When it comes to creating compelling romances, the MCU is pretty hit and miss. While some of their characters work well together in their partnerships, like Tony and Pepper, Marvel missed some great opportunities to introduce LGBTQ+ relationships that fans would have loved to see. While it does appear that Marvel is making some steps in the right direction, it has unfortunately not delivered in this regard for the decade-plus that its movies have been released (until very recently, that is).
For example, there have been reveals that certain characters are bisexual (Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, and more recently, Loki in his own Disney Plus series). However, there has not yet been a significant LGBTQ+ relationship built into the MCU. this may change with the addition of new characters and storylines for the future, but fans will still remember when they wished that some of these LGBTQ+ relationships could have happened on screen.
Natasha Romanoff and Wanda Maximoff
Pairing up Bruce and Natasha wasn't exactly the best idea Marvel has ever had, and fans quickly grew tired of Natasha being sexualized, or using her looks to charm the other men on the Avengers team. Her values are much more rooted in keeping her found family together, and her most compelling relationships were ones that formed on the basis of shared history and genuine emotion. Before the release of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, some viewers were hopeful that they’d get to see her team up with Wanda and share more screen time together. Natasha and Wanda actually share a lot in common, having initially started off on the wrong side of the fight before joining the Avengers, and they both managed to bond with the same important ally.
From Wanda’s very first appearance in the MCU, Clint offered his support and always tried to do right by her, forming a mutual respect between the pair that closely mirrored Natasha’s relationship with Clint, as well. As powerful women with similar pasts and a liking for the same people, Natasha and Wanda easily could have been one of the MCU’s greatest couples. Wanda’s relationship with Vision is one of the few romances fans actually enjoyed watching on screens, however the events of WandaVision could have been extremely similar had she ended up with Natasha instead.
Both Vision and Natasha met a tragic end during the final Avengers movies, meaning Wanda still would have undergone the same grieving process and character growth had she been with either of them. It doesn’t seem like their pairing will ever get the chance to fall in love on screen, but that doesn’t mean fans don’t still love to imagine them ending up together.
Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes
The biggest reason fans were so upset by Steve’s ending in Avengers: Endgame is because he made the choice to actively abandon Bucky in the present. This was really out of character for Steve, since he constantly fought to keep Bucky safe and even turned on his own friends during Captain America: Civil War. Even the villains of the MCU noticed the duo’s connection, which was obvious when Rumlow referred to The Winter Soldier as “Steve’s Bucky.”
The relationship between Cap and Bucky extends back long before they ever became super soldiers, and even before they joined the war, which has been established time and time again. When Steve was alone and had nobody to turn to after his mother died, Bucky was the one to pick up the pieces and hold him together, so throwing that all way just to be with Peggy seemed like a waste to a lot of Marvel fans.
Viewers enjoy watching Peggy as the woman who defied all odds and remained powerful in a time where women weren’t “supposed” to be secret agents, or risking their lives on battlefields. Like Vision, she’s an extremely lovable character, but she doesn’t need a relationship to be well-rounded. Peggy’s story in Agent Carter was completely enthralling despite the lack of Steve’s presence, and she eventually moved on with her life to remarry.
Even when Bucky was under the control of Hydra, he still risked everything to save Steve’s life and always did his best to be there whenever Steve needed him. Quite frankly, the MCU should have let Peggy live on as an independent woman and allowed Steve and Bucky to stay together in the present, since that was the thing they were constantly fighting for.
Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau
Before Carol’s accident, she and Maria were sharing a house together, raising a child, and doing whatever they could to make a name for themselves, so long as they had each other by their side. The two obviously shared a very deep connection, and similar to Bucky’s situation with Steve, Carol found her way back to the most important person in her life, in spite of her memory loss due to unwanted manipulation.
Their bond was strong enough to conquer intergalactic enemies, and anyone who’s willing to fly to space and fight an alien war is obviously someone worth loving. Making their relationship romantic instead of platonic would have been a great step for the MCU, especially since a lot of fans already suspect that Captain Marvel is part of the LGBTQ+ community. Due to the revelation of Maria’s death in WandaVision, it doesn’t seem like that will be happening any time soon.
There’s still hope for Captain Marvel to become one of Marvel’s first major LGBTQ+ characters, and fans are now hoping to see her and Valkyrie form a relationship in future projects. Valkyrie has been confirmed to be searching for a queen during Thor: Love and Thunder and Carol spends quite a lot of time away from Earth. If these two stumble upon each other somewhere far away in the galaxy, there’s definitely a chance that their relationship will become something more than just friends.