Most superhero media draws a clear line between superheroes and supervillains. The good guys spend their days thwarting the bad guys' plans, ensuring the public's safety. Sure, there's room for redemption now and again, but the core of the story almost always remains the same. The only time there's ever room for change is when a bigger and badder threat arrives, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) knows all about those.
On more than a few occasions, the MCU has forced former enemies to bury the hatchet and work together for a common goal. The latest instance of the practice comes in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, where Bullseye saves the titular character's life during a run-in with Wilson Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Task Force in Episode 1, "The Northern Star."
How the dynamic between the two characters unfolds remains to be seen, as Bullseye doesn't seem ready to abandon his malicious attitude. However, if past examples are any indication, their reluctant partnership may end in tragedy.
MCU Heroes & Villains That Have Worked Together
Thor & Loki
Asgard's king, Odin, always favored his firstborn son, Thor, over his youngest son, Loki. Always getting the short end of the stick didn't sit right with the God of Mischief, so he conspired with the Frost Giants to overthrow his father and seize power. Thor got in the way of those plans and did it again when his brother invaded Earth in The Avengers.
Time in an Asgardian prison did Loki good, leaving him a new man, still mischievous but willing to help his family in times of need. The God of Thunder wouldn't have been able to save the people of Asgard in Thor: Ragnarok without his brother, who showed up with a rescue ship just in the nick of time. Unfortunately, Loki's past caught up with him in Avengers: Infinity War, when Thanos took his life after a failed assassination attempt.
Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes & Baron Zemo
It took a long time for Sam Wilson to warm up to Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers' childhood best friend, who spent decades as HYDRA's secret weapon. Once the two heroes got to know each other, though, they realized they could be a great team, one worthy of keeping Captain America's legacy alive.
The duo's hardest mission came in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, when they took on the Flag Smashers, a group of freedom fighters with plenty of super soldier serum in their bodies. To even the playing field, they broke Baron Zemo, the man responsible for tearing the Avengers apart, out of prison, hoping to learn more about what they were up against. Of course, things went south, but there was a moment there when Zemo seemed like he was coming around.
The Guardians of the Galaxy & Nebula
Thanos raised his daughters, Nebula and Gamora, to be ruthless. But Gamora didn't take to the Mad Titan's parenting style, so when she saw an opportunity to betray him, she took it, linking up with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Nebula didn't appreciate the betrayal and remained a thorn in the team's side for nearly two full movies.
By the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Nebula was starting to see the error of her ways. She helped her sister defeat Ego and then set her sights on her father. Once he was out of the picture and Gamora was gone, Nebula honored her sister the only way she knew how: by becoming a member of the Guardians and protecting the innocent.
Spider-Man & Doctor Octopus
Peter Parker and Otto Octavius' rivalry predates the MCU by a few years. In Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2, four mechanical tentacles corrupted Otto, turning him into a villain bent on harnessing the power of the sun. Peter threw on his suit and helped his former mentor see the light again. However, the victory was short-lived because Otto lost his life while destroying the machine.
Despite getting a dramatic send-off, Otto returned in Spider-Man: No Way Home after the MCU's Peter screwed up Doctor Strange's spell and angered the multiverse. The version of Peter that Doctor Octopus knew and loved also ended up in the wrong universe, where the two had an emotional reunion and took on a few bad guys together. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to two titans of the genre.
Ant-Man & MODOK
Scott Lang didn't think he was cut out to be a hero when Hank Pym recruited him in Ant-Man. But seeing his daughter, Cassie, in harm's way changed everything for Scott, who mastered his shrinking abilities and got the better of Darren Cross/ Yellowjacket. While the CEO of Cross Technologies was seemingly killed when his suit crushed him, that wasn't the end of his story.
A villain known as MODOK terrorized Scott and Cassie in the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. He wore a mask that concealed his identity, but he eventually revealed himself as Darren, deformed after his fight with Scott. Even while holding a grudge, Darren switched teams during Quantumania's final battle, helping defeat Kang and losing his life in the process.
