The soundtrack for the most recent MCU movie The Eternals by taking on the role of Starfox, fans started thinking about the possibility of him using his musical talent in any movies.
Even though romance is not the central theme for most of these movies, the MCU still has an abundance of iconic ships that fans love to root for. Between fighting extraterrestrial wars and saving the world, these heroes still have time for love and their relationships can easily reflect the lyrics of a lot of One Direction songs.
Wanda & Vision: "Illusion"
"You're the truth I can't explain, you're the only one I see / It's not an illusion to me."
As Wanda and Vision didn't exactly get the happy ending they deserved in the MCU movies, Wanda decided to take matters into her own hands and created their happily ever after herself in WandaVision. Her self-made utopia in Westview had everything they could possibly need to be happy. But despite the fact that it wasn't real, it was real enough for her as she enjoyed her life there.
The song "Illusion" is about a relationship that is so good, that it feels like magic and the relationship between Wanda and Vision in the show was exactly like that. Their life in Westview wasn't an illusion for Wanda and that parallels the song. Meanwhile, their iconic line to each other "I only feel you" perfectly matches the lyrics "you're the only one I see."
Sersi & Ikaris: Spaces
"Who's gonna be the first to say goodbye? / Who's gonna be the first to fly away? / Forgetting every single promise we ever made."
Sersi and Ikaris, as well as the rest of the Eternals, have only appeared in one Marvel movie so far, but it was enough for them to gain fans' attention as they were among The Eternals' most likable characters.
The song "Spaces" is about the metaphorical space between two people as their relationship begins to wither and the two of them drift apart. This fits Ikaris and Sersi's dynamic perfectly, as they got separated after spending several lifetimes together. In the song, the band is asking which one will be the first to leave. But in this couple's case, the answer was pretty obvious as Ikaris chose to fly into the sun instead of trying to fix his relationship.
Natasha & Bruce: "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?"
"Shadows come with the pain that you're running from / Love was something you never heard enough."
Natasha and Bruce had a sweet relationship during Avengers: Age of Ultron but it hasn't really developed into anything more in later movies. However, they had a lot in common, and they understood each other very well. In the past before ing the Avengers, neither of them was able to form or maintain a good relationship as their lifestyles were always getting in the way.
"Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" is about trying to fix past mistakes and that's essentially what Natasha and Bruce were trying to achieve with their superhero careers.
Tony & Pepper: History
"You and me got a whole lot of history / We could be the greatest team that the world has ever seen."
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts have the oldest and probably the strongest relationship in the MCU as they go way back. From the very first Iron Man movie that started it all to the end of Phase 3 when Tony sacrificed himself, he and Pepper were the couple with the best chemistry in the MCU.
After years of being together, they tied the knot and had a child together, so it's fair to say that they do have a lot of history. This is exactly the type of relationship One Direction are talking about in "History," as they mention how the relationship is always able to make it through everything life throws at them.
Steve & Peggy: End Of The Day
"You love who you love, there ain't no other way / If there's something I've learned from a million mistakes / You're the one that I want at the end of the day."
Fans were conflicted about Steve's decision to go back in time to be with Peggy at the end of one of the best character exits in the MCU.
The song is about someone itting to themselves that the relationship they have is all they ever wanted and that they can't change how they feel, so they should just follow their hearts. Steve had the same sentiment when he chose to go back in time, as he realized that he never got over Peggy and he still wanted to be with her.
Peter & MJ: Night Changes
"Does it ever drive you crazy / Just how fast the night changes?"
From strangers to friends, then lovers, and then strangers again, Peter and MJ's relationship has been a rollercoaster. In the song, the band is pointing out how bizarre it feels to look back at the start of a relationship and see how much they changed as individuals and as a couple.
Much like Peter and MJ's relationship in Spider-Man: No Way Home, a lot can change in one night and, in "Night Changes," the band points out that no matter how many changes happen, their feelings will remain the same. The end of the movie saw them moving from being in love to MJ not even ing who Peter was, but he was still in love with her which is what made their separation so heartbreaking.
Peter & Gamora: "Something Great"
"The script was written and I could not change a thing / I want to rip it all to shreds and start again."
As Peter and Gamora were coming from very different backgrounds, a romance between them seemed unlikely at the beginning but they soon developed a relationship that could only be described as "something great." They had a lot of chemistry and love, but their relationship was cut short by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War when he sacrificed Gamora's life.
This song could be interpreted as coming from Peter's perspective as it describes the feeling of missing their significant other and wishing they could change the things that separated them. The lyrics "I want you here with me like how I pictured it" could be interpreted as Peter mourning her death and feeling her absence as he had imagined the Guardians being all together for a lot longer. Gamora, as he knew her, is gone while Gamora in Avengers: Endgame comes from a different timeline and doesn't even know who Peter is, so a new relationship between them would have to start from the beginning again.
Scott & Hope: "Nobody Compares"
"Did I do something stupid? / Hey girl if I blew it, tell me what I did, let's work through it / There's gotta be some way to get you to want me like before."
Hope and Scott have undeniable chemistry and their differences only make them better together as they seem to complete each other in many ways. But after the events of Captain America: Civil War where Scott's participation turned Hope and her dad into fugitives, their relationship became complicated.
A big part of Antman and The Wasp was about Scott's endeavors to earn Hope's forgiveness as well as to regain her trust. In the same way, in "Nobody Compares" the singer realizes that nothing could compare to the connection he has with his partner so he's trying to work through his mistakes and save his relationship.
Stephen & Christine: Once In A Lifetime
"Somehow, it feels like nothing has changed / Right now, my heart is beating the same."
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness saw Christine getting married to someone else and Stephen halfheartedly attended the wedding while trying to ignore that he still had feelings for her.
In "Once In A Lifetime" One Direction reminisce about a past relationship that was so perfect and unique that the singer doesn’t think they will ever have another one like it, and they regret letting it end. In the same way, for Stephen, Christine was the one that got away as he regrets losing her and still wishes they could be together.
Thor & Jane: Right Now
"I know that we won't be going home for so long / Right now, I wish you were here with me."
It seems like Thor can never catch a break in the MCU. He has experienced more loss than anyone else in the franchise as he lost both his parents, his brother Loki (multiple times), his friends, his coworkers, his home, and now he can add his girlfriend's name on the list too.
In "Right Now" the band is expressing how they are longing for their partners to be there with them even though they know that it's impossible. In the same way, Thor and Jane's relationship could be defined by their longing to be together again, as Thor always had to leave her behind and go back to Asgard, so they didn't develop much as a couple in the first two movies. The two of them saw each other again in the most recent MCU movie Thor: Love & Thunder, but their reunion was cut short by Jane's abrupt death. But even then, the song can still apply to them from Thor's perspective as he is wishing that Jane could have survived.
