The MCU has had its share of romantic relationships over the years and in its multiple films. Some of these relationships have been embraced by fans overall while others haven’t been. Of course, everyone has their own opinions on the romantic pairings in the films, and no one is going to agree on everything.
However, there are some overall missteps that the MCU has had when it comes to relationships. There are many things from these movies that haven’t aged well or that felt unnatural.
The relationship between Jane and Thor always felt forced
One of the earlier relationships that was featured in the MCU was between Jane Foster and Thor. While there is a comic book basis for this relationship, and while both actors playing these characters had a lot of talent, the relationship didn’t work well. It wasn’t developed all that skillfully, and there was overall a lack of chemistry between these two.
It was always hard to find their connection believable, and this is likely why it’s best the relationship wasn’t focused on much in later films.
The entire mess that is Hawkeye having a family
One MCU addition that many fans were upset about was the changes that were made to Hawkeye’s backstory. Instead of being more like his comic-book counterpart, the MCU Hawkeye was revealed to have a secret family including a wife and multiple children. This seemed to come out of the blue and many people didn’t like this new version of Hawkeye’s story.
The fact that in Endgame this family was then used as justification for Hawkeye becoming a vigilante was also uncomfortable.
The Wanda and Vision relationship doesn’t fit well in the universe
Wanda and Vision are another couple that exists in the comics and has a long history. Because of this, many people expected these two to be a couple in the MCU as well. However, while the movies attempted to develop this relationship and give it a believable foundation, it always comes across as strange.
These two don’t have a lot of chemistry, and Vision as a character doesn’t always fit tonally with many other characters. The age difference between the two also makes them seem a bit strange together.
Many of the women in earlier movies come across just as love interests
One problem that the MCU has had overall is a lack of diverse leads. It took the franchise years to have a film with a lead that wasn’t a white man. In earlier MCU movies, the female characters felt like they were mostly sidekicks or love interests.
Characters such as Pepper Potts weren’t really given their due in the franchise although later movies attempted to rectify this problem.
The relationship between Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter
One relationship that many fans agree was awful was the one between Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter. There were many issues with this relationship. First of all, the fact that Steve used to date her great aunt Peggy felt strange.
Secondly, Sharon was never given much of a role and it felt like she was just included to be a straight love interest for Steve, not to be a character in her own right. Thirdly, many people felt that the forced kiss between the two was just to make audiences know that Steve was into women, not Bucky Barnes.
The fact that many of the men are rewarded for being jerks
Another issue that the MCU has when it comes to relationships is that it rewards many of its male leads for being jerks. Characters such as Tony Stark, Peter Quill, and Stephen Strange are rather arrogant and even jerks at times, yet they end up with women who seem to mainly be there to help make them better people.
The common trope of arrogant men becoming better by the love of a woman is not a good look.
Black Widow is passed from one relationship to the next
Given that Natasha Romanoff was the first main female superhero in the MCU, it’s disappointing that she was often used as a love interest. She was often passed from one love interest from the next. She was given flirtatious moments with Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and especially with Bruce Banner.
Many people felt that this relationship was forced and didn’t make any sense in the franchise.
The fact there are zero LGBT couples in canon so far
One of the biggest overall critiques that people have made about the MCU’s treatment of relationships is the lack of LGBT representation. There haven’t been any canon queer relationships or characters so far.
Many fans felt like there was an opportunity to make characters such as Carol Danvers queer ina way that would fit the narrative. Another common couple that many read as subtextually queer was Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.
The shoehorning of Steve and Peggy’s relationship at the end of Endgame
One character whose romantic history in the MCU has been quite a mess is Steve Rogers. Many fans felt that his relationships with women throughout the franchise were used more to make sure audiences knew Steve wasn’t into Bucky than they were well-developed.
The ending of Endgame had Steve go back in time to be with Peggy and had him focus more on her loss that happened two movies ago than on the loss of many of his friends. It seemed quite out of character and many people didn’t understand the ending.
Forced romances that seemed to come out of nowhere
The main complaint that audiences have made about romance in the MCU is the fact that so much of these relationships felt forced. While there are some exceptions to this, many of the relationships weren’t given much development and weren’t allowed to evolve organically.
This made it hard to invest in many of these relationships.
