6 most disliked MCU couples, ranked
6. Bruce Banner (Hulk) and Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow)
Let's pretend we're enjoying a roller coaster ride at Marvel Theme Park - we're here for thrills, spills, and superhero chills. Then, out of nowhere, the ride takes an unexpected detour through the Tunnel of Awkward Romance. That's the Bruce Banner (Hulk) and Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) love story in a nutshell.
One minute, they're saving the world with their unique set of skills (smashing and spying, respectively), and the next, they're flirting in the middle of an alien invasion like teenagers at a high school dance. Fans were left scratching their heads, wondering if they missed a couple of episodes where these two went from work colleagues to potential lovebirds. This sudden romantic subplot felt as out of place as a penguin in the Sahara, lacking the slow-burn development usually savored in epic tales of love and heroism.
Then, as if someone hit the "Oops, never mind" button, the romance was practically shelved in the following films, making the whole affair seem like a dream sequence that everyone decided to forget. It's as though the Marvel Cinematic Universe had a brief fever dream and then woke up, slightly embarrassed, hoping nobody would bring it up at breakfast. This hit-and-run approach to making this pairing a thing left fans confused, with the Hulk and Black Widow's fleeting romance feeling more like a plot experiment than a meaningful narrative arc.
TL;DR - Instead of being a legendary pairing, they became the MCU's equivalent of that awkward couple at a party who everyone knows won't make it to dessert, let alone a sequel.