When Marvel Comics fans think of the Avengers, the last thing they likely consider is their dating life. However, given the long-form nature of comic book storytelling, it’s fitting that the Avengers’ many relationships would be chronicled along with their superheroing exploits, including the pairings that seemingly make no sense at all.
While there’s of course the classic flings that even the most casual Marvel fan is aware of, like Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter or Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, there are also more unusual ones that will leave fans either bewildered upon hearing about them, or just downright uncomfortable. Here are the Top 10 most shocking Avengers romances that nobody saw coming.
10 Captain America & Wasp
This seemingly odd-pairing only occurred in the Ultimate Universe, stemming from a bout of violence that was shown in Ultimates #9 by Mark Miller and Bryan Hitch. Like in Earth-616, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne were married in the Ultimate Universe, but their relationship ended in abuse and heartbreak. Hank physically abused Janet, and when Captain America found out, he tracked Hank down and beat him to a bloody pulp, effectively firing him from the Ultimates upon doing so. While Janet was initially furious, she and Steve eventually grew close as a result, even if their relationship did prove to be incredibly short-lived.
9 Elektra & the Punisher
More often than not, Elektra is portrayed as the love interest of Matt Murdock aka Daredevil, but he would always judge her for the way she handled the villains she faced (ie, murder). So, Elektra found someone who was a bit more like-minded: Frank Castle aka the Punisher. This romance was revealed in Thunderbolts #7 by Daniel Way and Phil Noto, though it was ultimately doomed to fail. Sure, they bonded over their attraction to killing those who deserve it (and even exchanged macabre gifts, like the bronzed heart of a dead mob boss), but in the end, they were both too uncompromising in their respective ‘codes’, and far too emotionally closed-off to have a lasting relationship.
8 Rogue & Sentry
As alluded to in the one-shot Sentry: Fallen Sun by Paul Jenkins and Tom Raney, Rogue and Sentry engaged in a romantic relationship, one with a love language of physical touch. Given her mutation, Rogue can’t touch anyone without absorbing their life force. This level of isolation was incredibly hard on Rogue, but as revealed in this one-shot, she found comfort in Sentry, who would embrace Rogue when no one else could. This wasn’t a long-time romance by any means, and was arguably even a romance at all, but the connection they had was meaningful and genuine, no matter how short-lived (or surprising) it was.
7 Scarlet Witch & Doctor Doom
In hindsight, this pairing actually makes way more sense than it might on the surface, despite being initially shocking. Both Scarlet Witch and Doctor Doom are powerful magic-users with similar childhoods and links to the darker sides of sorcery, who have the best intentions for those they love, and who are uncompromising in the face of those who would defy them. Both fought side-by-side with the most prominent Marvel superheroes, and both acted as those heroes' ultimate enemies on other occasions. In fact, it was after the events of House of M that Wanda entered into this relationship with Victor, as revealed in Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #3 by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung. Sure, it didn’t last long, but Doctor Doom was probably the only person who could relate to Scarlet Witch on literally every level at that point in her life, making their relationship way less strange than it immediately seemed.
6 Wasp & Hawkeye
As shown in the opening pages of Avengers #83 by Chuck Austen and Scott Kolins, Hawkeye and Wasp had a bit of a fling after she split with Hank Pym following years of his verbal and physical abuse. These two never really showed any kind of chemistry in the past, making this pairing feel a bit out of nowhere - but that was sort of the point. Janet wasn’t looking for anything too serious with Hawkeye, she and Clint were just having some fun together. There were real feelings involved to a certain degree, but this was just a classic case of two people who work closely together and find each other attractive, deciding to enjoy each other’s company in a more physical/sexual way.
5 Scarlet Witch & Captain America
While this short-lived relationship feels weird for a number of reasons, it’s actually one that had been building in Marvel Comics for decades up until this point. Captain America and Scarlet Witch enter into a brief romance leading up to the events of Avengers: Disassembled (as revealed in Captain America and the Falcon #9 by Christopher Priest and Joe Bennett). Interestingly enough, Scarlet Witch actually expressed her attraction to Captain America all the way back in Avengers #23 by Stan Lee and Don Heck. In that issue, Captain America left the team, and Wanda started crying while thinking about how much she’d miss watching him work out in the gym, while also commenting on how handsome she found him. Given that Scarlet Witch joined the team in Avengers #16, it’s fair to say that she’d been thinking about getting physical with Captain America since the start, and finally did so many years later.
4 Iron Man & Wasp
These two love-birds didn’t just try to make a relationship work once, but twice. The first time Tony Stark and Janet Van Dyne got together in Avengers #224 (by Jim Shooter, Alan Zelenetz, and Mark Bright), it was after Janet’s marriage to Hank Pym fell apart, and Tony became the person Janet found romantic comfort with. However, their relationship wasn’t the best at that time, with one of the main reasons being Janet didn’t know Tony was Iron Man. However, the two decided to give it another shot in Tony Stark: Iron Man #4 by Dan Slott and Valerio Schiti. While things didn’t work out any better that time, it’s clear there’s a spark between these two that is undeniable.
3 Tigra & Hank Pym(‘s Skrull Doppelganger)
From the days of West Coast Avengers to the time of the 50 States Initiative, Marvel Comics fans were convinced that Hank Pym was in a relationship with Tigra, with the two of them even having a child together named William (who made his first appearance in Avengers: Initiative #35 by Christos N. Gage and Jorge Molina). However, it turned out that it wasn’t Hank Pym at all, but a Skrull doppelganger. Then, to make matters more confusing, it was revealed that it wasn’t a Skrull pretending to be Hank Pym, but the clone of the Skrull named Criti Noll. In this instance, it’s not the fact that Hank Pym was in a relationship with Tigra, but that he wasn’t in a relationship with Tigra, and that it was instead a Skrull - who was the clone of another Skrull.
2 Hank Pym’s Wasp & Jocasta
Jocasta was originally created by Hank Pym to be the bride of Ultron, with Janet Van Dyne’s mind effectively copied within Jocasta to make the android that much more authentic - which is why it’s so weird that Pym entered into a relationship with Jocasta himself. After the events of Secret Invasion (by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu), Janet disappeared, and Hank took up the mantle of the Wasp in her honor. However, he must not have been too heartbroken, as he quickly became romantically entangled with the sentient synthetic to whom he gave life. The incestuous undertones weren’t lost on readers (especially given Jocasta shares her name with the mother in Oedipus Rex), making this romance less than a fan-favorite.
1 Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch
If fans thought the relationship between Hank and Jocasta was bad, wait until they hear about this one. In the Ultimate Universe, it’s more than implied that Quicksilver was romantically involved with his sister Scarlet Witch. From the Wasp dropping hints about the true nature of their relationship to Captain America, to a panel in the Ultimates 3 comic series (by Jeph Loeb and Joe Madureira) that heavily insinuated a lover’s romance between the two siblings through the use of silhouette and strategically-placed narration boxes. This is one of those things that no one asked for, and thankfully only happened in a universe that was entirely obliterated not long after this utterly shocking reveal.
While it is only natural for people who work together (or even battle each other) so frequently would want to explore a more romantic or sexual relationship - especially amid the relatively small superhero/villain/antihero community - some of these pairings are unarguably odd (and that last one’s just uncomfortable). For that reason, these are the Top 10 most shocking Avengers romances that nobody saw coming.