When Taylor Swift first started sharing her bedroom songwriting with the world in 2006, Marvel movies were far, far, from being what they eventually became — but then again, so was Taylor.
You could say the brand and the pop star enjoyed a parallel ascent, and while their paths never really crossed (soon, they might), they have always been two sides of the same effervescent and endlessly contentious American pop culture coin. The mark of any truly impactful cultural footprint: You either hate them or you love them, there’s no in-between.
To this day, Swifties regularly quote the iconic tweet from 2019, “Since y’all wanna be assholes for Taylor. Iron man dies in endgame [SIC].” And who could forget that time Taylor borrowed Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool costume for Halloween (a premonition if we’ve ever seen one)? The MCU and the “Cruel Summer” singer have always been destined to meet, we’re just speeding up the process.
Here are 27 Marvel characters matched to sheer perfection to their Taylor Swift song.
Thanos: “Lavender Haze”
Sure, “Look What You Made Me Do” or “Vigilante S**t” would suffice for Thanos, but we’d be remiss not to give this purple Mad Titan a song befitting of his skin-tone. Now, I’d like you to promptly imagine this genocidal maniac seductively dipping his cheekbone in a pool of purple, lavender-filled water. You’re welcome!
Loki: “Anti-Hero”
What a journey Loki has had in the MCU. “Anti-Hero” might not be among the songs Taylor has written about her whirlwind romance with Tom Hiddleston, but it certainly best describes his Marvel character. Every villain either dies as one (and, believe us, he tried) or lives long enough to see himself become an anti-hero.
Thor: “Love Story”
He was Romeo, she was Juliet — but they drew too many stars around each other’s scars, and eventually those scars started bleeding (sorry, mixing up songs here). Anyway, fast forward eight years, seven months, and six days, and come to find out this pair’s love story wasn’t finished being written yet. Then Marvel had to go and ruin it all. That’s where Taylor’s “Love Story” comes into play. Let’s just forget Marvel’s tragic ending, and imagine that Thor and Jane continued to teach each other the “way of the warrior” and the “way of the people.” And they lived happily ever after.
Star-Lord & Gamora: “I Knew You Were Trouble”
Some romances are easy-peasy, and some go together like oil and water. Given that Gamora only said one sentence to Peter in Guardians of the Galaxy before kicking him in the stomach, stealing the Orb, and then stealing his heart, there’s perhaps no better pairing for “I Knew You Were Trouble” than these two.
Steve & Bucky: “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince”
Sorry, the opportunity to match this iconic song to Steve and Bucky was right there, and we couldn’t not take it. You know how it goes, Mister Americana and his Heartbreak Prince are with each other until the end of the line.
Steve & Tony from Captain America: Civil War: “Bad Blood”
Taylor initially wrote this 2010s pop staple about Katy Perry, but that’s only a tiny jump away from the feud that put the two Avengers leaders on a path of collision that eventually led to an actual Civil War. Taylor might have compared Katy stealing some of her tour dancers to a “bullet hole,” but not even she could match the dramatics of Tony and Steve in Captain America 3.
Starfox: “Style”
I mean… did you expect anything else? Taylor never reveals who her songs are about, but “Style” was always a no-brainer. This pairing is a match made in heaven, even if the romance that inspired it was short-lived. We may never see Starfox in the MCU again, but Harry Styles is the perfect Eros. There, I said it. Sue me.
Matt Murdock: “Vigilante S**t”
Sometimes in order to get things done, you’ve got to do some vigilante s**t, am I right? No one knows that better than Taylor — ahem, I mean Matt Murdock. This Devil of Hell’s Kitchen is a man of law in the courtroom, but he’s not above bypassing those guardrails on the streets if it means catching the bad guy. Taylor also knows a thing or two about catching the bad guy — or, at least, that’s the assumption if our theories about the genesis of “Vigilante S**t” are correct.
Scarlet Witch: “Mad Woman”
As two deeply empathetic women who have had to face constant scrutiny from a young age, there was an abundance of Taylor Swift songs that perfectly matched Wanda Maximoff (the entire Reputation album, for starters). Yet, there’s none that quite matches the desperation of a woman pushed to her limit like “Mad Woman” from the masterpiece that is folklore.
Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers: “The Man”
Carol Danvers has been at the receiving end of a lot of unjustified flak during her time in the MCU. The way a particularly toxic subsection of the Marvel fandom turned against both the character, and actor Brie Larson, and mobilized to boycott her movies was unprecedented. People hated Carol for being cold, angry, and stand-offish, which, go figure, have historically been traits those same viewers find cool in male characters. And Taylor Swift knows all about being chastised for things that are usually celebrated in the opposite sex.
Clint Barton/Hawkeye: “The Archer”
I’ll confess, I initially paired Clint with “The Archer” because, well, that’s what he is! However, upon revisiting this introspective ballad, I realized just how fitting its lyrics are for a man who has been defined by the death of his loved ones — namely, the heartbreaking end of his best friend and hero, Natasha.
Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow: “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”
There have been a lot of heartbreaking deaths in the MCU, but none have felt as unjust as Natasha’s. Although her sacrifice was equivalent to that of Tony’s, she didn’t even get the honor of a funeral. We’ll never forgive Marvel for that.
Quentin Beck/Mysterio: “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
We all know this choice wasn’t completely innocent. It is rumored this iconic bop was written about Jake Gyllenhaal, but it’s also quite fitting for his character Quentin Beck, since Taylor is describing the most obnoxious man alive in the lyrics. Jake is a fantastic actor, and he completely nailed his performance as Mysterio, but good God, I think he’s the villain I have wanted to strangle the most out of anyone in the MCU.
Dr. Strange: “Hey Stephen”
Underneath his rich playboy exterior, Stephen Strange is a sweetheart. He can never say no to a teenager in need, and he can be quite funny when he wants. Taylor said it best: Hey, Stephen, “Come feel this magic I’ve been feeling since I met you.” It’s not often an Avenger has a Taylor Swift song named after them, after all.
Nebula: “Tolerate It”
We know Taylor is probably singing about a dismissive lover in this heartwrenching ballad, but there are a lot of lyrics that scream “daddy issues” here, too. There are, in fact, a lot of characters with absent fathers in the MCU. Loki or Tony Stark would be great fits here too, but there’s something about the way Nebula tried to do her best for her dad at all times, and received nothing but contempt and violence in return, that has always made us root harder for her character. Thankfully, in the end, just like Taylor in “Tolerate It,” she realized she deserved better.
Peter Parker & MJ: “It’s Nice to Have a Friend”
Out of all iterations of Spider-Man on the big screen, Tom Holland and the MCU’s feels the most like a true, awkward teenager trying to navigate the confusing world of puberty and superheroism. A lot of that is down to Peter’s relationship with M.J., which is simultaneously wholesome and mature for its level of commitment and partnership. We love the idea of these two lovebirds going from childhood friends to an old married couple, just like Taylor describes in this beautifully innocent lullaby.
Valkyrie: “King of My Heart”
We believe this one is pretty self-explanatory. Obviously, Taylor is singing to a man here, but we are huge fans of the way the MCU took a page from Beyoncé’s book and made this iconic lady the new King of Asgard. Given the extreme queer energy that King Brunnhilde exudes, we are definitely happy to turn this love song into a women-loving-women anthem for the purposes of this list.
Adam Warlock: “Bejeweled”
The MCU version of Adam Warlock may have been more of a derp than a threat, but hey, that gold skin was blinding all the same. No, that isn’t the Mind Stone on his forehead, or the Soul Stone — both of those were destroyed in Avengers: Endgame. It’s probably just his birthstone. We’re thinking topaz. Just imagine how bright he makes the whole place shimmer when he stands under the mirrorball.
He Who Remains: “Mastermind”
Mr. Free-will-stealer himself is the perfect pair for this infectious Taylor banger about how she carefully planned the meeting and courtship of her lover, all the while trying to trick him into thinking it was all fate. That’s basically what He Who Remains was doing to everyone on the Sacred Timeline for eons, right?
Hela: “Better Than Revenge”
The ultimate baddie T-Swift song for the ultimate Marvel baddie. The lyrics of “Better Than Revenge” (even the revised ones) are practically tailor-made for Hela, who returns from imprisonment in Thor: Ragnarok to reclaim the crown her younger brother Thor stole from her. Now, we don’t condone revenge, but if you’re the Goddess of Death, we won’t deny it’s fun to watch. Wait, does that mean Taylor’s… ? Never mind.
Deadpool/Wade Wilson: “Karma”
Honestly, we’ll let this image speak for itself. But also, we really need Taylor to give her bestie Ryan the rights to this song in Deadpool 3, and create what would easily be the most iconic needle drop in the history of the MCU (sorry, James Gunn and Peter’s Awesome Mix!).
Avengers: Endgame: “End Game”
We did it. We made it to the endgame. Taylor might as well have been signing directly to the Avengers and Thanos with this contemporary lyrical hit. Avengers: Endgame saw the “A-team” reach back in time to restore the universe to its rightful state and confront Thanos, whose reputation preceded him, in the ultimate showdown that blew the Marvel universe — and the box office — wide open.
King T’Challa/Black Panther: “Long Live”
Sorry, we didn’t mean to sucker punch you in the gut, but we couldn’t pass up this opportunity to honor T’Challa and Chadwick Boseman’s legacy. “Long Live” not only encapsulates the significance of T’Challa and Boseman’s impact on Marvel, but also their impact on cinema and the Marvel fandom. “Long live the walls we crashed through,” Taylor sings, and indeed, Black Panther blew through expectations to become the highest-grossing movie directed by a Black filmmaker, with Boseman as its leading man. “One day, we will be remembered,” sings Taylor — This one’s for you, Chadwick. From all of us. You will never be forgotten.
