The MCU does so many things well, which is why they have remained at the top of the superhero genre for so long. Their action is thrilling, their characters are iconic, and they faithfully bring the comic books to life. But if there is one aspect of their films they are a little hit-or-miss on, it is their romances.
Romances in superhero films are tricky to get right. While such romances are not always key to the stories of superpowered crime-fighters, if they are going to include them, they better do it well. Some of the MCU romances have been very touching and others have left us cold. Here are some of the MCU love stories that worked and some that did not.
Good: Wanda And Vision
This is maybe the most unlikely romance to appear in the MCU. The relationship between Scarlet Witch and Vision has been a part of the comics for years, but we didn’t think the movies would have the guts to portray a love story between a magic mutant and an android. But the MCU has proven they’re willing to embrace the weird.
The seeds were planted in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, establishing a real connection between these two. Infinity War made their romance a central part of the plot, leading to some heartbreaking moments. It will be interesting to see how it progresses in WandaVision.
Bad: Hope Van Dyne And Scott Lang
Ant-Man and The Wasp have another long-established romance from the comics, although the movies depict it using different iterations of those characters. The fact that Scott and Hope would get together seemed inevitable and that might be why it doesn’t quite work.
Seeing them kiss at the end of Ant-Man came out of nowhere since the two showed no signs of romantic interest up to that point. That relationship wasn’t made anymore believable in the sequel and it feels like they are only together because they are supposed to be.
Good: Peter Quill And Gamora
Peter Quill himself likened the relationship between him and Gamora to Sam and Diane to Cheers. That is a pretty appropriate comparison as these two clearly have feelings for each other but decide to fight that attraction rather than give in to it, while the audience roots for them to get together.
Infinity War showed them fully in love with each other and it proved that shift didn’t the relationship. Gamora’s death was given a heavier impact because of Quill’s emotional reaction. With the events of Avengers: Endgame, it will be interesting to see where things go from here.
Bad: Stephen Strange And Christine Palmer
Doctor Strange is one of the most unique heroes in the MCU and his journey from his solo film and through the last two Avengers films shows the potential for the character. Unfortunately, even a character as “out-there” as he couldn’t escape a shoe-horned love story.
The character of Christine Palmer was created to basically show what a jerk Stephen Strange used to be. Though she is spared from being the typical damsel in distress, she isn’t given anything to do beyond be the girlfriend. If she returns in the sequel, hopefully, they’ll make better use of Rachel McAdams’ talents.
Good: Peter Parker And MJ
The Spider-Man films have been a great opportunity to explore the MCU from a high school level. They have proven to be especially effective at depicting the high school romances.
While MJ was mostly an amusing side character in Spider-Man: Homecoming, she is front-and-center in Far From Home. Their sweet and awkward courtship feels very authentic. It’s fun seeing Peter in such an emotionally vulnerable place and the new take on MJ is pitch-perfect. The developments at the end of Far From Home should make for a fun next chapter in their early romance.
Bad: Thor And Jane Foster
This romance seems to be pointed at as an early example that the MCU needs to work on their romances a little more. Thor introduced a whole new aspect of the cinematic universe, and yet his solo film spent so much time on a bland romance.
The main issue with the love story between Thor and Jane is that it is totally unconvincing. We don’t believe these two people would even get together and are made less interesting because of it. However, Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder has the potential to save the romance after all.
Good: Pepper Potts And Tony Stark
The MCU kicked off with Iron Man and that film started the longest-running romance in the cinematic universe. The partnership between Tony and Pepper has always added a lot of charm to these movies and it has been an ever-evolving romance.
Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow have very strong chemistry together and feel like a couple who has been through a lot together. Their journey builds to the emotional end that we see in Endgame which is made all the more effective thinking about how long we’ve been with this couple.
Bad: Natasha Romanoff And Bruce Banner
Having only one female member of the original Avengers squad was not ideal. Forcing a relationship between the only female Avenger and one of her teammates was just a bad move.
Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo have great chemistry in scenes together, but making them a couple was an unnecessary and uninteresting development. While it was meant to draw out more depth for two damaged characters, there was never any real payoff and the awkwardness of its inclusion is distracting.
Good: Steve Rogers And Peggy Carter
It seems like every good MCU romance needs a bit of tragedy thrown in. Luckily, this one does have a happy ending. These two expert soldiers with genuinely good hearts just feel like they were meant to be together – even if it took a long time to happen.
Steve’s noble nature meant that after all he has been through, he still only had one special girl in his heart. The tragedy of the character seemed to be that time took her from him, but the MCU brilliantly brought his story to an end with that long-awaited dance that brought a tear to everyone’s eye.
Bad: Sharon Carter And Steve Rogers
This is probably one romance that the MCU wishes they could go back on. Though he was always kept Peggy as the one girl he lost, he did move on for a brief moment. Awkwardly it was with Peggy’s grand-niece, Sharon Carter.
First of all, the fact that they first kissed days after Peggy died is rough enough. But then you have to factor in the disturbing consequences of Steve going back in time to be with Peggy. In the end, it’s a romance wrong in so many ways that it actually slightly taints the beautiful romance of Steve and Peggy.
