The Marvel Cinematic Universe never fails to amaze viewers. Not only does it give us impressive CGI and thrilling action sequences, but it also gives us romance storylines. And not just as an afterthought either, but well-written, developed relationships. This article will deep dive into the best ones from the movies (not the TV shows), so without further adieu, let’s review the ten best Marvel couples in the MCU.
10. Stephen Strange (Doctor Strange) and Dr Christine Palmer
Doctor Strange (2016)
Movie: Doctor Strange
Actors: Benedict Cumberbatch and Rachel McAdams
Kicking off this Marvel couples list is Stephen and Christine.
World-renowned neurosurgeon Stephen Strange is not exactly the most loveable man. He’s arrogant, self-centred, and believes he’s the smartest person in any room, which is usually true.
Christine is a fellow surgeon who has been dating Stephen. He invites her to be his dinner date, but on his way to the event, he gets into a serious car accident that leaves his hands permanently damaged and unable to perform surgery again.
Christine breaks the news to him and stays by his side throughout his recovery. When Stephen gets angry about his situation, Christine tries to reassure him, “There are other things that can give your life meaning.” To which Stephen brutally replies, “Like what? Like you?” Savage Strange.
It seemed like Christine’s love is unrequited, but while searching for Kamar Taj, a group of men try to steal Stephen’s watch from Christine, and he chooses to fight rather than hand it over. The watch’s inscription states that Time will tell how much I love you, Christine; the same can be said for Strange’s love.
When Strange is severely injured fighting the zealots in the New York Sanctum, he transports himself to the hospital Christine works in, and she saves his life. He apologises for hurting her and acknowledges he was a horrible person. When he later returns, and the Ancient One passes away, Stephen tells her he must leave but confesses, “I don’t want to let you go.” She kisses him on the cheek before returning to work.
There is a lot of potential for this couple. Christine understands Strange’s flaws and accepts him anyway. It will be interesting to see how their love story unfolds in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
9. Clint Barton (Hawkeye) and Laura Barton
Avengers: Endgame
Movies: Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Endgame
Actors: Jeremy Renner and Linda Cardellini
The Avengers were not the only ones surprised to learn Clint was married with two kids and another on the way. We first become aware of Laura’s existence when the Avengers arrive at Clint’s farmhouse needing a safe place to regroup after a defeat by Ultron. We get a glimpse of Laura and Clint’s seemingly happy and supportive marriage. He may be the superhero archer with extraordinary skills, but she is every bit his equal in their relationship. He seeks her advice, and she relieves some of the pressures from the outside world.
Thanos’s snap made Laura and the kids disappear, and the impact on Clint was devastating. He became a ruthless vigilante who hunts and kills criminals. He reverted to a past version of himself that we’d heard referenced but had not yet witnessed in the movies.
Laura and Clint did not have much screen time together, but it was enough to show their love was genuine, the kind of love that would last a lifetime. We learn more about this Marvel couple in the TV show Hawkeye.
8. King T'Challa (Black Panther) and Nakia
Black Panther (2018)
Movies: Black Panther
Actors: Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong’o
These childhood sweethearts were destined to be together. We first meet Nakia when T’Challa interrupted her undercover operation to tell her his father had passed away and he was to assume the throne. Despite claiming he never freezes, T’Challa froze ‘like a deer in headlights” when he saw her. It was clear at that moment that this woman had his heart. Throughout the movie, they shared a few sweet moments, a glance here, a touch there, but one moment stands out above the rest.
At the end of the movie, when peace once again reigned in Wakanda, Nakia confesses her love for T’Challa and he asks her to stay in Wakanda again. This time he offered a way for them to continue helping people outside the country. They shared a few kisses, unable to keep part, and the camera bans out to the sunset behind them.
The heartbreaking passing of Chadwick Boseman leaves the fate of this Marvel couple up in the air. We’ll have to see what the MCU have in store for these characters in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).
7. Scott Lang (Ant-Man) and Hope van Dyne (The Wasp)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Movies: Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Endgame
Actors: Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly
It wasn’t exactly love at first sight for this Marvel couple. In the beginning, Hope resents Scott for being chosen by her dad to wear the Ant-Man suit when she was more than capable of taking up the mantle; it didn’t help that Scott was a convicted thief either. But things begin to change when they train together, and she discovers he’s a good guy and father to his daughter Cassie.
Scott pretty much likes Hope from the get-go and respects that she is more qualified to wear the suit than him. Hope is a pretty serious and driven woman, yet Scott’s goofiness and intelligence chip away at her hard exterior, exposing her lighter sider. Their personalities balance each other quite nicely, and working together makes them both better versions of themselves.
There’s a hilarious moment at the end of the first movie, when Hope and Scott are caught kissing by her dad, Pym. Being the joker he is, Scott pretends that Hope came onto him unexpectedly saying, “I don’t know what you’re doing grabbing and kissing me like that; I’m a little surprised myself.”
In the second movie, Hope is angry at Scott for using the Ant-Man suit to fight alongside Captain America in Captain America: Civil War. She’s also disappointed that he never asked her to go with him, considering they work together. However, Scott helps rescue her mum from the Quantum Realm, so she forgives him by the end of the movie, and they are able to repair their relationship.
Unfortunately, their happiness is short-lived when Thanos’s snap makes Hope disappear, and Scott is left stuck in the Quantum Realm. They reunite in the final battle against Thanos, and at the end of the movie, we see Hope, Scott and a grown Cassie sitting together, gazing contently at the stars.
6. Steve Rodgers (Captain America) and Peggy Carter (Agent 13)
Avengers Endgame (2019)
Movies: Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Endgame
Actors: Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell
The sixth marvel couple is fan favourite, Peggy and Steve. Peggy was undeniably the love of Steve Rodger’s life. Their experience together in Captain America: The First Avenger was enough to make any other woman pale in comparison.
Not many people knew Steve when he was a short, scrawny man deemed unfit for military service, but Peggy did. She knew him, and more importantly, she liked him (whether she would have dated him is another question but let’s not pull on that thread). I think it’s fair to say her physical attraction increased once he had the super-soldier serum. One of the funniest moments in that movie was when he came out of the machine, and she couldn’t resist touching his glistening abs.
But it was a sad end for these two when Steve crashed the plane into the Arctic, preventing the weapons onboard from detonating in New York. In their final exchange, the two rescheduled their date, tragically knowing they would not be together again.
As we progress through the MCU movies, we’re reminded now and again of Steve’s love for Peggy. It was a bittersweet moment when the pair reunited at the end of Endgame and finally had the dance they had planned. After everything Steve sacrificed, he was worthy of happiness.
What prevents this from being higher on this list is that they only had one movie together, so we never saw their relationship actually develop. Also, it’s weird that Steve dated Peggy’s niece; he really could have chosen anyone else.
5. Peter Parker (Spiderman) and Michelle Jones (MJ)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Movies: Spiderman: Homecoming, Spiderman: Far From Home, Spiderman: No Way Home
Actors: Tom Holland and Zendaya Coleman
These two are the youngest and sweetest couple in the MCU. Marvel made us wait until the second Spiderman movie to see their friendship blossom into a relationship, but it was definitely worth it. After MJ tells Peter she knows he’s Spiderman and helps him defeat Mysterio, the two share their first kiss on a wrecked London Bridge *happy sigh*.
MJ remains loyal by Peter’s side when the world discovers he is Spiderman and condemns him for supposedly murdering Mysterio. She is his calm in the storm and never resents him even when their relationship stops her from getting into MIT.
In the third movie, to save the multiverse and repair the damage he caused, Peter has Doctor Strange cast a spell that makes everyone forget he exists, including MJ. He promises to find her again and make her remember him, so it’s to everyone’s disappointment when he doesn’t follow through. He visits the coffee shop where she works, fully intending to tell her, but he ultimately decides she’s better off without him.
And as much as I hate to admit it, Peter has a point. MJ is such an awesome person and wants to be with Peter no matter the cost, but he doesn’t really match the same level of commitment. Understandably, he’s a superhero, so he’s got an enormous amount of responsibility on his young shoulder, but still, Peter doesn’t give as much as he receives in their relationship.
For now, she doesn’t remember who he is, and their future is uncertain. But all hope is not lost for these young lovebirds; we know they’ll be together again one day – it’s Peter and MJ, after all.
4. Thor Odinson (God of Thunder) and Jane Foster
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Movies: Thor and Thor: The Dark World
Actors: Chris Hemsworh and Natalie Portman
Many people would disagree with Thor and Jane being so high on this list, considering they aren’t together by the third Thor movie but hear me out. Thor would not be the adorable God of Thunder we’ve come to know and love if it wasn’t for Jane.
In the first movie, Odin banished Thor to earth because his arrogance and violence brought Asgard to the brink of war with the Frost Giants. He meets astrophysicist Dr Jane Foster on earth, and the connection was so instant that she hit him with her car – twice.
Joking aside, the chemistry was there from their first conversation. They came from different worlds, but that just brought them closer together and made them relate to each other in a down-to-earth way. She brought out the humanity in him, helping him realise the errors in his ways and become worthy of Mjølnir again. They’re separated at the end of the movie when the Bifröst Bridge is destroyed, but they don’t give up on finding one another.
In the second movie, Thor disobeys his father in order to protect Jane. They share intimate moments in both movies, and honestly, have the best eye contact of any couple; it’s like they’re peering into each other’s souls.
Inevitably, coming from different worlds separated the two, and with Jane disappearing after the snap, any chance of reuniting when Thor was on earth was gone.
Thor has suffered one of the most extreme losses of any MCU character, so he deserves to find happiness again. Jane could be the key as Natalie Portman is starring in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, so who knows what might become of these two. Fingers crossed!
3. Peter Quill (Starlord) and Gamora Zen Whoberi Ben Titan
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Movies: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame
Actors: Chris Pratt and Zoë Saldana
Next, we have the funniest couples in the MCU. The first Guardians of the Galaxy movie brought a new level of comedy to the Marvel universe, and these two were responsible for a good deal of it. They started as enemies competing for the orb, then reluctant accomplices escaping prison, and then family united together to save the universe from Ronan.
It’s fair to say opposites attract when it comes to this couple. Peter is fun and easy-going, while Gamora is solemn and controlled, leading to great comedic moments. Their personalities may be as different as can be, but one thing they both understand is the loss of family. The day Peter’s mother died of brain cancer, he was kidnapped by Yondu and raised as part of his Ravengers clan. Gamora witnessed her family, and half her population, be slaughtered by Thanos and was raised to be a fierce warrior. Their unfortunate upbringing made them fighters and, unknowingly, wish to be part of a family that they found in each other.
It took a while for the “unspoken thing” between them to become a thing, mainly because Gamora pulled away anytime Peter got too close. However, the two finally shared a kiss after Peter promised to kill her if Thanos captured her; it doesn’t sound romantic, yet somehow it was.
When the time came, Peter did follow through with his promise (at least one Peter keeps promises) and shot Gamora. We realised at this moment that Peter loved Gamora enough to fulfil her wishes, even if it hurt like hell. However, the all-powerful Thanos was one step ahead and used the Reality Stone to turn the bullet into bubbles, so the plan failed.
Unfortunately, that same love made the universe pay an unspeakable price. Peter is single-handedly responsible for the blip (an exaggeration but true). When he discovered Thanos killed Gamora to get the soul stone, he lost all control and repeatedly punched Thanos just as the infinity stone gauntlet loosened from his hand. We get that he just lost the woman he loves, but damn it, he could have held it together for at least one minute; the universe was literally at stake.
Following Tony’s snap, we’re unsure whether Gamora is alive or not. Will they be reunited so Gamora can slap the silly out of him for causing the snap? Only time will tell.
2. Wanda Maximoff and Vision
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Movies: Avengers: Age of Ultron; Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War
Actors: Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany
Wanda and Vision are arguably the most powerful couple in the MCU.
When Vision came to life in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda didn’t trust him, having previously seen “annihilation” in his head. However, they fought side by side against Ultron, and he saved her from the erupting Sokovia, so pretty sure she trusted him after that.
In Captain America: Civil War, we see the two have grown closer living in the Avengers compound together. There’s an adorable moment when Vision (or Vis as Wanda calls him) tries to cook Paprikesh to cheer up Wanda. Although the two fought on opposite sides in the movie, they were never truly against each other.
It was a surprise to see Vision appear human in Avengers: Infinity War as he spent time with Wanda in Scotland. We see their first onscreen kiss, confirming that they had progressed their relationship to the next level. They both agreed their relationship works, and Vision even asked about living together. Unfortunately, news of aliens in New York and Tony vanishing interrupted the moment, so we never got Wanda’s answer.
The inescapable occurred when Thanos arrived in Wakanda to get the final infinity stone – Vision’s Mind Stone. Up until that point, we saw Wanda fight like hell to save Vision, but in the end, she had to destroy the stone and him with it. So it was heartbreaking when Thanos used the time Time Stone to reverse her actions and pull the stone from Vision’s head like he was a toy.
Wanda and Vision’s love was slow to build and quite understated for two people with such formidable powers. Considering both their powers came from the Mind Stone, perhaps it was inevitable that they’d have a connection. They overcame so many obstacles to be together, but in the end, they had to make the biggest sacrifice to save the universe.
Fortunately, this is not the end of their story. WandaVision opens a new realm of possibilities, so we may find this Marvel couple on the big screen again.
Before we delve into the best Marvel couple, here are others we enjoy seeing together but didn’t make the list:
- Eddy, Anne and Venom (Venom)
- Natasha and Bruce (Avengers)
- Shawn and Katy (Shang-Chi)
- Druig and Makkari (Eternals)
1. Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Virginia "Pepper" Potts
Iron Man (2008)
Movies: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame
Actors: Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow
It’s only right to end this list with the couple we started with at the beginning of the MCU. Out of all the couples, we really got to see Tony and Pepper’s relationship grow and develop over time. Tony once told Pepper, “You’re in a relationship with me; everything will never be okay,” and he was right. ‘Okay’ will never be the word to describe their rollercoaster relationship.
Whether Pepper was his personal assistant who did, “Anything and everything Mr Stark requires, including occasionally taking out the trash,” or the CEO of Stark Industries, or the wife and mother of his child, Pepper was always the number one woman in Tony’s life.
At the start of the franchise, Tony was this, “genius billionaire playboy philanthropist,” who seemed to have it all when in reality, he was lonely. Pepper (and Happy) was the only one who really knew and loved him, and the feeling was mutual.
So much so that he blew up all his Iron Man suits for her. Sure he went on to build new, better ones, causing them to go on a break, but it’s the thought that counts.
Pepper was the voice of reason in their relationship, making him a better, more responsible man. Her heart probably aged ten years from the traumatic situations being with Tony put her through, but she always returned to him because she loved him and despite all his brilliance, she knew he needed her.
At the end of Spiderman: Homecoming, Happy threw Tony an engagement ring he’d been carrying since 2008. We receive confirmation that they are engaged in Avengers: Infinity War, but wedding planning was abruptly ended when Thanos’s children came for the Time Stone. It seemed doomed never to resume again, but thankfully Tony was rescued from space, and Pepper survived the snap.
The couple were lucky in the five years after the snap. Tony took “a page out of Barton’s book” and lived a simple life with a house in the woods and a daughter who loved him 3000.
Eventually, duty called and Tony sacrificed his life to save the universe. In his final moment, Pepper reassured him that they’d be okay and gave him permission to “rest now”. It was a sad end for a couple who had already given so much, only softened by the knowledge that they had a good few years of peace together.
Tony may be gone, but his and Pepper’s love will forever remain in our hearts.
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