MCU Couples Ranked By Likability

The Marvel Cinematic Universe focuses on a band of superheroes tasked with saving the planet and, later, the universe from one giant threat after another. But in order for the franchise to work, fans need to see the heroes not as distant, mythic icons but flesh-and-blood people who go through the same struggles as the rest of us and fight for the same things. And a major part of making a superhero relatable is giving them a love interest who occupies their time when the world isn't in danger. 

Sometimes these love interests become as famous as the superhero. Other times, the romantic subplot can feel perfunctory and tacked on, something that needs to be gotten out of the way before the real story can start. Naturally, with so many characters jockeying for importance, the MCU has plenty of examples of both types of love interests. Here's a countdown of the superhero couples, from the worst to the best, who've romanced their way across the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"Eternals" had the cumbersome task of introducing a dozen major new characters, fitting them into the existing MCU continuity, and setting up a new franchise that focuses on the cosmic side of Marvel Comics. One way the film tried to include some emotions amidst so much world-building was by putting the focus on the relationship between Sersi (Gemma Chan) and Ikaris (Richard Madden).

The duo are part of a group of near-immortal beings, created by cosmic deities, who've lived on Earth for many eons. Sersi and Ikaris are shown to have been in love with each other for thousands of years, and the two even have the distinction of portraying the first love scene in an MCU film. The love that Sersi and Ikaris share — and the fallout of their relationship on the rest of the Eternals — is an important part of the film's narrative backbone.

So it's too bad that the actual relationship itself isn't as interesting as the movie would like you to believe. The chemistry between Ikaris and Sersi isn't nearly as strong as what some of the MCU's best romantic pairings have given us (also Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes). Plus, in the film itself, Ikaris ghosted Sersi for a really long time and almost murdered her in service of his creator, so yeah, that's not exactly a healthy relationship.

"Eternals" told the story of a group of ancient beings who've been secretly living on Earth for thousands of years. The Eternals have a complex dynamic with regards to their internal relationships, such as the complicated romance between Sersi and Ikaris. However, there's another — much sweeter — relationship that didn't get much attention yet proved unexpectedly heartwarming.

Druig (Barry Keoghan) and Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) were two Eternals who got summoned back to the main group in present times to take on a new threat caused by their mortal enemies, the Deviants. Right from the start, it was pretty clear that Keoghan and Riddloff's characters shared an extra special heap of chemistry between them that made their scenes together stand out.  

In fact, the director of the movie, Chloé Zhao, revealed in an interview that the romance between Druig and Makkari wasn't even in the script so prominently until the two actors got in front of each other. "Initially, that was not the intention [to make Druig and Makkari a couple]," Zhao explained (via Insider). "I think really it was from [Keoghan and Ridloff] meeting that we saw that, and go, 'Maybe we should play into it.'"

"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" told a classic story of a prodigal son who must return years later to a world he'd turned his back on. The main character's journey doesn't leave much room for romance, but there is another couple in the film that more than makes up for it, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) and Ying Li (Fala Chen). 

For a millennia, Wenwu attacked and conquered everything he saw thanks to the power of his Ten Rings. Then one day, Wenwu attacked a magical village watched over by Ying Li, and he fell hopelessly in love with this beautiful guardian. As Wenwu later told Katy Chen, "I've had many names throughout my life. The Warrior King, Master Khan, the most dangerous man on Earth. For years, I thought that was all I was meant to be. But when I met [Ying Li], everything changed."  

Tragically, Wenwu and Ying Li's love story was cut short when the latter was murdered at the hands of the Iron Gang. This set Wenwu on a fresh path of destruction, even drawing his children into the conflict. The loss of Ying Li left Wenwu a broken man, estranged from his remaining family and heading a criminal organization in present times. In the end, Wenwu found a measure of redemption by saving his son, sacrificing his life in the process and hopefully being able to join Ying Li in the afterlife.

"Black Panther" told an epic, sweeping tale of a distant kingdom, a war over an ancient dynasty, a family divided, and the new king tasked with bringing his people together in the most trying of times. In other words, King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) had his work cut out for him when he returned to Wakanda to rule over the secret nation in place of his deceased father.  

T'Challa's journey was aided by a bevy of strong and powerful women, from the royal Dora Milaje to his sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright). Another important character who stayed loyally at T'Challa's side throughout was Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), who'd been romantically involved with him in the past, and the two still shared a strong sense of camaraderie. You could see T'Challa visibly relaxing around Nakia, and he respected her intelligence and experience as an undercover agent who'd travelled all over the world. 

When T'Challa was usurped from his throne, Nakia's assistance was crucial in helping him survive and return to take back his kingdom. With the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020, T'Challa and Nakia's love story will unfortunately never be completed, but she will no doubt continue to uphold T'Challa's legacy within the MCU.    

It's pretty easy to make fun of Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), the Avenger who stands next to literal gods and monsters while holding a weapon that became obsolete in the previous century. But say what you will about the dude, the fact remains that the Avengers won every fight against a major villain that he was involved in, and they lost to Thanos when he wasn't around. 

The extent of Hawkeye's usefulness can be debated, but the truth is he's one of the most grounded and relatable main characters in a franchise that deals so deeply with mythical beings. One of the most heartwarming scenes in the entire MCU occurs in "Avengers: Age of Ulton," when the team is forced to hide out on Clint's farm. There, they meet Hawkeye's family — his pregnant wife, Laura (Linda Cardellini), and their two children.

Although Laura doesn't get a lot of screen time, it's very evident that she's Clint's rock and main source of support. She encourages him at his low point and reminds him that his teammates need Clint as much as he needs them. And when Laura and his children are dusted due to Thanos' snap, Hawkeye falls apart completely and transforms into a rage-filled vigilante.     

The MCU made a bunch of major changes to Spider-Man's mythology when the character finally joined the franchise in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War." Other than a quick Easter egg in "Far From Home," Uncle Ben is nowhere to be found. Aunt May is suddenly anything but old and frumpy. Iron Man is essentially Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) mentor. And a certain red-haired bombshell is no longer around to give Peter sleepless nights. 

In place of the iconic pairing of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, we get Peter's high school acquaintance MJ (Zendaya), a fellow student turned main love interest. When the cast for 2017's "Spider-Man: Homecoming" was first announced, fans assumed MJ was short for "Mary Jane" like in the comics. But it was later revealed that Zendaya's character was a new creation whose initials stood for "Michelle Jones."

Holland and Zendaya have sparkling chemistry as the new version of Peter and MJ, helped along by their off-screen relationship. The characters are young and not very good at expressing their feelings, but they are there for each other during the toughest of times. Their banter and occasional awkwardness makes for a welcome change from the more mature romances that the other MCU heroes enjoy.    

We know what you might be thinking here. Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (Chris Evans), getting it on with Sharon (Emily VanCamp), the niece of the love of his life, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell)? Gross! But hear us out. While Steve and Peggy are an iconic couple, there's a case to be made that "Steve and Sharon" makes more sense than "Steve and Peggy."

Consider the fact that in the MCU, Steve and Peggy only knew each other for a few days before Steve got trapped in ice for decades. The two never even went on a real date. The truth is, the MCU's Steve was always in love with the "idea" of Peggy, his long-lost love, rather than Peggy the actual person. On the other hand, Steve spent a lot more time getting to know Sharon. The two were neighbors for some time where they acted extra friendly towards each other. 

Later, Sharon was willing to go against her direct superiors at SHIELD to back Steve up at the end of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." In "Civil War," Sharon went against the U.S. government to help Steve in his fight against Team Iron Man and paid for it with imprisonment and being branded a criminal. That kiss between Steve and Sharon might've weirded some people out, but the truth is Sharon earned that kiss. 

Few other couples in the MCU have gotten as much screen time as Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and his assistant turned company manager turned wife, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Sure, Tony was a pretty big womanizer in his early days, but no one was ever able to make him care and open up emotionally the way Pepper did. 

The bond between the two only grew stronger as the franchise went on. In fact, they got married and had an adorable little daughter. The bond between Pepper and Tony also led to one of the saddest moments in MCU history, when Tony said his final goodbyes to Pepper from the depths of space as he was on the brink of death at the start of "Avengers: Endgame." 

Fortunately, Tony was saved, and he lived to see Pepper again. She was with Tony right up until his last moments, even joining in the fight against Thanos with her own Iron Man armor. When Tony lay dying on the battlefield after having just saved the entire universe, the last thing he saw before passing away was Pepper gazing into his eyes and telling him he could finally let go of his burdens and rest. 

On paper, nothing about this relationship works. One is a witch with deep emotional trauma who blew up a building full of civilians and held an entire brainwashed town hostage (and that was at a time when she was considered one of the "good guys"). The other is an artificially created lifeform who's struggled to understand humanity and his own place in the world. 

And yet, over time, Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and Vision (Paul Bettany) have proven themselves the most interesting couple in the MCU. Sure, "WandaVision" was the show that put them on top, but even before that, the duo shared some of the most emotional moments in the entire MCU. For example, there was when Vision tried to comfort Wanda in "Captain America: Civil War" or the sheer misery and pain on Wanda's face as she was forced to destroy Vision to stop Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War." 

With "WandaVision," the two characters embarked on another devastatingly emotional journey as they sought to create a world where they could be truly happy. Whether pretending to be the perfect sitcom couple or arguing about the ethics of what Wanda had done to the town of Westview, the chemistry between Olsen and Bettany has always ensured that every moment of their characters' relationship comes alive onscreen and has fans rooting for them every step of the way.