The 10 Best Love Stories in Superhero Comics
It’s February, and I know we’re all thinking the same thing: discount Valentine’s Day chocolate on February 15. But until that magical day, in keeping with the hearts and flowers of it all, I’ve decided to count down my ranking of the top ten romantic couples in superhero comics.
To arrive at this list, I weighed the couple’s iconic status, how groundbreaking they might be, and most importantly, vibes. As always, remember that “best” is a matter of opinion, and my opinions are always right.
10. Daredevil and Elektra
Superhero comic books are, by their very nature, cyclical and never-ending. That means you have lots of relationships that are happy and healthy…and you have lots that are tragic soap operas where no one ever learns a thing. Daredevil and Elektra are my favorite of the latter. The passion! The danger! The complimentary red ensembles! I don’t necessarily want them to end up together (I personally think Matt belongs with Foggy Nelson), but I could read their doomed attempts at it forever.
Recommended Reading: Daredevil: End of Hell
9. Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn
During my time reading comics, I’ve seen Harley and Ivy go from comedy relief besties, to a suggestive joke, to heavily hinted at but never confirmed, to a firmly established canon couple with their own spot in DC’s Pride anthologies. It’s always nice to see a fan favorite queer pairing finally make it, but especially when it adds so much interesting depth to both characters. Often apart, often messy, but always ride or die, Harley and Ivy feel earned — for readers as much as for each other.
Recommended Reading: Harley Quinn: The Animated Series Vol. 1: The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour
8. Ralph and Sue Dibny
The Elongated Man was one of the first superheroes to both drop his secret identity and get married, during an era when most superheroes believed that girls were icky and gaslighting them was noble. Partially modeled after Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man, Ralph and Sue spent the Silver and Bronze Ages jet-setting, solving mysteries, and being head over heels for each other. DC’s abysmal treatment of them over the past two decades doesn’t make their love story any less charming or stylish.
Recommended Reading: Showcase Presents: The Elongated Man
7. Luke Cage and Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones is well known for being a mess, but the truth is, she’s been in a rock steady relationship for a decade. A true partnership of equals (who can juggle cars), they give each other what the world has denied them: Luke is patient and understanding with a woman who has survived more than her fair share of horrors, and Jessica is fiercely protective of a man whose invulnerability is all too often taken for granted. Plus, their daughter is the cutest.
Recommended Reading: Jessica Jones: Blind Spot
6. Green Arrow and Black Canary
The hottest couple on here, and yes, I say that even though one of them looks like he escaped from a ren faire and the other from an unimaginative burlesque. These two scorch up the page every time they’re together, with a passion that, sure, sometimes combusts in less-than-productive ways, but we aren’t reading superhero comics for characters who do things by halves. Give me the fire over the fizzle any day.
Recommended Reading: Okay I’m going to go with viewing here actually, because the Justice League Unlimited episode “The Cat and the Canary” is the perfect introduction to this couple.
5. Wally West and Linda Park
Peak romcom energy here, folks. He was the immature, womanizing superhero trying to fill his late mentor’s running shoes; she was the hardboiled reporter who had no time for the new Flash’s nonsense. It’s hard to say which one of them was more surprised when they fell in love, but their romance quickly became one for the ages. Wally has pushed his powers beyond the limits of any other speedster, and when he’s in danger of disappearing into the cosmic forces he’s meddling with, it’s his love for Linda that pulls him back home. She’s his lightning rod.
Recommended Reading: The Flash: Terminal Velocity
4. Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson
Name a more iconic super-couple. I’ll wait. (Okay, there is one, and they’re #1 on this list, but we’ll get there.) The upside down kiss in the rain! “Face it, tiger, you just hit the jackpot!” Even the devil can’t undo one of comics’ most undying love stories for good.
Recommended Reading: Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane
3. Wiccan and Hulkling
Queer characters were still vanishingly rare in mainstream comics when Billy and Teddy first appeared in 2005 along with the rest of the Young Avengers — I’m fairly certain there was only one queer teenage superhero before them, and few if any queer stories designed for teens to relate to. Is there any wonder that Billy and Teddy were instantly beloved? They’ve managed to stay together over the years, too, recently getting married in a big gay Jewish space wedding. Mazel tov, kiddos!
Recommended Reading: Avengers: The Children’s Crusade
2. Mister Miracle and Big Barda
Scott and Barda were raised in the dystopian hellscape of Apokolips, where softer emotions like love were forbidden. That didn’t stop their first encounter from changing both of them forever. Scott and Barda prove that love is more powerful than hate, than evil, than the end of the world, in the outlandish way comics do best. (Barda once compared their relationship to beating a shark to death from the inside together. It was super romantic.)
Recommended Reading: Mister Miracle: The Great Escape
1. Superman and Lois Lane
Who else could take the number one spot? Who else has had not one but two separate TV shows dedicated to their love story? The original and still the best superhero romance, they find each other in every dimension, in every universe, in every reboot. They banter like screwball protagonists and fight gods for one another. He lets her be soft; she lets him be human. They are each other’s best friend and inspiration and ultimate partner. Thank you, Lois and Clark, for making and breaking the mold.
Recommended Reading: Lois Lane: Triple Threat
Bonus: Blue Beetle and Booster Gold
No, they aren’t canonically a couple. Yes, they are inseparable. Yes, Booster has attempted to rewrite time and space multiple times for Ted. And yes, DC has thrown in a little queerbaiting basically every time they’ve appeared in recent years, because they know full well how popular this pairing is. Just let them kiss already, DC!
Did I include your favorite couple? Are you screaming about Batman and Catwoman or Cyclops and Jean Grey right now? Let us know on social media!
