In the MCU up to this point, there haven’t been any canon LGBT characters shown on screen or any LGBT relationships. While there have been discussions outside of the movies about some character’s queerness, and there are allegedly going to be queer characters in upcoming MCU films, this hasn’t happened yet. With so many movies and characters, it’s surprising and disappointing that there hasn’t been any LGBT+ representation in the franchise.
There are many relationships that the MCU could easily have turned into canon LGBT relationships, and here are ten of these.
Peggy Carter and Angie Martinelli
While most of the pairings on this list are from the MCU films, this is one strong contender that was featured in a television series. While Agent Carter didn’t air for very long, it’s one of the few pre-Disney+ shows that directly connects to the MCU. Peggy and Angie were close friends, and many people felt their relationship had queer subtext.
While Peggy ended up with Daniel in that series, many people felt she could just as easily have been with Angie.
Loki and the Grandmaster
If there’s one queer relationship that could have been easily played off in a casual way, it’s Loki and Grandmaster. Thor: Ragnarok was such a humorous film, and it would have been easy to just say that these two had slept together.
Given that Loki is canonically queer and genderfluid in the comics, this would have been an easy detail to include. It would have fit right in with the energy of their scenes together and could have been done in a simple but fitting way.
Steve Rogers and Tony Stark
There are many popular queer pairings in fandom, and the relationship between Steve and Tony is one of the most popular.
This relationship has been popular for many years in the comics and even more people started shipping them after the movies came out While in the films they are more antagonistic with one another, they do have great chemistry and a lot of passion and emotion for their relationship. It might be up and down at times, but it’s an interesting dynamic.
Natasha Romanoff and Sharon Carter
While some queer ships are rather popular, there are a couple of underrated ones that deserve more attention. Black Widow’s romantic history in the MCU is all over the place, and she was often placed with men in a way that didn’t make sense or do her character justice. Sharon was also side-lined as an awkward love interest for Steve.
Instead, having these two become friends and work together would make a lot of sense as they both have similar skill sets and are close friends with Steve. They could easily have been at least close friends or even romantically linked.
Valkyrie and Carol Danvers
One possible LGBT+ relationship that has gotten a lot of attention recently is the one between Captain Marvel and Valkyrie. This is in part because the actresses who play these characters have been really supportive of the idea.
These two are both still characters who will appear in future MCU movies, so many fans are still holding up hope that this could happen. While this might not turn out that way, it would be a great relationship, and these two are very compatible.
Okoye and Ayo
Ayo was another character who was going to have a brief moment of on-screen queerness that didn’t come to pass. It was revealed that a scene was filmed where Ayo and Okoye flirt with one another.
Sadly, this didn’t make it into the final cut of Black Panther. Okoye could easily be a bisexual character, and a relationship between two women of color, even if just a flirtatious moment, would have been great to see in the MCU.
Tony Stark and James “Rhodey” Rhodes
While Tony and Steve might be a really popular ship, one of the best but most underrated Tony Stark relationships is between him and Rhodey. They have been close friends for years even long before Tony became Iron Man.
Rhodey is often trying to take care of Tony and clean up his messes, and Rhodey is one of the few people that Tony has ever really trusted. While they were never shown to be romantically linked, it wouldn’t have been a stretch to show that they were together in the past.
Thor and Bruce Banner
While the ship between Tony and Bruce was somewhat popular for a while, many fans have been rooting for Thor and Bruce ever since Thor: Ragnarok. These two become closer friends in this movie, and they have grown to have a deep friendship where they both encourage one another.
There was something particularly compelling about these two in Ragnarok, and many people felt they would make a cute couple.
Carol Danvers and Maria Lambeau
While Valkyrie and Carol might be the ship that’s getting more media attention, an even more obvious option that already basically exists in the canon is between Carol and Maria. In Captain Marvel, these two basically lived together and were raising Maria’s daughter, Monica.
Many people noticed that their relationship seemed like more than just a friendship and how with just a few moments of exposition or a kiss they could have been a canon LGBT couple.
Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes
Of all the relationships that people have pointed out should have been romantic, Steve and Bucky is one of the most talked about. While it’s a very popular ship, even people outside of fandom have noticed the gay subtextual elements of this friendship.
It would not seem out of place at all if it had been revealed that these two dated or had romantic feelings for one another. While the MCU didn’t go there, the fact that these two meant so much to each other and that so many of Steve’s plotline revolved around him make this pairing an obvious choice.