Let’s start with the obvious. The Thor franchise has been constantly compared with classic Shakespearean plays due to the nature of the conflict that drives the main characters.  When we first meet prince Thor, the older son of King Odin, our hero is proud, immature, and cocky. His actions in Thor (2011) force the king to banish him to Earth just when he was about to take his father’s throne. 

From then on, Thor’s life is one ancient epic poem cliché after another. Horrible siblings, betrayal, jealousy, invasions, battles, upheavals, dead mothers, coliseum-style fights, slavery, and the destruction of his own kingdom are just some of the elements that rule this Asgardian soap opera. In context, his side-job with the Avengers mustn’t be that bad.

The other prince of Asgard is, wait for it, adopted! Talking about ancient drama. Loki’s bitter and conflicting emotions about being an illegitimate prince, and having been lied about it, is the main motive of his vile behavior. Intelligently, the MCU has been able to balance Loki’s poor-me attitude with enough mischief to keep us engaged and interested in this other aspect of the prince’s personality. One could say Loki’s sense of entitlement and resentment is what makes him, “human.” Let’s see what happens once he’s captured again in the upcoming Disney+ series aptly titled, Loki.

This might seem to be a bit farfetched but, think about it, Tony Stark is the wealthy and egocentric son of one of the most powerful men in the US during most of the 20th century. Why shouldn’t Tony, and the Starks, be compared to the sons of other (real) American royal families such as the Kennedys, whose clan has been named after none other than Camelot? 

Beyond this, Tony Stark’s irresponsible, conflicting, and magnetic personality makes him a wonderful fit for a prince. He’s also the first leader of a coalition of warriors and princes known as the Avengers that wouldn’t have been out of place on King Arthur’s round table. Now that Stark has departed, he has a daughter Morgan, and a protégé in the way of Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spiderman. Do we smell conflict there? Would there be an Oprah interview? Would they get married?

From this group of Disney Marvel princes, T’Challa is the only one that has become king. Unfortunately, this happens due to tragedy. King T’Chaka’s death in Captain America: Civil War (2016) is devastating for the prince who seeks out revenge while being forced to become king earlier than expected. T’Challa’s kingdom is also the most obvious recreation of royalty in the MCU Universe. 

As the leader of Wakanda, T’Challa must also deal with diplomacy, spies, terrorism, and the fact that his kingdom owns the most powerful known metal in existence, Vibranium. And we can't forget he has at his disposal one of the most powerful armies in the world, the female-only Dora Milaje. We’ll have to wait and see what will happen in a fictional dynasty that has been shaken by real-life events. The king is dead, long live the king? The queen?

Up until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Peter Quill didn’t have a prince story. On the contrary, in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, Quill’s arc is more Dickens or even Robert Louis Stevenson than anything else. An orphan kid gets kidnapped by a band of pirates that forces him into a life of crime. As an adult, the kid escapes and becomes a lone criminal, Starlord. Eventually, he befriends a motley crew, falls in love, and most importantly, he meets his father. 

Quill’s dad is no other than Ego, an ancient form of energy that in the course of millions of years has become a planet while developing the power to look like any kind of life. Ego has spent the last few millennia trying to procreate an heir so they can take over the universe together. Enter: Prince Peter Quill, the son of one of the most powerful beings in the universe. The outcome of this encounter isn’t a happy one as Quill’s royal future never materializes. At least not up until now.