After just one episode, fans are already loving some of the new character pairings in Ms. Marvel, which is a staple of the MCU. Since its inception back in 2008, the franchise has been known to put together characters who make for the most entertaining scenes on a consistent basis.
It could be romantic pairings, loyal friendships, family members, fierce rivals, or anything in between. It's a bit easier to pick out the duos that defined Phase 1 simply because fewer characters were around back in this era of the MCU, yet most remained pivotal all the way up to Avengers: Endgame and beyond.
Nick Fury & Tony Stark
The rest of the MCU wouldn't really exist if it wasn't for Nick Fury showing up in the post-credits scene of Iron Man to talk to Tony Stark about the Avengers Initiative. That moment alone would be enough to make them a defining pair but they added to it in later films.
Fury returned in Iron Man 2 to help get Tony out of his funk and put him back on the path to being a hero. Surprisingly, their relationship is most defined in that film as they didn't end up sharing too many scenes in The Avengers.
Bruce Banner & Natasha Romanoff
It's kind of hard to help define an entire phase of movies when you're only together in one of them but the combination of Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff was an important one in The Avengers. It was Natasha who was sent to find Banner and bring him in for the team.
Their relationship grew from there and while it only became romantic in Phase Two, they shared another crucial scene in this film. It's with Natasha that Banner first transformed into the Hulk, with his chase of her making for one of the most intense and scariest Hulk scenes ever.
Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers
Over the course of the entire MCU, the relationship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes is among the most important. It changes things for the entire Avengers at one point but back in Phase One, their only interactions came during their time in the '40s.
Their friendship is clearly shown to be one of the strongest in the franchise, with Bucky always sticking up for his smaller friend. When Steve takes the super soldier serum and finds out Bucky is in trouble, he goes right into battle to save him without thinking. Bucky's "death" also helped fuel Steve to truly take down the Red Skull.
James Rhodes & Tony Stark
In Iron Man, it was made clear that Tony Stark's best friend was James Rhodes. They partied together, shared old stories, and Rhodey was there to use his connections to get him out of a tight jam.
Things were furthered in Iron Man 2 as it was James who had to step up and stop Tony when he was getting out of hand, donning the War Machine suit for the first time. He was also the first person to learn the truth about Tony's medical condition and fought alongside him against Ivan Vanko.
Clint Barton & Natasha Romanoff
Natasha Romanoff might be the MVP of The Avengers as she managed to develop strong relationships with Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, and Clint Barton in such a short time. Of course, the film hinted at the fact that Clint and Nat knew each other longer than anyone else on the team.
Their friendship was evident as she jumped to help Agent Coulson once she heard that Clint was compromised and she had to fight him to try and break Loki's compulsion over him. Working side by side as the only two Avengers without superpowers helped them stand out in the minds of audiences as well.
Jane Foster & Thor
Each of the women who get romantically involved with members of the Avengers in Phase One are special ladies. In Jane Foster's case, she's a genius astrophysicist who comes into contact with the God of Thunder when he's sent to Earth in Thor.
Although Thor doesn't have his powers for a lot of the film, he formed a quick bond with Jane that became an important part of the MCU. To add to it, Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth have incredible chemistry that made sure fans always enjoyed seeing them.
Peggy Carter & Steve Rogers
As noted, the women who fell in love with The Avengers were strong in their own right. Peggy Carter rose through the ranks in America as a female British agent despite so many not believing in her. Steve Rogers was often doubted by people too, which they connected over.
Their relationship is one of the sweetest in the MCU in Captain America: The First Avenger. Peggy liked Steve before he became the "star-spangled man with a plan" and they agreed to a date before Steve went into the ice. The fact that Steve's final line in the film after waking up in 2011 is about the date he missed with her speaks volumes.
Pepper Potts & Tony Stark
Of course, the romantic duo that everyone remembers most from Phase One is likely Pepper Potts and Tony Stark. It makes sense given they appear in three of the six films in that phase, although their scene in The Avengers is relatively small.
Still, Pepper quickly becomes the most important person in Tony's life. She's one of the few people who has his back from the start, always looks out for his best interest, and cares deeply for him. It's a relationship that defined Phase One but was also prevalent in other phases.
Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
There's no doubt that Hulk and Thor are the most powerful Avengers in Phase One but Tony Stark and Steve Rogers feel like the leaders. Steve is the actual person leading the charge, while Tony is kind of the protagonist of the entire MCU.
Together, they make for some truly compelling scenes. Their argument in The Avengers is memorable but also important as Steve went on to prove there was more special about him than just what came out of a bottle and Tony ended up making the sacrifice play nobody believed he could.
Loki & Thor
In Thor, the sibling bond between Loki and the titular character plays a key role. Loki is jealous of his brother, steals the throne, and ultimately finds out the truth about his parentage. They were an important pairing but it got taken to the next level in The Avengers.
Loki is the film's main antagonist and his interactions with his brother are interesting. Thor continues to try to find the good in him but Loki keeps tricking him. There does come a time when Thor seems to finally make Loki understand the weight of what he's done but it's too late by that point.