History Main / TheMissusAndTheEx

* In ''Literature/TheSupervillainySaga'', Gary Karkofsky a.k.a Merciless: The Supervillain without [=MercyTM=] is married to Mandy but his ex-girlfriend Cindy is his chief henchwoman. It causes only minor friction [[spoiler: until Mandy is killed and resurrected as a vampire, where Gary and Cindy get back together out of grief. They even have a child together. Then Mandy gets her soul back. Oops.]]

* ''Fanfic/TheManyDatesOfDannyFenton'' (''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' WesternAnimation, [[{{Series}} TV Series]], and ComicBooks.): During his date with Violet, Danny meets her ex-boyfriend, Tony Rydinger. Despite the awkwardness, Danny still treats Violet well enough that she soon opens up to him.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. A RunningGag with [[ComicBook/{{Huntress}} Helena Bertinelli]]. First Oliver Queen is dating Helena, but their relationship breaks down when [[EveryoneCanSeeIt she sees he still has feelings for his ex-fiancée Laurel Lance]]. In "The Huntress Returns", Oliver is dating Detective [=McKenna=] Hall who ends up getting shot by Helena, now the PsychoExGirlfriend and specifically referred to as such. Then in "Birds of Prey", Helena kidnaps Laurel Lance as a hostage and as a result ends up fighting her sister Sara Lance, aka The Canary. On getting a close look at the black leather-clad ActionGirl in a DominoMask, Helena [[HasAType guesses accurately]] that she's fighting Oliver's latest girlfriend this time too.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "You Can't Handle the Booth!", while the Griffins [[AnimatedActors record a DVD commentary for an episode]], Lois finds out that Peter had been married Creator/SarahPaulson before her, and to make things worse, Paulson herself joins them in the booth because she was in a cutaway gag for that very episode.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' had Juandissimo Magnifico, Wanda's ex-boyfriend, as a recurring character. Needless to say, when he and Cosmo were in the same scene, tension went high.

** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E20TheYoko Factor The Yoko Factor]]", Riley and Angel meet and come to blows. It really ends up like a dick-waving competition.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. A RunningGag with [[ComicBook/{{Huntress}} Helena Bertinelli]]. First Oliver Queen is dating Helena, but their relationship breaks down when [[EveryoneCanSeeIt she sees he still has feelings for his ex-fiancée Laurel Lance]]. In "The Huntress Returns", Oliver is dating Detective [=McKenna=] Hall who ends up getting shot by Helena, now the PsychoExGirlfriend and specifically referred to as such. Then in "Birds of Prey", Helena kidnaps Laurel Lance as a hostage and as a result ends up fighting her sister Sara Lance, aka The Canary. On getting a close look at the black leather-clad ActionGirl in DominoMask, Helena [[HasAType guesses accurately]] that she's fighting Oliver's latest girlfriend this time too.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. A RunningGag with [[ComicBook/{{Huntress}} Helena Bertinelli]]. First Oliver Queen is dating Helena, but their relationship breaks down when [[EveryoneCanSeeIt she sees he still has feelings for his ex-fiancée Laurel Lance]]. In "The Huntress Returns", Oliver is dating Detective [=McKenna=] Hall who ends up getting shot by Helena, now the PsychoExGirlfriend and specifically referred to as such. Then in "Birds of Prey", Helena kidnaps Laurel Lance as a hostage and as a result ends up fighting her sister Sara Lance, aka The Canary. On getting a close look at the black leather-clad ActionGirl in DominoMask, Helena [[HasAType guesses accurately]] that she's fighting Oliver Queen's latest girlfriend this time too.

** In episode "New Moon Rising", Willow is just starting to slide into relationship territory with [[TheWoobie Tara]] when her werewolf ex-boyfriend Oz comes back into town. Things simmer for a good chunk of the episode since Oz, having missed Willow's coming out, doesn't realise that he's in one of these situations. When he finally gets wise, he freaks out and kinda tries to eat Tara. It's a thing.
** It pops up in Willow's WhatDoTheyFearEpisode a few episodes later, where Willow is clearly freaked out by Tara and Oz whispering together and giggling at her.
** From the same season, Riley and Angel meet and come to blows. It really ends up like a dick-waving competition.

* In ''Literature/TheSupervillainySaga'', Gary Karkofsky a.k.a Merciless: The Supervillain without MercyTM is married to Mandy but his ex-girlfriend Cindy is his chief henchwoman. It causes only minor friction [[spoiler: until Mandy is killed and resurrected as a vampire, where Gary and Cindy get back together out of grief. They even have a child together. Then Mandy gets her soul back. Oops.]]

* ''ComicBook/StarWarsDoctorAphra'': Doctor Aphra has to deal with a situation like this during the ''Catastrophe Con'' arc, when her current flame (Imperial inspector Magna Tolvan) and her hostile ex (Rebel associate Sana Starros) both show up to rescue her from Acressker Prison. As Aphra's prison buddy Lopsat points out, it's extremely awkward. Though unusually for this trope, the two don't fight, instead bonding over how much Aphra sucks.

* Vixen (Franchise/GreenLantern's girlfriend) and Shayera (GL's ex) get put on a team in
''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' "Hunter's Moon". They end up getting along pretty well.

'''[[ComicBook/MartianManhunter J'onn]]:''' Difficult as it may be for you to believe, I don't take your love life into consideration when I make command decisions.

* Vixen (Franchise/GreenLantern's girlfriend) and Shayera (GL's ex) get put on a team in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' "Hunter's Moon". They end up getting along pretty well.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. A RunningGag with [[ComicBooks/{{Huntress}} Helena Bertinelli]]. At first Oliver Queen is dating Helena, but their relationship breaks down when [[EveryoneCanSeeIt she sees he still has feelings for his ex-fiancée Laurel Lance]]. In "The Huntress Returns", Oliver is dating Detective [=McKenna=] Hall who ends up getting shot by Helena, now the PsychoExGirlfriend and specifically referred to as such. Then in "Birds of Prey", Helena ends up fighting Sara Lance, [[HasAType guessing accurately]] that the black leather-clad ActionGirl in a DominoMask is Oliver's latest girlfriend.

%%* This crops up a few times in the first season of ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', made doubly complicated by the fact that Oliver is DatingCatwoman both times.

* In one ''ComicBook/TheFlash'' storyline, Wally West's ex Frances Kane--a magnetic powerhouse with [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity a slight sanity problem]]--encounters his current lover, reporter Linda Park. There's initial tension, but by the time Wally makes the scene, they're having a good laugh over his dreadful taste in food.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

[[folder:Film — Animated]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

** Neither one is anything close to a love interest, but a couple of deleted scenes from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS26E1Battlefield "Battlefield"]] provide an example of the companion not warming up to an older one right away: TheBrigadier manages to offend Ace by referring to her as "the latest one", and a line about how looking after the Professor is her job reveals that she may feel a bit threatened. By the end of the serial the Brig has managed to prove that he can be trusted to take care of the Doctor and the two bond over a nice big explosion. In the Brig's case, at least, it's less "mutual hostility" on his part and more "old-fashioned stuffy social awkwardness":

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E4TheSontaranStratagem "The Sontaran Stratagem"]]: Donna and Martha meet. The Doctor worries there will be a repeat of the events of "School Reunion", but since Donna has no romantic attachment to the Doctor and Martha got over hers, the two become pretty friendly and pick at the Doctor a bit, who ends up wishing they would fight.

** Gibbs friendship with FBI Agent Fornell is complicated by the fact that Fornell married and then divorced one of Gibbs's ex-wives. When Fornell and the ex-wife think about getting back together they both seek Gibbs's advice despite him vehemently insisting that they keep him out of it.

* In the LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek ''The Other Woman'', a woman and her children dislike her ex-husband's new, younger wife. Until the woman realizes that she's terminally ill and realizes that she needs to befriend the woman and teach her how to be a good mother. It works and they end up bonding so beautifully--she also gives her sincere advice on making her marriage work--that the stepmother is just as grief-stricken as everyone else when the woman finally passes away.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell''

** In episode "New Moon Rising", Willow is just starting to slide into relationship territory with [[TheWoobie Tara]] when her werewolf ex-boyfriend Oz comes back into town. Things simmer for a good chunk of the episode since Oz, having missed his Willow's SuddenlySexuality, doesn't realise that he's in one of these situations. When he finally gets wise, he freaks out and kinda tries to eat Tara. It's a thing.

** In an earlier episode, before Castle and Beckett hooked up, Castle's NewOldFlame Kyra Blaine briefly interacted with Beckett. Toward the end of the episode, she went off to marry her fiancé, bade Castle a heartfelt farewell, smiled at Beckett and said, [[EverybodyCanSeeIt "He's all yours."]]

** In an earlier episode, before Castle and Beckett hooked up, Castle's NewOldFlame Kyra Blaine briefly interacted with Beckett. Toward the end of the episode, she went off to marry her fiancé, bade Castle a heartfelt farewell, smiled at Beckett and said, [[EverybodyKnewAlready "He's all yours."]]

AliceAndBob are in a relationship. Carol, who Bob chucked acrimoniously, turns up at a social event that the first two are attending. Either there will be [[CatFight a fight]], Bob will get chucked by Alice or the two ladies will strike up a friendship. If the latter happens, Alice and Carol will usually bond over making fun of Bob. Either way, [[HilarityEnsues Bob will be highly uncomfortable.]] As the title implies, this is usually a guy's missus and ex, but it can go the other way, too.

** GenderFlipped in "Second Chances" between Troi and the two Will Rikers. Similar to "Galaxy's Child", both the Mister and the Ex are technically the same person; one is the Riker we've come to know over 6 seasons on TNG and had given up on his relationship with Troi to further his career. The other is the Riker who was created by a transporter glitch, stranded on Nervala VI for 8 years and still has strong feelings for Troi.

** GenderFlipped in "Second Chances" between Troi and the two Will Rikers. Similar to "Galaxy's Child", both the Mister and the Ex are technically the same person; one is the Riker we've come to know over 6 seasons on TNG and had given up on his relationship with Troi to further his career. The other is the Riker who was created by a TransporterAccident, stranded on Nervala VI for 8 years and still has strong feelings for Troi.

* In ''Series/MadMen'' Betty can't stand the idea of Don Draper rebuilding his life with another woman and she is particularly mean and malignant whenever his new wife Megan is involved or crosses her path.

** GenderFlipped in "Second Chances" between Troi and the two Will Rikers. Similar to "Galaxy's Child", both the Mister and the Ex are technically the same person; one is the Riker we've come to know over 6 seasons on TNG and had given up on his relationship with Troi to further his career. The other is the Riker who was stranded on Nervala VI for 8 years and still has strong feelings for Troi.

* In ''Film/{{Stepmom}}, while the title character and her husband's ex-wife initially don't get along, things get better bit by bit. And when the ex-wife learns she's terminally ill, she realizes that she really needs to improve her attitude so as to teach the new wife to be a good mother to her kids.

* ''Series/{{Badger}}'': In "The Price of a Daughter", Steph's ex-husband Ralph shows up out of the blue and attempts to woo her back; much to the annoyance of her current partner Tom.