Love, Drama, and Everything In Between
Comic books have never been shy about exploring the full spectrum of human relationships, from the deeply loving to the spectacularly dysfunctional, and fans have been dissecting these dynamics for decades. Whether you're a lifelong reader or someone who just got into the medium, you've probably noticed that some couples inspire and others make you want to close the book entirely. Let's take a look at 20 beloved relationships across the comic book world, from the 10 most genuinely toxic to the 10 surprisingly healthy ones. Can you guess which couples show up on which side of the list?
Annette Wamser from Elk Grove, USA on Wikimedia
1. The Joker and Harley Quinn (DC Comics)
The Joker and Harley Quinn's relationship is one of the most recognized examples of abuse in the entire medium, and it's been that way since Harley's debut in Batman: The Animated Series before she transitioned into the comics. The Joker manipulates, abandons, and harms Harley repeatedly, yet she continues to return to him out of obsessive devotion that's clearly rooted in psychological trauma. DC Comics has done a much better job in recent years of acknowledging this dynamic and allowing Harley to grow beyond it, which has been a welcome development for readers.
Annette Wamser from Elk Grove, USA on Wikimedia
2. Scott Summers and Emma Frost (Marvel Comics)
Scott and Emma's relationship began while Scott was still technically with Jean Grey, which set a pretty uncomfortable foundation from the very start. Emma has a habit of psychically influencing those around her, and the question of how much of Scott's devotion was ever truly his own choice has never been fully resolved in the comics. Their partnership often felt more like a power arrangement than a genuine emotional connection, with both characters using each other to advance their own agendas within mutantkind.
3. Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne (Marvel Comics)
Hank Pym's history with Janet Van Dyne is unfortunately best remembered for a single infamous panel in which he strikes her, an act that's been debated and recontextualized over the years but never fully erased from the narrative. Even setting that moment aside, their relationship was marked by Hank's instability, his fluctuating identities, and a pattern of behavior that consistently put Janet in a difficult position emotionally. Janet deserved far better, and it's telling that some of her strongest characterization has come in storylines where she operates independently of him.
4. Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle (DC Comics)
Bruce and Selina have an undeniable chemistry that's kept readers hooked for decades, but the reality of their dynamic is that it's built on secrecy, competing loyalties, and a fundamental incompatibility in how they see the world. Bruce's inability to be fully vulnerable with anyone, including Selina, means the relationship constantly hits a ceiling that neither of them can break through in any lasting way. The infamously controversial near-wedding in Tom King's Batman run is a perfect example of how their relationship tends to self-destruct right when it seems like it's finally going somewhere.
Chris from sillicon valley, USA on Wikimedia
5. Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor (Marvel Comics)
Scott Summers earns a second spot on this list for his treatment of Madelyne Pryor, whom he married but then abandoned the moment Jean Grey resurfaced, leaving Madelyne alone with their infant son. That kind of emotional desertion had devastating consequences for Madelyne, who eventually spiraled into the villainous Goblin Queen persona as a direct result of how completely Scott discarded her. It's one of Marvel's more troubling retcons because it asks the reader to sympathize with Scott while also making it impossible to excuse what he did.
Tehsigo Eternamente (J Mondragon) from USA on Wikimedia
6. Namor and Sue Storm (Marvel Comics)
Namor's pursuit of Sue Storm has always been framed as a grand romantic obsession, but if you actually pay attention to the dynamic, it's a persistent refusal to respect her choices and her commitment to Reed Richards. Sue has made it clear time and again that she's not interested, yet Namor continues to insert himself into her life with an air of entitlement that the comics have occasionally romanticized when they really shouldn't have. It's the kind of behavior that reads very differently depending on when the story was written, and modern readers are right to view it with a critical eye.
7. Tony Stark and Pepper Potts (Marvel Comics)
The comic book version of this relationship, distinct from their more fleshed-out film counterparts, has historically involved Tony treating Pepper more like an extension of his workspace than a fully realized partner. Tony's alcoholism, his ego, and his tendency to make unilateral decisions that affect everyone around him have all taken a serious toll on their dynamic over the years. Pepper has shown incredible loyalty and resilience, but the comics have rarely given her the opportunity to demand better in a way that actually sticks.
8. Magneto and Rogue (Marvel Comics)
The romantic undertones between Magneto and Rogue during Chris Claremont's run were always a little uncomfortable given the significant age gap and the power imbalance inherent in their respective positions within the mutant community. Magneto was a leader, a father figure to many of the X-Men, and a man with a complicated and violent history, which made his closeness with Rogue feel more like an imposition than a mutual connection. While it was never made fully explicit, the suggestion of a romantic dimension to their relationship remains one of the more questionable elements of that otherwise celebrated era.
The Conmunity - Pop Culture Geek from Los Angeles, CA, USA on Wikimedia
9. Green Arrow and Black Canary (DC Comics)
Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance are often cited as one of DC's great couples, but their history is so riddled with Oliver's infidelity and poor decision-making that the healthy label really doesn't hold up under scrutiny. Oliver has cheated on Dinah multiple times across various runs, and the relationship has gone through cycles of rupture and reconciliation that don't reflect a stable or respectful partnership. There's real love there, which makes it all the more frustrating that the comics so often undercut it with Oliver's recurring inability to be a trustworthy partner.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America on Wikimedia
10. Reed Richards and Sue Storm (Marvel Comics)
Reed Richards is one of the smartest characters in the Marvel Universe, but emotional intelligence has never been his strong suit, and his relationship with Sue has suffered enormously as a result. He consistently prioritizes his scientific work over his family, makes decisions that affect Sue and their children without consultation, and has a paternalistic streak that Sue has explicitly called out on more than one occasion. The Fantastic Four works beautifully as a team, but the marriage at its center has some deeply unresolved issues that the comics tend to paper over rather than genuinely address.
Ready for the healthier couples? Read on.
1. Swamp Thing and Abby Arcane (DC Comics)
Swamp Thing and Abby Arcane's relationship is remarkable precisely because it asks the reader to accept a love that exists entirely outside conventional boundaries, and Alan Moore's foundational run made that case so compellingly that it's never really been disputed since. Abby loves Alec Holland not despite what he's become but because of the profound consciousness and compassion that define him, which makes her devotion feel genuinely chosen.
2. Superman and Lois Lane (DC Comics)
Clark Kent and Lois Lane, at their best, represent a relationship built on honesty, mutual admiration, and a genuine partnership between two people who are both remarkable in their own right. Lois isn't simply a supporting character in Clark's story; she's a brilliant, courageous journalist whose strengths complement his rather than being overshadowed by them. Modern takes on the couple, especially in Tom Taylor's Superman: Son of Kal-El and related titles, have done an excellent job of showing just how solid their foundation actually is.
3. Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson (Marvel Comics)
When writers commit to doing Mary Jane justice, she and Peter Parker share one of the most genuinely warm and supportive relationships in Marvel Comics, with MJ consistently proving that she can handle the full reality of Peter's life without flinching. She's never asked him to stop being Spider-Man, and she's never weaponized his vulnerabilities against him, which puts her in a very different category from some of his other love interests. The wedding era and subsequent stories that treated them as true equals remain fan favorites for good reason, even if Marvel has had a complicated relationship with keeping them together.
Jean-Philippe Delberghe on Unsplash
4. Wiccan and Hulkling (Marvel Comics)
Billy Kaplan and Teddy Altman have built one of the most consistently healthy romantic relationships in recent Marvel history, grounded in genuine affection, mutual support, and a shared sense of humor that makes them feel like a real couple rather than a narrative device. Their journey from Young Avengers teammates to a married couple has been handled with real care, and writers have consistently portrayed them as two people who genuinely like each other as much as they love each other. The fact that their relationship has been treated with seriousness and depth in a mainstream Marvel title is a significant achievement in itself.
5. Hawkman and Hawkgirl (DC Comics)
Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders have one of the most unique romantic premises in comics, a love so deep that it literally reincarnates across centuries, and when writers treat it with the appropriate weight, it's genuinely moving. Their relationship is defined by a sense of recognition and devotion that transcends the immediate circumstances of any given era, and both characters bring real strength and independence to the partnership. Geoff Johns' Hawkman run is a particularly good example of how to write these two in a way that makes their bond feel earned rather than just cosmically inevitable.
Pikawil from Laval, Canada on Wikimedia
6. Jessica Jones and Luke Cage (Marvel Comics)
Jessica and Luke work so well together because they started as equals who didn't need each other to function, which means their choice to build a life together feels genuinely voluntary and meaningful. Brian Michael Bendis established a relationship between them that was honest, a little rough around the edges, and completely free of the idealized gloss that tends to make comic book romances feel unreal. They parent together, fight together, and argue like real people do, which makes their dynamic one of the more grounded and believable partnerships in Marvel's street-level corner of the universe.
7. Black Panther and Storm (Marvel Comics)
T'Challa and Ororo's marriage brought together two of Marvel's most powerful and self-possessed characters, and at its best, their relationship reflected a genuine respect for the full scope of who each person was outside of the partnership. Both of them ruled nations, carried enormous responsibilities, and had deeply held convictions, yet they managed to support one another without either character shrinking to accommodate the other. While their marriage was eventually annulled under controversial circumstances during Avengers vs. X-Men, the best stories from their time together showed what a truly equal partnership between powerful people can look like.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America on Wikimedia
8. Northstar and Kyle Jinadu (Marvel Comics)
Jean-Paul Beaubier and Kyle Jinadu made history with their wedding in Astonishing X-Men, and what's made their relationship compelling beyond that milestone is that Kyle has always been portrayed as someone with a fully realized identity beyond simply being a superhero's spouse. Their relationship has addressed real challenges, including Kyle's difficulties adjusting to a life adjacent to superheroics, in a way that treats those conflicts as legitimate rather than melodramatic. It's a relationship that feels genuinely modern in how it handles compromise and communication.
9. Aquaman and Mera (DC Comics)
Arthur Curry and Mera are at their strongest when the comics lean into the fact that Mera is in every way Arthur's equal, a queen and a warrior whose power and judgment he trusts completely. Their relationship has always been defined by partnership rather than hierarchy, and Mera has never been reduced to a passive figure waiting for Arthur to save the day. Geoff Johns and later Kelly DeConnick's work with Mera in particular gave her room to be her own person while still showing the genuine depth of her bond with Arthur.
RyC - Behind The Lens from San Francisco, United States of America on Wikimedia
10. Vision and Virginia (Marvel Comics)
Tom King's Vision series gave readers one of the most unconventional and emotionally complex relationships in recent comic book memory, as Vision created a synthezoid family in an attempt to understand what it means to truly live and connect. Virginia, his wife, was a character of extraordinary depth who grappled with questions of identity, love, and self-determination in ways that felt genuinely philosophical rather than gimmicky. Their relationship was ultimately tragic, but within its short existence, it captured something real about what it means to choose someone and to build something together against impossible odds.
