Since most of the protagonists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe follow a traditional “hero’s journey,” there are a few commonalities in their stories. For example, most of the characters will develop a bond with a mentor who guides them on their quest to become a hero. It’s a staple of the MCU.
Sometimes, these mentors will die in the second act to motivate the hero to rise up and defeat the villain. Other times, their relationship will develop over a few movies, culminating in a heartbreaking farewell or death scene. So, here are the 10 Best Mentor-Mentee Relationships In The MCU.
Abraham Erskine & Steve Rogers
It was fitting that Steve Rogers’ mentor was German, because he doesn’t have much of a political stake in the war; he just doesn’t like bullies. Dr. Erskine feels the same way, and that’s why he defected from Nazi Germany and created a Super Soldier Serum for the Allies.
He wanted Steve to be the one who took this serum for a very simple reason: “The strong man, who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength and knows...compassion.” In true MCU fashion, Steve’s mentor dies, spurring him on to become the hero he always knew he could be.
Clint Barton & Wanda Maximoff
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the titular A.I. killer recruited Wanda Maximoff to help him fight Earth’s mightiest heroes, but she ended up switching sides. In the Battle of Sokovia, as an army of cyborgs ambushed the Avengers on a floating city, Wanda was too scared to fight.
It was Clint Barton who inspired her to go out there, join the battle, and become an Avenger. And in Captain America: Civil War, Clint came to save Wanda from the Avengers’ HQ, where she was being held against her will by Vision.
Erik Selvig & Jane Foster
Before a Norse god showed up and changed their whole conception of the universe, Erik Selvig and Jane Foster were a pair of cutting-edge astrophysicists. When Thor taught them about Asgard and the Nine Realms, Jane had to convince Dr. Selvig that it might not be so impossible.
The great thing about this pairing is that it’s not one-way. Dr. Selvig is just as likely to learn something from Jane as she is to learn something from him.
Yinsen & Tony Stark
Until he was captured by terrorists and trapped in a cave with Yinsen, Tony Stark was just a carefree billionaire playboy who profited from war and didn’t give much attention to the people who died because of his monetary pursuits. His whole worldview turned around when he met Yinsen, his opposite in every way.
Yinsen has nothing: he’s been taken away from his family, and he’s living under a ruthlessly oppressive regime. And yet, he remains optimistic. Tony learned a lot from Yinsen in the first Iron Man movie, even though he hardly mentioned him afterwards.
T’Challa & Zuri
After losing his father in a bombing attack, T’Challa looked to Zuri for guidance in the living world. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler described Zuri’s role as similar to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s role in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Not only is he in touch with Wakanda’s spiritual side, similar to Obi-Wan’s Force sensitivity; Zuri also became a sort of surrogate father figure to T’Challa in the same way that Obi-Wan did for Luke Skywalker after his legal guardians were killed by the Empire.
Hank Pym & Scott Lang
Hank Pym’s daughter, Hope, would’ve been the obvious choice to pull off the Yellowjacket heist in the first Ant-Man movie. But since Hank was initially overprotective, he refused to let her do it. Instead, he chose a protégé to train as his successor.
Scott Lang was the natural choice since he was a master safecracker, well-versed in breaking into places and stealing things. Scott learned how to use Pym Particles from Hank, but Hank learned a much more important lesson from Scott: how to be a good father.
The Ancient One & Stephen Strange
Although the depiction of the Ancient One as white was met with some controversy, and rightly so, the relationship between Tilda Swinton’s MCU incarnation of the character and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange turned out to be the most emotionally resonant character dynamic in 2016’s Doctor Strange.
Strange was initially contentious towards the Ancient One, but she guided him on a spiritual path to become a better sorcerer, and just a better overall guy. Her death scene stands among the most heartbreaking in the entire MCU.
Nick Fury & Steve Rogers
When Steve Rogers came out of the ice after being frozen for around 70 years, Nick Fury took pity on him. As the government’s super-soldier, Fury saw Rogers as a necessary asset to have at S.H.I.E.L.D., but their relationship goes deeper than that. Rogers was reintroduced into a society he didn’t recognize and everyone he ever knew was dead. Fury befriended him, pretty much just so he could have a friend in the 21st century.
It was particularly explored in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Fury took Rogers under his wing and the two developed a close bond; a bond that was tested by a political conspiracy that had Rogers questioning who he could trust.
Carol Danvers & Monica Rambeau
It was really touching to see how much Monica Rambeau looks up to Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel. Carol helped her best friend Maria when she was raising Monica, so Monica has always looked up to her. And now that Carol is the most powerful superhero in the world, Monica admires her even more. Carol even let Monica choose the colors of her super-suit.
Inspired by Carol, Monica convinced her mom to help out in the final battle. There’s no doubt that when Monica’s an adult in the MCU, she’ll take on one of her superhero aliases from the comics – Spectrum, Photon (which was teased in an Easter egg), even Captain Marvel – and fight alongside Carol.
Tony Stark & Peter Parker
This is the gold standard for mentor-mentee relationships in the MCU. Tony Stark was pretty irresponsible to recruit teenage Peter Parker to join the fight over the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War, but it was the beginning of Tony’s journey towards becoming a father.
There have always been father-son overtones in Tony and Peter’s relationship, as Tony offers Peter advice, chastises him when he does something wrong, and begrudgingly compliments him when he does something right. In Avengers: Endgame, Peter had to let his mentor go, and he still hasn’t escaped from his shadow.