The Marvel Cinematic Universe very famously has given us almost nothing when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation — but that hasn't stopped the fans from finding their own ships to obsess over.
Recently some queer characters have been introduced and given gay scenes in the MCU, including gay superhero Phastos in The Eternals, and Valkyrie and Korg in Thor: Love and Thunder. But still, when it comes to queer characters fans can ship together, there's not much there. So, fans have to make them up.
Some of these ships make a lot of sense, but others are a bit more of a stretch. Still, Marvel stans love each of them like their own children. Some of these pairings are also a little more obscure, but some of them are actually the most popular MCU ships overall (sometime even more popular than any straight canon ships).
So let's take a look at 15 of the fans' most favorite gay MCU ships, with a few from MCU television shows and non-MCU-but-still-Marvel movies thrown in. Later on, we'll be adding another list of lesbian and sapphic couples that fans love!
RELATED | All the LGBTQ+ (and Queerish) Characters in the MCU So Far
Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes became an ultra popular ship recently when the two starred together in Disney+'s The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Even though Anthony Mackie says the two are "just friends," fans see things a little differently.
This is the most popular MCU ship overall. The ship has over 50,000 fanfics on AO3, giving it more than 20,000 more than the next biggest ship! The stans will always love Stucky, no matter where in the timeline Steve and Bucky may be.
What can we say? Queers love their daddy issues. The ship between Spider-Man and his mentor Iron Man might be seen as problematic by some, but that doesn't stop it from being the MCU's third most popular pairing when it comes to number of fanfics.
Venom was actually one of the best superhero movies ever, and a large part is due to chaotic boyfriends Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and the alien symbiote Venom. They're the perfect odd couple, and we can't wait to see them in Venom: There Will Be Carnage when it comes out!
Yeah, they're brothers, but also, they're hot. Loki and Thor come in at the fifth most popular MCU ship, according to AO3. Fans love the dynamic of a handsome jock older brother and his emo subby little brother, and they're not gonna stop shipping them any time soon.
"On your left!" These two bros are adorable together ever since The Falcon was introduced. And honestly, what's better than two Captain Americas?
Tony Stark and Steve Rogers lead the Avengers as Iron Man and Captain America, so it's no surprise the fans love to pair them up. The couple has over 30,000 fanfics on AO3, making them the site's second most popular MCU ship.
When we all saw Jeff Goldblum's suave Grandmaster in Thor Ragnarok we knew he was into some pretty kinky sh*t. And with Loki by his side, we knew that some wild fanfics would be born. These two are truly perfect for each other.
Even before Loki came out as bisexual in his Disney+ show, fans were shipping him hard with Agent Mobius, the man tasked with keeping the god of mischief under control for the Time Variance Authority.
The two quippiest characters in the MCU are a super popular pairing among fans for their banter and their looks. The leader of the Avengers, Tony Stark, and their first greatest threat, Loki, are the ultimate rivals-to-lovers. Just imagine all the hate sex!
These two father-figures to Peter Parker have tons of chemistry when their arguing about the best way to stop Thanos in Infinity War and Endgame, and fans would love to see more of it! Just imagine them raising Peter together as a happy Avengers family.
The Science Bros! These two geniuses helped form the Avengers together, and as soon as they met, Tony was poking and prodding at Bruce to try to get reactions out of him. The two can bond over time travel theories, and the sweet love that they make together.
Who doesn’t love a little selfcest? MCU fans definitely do! These two identities share a body, and trauma, what could bring two people closer together than that? Maybe an adventure where they have to work together to save the world and travel to the Egyptian afterlife together is the one thing that can bring these two even closer.
In the trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder, Peter Quill, also known as Star Lord, and Thor, the God of Thunder had quite a moment together and fans immediately started shipping the two. In the movie, Star Lord explains to Thor that he needs to find the people he loves and who love him. Could Star Lord be that person?
This ship started in the comics, but fans love to imagine Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man and Ryan Reynolds interacting with each other. The straight-laced Peter and completely wild Deadpool make for quite the clash of personalities, and fans always love that.
