Anyone who’s even had a slight interest in the Pokémon franchise has at one time or another thought about fictional characters from other franchises training Pokémon. It’s fun to speculate about which Pokémon fit the personality and characteristics of their possible trainer and why those pairings would work so well. The Marvel universe is full of amazing heroes and villains who could make ideal trainers for certain Pokémon that seem like the perfect partners. Let’s now look at 10 Marvel and Pokémon pairings that make too much sense, including Pokémon through Pokémon Sword & Shield.
10 Iron Man/Scizor
The easy pairing for Iron Man always seems to be an Electric-type of some sort. It makes sense considering he’s wearing a suit that functions based on the electrical current provided by the arc reactor in his chest. The moment you see the idea of him having Scizor as his Pokémon partner instead should click if you’re familiar with Scizor’s design. It’s a Bug and Steel-type Pokémon who happens to look like it’s wearing its own Iron Man suit. Just think of Scyther as the man inside the suit, just like Tony Stark is.
9 Loki/Zoroark
Loki at this point is known for being the God of Mischief and simply causing chaos for chaos’ sake. In the world of Pokémon there happens to be a creature who is just as much a trickster as Loki is. Zoroark is a Dark-type fox-like creature who pulls pranks on humans and will go as far as to create entire illusions in an attempt to trick the unsuspecting. It would be an even better partnership if they were willing and ready to trick each other from time to time in an attempt to see who is the better trickster.
8 Nightcrawler/Abra
Nightcrawler is such an interesting and complex character. He’s a mutant who’s very closely tied to his own sense of spirituality and often is in a mental fight with himself over what he is. Finding a Pokémon that can match that level of complexity while at the same time being something he can train and control is almost impossible.
Abra is a fitting partner though simply because it can teleport and do so at the same frequency he can. He also seems like the type that would prefer a cute critter over an intimidating one.
7 Punisher/Houndoom
Punisher is clearly the most metal out of all of the popular Marvel heroes. When looking through the Pokémon roster, his ideal partner seemed to be Houndoom. It happens to be a large canine who looks as intimidating as the Punisher is. Houndoom will likely be great at intimidating criminals during the Punisher’s interrogation procedures. You could even see Frank Castle opting for a pack of them and having one clear alpha who leads them. He could also have a tiny pet Houndour at home as well.
6 Hawkeye/Decidueye
Who do you pair the Earth’s greatest archer with? Well, you pair them with the coolest archer in the Pokémon universe, Decidueye. Hawkeye is a hero who is often the subject of jokes because he’s a regular man who shoots arrows and is surrounded by people with extraordinary abilities. Not only would pairing him with Decidueye make him more effective on the battlefield but having a giant owl on his personal farm could help get rid of the mice and rats wandering around.
5 Cyclops/Lucario
The assumption would be to pair Cyclops with a Pokémon who shoots lasers or some type of beam. A closer look at Scott Summers shows that he’s a strong leader who tries to empathize with his team in order to get the most out of them.
Lucario is a Pokémon who screams leadership potential and also happens to be the most empathetic Pokémon in existence. It can feel the emotional state of those around it, which could come in handy when Cyclops is trying to bring the X-Men together in order to defeat a dangerous enemy.
4 Hulk/Primeape
Hulk is a character defined by a never-ending lack of self-control when it comes to anger and overall temperament. Primeape happens to be a Pokémon who is defined by their own lack of self-control and anger issues. You might say that putting these two together will cause irreparable damage, but maybe having someone who can understand your struggles might make them both better in the long run. Sometimes hard-headed beings simply need another hard head to bounce off of to set them straight.
3 Black Panther/Umbreon
So, when looking at Black Panther it’s clear that his Pokémon partner needed to be a creature that’s feline adjacent and possibly similar in appearance to Wakanda’s cat goddess known as Bast. A clear and decisive candidate rose above the rest, and having T’Challa train and fight alongside Umbreon made so much sense. On top of being feline-like and mostly black, Umbreon also has the gold accents which are reminiscent of the same type of gold accents that can be found on Black Panther’s Marvel Cinematic Universe suit.
2 Captain America/Braviary
The All-American hero, Steve Rogers, is a man of the people who simply wants to do the right thing. Since Lucario was already paired with Cyclops it only makes sense that Captain America has a Braviary at his side.
It’s a Pokémon based on an eagle and happens to portray the coloring found in the clothing of America’s indigenous people. Captain America needs to have a Pokémon that is just as bold and brave as he is when it comes to protecting the ones around them they love and are most loyal to.
1 Wolverine/Lycanroc
Wolverine is a complicated man who is wrapped up in this unrelenting anger. He cares for and loves those close to him, but the world has torn his life of happiness to pieces over and over again. Lycanroc seems like a fitting partner because like Wolverine it has different forms that alter its emotional state. Its Midnight form is very similar to when Wolverine enters berserker mode, but both its Midday and Dusk forms are much more like Wolverine when he’s going about his day-to-day life.
NEXT: Ranking Every Possible Member Of Captain America’s Pokémon Team
