10 Huge Recurring Problems The MCU Needs To Solve

7. Pointless Romantic Subplots

MCU Problems
Marvel Studios

Female characters have generally been given short shrift in the MCU to date, and part of this is the inclusion of romantic subplots that serve virtually no purpose besides getting 'Lead Male Star' and 'Lead Female Star' to hook up.

The wholesome dynamic between Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter and Tony Stark's prickly double-act with Pepper Potts are the most well-developed relationships in the MCU, because the characters do the work and make it feel natural instead of just throwing two characters together for no other reason than to create a manufactured studio-mandated love interest.

Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, and Doctor Strange have all been guilty of this in one way or another, with the Black Widow/Hulk romance coming under particular fire from sections of the fanbase. Blockbuster action movies no longer need a damsel in distress or someone for the hero to fall in love with to sell themselves to audiences, and forcing tedious romances into the plot without any real explanation is just a lazy attempt at character development.

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