This article contains spoilers for Marvel’s What If…? season 3.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t always been the best at incorporating romance into its greater, overarching story.
Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) were one of the first MCU couples to become official, but we didn’t get to see much of them together before Tony died. The most we’ve seen of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Jane’s (Natalie Portman) love affair is a montage at the beginning of Thor: Love and Thunder, and now Jane is dead as well. WandaVision is the closest the MCU has come so far to giving us a full romantic arc in live action, and yet Wanda Maximoff and The Vision’s tale still ends in tragedy. That’s why the season 3 episode of Marvel’s What If…?, “Howard the Duck Got Hitched,” was such an unexpected breath of fresh air for romance in the MCU … and in hindsight, may even represent the MCU’s best romance.
This episode has a wild premise – in this universe Marvel oddity Howard the Duck (Seth Green) and Thor’s Darcy (Kat Dennings) end up falling in love, getting married, and having a kid after meeting at one of Party Thor’s ragers. And it just so happens that their kid is one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse. At first glance, you might not think that a relationship built on half-priced nachos and a Vegas wedding would be the MCU’s strongest, and yet Darcy and Howard somehow manage to woo us all in a mere 30 minutes.
Howard and Darcy’s relationship isn’t without its own trials and tribulations. Because their child is destined to be one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, there are many who want to claim this kid’s power for their own – from the mystical worshippers of Dormammu to the Grandmaster to Zeus himself. As more and more groups, nefarious and otherwise, put Howard and Darcy’s egg in their crosshairs, the couple finds themselves on a journey across the galaxy to save their child.
This is the kind of stress that can make or break a relationship. Other relationships have crumbled under a lot less. But despite the cards being stacked against them, Howard and Darcy’s love for each other and their child prevails in the end.
Darcy and Howard are one of the few MCU love stories to get a happy ending. Just when it seems like they’re about to be overwhelmed, the power of love and song (specifically “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” by KISS) awakens their child and its powers, wiping out all of their adversaries. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. decides that the child is better off growing up with its loving parents than in their custody.
Strange as it may sound, this episode is truly one of the best love stories the MCU has told in a long time, and I say that as a die-hard WandaVision fan. It’s nice to see a couple of goofballs find each other, and keep each other, despite the multiverse’s plans for their child. The premise of this episode is admittedly goofy, but somehow manages to come off as incredibly sincere and heartwarming.
We need more of Howard and Darcy, or at the very least relationships like theirs, in the MCU. Steve (Chris Evans) and Peggy (Hayley Atwell) are one of the few other couples who have gotten a happy ending to their romance, and that’s only because of time travel. Just because these heroes are risking their lives to save the world, or multiple worlds in some cases, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a little romance in their lives. Howard and Darcy are the perfect example of how a more lighthearted romance can be a part of the MCU and still be taken seriously.
The post The Best Marvel Cinematic Universe Romance Isn’t What You Think appeared first on Den of Geek.
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