10 Spider-Man Characters Who Would Be Awful to Date & 10 Who Would Be Great
Romance in the Spider-Verse Gets Complicated
Dating in Spider-Man’s world would come with a few more complications than deciding where to go for dinner. Between secret identities, supervillains, questionable morals, and people who regularly disappear during important conversations, some characters would make relationships exhausting. Others, however, have enough loyalty, kindness, humor, and emotional maturity to make all that superhero chaos seem surprisingly manageable. Here are 10 Spider-Man characters who seem like they'd make terrible romantic partners and 10 we'd gladly date.
1. Norman Osborn
Norman Osborn has money, confidence, and enough influence to get a reservation just about anywhere, but that's where the appeal ends. He's manipulative, controlling, and has an unfortunate tendency to become the Green Goblin when things aren't going his way. Anyone who deals with conflict by turning into a supervillain is probably not boyfriend material.
2. Felicia Hardy
Black Cat is charming enough that you'd probably ignore several warning signs before realizing what you've gotten yourself into. Felicia thrives on danger, enjoys bending the law, and seems more interested in Spider-Man's superhero persona than Peter Parker as a whole person, which isn't what you want from a girlfriend.
3. Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock has certainly shown plenty of heroic qualities over the years, but he's also carrying around quite a bit of emotional baggage. His intense grudges and complicated relationship with the Venom symbiote could make an ordinary disagreement feel unusually dramatic. Things might work during one of Eddie's calmer periods, but you'd never exactly call the relationship predictable.
4. J. Jonah Jameson
Imagine trying to enjoy breakfast while your boyfriend launches into another passionate speech about how Spider-Man is ruining New York. Jonah is stubborn, loud, and seems like someone who would have a very hard time ever admitting fault and apologizing. He has a good heart buried underneath all that bluster, but dating him would require an impressive tolerance for shouting.
5. Wilson Fisk
Wilson Fisk could probably provide an incredible lifestyle, assuming you're comfortable ignoring exactly where all that money comes from. The Kingpin is ruthless, intimidating, and accustomed to getting precisely what he wants from everyone around him. His capacity for genuine love doesn't erase the fact that your significant other would also be one of New York's most dangerous criminals.
6. Harry Osborn
Harry can be thoughtful and deeply loyal, which makes his darker moments especially difficult. Years of family trauma, addiction struggles, resentment toward Peter, and his complicated history with the Green Goblin identity have frequently sent his life spinning out of control. You'd want to help him, but maintaining a healthy relationship could become emotionally exhausting.
7. Mac Gargan
There really isn't much mystery about whether dating Scorpion would be a bad idea. Mac Gargan is violent, bitter, impulsive, and always seems to be looking for someone else to blame whenever his life goes wrong. Even by Spider-Man villain standards, he's not exactly known for emotional maturity.
8. Silver Sable
Silver Sable is disciplined, capable, and incredibly impressive, but romance probably isn't going to be the center of her schedule. Her work regularly involves international crises, dangerous mercenary operations, and situations where getting shot at counts as a normal afternoon. You might admire her enormously while still wondering whether the two of you are ever going to have a quiet weekend together.
9. Otto Octavius
Doctor Octopus certainly isn't lacking confidence, but there's a fine line between that and being absolutely self-absorbed. Otto's enormous ego and need to prove his intellectual superiority have caused countless problems throughout his life. Any argument could quickly become less about the original issue and more about why you're apparently failing to appreciate his genius.
10. Kraven the Hunter
Kraven doesn't exactly have the personality of someone who wants a peaceful relationship. He's obsessed with proving himself through increasingly dangerous hunts and has repeatedly taken that obsession to disturbing extremes. Asking him to spend Sunday morning running errands could be a tough sell.
William Tung from USA on Wikimedia
Now that we've talked about the Spider-Man characters who would be terrible to date, let's talk about the ones that would be amazing.
1. Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane has spent years dealing with superhero chaos without losing her independence or sense of humor. She's confident enough to challenge Peter when he's being ridiculous and compassionate enough to understand the enormous pressure he puts on himself. Dating her wouldn't always be easy, but you'd be with someone who knows how to communicate and still maintain a life of her own.
RyC - Behind The Lens on Wikimedia
2. Peter Parker
Peter might arrive late to dinner, but his intentions are usually pretty hard to criticize. He's caring, funny, loyal, and constantly trying to do the right thing even when it costs him. The superhero schedule would be frustrating, but you'd rarely have to question whether he genuinely cared about you.
3. Gwen Stacy
Gwen is intelligent, warm, and perfectly capable of calling people out when they deserve it. Her relationship with Peter showed that she valued him for much more than whatever excitement happened to surround his life. Assuming supervillains stayed out of the equation, she'd offer the kind of thoughtful companionship most people would happily take.
4. Miles Morales
Miles has plenty of superhero responsibilities, but he hasn't lost the sincerity that makes him such an appealing character. He's considerate, funny, close to his family, and usually willing to admit when he doesn't have everything figured out. You'd occasionally have to accept plans being interrupted by Spider-Man duties, but at least he'd feel bad about missing them.
5. Betty Brant
Betty Brant has dealt with enough chaos around the Daily Bugle to make ordinary relationship problems seem fairly manageable. She's smart, compassionate, hardworking, and generally prefers solving problems through communication, not drama. After everything she's experienced, she'd probably appreciate a relationship built around some basic peace and reliability.
6. Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson is one of the rare people at the Daily Bugle who can remain reasonable while everyone around him is losing their minds. He's patient, principled, emotionally grounded, and willing to stand up for people even when doing so isn't convenient. If you want someone who actually listens during disagreements, Robbie would be one of the safest bets in Spider-Man's world.
Gregory Scott Williams, Jr. on Wikimedia
7. Ben Reilly
Ben Reilly has been through more identity crises than most people could handle, but underneath all of that, he's genuinely kind and deeply empathetic. He understands loneliness, responsibility, and what it feels like to struggle with where you belong, which gives him a surprisingly thoughtful side. His life can get complicated fast, but he'd put real effort into caring for someone.
8. Flash Thompson
The teenage version of Flash would be nowhere near this half of the list, but adulthood changed him dramatically. Over time, he became courageous, selfless, and much more aware of how badly he'd treated people when he was younger. Part of being a good partner is being able to admit mistakes and actually grow from them, which he's already demonstrated.
9. Carlie Cooper
Carlie Cooper is practical enough to notice when something doesn't add up, which is useful when your social circle includes superheroes with secret identities. She's intelligent, independent, and committed to doing what she believes is right. You probably wouldn't get away with telling many ridiculous excuses around her, but healthy relationships aren't supposed to depend on those anyway.
10. Johnny Storm
Johnny Storm may initially seem like risky boyfriend material thanks to his ego and love of attention, but there's considerably more to him than the flashy reputation. Beneath all the joking and celebrity behavior, he's extremely loyal to the people he loves and has matured substantially over the years. Life with the Human Torch probably wouldn't be quiet, but it wouldn't be boring, either.
The Conmunity - Pop Culture Geek from Los Angeles, CA, USA on Wikimedia
