With a partner you can have different likes. You can also appreciate the different qualities you both have, and you can navigate positive expectations. For me, I need to respect intelligence, compassion, humor, etc, etc.
In my experience, though, the things that bind couples most are shared things that they hate. Some of the things I hate are:
George Pell, cunt
Televangelists (US) ripping off the poor, flying around in their Lear jets.
Religious delusional thinking more generally.
Political alt right socially accepted hate thought and actions
Political centre cop outs
Pretentious fucks
Misogynistic cunts
Bully cunts
Anyone on this forum that picks on people like DeafsnOw, Willow etc.
All other dickheads and cunts, too many in society to mention.
A partner must share contempt for these types. That's the non negotiable starting point.
Discovering wonderful likes in common is lovely, but they don't have to match. These things are additives. I want to share things my partner likes that maybe I haven't yet discovered yet. But more than this, I would just want to know my partner, and know what this person despises as well as loves.