Superhero Romance
‘Til the End of the Line: Ranking 13 Marvel Couples From ‘The Avengers,’ ‘Spider-Man,’ and More
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Renaissance may be upon us, but here at Swooon, we never stopped feeling the love.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 17 years since we watched “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) build his first Iron Man suit, flying into Phase One of the MCU. Since then, we’ve travelled to space in Guardians of the Galaxy, explored Wakanda in Black Panther, and walked the halls of Midtown High School in Spider-Man.
While we might have come to Marvel seeking fantastical worlds and action-packed adventures, we stayed for the beloved characters— and relationships— at the heart of their rapidly expanding universe.
Whether you’re Team Stucky or Team Steggy, everyone has a Marvel couple (canon or fanon) they would go to bat for. With great power comes great responsibility, so we’ve put much consideration into our favorite MCU couples and are proud to share our ranking of the best couples, from the ones we just like to the ones we love 3000.
Scroll for our definitive ranking of the best Marvel couples below.
13. Natasha Romanoff & Clint Barton
If When Harry Met Sally taught us anything, it’s that a strong friendship between a man and a woman is bound to cause romantic speculation. For that reason, we understand why Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), a.k.a. Black Widow and Hawkeye/Ronin, are one of the most popular Avengers fan pairings. Given Clint’s loving wife and family back home, we believe that these two are purely platonic. However, we won’t deny that Natasha had far more chemistry with Clint than she ever did with Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo).
12. Thor Odinson & Jane Foster
The first canonical couple to make our list is the classic pairing of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Jane (Natalie Portman). If we’re being honest, Thor and Jane have never really done it for us. We can all agree that the MCU return of Thor’s ex-girlfriend Jane was the highlight of Thor: Love and Thunder. However, if we were to argue that Thor’s true love returns to (New) Asgard in the film, we would be referring to his beloved hammer, Mjolnir, not the woman wielding it.
11. Yelena Belova & Kate Bishop
If Hawkeye brought us one thing (besides holiday cheer), it was the vengeance-fueled return of Natasha’s younger sister and fellow Black Widow, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), and her introduction to Marvel’s new Hawkeye, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Pugh’s next Marvel movie, Thunderbolts*, hits theaters on May 2, and fans have already begun theorizing about a potential romance between Yelena and Bob Reynolds (Lewis Pullman). However, we’re still holding out hope for a different match. From feasting on mac and cheese to their hilarious spat in an elevator, we’ve picked up on some vibes between Yelena and Kate. Here’s to hoping they’ll reunite sometime in Phase Six, so we can bear witness to the enemies-to-lovers arc we so desperately crave.
10. Steve Rogers & Peggy Carter
From the moment they met in Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve (Chris Evans) has been head over heels for Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). However, time has not always been kind to the couple. At the end of Avengers: Endgame, we see Steve give up his title of Captain America to take back the time he should have had with Peggy. We even know that he succeeds at making his way back to her after all is said and done. However, we’d be lying if we said Steve and Peggy are anything more than run-of-the-mill.
9. Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes
You know what isn’t run of the mill? The fan-favorite pairing of Steve Rogers and his bestie-turned-enemy-turned-bestie-again, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), a.k.a. the Winter Soldier. For many Marvel fans circa 2014, this ship, affectionately referred to as “Stucky,” was the hill to die on. Maybe it’s the nostalgia talking, but when it comes to our favorite love interest for Cap, we’re with Bucky ’til the end of the line. Seriously, what’s more beautiful than starting a superhero civil war for the one you love?
8. Peter Quill & Gamora
If mutual pining was the name of the game, Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) would be number one on our list. We absolutely adored watching the couple grow their friendship into something more, even if their relationship was fated for a tragic end. However, many characters on this list have lost someone they love, and none of them handled it as poorly as Peter Quill. Did the fact that we’re still salty about Peter’s role in The Blip impact his and Gamora’s spot in our ranking? Absolutely.
7. Scott Lang & Hope van Dyne
Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) may not have always been a team, but they are definitely better together. For us, it took Scott reconciling with the absence of Hope in Avengers: Endgame to recognize how truly special this superhero duo is. However, there are far better love stories out there.
6. T'Challa & Nakia
While most their love story took place off camera, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) are without a doubt one of Marvel’s strongest couples. Unlike many early Marvel heroines, Nakia is T’Challa’s equal in every way, balancing out his kind-hearted leadership with her stubbornness. Giving us one of Marvel’s most realistic relationships and more heartbreaking goodbyes, this Black Panther relationship is one we won’t be quick to forget.
5. Agatha Harkness & Rio Vidal
Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and Rio (Aubrey Plaza) are truly a situationship for the ages, but what more can you ask when you’re in love with Death herself? Making history as one of the MCU’s first canon queer couples, the Agatha All Along duo has quickly become a favorite among fans—and we have to agree. With a couple so macabre, everything we learned about their centuries of history felt like another jab to the heart. But, honestly, we’re kind of here for that.
4. Wanda Maximoff & Vision
May this kind of love find us. Say what you will about Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) capturing an entire town (and all its inhabitants) for purely selfish reasons, but she did it out of love. Wanda and Vision (Paul Bettany) may not have gotten (or at least kept) their happy ending, but the ill-fated WandaVision couple will always have one of Marvel’s greatest love stories.
3. Tony Stark & Pepper Potts
From the beginning of Phase One to the end of Phase Three, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) wouldn’t be anything without Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Perhaps the quintessential Marvel couple, Tony and Pepper’s flirty relationship served as the backbone of the majority of the Infinity Saga, making Tony’s death a devastating yet natural end to the era. Turns out, he did everything to protect his life with Pepper and their daughter, Morgan. If you ask us, that’s all the proof that Tony Stark has a heart we’ll ever need.
2. Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons
If you’ve watched Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you know that Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) and Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) perfectly match each other’s freak, even if they didn’t know it. As S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) put it, their wedding was a moment “we all knew was coming. Some of us, even before these two did.” While Fitz and Simmons eventually got their happy ending, they were truly put through the wringer in getting there. This geeky friends-to-lovers romance constantly had us feeling all the feels, so they’ve taken the second place spot on our list.
1. Peter Parker & MJ Watson
Honestly, we can’t even think about Spider-Man: No Way Home without welling up a little. Peter (Tom Holland) and MJ (Zendaya) may be the youngest couple on our list, but their love story is by far the most tragic. Seriously, no one has suffered more that Peter Parker. It seems like Spider-Man and MJ/Mary Jane Watson are fated to be apart in every timeline. Thanks to a memory-erasing spell, Holland’s Spider-Man is now forced to live with knowing that MJ has forgotten him, while he’s still completely in love with her. For that devastating reason, Peter and MJ are our pick for the best Marvel couple. We’re still holding out hope for these two, especially after MJ told Peter to save his “I love you” for “when you see me again.”
