6 Best Unlikely Duos In The MCU

Despite many fans admitting to low expectations due to limited marketing and the full series dropping at once, Marvel's Wonder Man has proven a surprise hit. Wonder Man's success has largely been credited to the chemistry between the leads, Yahya Abdul-Mateen as Simon Williams and Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery. Much of the series chronicles the unlikely friendship that builds between the two as they seek roles in the next big Hollywood film.

Simon and Trevor are far from the first unlikely duo to emerge in a Marvel project. With an ever growing world and cast, it is common for the MCU to stumble upon some pairings that seem unusual on the surface, but strangely work out. Let's look at some of the best unlikely duos in the MCU.

1. Clint Barton and Wanda Maximoff

At first glance, no-one would have thought that Clint Barton and Wanda Maximoff, aka the Avenger's badass normal archer and a genetically enhanced superhuman fighting for the opposite side, would become friends.. especially not when their first interaction in Avengers: Age of Ultron involves Clint slamming an electrified arrow into Wanda's head.

However, Clint is a Dad, and a conversation with his Wife, Laura, hints that he sees Wanda and her twin brother Pietro as troubled children. During the final battle, prior to which the Maximoff twins defected to the side of the Avengers, Clint and Wanda briefly take refuge together in an abandoned building, and Clint both encourages and comforts a distressed Wanda, leading to one of the most iconic moments in the MCU.

"You stay here, you're good, I'll send your brother to come find you. But if you step out that door, you're an Avenger."

A bond is formed between the two that carries through to future films. In Captain America: Civil War, Clint springs Wanda from her confinement within the Avengers compound, and in Avengers: Endgame, the pair share a moment of quiet grief over the losses of Natasha and Vision, when everyone else seems focused on mourning Tony. A few quotes scattered throughout the films suggest that Clint feels responsible for Wanda after Pietro's death.

Their connection is at least partially lifted from the comics. In the alternate reality created by the Scarlet Witch in the House of M comic, Clint, who had earlier been killed in Avengers Disassembled, is alive. When Wanda eventually restores the world to status quo, she doesn't reverse Clint's 'resurrection'. In return, when he learns of the amnesiac Wanda living a quiet life in a small town sometime after House of M, he chooses not to expose her location.

2. Drax and Mantis

When Ego's assistant, the initially quiet, unassuming, socially awkward Mantis, is first introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, she and the Guardians' goofy brawler, Drax the Destroyer, are not an obvious duo. However, Drax is quite socially inept himself, and so is not turned off by Mantis's awkward behaviours. They form a bond that endures beyond Vol.2.

While not a clear pair on the surface, Mantis and Drax match each other's weird in a rather adorable way. Drax even becomes Mantis's confidant, being the only one she tells that Ego was her Father, making her Peter Quill's half-sister, prior to the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

Their connection receives another layer via a few subtle implications that Mantis reminds Drax of his late daughter, Kamaria, which explains why Drax is sometimes protective of Mantis, even in situations where she can clearly handle herself.

3. Loki and Mobius

Loki, as we all know, is a God of Mischief who more than lives up to the name, with his many variants being o ne of the greatest sources of trouble for the Time Variance Authority. With this in mind, Mobius M. Mobius, straitlaced TVA Agent and Loki's handler during his enforced service with the TVA, is probably the last person you would expect to become Loki's best friend. And yet, over the course of the two seasons of Loki, that is exactly what happens.

Through his time with Loki, Mobius gains the courage to ask more questions about the true function of the TVA and eventually, his life before it. In Mobius, Loki gains a true friend, one that is truly his own, for perhaps the first time.

This initial bond eases Loki's path to making more friends, with his love and desire to protect these friends driving his eventual decision to take the throne as the God of Stories/Protector of the Multiverse. It was a meaningful, powerful conclusion to Loki's arc in the series, and it all started with Mobius.

4. Agatha Harkness and Billy Maximoff/William Kaplan

Considering the fact that she once kidnapped him and tried to kill his Mother, anyone would be forgiven for thinking that the reincarnated Billy Maximoff, also now known as William Kaplan, would want nothing to do with covenless witch Agatha Harkness. And yet, the miniseries Agatha All Along is built around their unlikely friendship.

The pair can never entirely trust each other, especially not after Billy’s identity is revealed part way through the series, but they must rely on each other to pass the trials of the Witches’ Road. Against the odds and despite their mistrust, some level of affection builds between the two, at least partially because the innately good Billy reminds Agatha of the innocence of her late son, Nicholas Scratch.

The series ends with Billy and Agatha’s ghost about to embark on a quest to find Billy’s recently resurrected twin brother, Tommy. Many fans are eager to find out where this journey will take them.

5. Yelena Belova and Bob Reynolds

Not for the first time in the MCU, Thunderbolts* tells the story of a group of misfits who, against the odds, come together as a team/family. Of all the unlikely connections built in the film, the most unusual, at surface value, is the bond that almost immediately forms between Black Widow assassin Yelena Belova, and Bob Reynolds, a troubled recovering addict and lab rat.

Yelena and Bob, as it turns out, share similar dark pasts and mental health issues. She understands Bob on a level that most fail to achieve. For this reason, when Bob's superpowered dark side, The Void, emerges and begins wreaking havoc on New York, it is Yelena who is first able to reach Bob and convince him to escape his darkness.

Fans are eager to see what awaits the characters in their next planned appearance in Avengers: Doomsday.

6. Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery

This brings us to our last, and most recent, MCU unlikely duo. Wonder Man's series synopsis describes Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery as two actors at opposite ends of their careers, but that is not the only difference between them. While Simon overthinks and struggles to make friends, Trevor is more able to go with the flow, and while his charm draws others, his past addiction issues and controversial role as The Mandarin keeps him from making real friends.

In the end, the seemingly mismatched duo bond over their shared love of acting. While their connection is briefly shaken by the reveal that Trevor is spying on the secretly superpowered Simon for Damage Control, their friendship is saved when Trevor becomes The Mandarin again, taking the blame for an explosion Simon accidentally caused.

With the large cast of Avengers: Doomsday, we're sure to get a few more unexpected pairings. It will be exciting to see where things go next.