entirely new kind of environment, with a refreshingly mature narrative revolving around the general theme of mental health, it’s one of the franchise’s most original films in years.
A couple of the familiar faces seen in Thunderbolts* had only been seen in one project before, and that includes John Walker (Wyatt Russell), a.k.a. U.S. Agent, and Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), a.k.a. Ghost. Thunderbolts* explored the different grievances and traumas that these two characters have, but there’s a banter-filled chemistry between them that the MCU may very well want to explore more deeply in the future. John’s family history may make this less of a realistic pairing, but not any less compelling because of it.
9
Peter Parker and Shuri
Played by Tom Holland and Letitia Wright
There’s wanting to see a pair of MCU characters who have interacted plenty of times before getting together, and then there’s wanting to see two heroes who have never even met getting together. Such is the case with Peter Parker (Tom Holland), a.k.a. Spider-Man, and Shuri (Letitia Wright), two of the most intelligent characters in the whole franchise.
It can be argued that these two characters’ personalities feel a bit too different for a relationship between them to feel realistic—and with MJ (Zendaya) and Peter being one of the MCU’s best couples, it’s understandable why some people find the idea of a romance between him and Shuri ludicrous. But the fact that they’re the only people who can truly keep up with each other’s intellect, as well as the grief that they’ve both displayed in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever simply can’t be ignored. But even if the pair’s bond ends up being just friendship, fans can’t wait to see them interact.
8
Peter Quill and Nebula
Played by Chris Pratt and Karen Gillan
To this day, James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy is arguably still the most consistently strong trilogy in the MCU. There are plenty of reasons for that, from the idiosyncratic visuals to the killer soundtrack of each installment, but there’s one element in particular that most accurately explains the films’ success: Their characters.
Each hero and villain in the Guardians movies is among the most interesting, fun, and emotionally compelling characters in the franchise, including Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a.k.a. Star-Lord, and Nebula (Karen Gillan). Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 satisfyingly brought Quill’s love for Nebula’s sister, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), to a nice close, teasing a romance of sorts between him and Nebula. At the moment, it’s nothing but a charming joke, but there’s definitely something there; and with Gillan herself having admitted that she thinks Nebula has a bit of a crush on Quill, perhaps this is a relationship that the franchise would like to explore more in the future.
7
Bucky Barnes and Sarah Wilson
Played by Sebastian Stan and Adepero Oduye
Though it may be one of the most divisive projects the MCU has done, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier still has a lot to offer, primarily some really fun character development and character dynamics. Of course, the beating heart of the series is the relationship between Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), but that’s not all there is to this show.
“Don’t flirt with my sister,” Sam tells Bucky. But everyone who watched Falcon and the Winter Soldier could tell that there was something interesting between Bucky and Sarah Wilson (Adepero Oduye). Sarah is only a minor character in the show, and was notably absent from Captain America: Brave New World, but if she ever were to be brought back, some more subtle flirtation with Bucky would certainly not hurt.
6
Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo
Played by Kat Dennings and Randall Park
Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) is one of the MCU’s oldest side characters, having been introduced in 2011’s Thor. Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), on the other hand, is a significantly newer addition to the franchise, having first appeared in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. Played by a pair of hilarious comedians, they’re two of the funniest MCU characters.
The duo paired up in WandaVision, and their dynamic is easily one of the show’s most entertaining. Their awkward yet chaotic chemistry can be felt through walls, and a potential romantic relationship could offer whatever MCU project they show up in next a bit of much-appreciated comedic relief. There’s no reason to believe that Darcy is still dating Ian (Jonathan Howard) from Thor: The Dark World, so the field is wide open for love to blossom between these two.
5
Yelena Belova and Kate Bishop
Played by Florence Pugh and Hailee Steinfeld
Phase Four of the MCU introduced a wide array of characters, several of which have become some of the franchise’s most important and iconic. This includes a pair who are arguably among Phase Four’s best additions: Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), introduced in Black Widow, and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), introduced in Hawkeye.
…Although they have only shared the screen in Hawkeye so far, they’re already one of the MCU’s best duos.
Both young heroes took on the mantle of their older predecessors, and although they have only shared the screen in Hawkeye so far, they’re already one of the MCU’s best duos. They are perfectly iconic as buddies, and perhaps it’s just the tremendous chemistry shared between Pugh and Steinfeld, but lots of MCU fans immediately felt a potentially romantic vibe from this duo. The only issue? There’s a certain other character that feels like a much better match for Yelena.
4
Kamala Khan and Bruno Carrelli
Played by Iman Vellani and Matt Lintz
Like most of the MCU’s television projects so far, Ms. Marvel has proved decently divisive, but its more lighthearted tone and charming vibe make it one of the franchise’s most entertaining small-screen projects. A lot of this charm comes from the endearing titular protagonist and Iman Vellani, who plays her in one of the most charismatic performances in the entire MCU.
Kamala Khan’s best friend is Bruno Carrelli (Matt Lintz), who was essential to her learning to understand and control her powers. The show made more than enough references to Bruno’s unrequited crush on Kamala, but if the MCU is going to explore this world and these characters more deeply in the future (and they absolutely should), fans would love to see romance bloom between the two friends.
3
Carol Danvers and Valkyrie
Played by Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson
Unfortunately, The Marvels wasn’t just a big box office disappointment for Marvel: It’s the single biggest box office bomb of the 2020s so far. What exactly should have been different in order for it to perform better financially is anyone’s guess, but there’s one particular subplot which was scrapped that could have made the film at least a little more interesting. Allegedly, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), a.k.a. Captain Marvel, and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) were originally meant to be a couple.
Queer erasure isn’t a new phenomenon for fans of the MCU, but the prospect of a romantic relationship between these two incredibly powerful heroes introduced in Captain Marvel and Thor: Ragnarok should definitely not be considered off the table quite yet. After all, Valkyrie’s cameo in The Marvels is very much still in the movie, and the chemistry between the two characters and the actresses playing them is through the roof, kiss on the cheek and all.
2
Matt Murdock and Karen Page
Played by Charlie Cox and Deborah Ann Woll
As soon as Daredevil came out on Netflix in 2015, fans knew that they had something special on their hands. For a good long while, it was the best thing in the MCU, until it started to look like it wasn’t canon anymore. Now, it’s seemingly canon again, and Daredevil: Born Again is right here to complement it and continue its story and fascinating character arcs.
The show had plenty of callbacks to the Netflix original, including several character dynamics that fans were delighted to see unfold on the screen again. The most impactful of these is perhaps the relationship between former lovers Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a.k.a. Daredevil, and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll). The two have, of course, been romantically involved in the past, so “could turn romantic” doesn’t quite feel like an entirely accurate way to describe their dynamic. But even still, while some fans would prefer to see more of Karen’s potential romance with Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), a.k.a. The Punisher, there’s something irresistibly tempting about seeing more of her and Matt’s potential as a couple.
1
Yelena Belova and Bob
Played by Florence Pugh and Lewis Pullman
In spite of its underwhelming financials, Thunderbolts* introduced a ton of things to the MCU that are likely to prove game-changing moving forward. From the New Avengers to Sentry and Void (Lewis Pullman), fans are very likely going to see a lot of Thunderbolts* callbacks in future installments of the MCU. But there’s one other item that the film introduced which shows a ton of potential: the relationship between Yelena and Bob (Pullman).
Thunderbolts* is one of the best post-Endgame MCU films, and it’s largely thanks to fun character dynamics like this one. Potential romance between these two characters was hinted at throughout the film, though there’s plenty of room for flexibility. Will they simply stay friends? It’s quite possible, but an awful lot of MCU fans would be interested in seeing what it would look like if they became more than that.
