15 greatest Marvel Cinematic Universe rivalries

3. Iron Man, Captain America & Thor and Thanos

It started in The Avengers. Iron Man tossed a missile into Thanos’ portal and thwarted his plans. In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos got his payback.

First, he took down Thor with ease. Iron Man and a handful of heroes were next. Try as they might, Tony Stark and his team couldn’t beat Thanos. Stark got a chance to fight him 1-on-1 and barely made him bleed.

Then, Thanos made his way to Earth. He was met by Steve Rogers. Rogers gave all that he could, but it wasn’t enough. Lastly, was Thor with his new hammer Stormbreaker, a weapon powerful enough to take a full blast from the Infinity Gauntlet. Thor stabbed Thanos in the chest, but, as Thanos said, he should have gone for the head.

Thanos snapped his fingers and completed his goals. In Avengers: Endgame, it took going back in time and Tony Stark’s sacrifice to defeat the Mad Titan Thanos.

Thanos was easily the big threes’ most difficult challenge. They completed their goal, but look at what it cost them. Five years of feeling like failures, quitting the hero’s life, and depression so bad that it turned Thor into a recluse.

2. Thor and Loki

Loki and Thor were raised as equals in the eyes of Odin. Despite that, Loki always felt like he was treated unfairly. To Loki, Thor was Odin’s favorite.

If we’re being honest, Thor was a bit of a jerk when we first met him. It wasn’t until Odin humbled Thor by sending him to Earth (The first Thor movie) that he changed his ways. There’s no telling how Thor was to Loki before that.

In Thor, Loki went as far as to try to kill his brother, but no matter what Loki did, Thor still tried his best to have a loving relationship with his brother. In typical trickster fashion, Loki used that trust to try to get one over on Thor.

There isn’t a better rivalry. Without Loki being the phenomenal character he is, Thor’s movies would have flopped. These two together were absolutely brilliant. This is a rivalry that will stand the test of time.

1. Captain America and Iron Man

Some people may look at this and think their dissension started in Captain America: Civil War. However, this started way back in The Avengers and continued on until Avengers: Endgame.

When Thor snatched Loki out of the plane back in The Avengers, Cap wanted to plan and Iron Man wanted to attack. On the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Cap and Stark went at it again leading to the infamous  “Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” quote.

They had another disagreement while they were chopping wood in Avengers: Age of Ultron trying to regroup. Stark wanted to try something to end the need for Avengers and the fighting. Rogers, meanwhile, had a different stance noting, “Every time someone tries to end a war before it even starts, innocent people die.”

Of course, their fight in Captain America: Civil War is what split them apart, but they never really played well together. The only thing that Steve Rogers and Tony Stark have in common is that they’re both heroes.

They both want peace but go about it differently. Stark’s a futurist that wants to solve a problem before it happens. Steve Rogers believes in preparation, but he’s seen how Stark’s method is a slippery slope.

Watching Stark furiously rip the arc reactor off his chest and blame Rogers for Thanos hitting everyone in the heart. Stark was giving up and he blamed Rogers for not being there for him. What makes this even deeper is that despite their constant bickering, they really loved each other. This is why it hurt them both when they fought.

What has been your favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe rivalry from over the years? Keep the conversation going in the comments section below!