As hard as it may be to believe, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now officially over ten years old. Nineteen movies and ten shows have been produced so far within the decade, with no real end in sight for the creative monolith known as the MCU.
It’s starting to be hard to conceptualize a time in which superhero stories weren’t told as part of this seemingly never-ending universe.
Within this ever expanding world of heroes and villains, there have also been countless attempts at creating the next great cinematic and television love stories.
Some of them have been taken straight from the pages of everyone’s favorite comics, adapted with great success and to the delight of viewers everywhere. Other creators have taken more freedom with their interpretations and development of certain relationships – for better or for worse, and in some cases to the total detriment of their respective work.
Love is a fundamental part of almost every hero’s journey. It represents what’s at personal stake for the hero.
They may be committed to a greater cause – justice, peace, truth – but at the end of the day, there’s a personal element in every hero’s story that can be traced back to the person they choose to spend their life with.
Here is Every Major MCU Couple Ranked From Worst To Best.
Jessica Jones and Kilgrave
Consent: it’s perhaps the most crucial element of any true romantic relationship. If one party does not consent to it, there’s nothing romantic about it. It’s abuse.
Thankfully, Netflix’s Jessica Jones never tries to gloss over the ugly reality of the twisted dynamic between Kilgrave and Jessica herself. While the demented purple man may feel some sort of sickening, obsessive love for Jessica, she makes it clear time and again that none of those feelings were remotely returned.
As if that weren’t bad enough, not only does Jessica not have any interest in Kilgrave at any point in their time together, but she also has no control over her actions and thoughts.
Due to Kilgrave’s twisted brand of puppet master powers, he controls each and every whim Jessica could have, making her into his perfect partner for the months that geezthey spend together.
Thankfully, Jessica is able to get away in the end, even ultimately avenging herself and her loved ones as she defeats Kilgrave in their final confrontation with brutal precision and a truly satisfying display of power and control.
Their relationship was never meant to be anything remotely romantic from the beginning, no matter the situations Kilgrave created for them, so it’s safe to award these two the title of worst couple in the MCU so far.
Colleen Wing and Danny Rand
It’s no secret that Iron Fist remains the weakest of all of the MCU Netflix properties to date. There is no universe in which Danny Rand could be a compelling or sympathetic character, based on the way in which he is currently presented.
Woefully miscast as Finn Jones, he comes across as every entitled epithet that is often hurled (albeit wrongfully) at Tony Stark.
So to pair a character so insufferable, so dull, so dreadfully bland as Danny Bland with the sole redeeming character of his series, Colleen Wing, comes across as a particular brand of torture for all involved.
As one of the Netflix MCU’s strongest female characters, pairing Colleen with so woefully inept a male foil does her character – and the series as a whole – a great disservice.
It doesn’t help that Jessica Henwick and Finn Jones never come across as having remotely any chemistry whatsoever. In most scenes, Henwick’s Wing comes across as an exasperated maternal figure to Jones’ hopelessly clueless Rand.
Chemistry truly can make or break an onscreen relationship. But it’s also probably a good idea to make sure your characters are both similarly well-developed and well-received before diving into anything that you can’t take back.
Jemma Simmons and Will Daniels
Sometimes, there are relationships in television shows that scarcely last more than an episode or two, and they really don’t mean anything in the long run – but they start a plot that will go on to mean something, therefore becoming important as a result of it.
The brief romantic encounters between Jemma Simmons and stranded astronaut Will Daniels fit perfectly into this category. Their time together really did nothing for the story in terms of emotional growth or displays of chemistry and passion, but Will’s character introduced one of the future key elements of the series at the time – the Inhuman Hive, who would go on to play a large role in the HYDRA plot.
Simmons and Daniels were sweet together, however brief it may have been. She gave him hope in a world without hope, and they were each other’s safety in a world full of dangers.
However, their relationship was never meant to last, especially when Will’s character was so clearly conceived of as a plot device that would move the HYDRA story arc along more efficiently.
Their relationship was, ultimately, harmless, and never truly caused any mistakes that the franchise was unable to undo.
Clint and Laura Barton
Speaking of relationships that the MCU has gotten itself into with no way of backing out of…
If you asked viewers after The Avengers who they thought Clint Barton’s romantic interest would be, you would likely hear a fair amount of responses of Natasha Romanoff.
The two were suggested to have a substantial history in the first Avengers movie, only for that plot tease to be tugged out from under the audience’s feet and done away with entirely by the reveal that Clint is, in fact, married with children in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Poor Laura Barton never really stood a chance at becoming a well-developed or well-received character.
The introduction of a conventional marriage and family narrative – a concept that is difficult at best for much of superhero media to pull off successfully – came entirely out of nowhere, serving only as a plot device for the sake of AOU’s narrative.
Also, since their brief interactions in the movie, Laura’s existence has only further hindered Clint’s inclusion within the Avengers, preventing him from partaking in the events of Avengers: Infinity War alongside his teammates.
Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff
However, it wasn’t the deus ex machina of the Barton marriage and Barton family farm that proved to be the most detrimental romance introduced within Avengers: Age of Ultron. That distinction of infamy instead belongs to the poorly conceived – and, at times, frankly insulting – relationship between Bruce Banner, also known as The Hulk, and Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow.
The concept of two individuals who struggle with their own monstrosity finding solace and love in one another is, in theory, a truly touching idea. In its execution, however, the MCU could not have been more horribly misguided.
The fan backlash that followed the movie’s release only further highlights that fact.
It makes perfect sense for Bruce to struggle with the fact that he feels as though he is a monster: he is one, half of the time.
However, for Natasha, her conception of her monstrosity is portrayed as being connected to the fact that she was sterilized against her will. Therefore, it is her failure to perform what is misogynistically expected of her in society that labels her a monster.
This disgusting false equivalency soured many viewers on the movie, the characters, and the franchise as a whole. Thankfully, the MCU has moved away from this ill-conceived relationship, but the bitterness remains.
Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios
The relationship between Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios has never really been a truly healthy one, nor is it one that is easy to interpret on screen in any form. The awful early 2000s movies starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner attest to the need for proper casting, writing, and chemistry.
However, while the Netflix Daredevil series improves on its predecessors greatly, it fails just as Daredevil and Elektra did all those years before by not providing a narrative worth engaging with for these characters – or providing an Elektra who’s worth watching at all, really.
Elodie Yung is cringeworthy in the role, providing absolutely no noteworthy performance or chemistry opposite her more gifted costar, Charlie Cox. The series also leans far too heavily on Elektra’s maniacal tendencies, forcing Matt to come across as a total oblivious idiot every time he chooses to pursue something with her.
The audience knows better than to believe Elektra will ever change – but Matt never does, continuing to allow himself to be pulled into her sway, even to his own possible demise.
It’s a tired pattern to follow, one that has monopolized much of Daredevil’s second season and almost all of The Defenders. Looking forward, we can only hope the series course corrects and reevaluates its focus.
Matt Murdock and Claire Temple
While Matt and Elektra don’t exactly have the healthiest relationship in the world, it’s Matt’s relationship with a woman who nurses him back to health that won many viewers over from the very beginning.
Rosario Dawson’s Claire Temple has been a fixture of the Netflix MCU since she found Murdock’s blind vigilante alter ego bleeding out and in need of some serious nursing.
As is expected of many plots in Hollywood that involve an attractive person nursing another attractive person back to health, the two found themselves drawn to one another romantically. Though the relationship was short-lived, it was sweet all throughout.
They were two characters who clearly wanted the best for one another, even if that meant not being together.
Their relationship showed a level of maturity that is often hard to find in such dark and twisty series as Daredevil, and while it wasn’t ultimately meant to be, there’s no denying that the brief time spent with their relationship was an enjoyable highlight of Daredevil’s earliest episodes.
Billy Russo and Dinah Madani
Sometimes, a couple doesn’t have to be purely healthy for the parties involved to be truly enjoyable. In some cases, it’s actually the relationships that are more dangerous, more difficult, and less of a good idea that prove to be better storytelling material.
It’s a trope as old as comics themselves for heroes and villains to fall for one another. It keeps things interesting and raises the stakes for all involved.
In the first season of the Netflix series The Punisher, the dangerous yet alluring cat and mouse game between Agent Dinah Madani and Billy Russo, also known as Jigsaw, perfectly exemplifies this tension.
The two find themselves drawn to one another time and again, even as Billy descends further into the violent madness that will swallow him whole, and as Dinah struggles to maintain her responsibilities to her job and the cases she is investigating.
The chemistry between the two is palpable and sparks in every moment, even as they find themselves on opposite sides, and while it’s clear to any informed viewer that this affair is ill-fated from the start, that’s no reason not to enjoy the guilty pleasure of a ride along the way.
Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne
A key element of any romantic relationship is the ability to trust your partner. For superheroes, that’s even intensified to a new level, as it soon becomes clear that you will have to trust your partner with your secrets, and therefore, with your life.
So sometimes, it can really help to have your romantic partner also be your crime fighting partner.
Ant-Man’s Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne didn’t exactly get off to the best of starts in the romantic department. When they first met, Hope’s father had chosen Scott for the role in the family superhero legacy she had always wanted for herself. But the chemistry was there from day one – even if briefly antagonistic.
As they worked together more intensely, it became clear that feelings were growing, so when the two try to steal a secret kiss and are caught in the act, the audience is fully on board with it, romcom cheesiness and all.
With Ant-Man and the Wasp now only a few months away, there’s no telling what exactly is in store for the new lovebirds and superhero partners.
However, what we do know is that every part of it will be enjoyable, thanks in large part to the characters’ – and actors’ – tried and true compatibility.
Peter Parker and Liz Toomes
Young love isn’t an area that the MCU has explored all that much so far, since many of its characters tend to be older. However, with the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, all of that changed.
The relationship – brief though it may have been – between Peter Parker and his high school crush, Liz Toomes, provided some of the movie’s lighter moments, as well as some of its grounding in everyday reality.
As Peter was struggling to come to terms with his identity as Spider-Man, not to mention the realization that Liz’s father was, in fact, the supervillain he was after, Liz alternately offered moments of reprieve and torture.
No matter his interest in her, and her own reciprocal interest in him, Peter would come to realize that they couldn’t be together.
He would prioritize bringing Vulture to justice over being with her, a real sign of maturity and character growth for the anxious and awkward young Parker.
Nevertheless, even if their encounters ended with unfinished business as Liz moved away following her father’s conviction, the moments in which they were together offered a glimpse of young love and all its requisite bitter-sweetness that had been missing from the MCU beforehand.
Thor and Jane Foster
The relationship between Thor and Dr. Jane Foster may not have provided some of the most riveting material in all of the MCU to date, but – until its unceremonious end in Thor: Ragnarok – they remained one of the franchise’s longest lasting love stories.
Both sides of this unlikely couple couldn’t have been more different from one another. Jane was an esteemed scientist and researcher, while Thor was, well, the Norse god of thunder from Asgard.
They didn’t exactly have much in common in terms of shared life experiences, but upon Jane’s finding of Thor and her eventual aiding him in returning home to Asgard, they fell for one another through the experiences they forged together.
It’s unclear exactly what led to the end of their relationship, but Jane is treated merely as a footnote in a rather brusque throwaway line in Thor: Ragnarok, in which he defensively insists that he, in fact, was the one to dump her.
Their relationship may never have received the proper focus and development it perhaps merited, but they were sweet together, working well off one another even in some of the MCU’s weakest movies.
It’s just a shame to think that Jane will likely never encounter post-Ragnarok Thor, as their relationship would likely be so much more interesting now than it ever was then.
Alphonso Mackenzie and Yo-Yo Rodriguez
It’s more or less par for the course in the world of superheroes to find yourself taken hostage by someone one minute and then falling in love with them the next.
It’s messed up, sure, but that’s just the way things work in these worlds. Allegiances shift and you can never know who you can trust – until suddenly, you find yourself falling in love despite yourself.
On Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., this can be clearly seen in the tumultuous but passionate relationship between Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie and Elena “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez.
Their relationship often hinged on whether they were able to trust one another at any given time, but there was always passion present.
They were able to confide in one another, especially Mack regarding his tragic past and the loss of his daughter. They imagined a future together, in the times that they were able to trust each other.
They developed from enemies to allies to friends and more, but in recent episodes, they have been falling apart all over again. Here’s to hoping the relationship affectionately known as YoYoMack can find their way back to each other.
Daisy Johnson and Lincoln Campbell
Inhumans have proven to be a touchy subject for the MCU when it comes to figuring out how to best adapt them for the screen.
While the short-lived television series was perhaps one of the worst decisions the MCU has made to date, the Inhumans that have been featured on flagship television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are another matter entirely.
Take, for example, the Inhumans Daisy Johnson and Lincoln Campbell – who would, of course, bond over their mutual experiences as Inhumans and fall for one another.
After all Daisy went through as a result of her misguided feelings for Ward in season one, it was a breath of fresh air to have someone who was clearly genuine in his feelings for her, and also understood her in a way that no one else on the team did, despite their best efforts.
For their entire time together, Daisy and Lincoln played wonderfully off one another, displaying clear chemistry and warmth and support. Yet as with so many of Marvel’s key couples, their relationship would reach a tragic end.
Lincoln would admit his true feelings for Daisy, telling her that he loved her, before ultimately heroically sacrificing himself to save the world from Hive.
Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter
In some cases, couples that are signatures of the Marvel comics have unfortunately received short shrift within the MCU itself. Perhaps no couple has had that happen more than in the case of Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter.
Their relationship, at least in the comics, has spanned decades, with Sharon constantly being figured as Steve’s true love and partner in crime fighting.
In the MCU, however, fan response to Peggy Carter’s supporting role in the first Captain America movie derailed all potential of that widely beloved storyline being brought to life.
What the MCU does offer in the way of their relationship, however, is entirely adorable. They come across as two people who are genuinely interested in one another, but unsure of how to proceed given the complicated circumstances.
Each of their romantic interactions has a sweetness and a shyness about it that isn’t present in many other MCU relationships.
They appear smitten with one another from day one, and while situations have intervened to prevent them from being together, it’s clear that if things were different, they would be.
Unfortunately, it seems as though the MCU has unwisely decided to move on from Sharon Carter’s story, so we’ll most likely never see any further exploration of anything reminiscent of what they have always had in the comics.
Bruce Banner and Betty Ross
It was only natural that this storyline be left by the wayside following the recasting of Bruce Banner, with Mark Ruffalo replacing Edward Norton following the 2008 movie.
However, we still can’t help but feel disappointed that the MCU has never tried to return to include the Hulk’s great love, Betty Ross, in any way since then.
Liv Tyler and Edward Norton shared an effortless chemistry in all of their scenes in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, fully getting the audience invested in their story and the impossibility of their union so long as Banner’s Hulk powers remained unchecked.
The movie may have received mixed reviews, but the depth and emotion of their storyline remains one of the strongest parts of the film to this day.
However, since the MCU moved on from the original concept it had for the Hulk, Betty Ross’s whereabouts remain a mystery, which is a real shame since her character has always been crucial to Bruce Banner throughout the comic history of their characters.
There’s no telling whether the character would ever be brought back at this point, but we can’t help but imagine what could have been had the franchise stuck with her character in the first place. Maybe we would have been spared Bruce and Natasha, at least.
Matt Murdock and Karen Page
Matt Murdock’s relationship with Karen Page has been a key relationship for his character in the comics for almost as long as he has existed.
While her character has gone through various iterations, most of which are neither flattering nor feminist in any way, the MCU’s version of Karen Page rectifies both of those issues, producing one of its strongest female characters as a result.
As an aspiring intrepid journalist, Karen represents exactly the kind of person Matt needs on his side. For much of season one, and the earliest episodes of season two, she believes in him and stands by his side, even without knowing the truth of his identity.
Their brief foray into a romantic relationship is warm, cute without being schmaltzy, and ends all too soon.
As Matt begins to spiral into the darkness of his toxic bond with Elektra, Karen begins to rightfully put distance between them, instead finding another damaged person to seek a connection with in Frank Castle, also known as The Punisher.
By the end of season two, Karen is finally made privy to the fact of Matt’s double identity as Daredevil; and in The Defenders, they seem to have reached a point of wistful regret regarding each other.
It’s unclear what the future of the Netflix MCU holds for these two, but there’s no denying that they will remain connected to one another so long as Karen and Matt both continue to be a part of it.
Scarlet Witch and Vision
Pairing together lost souls is more or less what the MCU does best when it creates love stories. The relationship between Scarlet Witch and Vision is one that has been carried over from the comics, albeit in a very different form, given how truly bizarre their comics relationship could be at any given point.
As characters, they were fundamental opposites who completed each other: Scarlet Witch was a young girl who had lost everything of importance to her, and now found herself with nothing but the unlikely teammates who took her in.
Vision, by contrast, was a hero created from nothingness, who in fact had the entire world at his fingertips due to his high mental processing level.
They found home and solace in one another, and while their relationship was never truly given a sizable amount of screen time, apart from a few stray solo scenes here and there, the end of their relationship is nevertheless truly heartbreaking in Avengers: Infinity War.
When Vision sacrifices himself for the greater good, at Wanda’s hands no less, it’s truly one of the movie’s most emotional moments, as Wanda finds herself confronted with the sudden, unexpected loss of the last person she truly cared about, yet again.
Luke Cage and Claire Temple
Claire Temple may have been unable to stay with Matt Murdock because of the danger he constantly willingly subjected himself to, but her next choice of a significant other isn’t exactly any better in that regard, as Luke Cage puts himself in harm’s way even more frequently than Matt does.
Except there is one crucial distinction between the two of them that allows Claire’s relationship with Luke to function longer and better than her brief time with Matt did: Luke has bullet proof skin, providing an extra sense of security in their time together that Claire lacked with Matt.
Their relationship developed naturally, progressing from acquaintances – well, if you can be an acquaintance when you’re saving someone’s life, at least – to good friends and finally to something more.
By the time The Defenders rolled around, it was clear that they were truly happy with and good for one another.
Claire is, after all, one of Luke’s first loves in the comics, so it was only a matter of time before they found their way to one another. However, whether they stick together remains to be seen – especially when the woman who is so often Luke’s comic soulmate is still around.
Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter
It’s a common theme found in superhero love stories: a missed chance, a lack of time, a close encounter that just not close enough.
Over the course of their years spent together on the battlefront, Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter came to care deeply for one another. From his development as skinny Steve to his hero status as Captain America, Steve was always a true believer in Peggy’s abilities and talents, and vice versa.
They were each other’s support systems, in public and in private, and it’s clear that one of the only things standing in their way at the time was the fact that they found themselves fighting so crucial a war – not to mention Steve’s growing fame as a patriotic symbol, and all the distractions that provided along the way.
However, in their brief moments of romantic connection – at least the ones we, as viewers, were made privy to – it was clear that there was a spark there that could have led to something greater, had they both made it off the battlefield and been able to take part in their dancing date.
It will probably remain one of the MCU’s great unknowns, a true “what if” scenario that took an entire season of Agent Carter to unpack before Peggy allowed herself to move on from her lost chance at love.
Jessica Jones and Luke Cage
Certain central comic couples have been lucky enough to be translated onto the small screen with stunning fidelity to feelings and incredible performances to bolster their emotional strength.
The love story between Defenders teammates Jessica Jones and Luke Cage is one that has been important for many years, for many reasons – and not least of all for its representation of a supportive interracial relationship.
The Netflix series – darker in tone than many of their comics – certainly took its fair share of liberties in portraying them as two people who care deeply for one another, despite the damage they have mutually inflicted.
They may part on bad terms at the end of the first season of Jessica Jones, but by the time The Defenders rolls around, it’s made abundantly clear that the MCU has not forgotten about these two – and further, that there is so much more to come with regards to their story.
Season two of Jessica Jones may have muddled some of that message by way of introducing another temporary distraction of a relationship for Jessica, as well as by self-destructing many of the important relationships in her life, but Luke is still out there, too.
Also, we have faith that someday, these two messed up heroes will find their way back to one another.
