One of the MCU's best romances since Tony Stark and Pepper Potts just returned in Phase 6. While Marvel has more than its fair share of heartfelt relationships across its 18-year history, a handful stand out more than others to fans. This continues to be the case as the Multiverse Saga progresses, with only a few of those relationships having a major impact on their respective stories.
Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again rekindled the relationship between Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page. This romance was a major part of the season's plot, starting as early as Episode 1, when Matt and Karen trained together and shared their first kiss since the original Daredevil series on Netflix.
Woll played a minor role as Karen Page in Born Again Season 1, appearing in only the first and last episodes and being completely absent the rest of the season. During this time, Matt struck up a close relationship with Margarita Levieva's Heather Glenn after being set up by Nikki M. James' Kirsten McDuffie.
After Matt and Heather separated, Karen came back into Matt's life, and they were able to patch things up and get back together. Matt even helped Karen train in combat techniques as they worked to protect Hell's Kitchen from tyrannical mayor Wilson Fisk. By the end of the season, Karen showed unwavering support for Matt in his fight against Fisk, helping take down the mayor before Matt was taken to prison for his actions as Daredevil.
Many believe this to be the best-developed relationship in the MCU since the franchise's first romance between Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark and Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts. While they did not get together until the end of Iron Man 2, they went through a few ups and downs and eventually got married before Tony's tragic sacrifice in 2019's Avengers: Endgame.
Also on the list of great romances in the MCU is Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Zendaya's MJ, who started their relationship in 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home. While the two actors are now officially married in real life, their relationship took a dramatic turn at the end of 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home when the world forgot about Peter Parker's existence. Both will return in 2026's Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as Peter looks to help MJ remember who he is.
2024's Agatha All Along revealed a wild romance between Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness and Aubrey Plaza's Rio Vidal, who was later revealed to be Death. The tension between them was palpable from their first meeting in the series, with the show highlighting a tragic romance complicated by Rio's status as Death, especially after Agatha lost her son, Nicholas Scratch.
Elsewhere in the MCU, one of the other most notable relationships from the last 10 years is the one between Paul Bettany's Vision and Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff. Highlighted most in their solo series, WandaVision, the two delivered one of the most tragic romances in MCU history, considering WandaVision took place after Vision was killed off in Avengers: Infinity War and Wanda was seemingly taken out in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Most recently in the movies, Phase 6 delivered one of the most notable relationships from Marvel Comics: Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards and Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Already married and preparing to become parents at the start of the movie, these two epitomized a loving, healthy relationship as they navigated the impact of their powers and the changing world around them.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is the MCU's second live-action release of 2026 on Disney+. Led by Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Deborah Ann Woll, the show picks up with Daredevil assembling a team to fight Wilson Fisk after the Mayor of New York put the city under martial law. Both seasons of Daredevil: Born Again, along with the other aforementioned projects, are streaming on Disney+.
What To Expect from Matt and Karen's Relationship
Looking ahead, Matt and Karen's relationship is sure to face more trials and tribulations as the show moves into Season 3 next year. Matt will be working to get out of jail at the start of the season, leaving Karen behind and answering for his actions as Daredevil.
Meanwhile, Karen's specific plotline remains a mystery, even though Woll has been confirmed to be back after returning in The Punisher: One Last Kill. She could work with allies like Kirsten McDuffie to help get Matt out of incarceration at the start of the season, and she is likely to continue her physical training on her own after taking out a couple of Task Force officers in the Season 2 finale.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is currently in production. While story details remain under wraps, set photos teased the return of Mike Colter's Luke Cage and Finn Jones' Danny Rand, while showing Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin seemingly on the street and trying to survive. As fans wait for more details to be revealed, Karen and Matt's status is sure to be a major question mark.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
