For many fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, expressing their love of the stories and characters through transformative works is their favorite thing. Transformative fandom which includes fan fiction, fan art, and other fan works is hugely popular and has been for decades, and with sites like AO3, it’s easier than ever for people to write about their favorite characters and relationships.
While discussions about shipping, ship wars, and love of ships are common, the actual numbers showing which relationships are the most popular are fascinating. These numbers reflect trends and show what writers and readers want, but they can also show some troubling truths that illustrate a lack of diversity both in source material and fandom itself.
James “Bucky” Barnes/Reader: 9,102
While most of the top ten relationships on this list are between two actual characters, this one is not. Self-insert or reader fics are common in many fandoms, and in some more than others. And, while most of the main characters have fics where the writer/reader is the love interest, Bucky Barnes is the character with the most.
This reflects how a character that was really a side character or overlooked for a while in the narrative can be massively popular with fans, especially those who interact with the narrative in specific ways.
James “Bucky” Barnes & Steve Rogers: 9,698
In ninth place, we have a relationship that fans aren’t surprised to see, but they might be asking why it’s not higher on the list. The truth is that it is much higher on the list, but relationships on AO3 are presented in different ways.
A relationship that uses the & symbol often indicates a friendship, platonic, or familial relationship, while a “/” symbol indicates a romantic relationship most of the time. So, this tag reflects how this friendship is a big deal in both canon and with fans.
Loki/Tony Stark: 10,148
While many of the top fan-favorite relationships in the MCU are with two characters who interact often, this is one of the exceptions. Ships can become popular even if the source material between the two characters is minimal. But, since Loki and Tony are both very loved in these kinds of fan works, it’s not shocking they were shipped together.
Fans were more drawn into the somewhat antagonistic and snarky nature of this relationship, and it’s also worth noting that Tony is one of the most popular characters in the MCU for fans to ship.
Clint Barton/Phil Coulson: 10,335
This pairing might come as a bit of a surprise because this ship isn’t as big as it used to be. However, these numbers look at the amount of fics over time, so all of the stories that were written in the early days of Avengers fandom are still included.
While this ship isn’t as popular now, it used to be massively popular. It definitely reflects a very different time in the fandom. And, while it didn't make the top ten, the polyamorous ship between Clint/Coulson/Natasha was also popular. This relationship focuses a lot on how Coulson was Clint's handler in his days as a S.H.I.E.D. agent.
Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov: 10,819
This is the first relationship that includes a female character, and it is worth noting that in fanfiction as a whole for the MCU there’s a lack of women. In one way, the source material is to blame as for many years there were few main female characters, and this could also be why there is so much fic revolving around romance between men and so little focusing on women, also known at times as femslash.
However, the reason why this particular couple is popular does make sense given their close ties in both the comics and the movies.
Loki/Thor: 13,179
This might be one of the most controversial pairings on this list because these two are adopted brothers. While this kind of weird relationship is taboo in our society, it might not seem particularly out of place in mythology which is what Loki and Thor are based on.
It also reflects how often themes explored in fanfiction are often exploratory in different ways. There’s no denying this one that draws a lot of different opinions.
Pepper Potts/Tony Stark: 18,521
While most of the relationships on this list aren’t canon, this is the one big exception. It’s also one of the few heterosexual pairings as most of the couples are between two men. Pepper and Tony are together in the MCU, and since they are one of the film’s main couples, it does make sense this would be reflected in stories.
And, just like all the other pairings on this list, mentions of Tony and Pepper also include stories where they are characters but not necessarily the main relationship in the fic.
Peter Parker & Tony Stark: 20,351
This is another instance where the relationship isn’t romantic. Instead, the “&” symbol shows that fans really love this relationship as it is in canon and like to see it reflected in general fics.
So, most people don’t actually ship these two together but want to see more of the mentor relationship here and explore how this bond impacts the two characters.
Steve Rogers/Tony Stark: 31,760
It’s probably not a big shock to those in transformative MCU fandom that Stony is one of the top two pairings. Steve and Tony are hugely popular characters in fanfiction, and their relationship is well-loved. However, it’s also good to reflect at this point on the fact there are no people of color on this list at all. This is both a failure of the MCU and of fandom, and it is important both for properties and fans to reflect on the racism embedded in society and where work still needs to happen to combat the many things it affects. Ships like Stony, Phlint, and even Frostiron (Tony/Loki) are really popular while ships that would make a lot of sense, like Steve/Sam Wilson and Tony/Rhodey have very few fics.
On its own merits, Stony is a dynamic ship because the two characters have a lot of chemistry as well as a lot of tension. All of this angst is definitely appealing.
James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers: 50,927
While the ship war between Stony and Stucky was one of the biggest in the MCU fandom, Stucky does have Stony beat based on AO3 numbers. Given that the relationship between these two men was so central to the Captain America trilogy, it’s not a shocker that fans see a romantic relationship between these two and want to explore it since the canon didn't do so.
Overall, this list is a good reminder that a greater diversity of genders, kinds of relationships, and racial representations would be welcome both in fandom and in the canon of popular properties today.