MCU adapted a secret recipe from comics to keep you coming back to the franchise. While fans love the action it promises, it’s the bickering between heroes that made the MCU movies & shows into blockbuster hits. These MCU bromances are all about two people who can’t stand each other, but also can’t live without each other.
That’s exactly why the internet lost its mind over the latest Spider-Man: Brand New Day potential bromance. Tom Holland recently teased the Peter Parker-Frank Castle dynamic, promising that the audience will leave the theaters wanting more of their on-screen pairing. Speaking to IGN Benelux, he shared, “Fans at the end of this movie are going to say, ‘Just give us more of that.'”
This new duo is the latest addition to the Marvel pairings with incredible chemistry. Here are the MCU’s ten best bromances, ranked by their pure chemistry.
10. Tony Stark & James Rhodes
Every great wildcard needs a straight man, and Colonel James Rhodes is the most patient straight man in the MCU. Tony Stark and Rhodey’s friendship is the bedrock kind. He is the guy who will bail you out of trouble, but rolls his eyes the entire time. You see it in Iron Man 2, when a drunk Tony trashes his own birthday party in the suit, and Rhodey suits up in the War Machine armor to physically stop him, muttering his way through it.
And Tony is there for Rhodey when the latter needs it. In Civil War, Rhodey is paralyzed, and Tony quietly engineers leg braces for him. Since it’s loyalty more than friction in this relationship, we don’t see a lot of chemistry between the two on-screen. Which is why it lands at the bottom of this list.
9. Loki & Mobius
The Loki series took the franchise’s best antihero and paired him with the calmest man. Owen Wilson’s Mobius, a mid-level bureaucrat with the TVA who loves jet skis, is the perfect foil for Tom Hiddleston‘s chaotic God of Mischief. Interestingly, Mobius is someone who can see through every con before Loki even runs it.
By the second season, they have become close friends and work towards preventing the disintegration of the sacred timeline. Their relationship brings significant changes to both characters. Mobius is the first person to treat Loki like he might actually be more than the worst version of himself. Their chemistry is popular enough to earn a place in this list, but not enough to rank higher up this list.
8. Stephen Strange & Wong
In Doctor Strange, Stephen Strange assumes Wong was a single name like Beyoncé, but Wong has no idea what Strange was talking about. A few scenes later, Wong is listening to Queen Bey’s hit number Single Ladies. It was the beginning of one of the MCU’s best slow-burn odd bromances. Their friendship is further built in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Their banter is fully reciprocal, and the power dynamic keeps shifting between them. Wong is initially Strange’s mentor, before he answers to him when the latter becomes the Sorcerer Supreme. By the second Doctor Strange movie, Wong becomes the Sorcerer Supreme. And this unique dynamic gets them a deserved eighth spot on this list.
7. Thor & Loki
Thor and Loki perhaps have the most history in this entire list. They were brothers who were rivals, before eventually mending their relationship. The good times between the brothers didn’t last as Thanos killed Loki in Infinity War. One of the most iconic scenes showing their incredible chemistry is the “Get Help!” facade in Thor: Ragnarok.
Thor’s deadpan snake story somewhat turns their troublesome childhood relationship into a funny gag. It’s ranked lower because it’s less a bromance than an eternal frenemy-ship. And we hope that the upcoming Avengers movies can provide a better closure for this relationship.
6. Rocket Raccoon & Groot
A talking raccoon and a tree who only says three words have one of the most moving relationships Marvel has ever made. Groot loyally follows Rocket, even sacrificing himself in the first GOTG film. When he cocoons the entire team with “We are Groot”, we see how he values his friendship with Rocket and the others.
When he returns as Baby Groot, suddenly, the cynical Rocket is a reluctant dad to him. They have a consistent relationship throughout the movies, which earns them a place above Thor and Loki on this list.
5. Spider-Man & Punisher
This is the only entry here ranked on anticipation rather than history. And Tom Holland is doing a great job at hyping it up. On paper, Peter Parker and Frank Castle shouldn’t work. Peter is the friendly neighborhood superhero, while Frank is the MCU’s most brutal vigilante. But somehow, this dynamic has already won over many fans.
The teaser of Spider-Man: Brand New Day has turned their mismatched personalities into the film’s most hyped element. In a scene, Holland’s Spidey webs Frank’s mouth shut when he is about to swear. Another clip from the movie’s trailer shows Peter turning to Frank for help in keeping MJ safe. Holland has already promised that fans will leave demanding more of this big brother-little brother rivalry, which puts it this high up in this list.
4. Sam Wilson & Bucky
Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are two men who would rather do literally anything than admit they’re friends. It starts with the funniest beat in Civil War, when Sam flatly refuses to move his car seat up and provide Bucky with any comfort. They continue their bickering throughout that movie, which earned them an entire series: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The series slowly builds the two men’s relationship with the silent staring contest and a comedic couples-therapy session courtesy of Zemo. They start off with their mutual irritation with each other. And they reach a point where Sam earns Cap’s shield with Bucky in his corner. It is a friendship arc done right, which is why it cracks the top 4 in this list.
3. Deadpool & Wolverine
While Sam & Bucky earned their show, Marvel just gave fans what they wanted with a bromance movie for Deadpool & Wolverine. The movie is two and a half hours of mutual loathing that eventually turns into a cozy friendship. They both get their redeeming moments in the movie with the help of each other, but not before a brutal brawl in a Honda Odyssey.
It ranks this high because the chemistry is almost uncomfortably electric. Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth and Hugh Jackman‘s grumpy superhero made for an excellent team-up. Add to it a group of misfit heroes, and Marvel got one of their best summer blockbusters with a franchise-rare R-rated movie.
2. Tony Stark & Steve Rogers
This is the relationship the entire Infinity Saga is built on. It opens hostile, as their first real meeting in The Avengers is a sneering contest. They immediately established that they are ideologically opposite. While their relationship gets better, this ideological difference eventually causes the civil war.
Tony begins as the futurist who defies the government but eventually becomes the man who trusts the institutions to keep a check on the Avengers. Steve begins as a soldier who eventually stops trusting the government. They mend their relationship only at the end. A decade of building up this relationship ranks it so high up in this list.
1. Steve Rogers & Bucky
Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes prove to be the gold standard for bromance in the MCU. It was the simplest start to an MCU friendship, as it began in a Brooklyn alley. Their friendship gets just enough amount of attention in The First Avenger that it really hurt fans when Steve lost Bucky. In The Winter Soldier, a brainwashed Bucky beat Steve nearly to death, and Steve’s response was to drop his shield and refuse to fight back.
In Civil War, Steve gives up the Avengers, the shield, and his friendship with Tony so that he can protect his oldest friend. It tops the list because it’s a bromance that anchored many storylines in the Infinity Saga and beyond. Steve burns down everything he’s built just to bring Bucky home. That’s the heart the whole franchise is measured against.
| Ranking | MCU Bromances | Actors |
| 1 | Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes | Chris Evans & Sebastian Stan |
| 2 | Tony Stark & Steve Rogers | Robert Downey Jr. & Chris Evans |
| 3 | Deadpool & Wolverine | Ryan Reynolds & Hugh Jackman |
| 4 | Sam Wilson & Bucky Barnes | Anthony Mackie & Sebastian Stan |
| 5 | Spider-Man & Punisher | Tom Holland & Jon Bernthal |
| 6 | Rocket Raccoon & Groot | Bradley Cooper & Vin Diesel |
| 7 | Thor & Loki | Chris Hemsworth & Tom Hiddleston |
| 8 | Stephen Strange & Wong | Benedict Cumberbatch & Benedict Wong |
| 9 | Loki & Mobius | Tom Hiddleston & Owen Wilson |
| 10 | Tony Stark & James Rhodes | Robert Downey Jr. & Don Cheadle |
What do you think of these friendships in the MCU? Let us know in the comments below!
All the movies & shows mentioned are available for streaming on Disney+. Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released on July 31, 2026.
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