The Marvel Cinematic Universe is by far the most popular and beloved movie franchise at this moment and, as with any franchise with a vast array of characters and a gargantuan fan base, there have been plenty of ‘ships born out of MCU characters.
‘Shipping is a phenomenon where fans of a movie, TV show, comic book or anything like that see the chemistry shared by two characters, or similarities in their interests and personalities, and write fanfiction or create fan art where they’re a couple. So, here are 10 MCU Couples That Fans Really Want To See.
Thor and Captain Marvel
In the opening moments of Avengers: Endgame, Thor marched up to Captain Marvel, held his hand out next to her head, and when Stormbreaker came whooshing past, she didn’t even flinch. Then, Thor told the other Avengers, “I like this one.”
Ever since this moment first reached audiences in the early trailers for Endgame, fans have wanted to see the two get together. Thor doesn’t currently have a love interest in the MCU, but he is sticking around for another solo movie, so there’s a chance that this could happen (that is, if Jane Foster isn’t still interested in the God of Thunder).
Black Panther and Storm
Storm isn’t in the MCU yet, just like the rest of the X-Men, but when she does finally make it into the franchise with her fellow mutants, Marvel Comics readers will be dying to see her pair up with Black Panther. In the comics, T’Challa and Ororo Munroe are one of the most famous and powerful couples on Earth.
They’re like the Kimye or the Brangelina or the Beyoncé and Jay-Z of the Marvel universe. T’Challa already has a love interest in the MCU in the form of Nakia, but the point of their relationship is that they dated and it didn’t work out and they’re now trying to make friendship work, like Jerry and Elaine, so there’s room for Storm to swoop in and become the Queen of Wakanda.
Spider-Man and Scarlet Witch
Marvel fans have dubbed this pairing “Spider Witch.” After seeing how easily Tom Holland and Elizabeth Olsen get along in behind-the-scenes videos and interviews, fans figured they’d also have great on-screen chemistry and should be paired up in the movies. It all depends on how the Vision is brought back in Disney+’s WandaVision (if he’s just a figment of her imagination, then there’s room for Spidey).
With Scarlet Witch’s expanded presence in Phase 4 onwards setting her up for a large role, possibly in the introduction of the X-Men, and Spidey’s days in the MCU numbered, a romance between the two could build towards a “House of M” movie with dire consequences.
Scott Lang and Jimmy Woo
This pairing has been called “WooLang” by its ‘shippers. Scott Lang is currently in a relationship with Hope van Dyne, and it’s going really well (especially since the latter was brought back to life), but if anything bad ever happens to them, some fans are hoping that the breakup will lead him into Jimmy Woo’s arms.
Woo was the FBI agent who kept tabs on Scott while he was under house arrest. He was thoroughly impressed by Scott’s closeup magic skills, even trying to learn some tricks himself and, when Scott’s sentence was up, they almost made dinner plans. There’s something there.
Drax and Mantis
Drax still speaks very fondly about his late wife, Ovette, whose death he has spent his entire MCU arc striving to avenge. He told Quill that he was drawn to the fact that she would never, ever dance. However, he’s also made a connection with Mantis.
He’s openly told her that he finds her physically repulsive, but maybe he was just saying that to deflect feelings that he didn’t understand. As an empath, Mantis does understand those feelings, as shown by the fact that Drax’s memories of his daughter made her burst into tears when she tapped into his emotions.
War Machine and Captain Marvel
James Rhodes and Carol Danvers are one of the best-known couples in the Marvel Comics universe, and the stage was set for such a romance in Avengers: Endgame. When Earth’s mightiest heroes teleconferenced in to talk to Black Widow, those two stuck around to say a private goodbye to each other, suggesting a close bond between them.
Carol and Rhodey have plenty in common, since they both like making sarcastic comments, they’re both very sure of themselves, and they both have a military background (and not only that – they both earned their stripes in the same branch of the military: the Air Force).
Bucky Barnes and Rocket
Fans have been ‘shipping Bucky Barnes and Rocket ever since they teamed up to fight the Outriders in Avengers: Infinity War. The ‘ship has been called “Bucket,” combining the two characters’ names.
The pair only had a brief moment together in Infinity War, on the battlefield in Wakanda where Rocket asked Bucky for his metal arm and pledged to one day get it from him. But it was one of the most memorable moments from that battle and showed that the two had chemistry, no matter how fleeting. “Bucket” is unlikely to happen, but it would certainly be a surprising turn.
Spider-Man and Shuri
Many Marvel fans would love to see Peter Parker and Shuri get together. Shuri was 16 at the time of Black Panther and Peter was 15 at the time of Spider-Man: Homecoming, and those two movies took place at around the same time in the MCU’s chronology, so they’re both roughly the same age. But that’s not the only reason that fans have ‘shipped these two.
They’re both incredibly smart (their ‘shippers have dubbed them the “Science Teens”), building inventions from the resources available to them – Shuri, from a mountain of the most powerful substance on Earth, and Peter, from the tech he digs out of the dumpster in the alley behind his apartment building – so they’d probably make a great couple.
Nebula and War Machine
This ‘ship has been given the clunky name “NebulaRhodey,” but the two characters would make a much better romantic pairing than that awkward mashup of their names would suggest. They share a dry sense of humor (“Rhodey, careful on re-entry – there’s an idiot in the landing zone!”) and have also connected over the fact that they both have artificial cybernetic body parts.
They teamed up during the “Time Heist” to wait on Morag for Peter Quill to show up and lead them to the Power Stone. They both agreed that Quill was a moron. They’re on the same page astoundingly often.
Captain Marvel and Valkyrie
After Valkyrie was confirmed as the MCU’s first bisexual hero (and first LGBTQ hero, for that matter) and Marvel fans noticed Carol Danvers displaying queer traits in her scenes with Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel, the two were quickly ‘shipped by the fan community.
They’re both fierce cosmic warriors, so they’d make quite a power couple. Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson have even personally endorsed this ‘ship, so who knows? It might actually be canon soon. Valkyrie will be searching for a queen to help her rule New Asgard in Thor: Love and Thunder – maybe Carol could be that queen.
