Great MCU Team-Ups
Oct 12, 2023
THE MARVELS opens November 10th
Nothing makes a comic book movie more exciting than seeing two or more beloved superheroes join forces. This is what takes place in THE MARVELS – Nia DaCosta’s sequel to 2019’s CAPTAIN MARVEL, and one of many highly anticipated, upcoming movies directed by women – when Carol Danvers (Academy Award® winner Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Kamala “Ms. Marvel” Khan (Iman Vellani) find themselves mysteriously linked to one another.
For die-hard fans of the franchise, it should go without saying that the 33rd installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – which is set to open in AMC Theatres on November 10th – is just one of many that depicts an epic character alliance. We are not just talking about the stellar crossover events that are the AVENGERS movies, either. In honor of THE MARVELS, let’s take a look back at some of our favorite MCU team-ups from over the years.
Captain Marvel was still known as Vers and unaware her real name was Carol Danvers when she found herself stranded on Earth in 1995. The only one she could turn to in order to figure out how to get “home” and uncover her true identity was Agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).
CAPTAIN MARVEL is not just the story of the title character fulfilling her destiny, but also of a very green Fury’s first step toward becoming S.H.I.E.L.D.'s imposing director. Their pairing was not only beneficial to each other’s growth, but sparked the beginning of superheroism in the MCU as we know it, canonically speaking.
Some of the more oft-referenced MCU pairings may include Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) with Bucky (Sebastian Stan) or Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) with Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). However, the time Captain America and Black Widow teamed up in 2014’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER was equally iconic.
Cap and “Nat’s” impeccable skills in hand-to-hand combat and differing confrontational styles are one thing, but what really makes the duo so memorable is their friendly banter. Seeing Nat’s intrusion on Steve’s love life occasionally pour into their work life leads to some of the MCU’s most hilarious moments.
Few MCU movies are quite as funny, however, as THOR: RAGNAROK. Not only did director Taika Waititi’s 2017 Marvel movie redefine Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder, but it also saw the character lead a pretty unlikely foursome.
Collectively known as “the Revengers,” Thor, his old “friend from work,” Bruce “Hulk” Banner (Mark Ruffalo); his new friend, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson); and mischievous adopted brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), band together to escape Sakaar and save Asgard from Hela (Cate Blanchett). Their banter – a lot of which came from the cast going off script – is also the stuff of hilarious legend.
We first saw Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) take Peter Parker (Tom Holland) under his wing when he recruited him for his team in 2016’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. The following year’s SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING expanded on their mentor-mentee dynamic in profound ways. However, the peak of their relationship could be found in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR.
The tech billionaire and tech prodigy’s screen time together in this blockbuster – in which Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) plan to balance the universe goes into fruition – invokes a broad range of emotions. We laugh when Iron Man inducts Spider-Man into the team with a pat on each shoulder, but we gasp in shock and tear up in grief when Peter succumbs to the Decimation and turns to dust in Tony’s arms.
When the animated hit SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE paired Miles Morales with web slingers from other realities, fans begged for the chance to see the MCU try that idea in live-action by putting Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield in one movie. Their wish was granted in 2021 with the release of SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, which also saw the return of classic villains like Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock or Jamie Foxx as Electro.
The three Peters are, initially, bewildered to bump into alternate versions of one another, but they come to form a brotherly bond for the ages. The team-up even gives the legacy Spider-Men the chance to make up for past mistakes – Garfield’s Peter saves MJ (Zendaya) the way he wishes he could have saved Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) – and Maguire’s Peter reconnects with Otto Octavius and Norman Osborne (Willem Dafoe) under more favorable circumstances.
It was bittersweet to see Shuri actor Letitia Wright take over as the lead of BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER following the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman, who played her brother, T’Challa. After the princess assumes the responsibility of protecting her country in the 2022 sequel, Shuri makes a new friend who also proves to be a worthy ally named Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne).
Seeing these two young tech prodigies bond over their mutual admiration and skill in cutting edge invention is one of the most endearing aspects of WAKANDA FOREVER. Their kinship leads to an explosive finale when Riri joins the war against Namor with a suit of her own design as Ironheart.
We hope to see many more awesome team-ups in the MCU like these, following the collaboration of Carol, Monica, and Kamala in THE MARVELS. See them in action together when the sequel comes to an AMC Theatres location near you!
THE MARVELS opens November 10th
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