History Main / TrueLoveIsBoring

* In UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}, Franchise/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} were written as partners in crimefighting and as lovers. After a couple of years, they broke up and she [[{{Pun}} went a little batty]], [[RivalTurnedEvil attacking him and Vicki Vale]] before making peace with him. ComicBook/PostCrisis the two have shown BelligerentSexualTension but haven't gotten together, although she is still at least 75% good. This is all but implied to be the reason seeing as it's been confirmed that Selina is one of the few women Bruce has ever loved, if not the ''only'' woman he has ever truly loved.

** Like Spidey above, he had his marriage {{Retcon}}ned away after the 2011 reboot. Later reversed after Comicbook/{{Convergence}}, in which TheBusCameBack and the married Clark/Lois couple are still happily married and with a child. As of ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'', their relationship and family are still going strong.
** In the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' era, Superman was [[GodCouple paired with]] Comicbook/WonderWoman. Almost ''immediately'' after they started dating, they begin having petty and {{out of character}} arguments for no real reason. For example, Superman gets angry at her because she doesn't tell him that she's [[WarGod the Greek God of War]], and further says that he doesn't know if he can be with her if she is. Diana, likewise, starts going behind Clark's back and acts as a PsychoSupporter in certain situations in order to protect him. When he loses his powers, Clark tries to tag along with Diana on a mission ''to fight gods and mythical beasts'' and gets mad at her when [[GenderInvertedTrope she tells him]] to literally StayInTheKitchen because it's safer. This culminates into ''ComicBook/SupermanTruth'', where Superman says "he doesn't know" if he loves Diana anymore. The relationship comes to a tragic end in ''ComicBook/TheFinalDaysOfSuperman'', and ''DC Rebirth'' reboots the universe to prevent their relationship from happening in the first place.
* Comicbook/{{Nova}} and Namorita. When they were on the ComicBook/NewWarriors, they became mutually attracted to each other and eventually began to date. They broke after she turned blue and he couldn't deal with the new look. Then she died, and he later brought her back. Then Richard died, but CameBackWrong.
** Like their fellow ComicBook/NewWarriors, Justice and Firestar also count. According to the writer who put them together in the first place, Fabian Nicieza, he had always intended for them to break up anyway. However, he left the book before that happened, and subsequent writers eventually married them just before they joined Comicbook/TheAvengers as a BattleCouple. Creator/KurtBusiek, in particular, tried his best to ''avert'' this trope. He liked to write them as an introspective of what it's like to be superhero newlyweds in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse. However, Nicieza later ended up writing the two again, and the first thing he promptly did was break them up. In fact, the story that finally [[ShipSinking sank their ship]] for good is a time-traveling story in which the newly-married Justice and Firestar [[FutureMeScaresMe are downright]] ''[[FutureMeScaresMe terrified]]'' of how cold they've become to each other in the future.

* In ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'', before Nightwing and Oracle was Nightwing and ComicBook/{{Starfire}} (Koriand'r). Not only were they engaged as well, they even made it to the altar before a possessed ComicBook/{{Raven}} interrupted the proceedings. This became an EnforcedTrope, as ExecutiveMeddling at the last minute scrapped the original plan of the two of them being HappilyMarried. The Bat Office demanded control of Dick Grayson’s character and refused to let him bring Starfire with him, forcing the writers to break them up by changing the happy wedding to a disaster wedding, as well as inserting drama and OutOfCharacter arguments before then as buildup. Their relationship never really recovered from that, with Dick even taking it as a sign that they were too young and weren't ready to take the next big step to marriage (Kori herself thought they were rushing to begin with), and that eventually led to them drifting apart and breaking up for good. Even so, they still slept together occasionally, and Koriand'r stands about as good of a chance as Barbara Gordon of being Dick's OneTrueLove.

* In the ''Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures'' novel ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNewAdventuresHappyEndings Happy Endings]]'' Franchise/BerniceSummerfield, as the title suggests, goes off to live HappilyEverAfter with her husband Jason. When it became apparent that Virgin Publishing weren't going to get the licence to continue making ''Franchise/{{Doctor Who|Expanded Universe}}'' novels, ''Eternity Weeps'' splits them up so that Benny will be single as a main character.

* In UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}, Franchise/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} were written as partners in crimefighting and as lovers. After a couple of years, they broke up and she [[IncrediblyLamePun went a little batty]], [[RivalTurnedEvil attacking him and Vicki Vale]] before making peace with him. ComicBook/PostCrisis the two have shown BelligerentSexualTension but haven't gotten together, although she is still at least 75% good. This is all but implied to be the reason seeing as it's been confirmed that Selina is one of the few women Bruce has ever loved, if not the ''only'' woman he has ever truly loved.

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'' is an illustration of the flipside of this trope: using the RomanceArc as the core of the show means {{postscript season}}s when the OfficialCouple gets together. The writers managed to stretch out the RomanceArc between Castle and Beckett for four seasons before they finally got together, and another two and a half before they married, with several false starts along the way. The show was cancelled a season and a half later. The BetaCouple of Esposito and Lanie doesn't even get that far: they get together offscreen, break up offscreen, get ''back'' together offscreen, then finally break up again onscreen.

* Averted, Subverted, Inverted, and played straight in ''Series/OneTreeHill''. Averted with Nathan and Hailey, who have been a constant couple throughout the series, though twice have come close to a divorce due to a non-existent but assumed affair, both times (one from her, one from him), the two never stopped loving each other. Subverted by Lucas and Brooke, as she originally started off as a RomanticFalseLead, became popular with fans and writers, the two got back together when the two actors got married, then their real-life counterparts got divorced and they broke up in-universe shortly thereafter. Inverted by Brooke and Jullian, who started off as a slowly developing BetaCouple, then after the second TimeSkip are happily together and soon to be married. They break up for a little while but mostly live happily. Played Straight by Lucas and Peton, who after four seasons of going back and forth between love interests, Lucas and Peyton finally decide to get together forever...only to be broken up ''bitterly'' by the first timeskip, with Lucas now engaged to his editor. They get back together and marry by two seasons, only for their actors to leave soon after. At least they ended up happy, sorta.

* In ''Webcomic/DumbingOfAge'', This trope is the reason why there is no stable and durable relationship in the webcomic. The only working romance is between Dina and Becky.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

** Like their fellow ComicBook/NewWarriors, Justice and Firestar also count. According to the writer who put them together in the first place, Fabian Nicieza, he had always intended for them to break up anyway. However, he left the book before that happened, and subsequent writers eventually married them just before they joined Comicbook/TheAvengers as a BattleCouple. Creator/KurtBusiek, in particular, tried his best to ''avert'' this trope. He liked to write them as an introspective of what it's like to be superhero newlyweds in the MarvelUniverse. However, Nicieza later ended up writing the two again, and the first thing he promptly did was break them up. In fact, the story that finally [[ShipSinking sank their ship]] for good is a time-traveling story in which the newly-married Justice and Firestar [[FutureMeScaresMe are downright]] ''[[FutureMeScaresMe terrified]]'' of how cold they've become to each other in the future.

This trope is often used to prevent or reverse ShippingBedDeath, and as justifcation for never resolving WillTheyOrWontThey, or as justification for turning the couple's RomanceArc into a YoYoPlotPoint by having them do the on-again-off-again thing. If it happens offscreen between sequels/episodes, it's a DowntimeDowngrade. If the characters ([[{{Shipping}} and their fans]]) are "lucky", the DivorceIsTemporary. If not, the next best thing is to hope to be AmicableExes.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'', the title character's love life perfectly follows the pattern. He has an unrequited crush on Cho Chang who's dating someone else during ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]''. When they do get together in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'', they immediatly start arguing over [[spoiler:her deceased boyfriend and Cho's best friend's betrayal]] and break up. In the [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince next book]], Harry falls for his best friend's sister Ginny who's dating someone else. They finally have their RelationshipUpgrade ''just'' before the climax after which Harry breaks up with her [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies for her sake]]. Their happy relationship is glossed over a paragraph. [[spoiler:They do get back together and get married but it happens during the TimeSkip between the last chapter and the epilogue]].

* ''Series/DesperateHousewives''
** Mike and Susan finally married in season 3 ending. They were divorced at the beginning of season 5. And back together in season 6.

* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': over Seasons 1-2, Xena and Gabrielle get closer and closer until ... Seasons 3-4 wrench them apart, they get back together, wrenched apart, rinse, wash, repeat. In seasons 5-6, Xena and Gabrielle are '''always''' apart and Xena shags the GirlOfTheWeek to emphasize the point.

So your favorite OfficialCouple (or BetaCouple) finally answered WillTheyOrWontThey: TheyDo. Our couple has fallen madly in love, carted off to their honeymoon, and are probably getting started with that whole "BabiesEverAfter" thing. [[HappilyEverAfter A happy, feel-good time is had by all, right?]] '''Nope.'''

** [[spoiler:''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' reveals that while the Raimi-verse Peter and MJ's relationship got complicated, [[TheyDo they ultimately made it work]].]]

{{Happy Ending}}s can only happen if things... you know... ''end.'' This is the reason the finish line in a love story is at the ''start'' of the relationship. {{Romance Arc}}s only deal with couples ''getting together in the first place'', and in happy stories, it ends there. If it doesn't, the majority of screen time will be about watching the relationship self-destruct, introducing the possibility of an affair (or having an actual one), breaking up, or struggling with the aftermath of such a breakup. Alternatively, it'll skip straight to a DistantFinale, never showing any of their married life but some distant milestone like a second honeymoon or death in old age.

** Averted with [[HotScientist Liara]] ([[DiscountLesbians both gender]]), [[EnsembleDarkhorse Tali, Garrus]], [[BloodKnight Jack]] (provided you didn't cheat / break up with them) and, ironically enough, Kaidan / Male Shepard (the option was DummiedOut in the first game and not made legitimate until the third, by which point Shepard had died and came BackFromTheDead, and they have substantial scenes on their time together in the Citadel DLC that is roughly equal to the time they have being angsty, all on the virtue that you can't get together with him as M!Shepard in the first game, no matter how much HoYay involved, unlike F!Shepard, forcing them to deal with their drama while they were JustFriends).

** In the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}'' era, Superman was [[GodCouple paired with]] Comicbook/WonderWoman. Almost ''immediately'' after they started dating, they begin having petty and {{out of character}} arguments for no real reason. For example, Superman gets angry at her because she doesn't tell him that she's [[WarGod the Greek God of War]], and further says that he doesn't know if he can be with her if she is. Diana, likewise, starts going behind Clark's back and acts as a PoisonousFriend in certain situations in order to protect him. When he loses his powers, Clark tries to tag along with Diana on a mission ''to fight gods and mythical beasts'' and gets mad at her when [[GenderInvertedTrope she tells him]] to literally StayInTheKitchen because it's safer. This culminates into ''ComicBook/SupermanTruth'', where Superman says "he doesn't know" if he loves Diana anymore. The relationship comes to a tragic end in ''ComicBook/TheFinalDaysOfSuperman'', and ''DC Rebirth'' reboots the universe to prevent their relationship from happening in the first place.

** Gray Hulk (aka Joe Fixit) had his own "love interest" (though more like a [[FriendsWithBenefits Friend with Benefits]]) in Marlo Chandler. Any romance between the two ended after Marlo disapproved of Joe's brutality and cruelty, and she later married Hulk's on-again-off-again sidekick Comicbook/RickJones. This relationship ''started off'' on the wrong foot, as the feature at Rick's bachelor party was a softcore nude film Marlo had done in the past. They got married anyway, but would often separate for brief periods of time before getting together again. And then... the ''real'' weirdness started. First, Marlo began having an affair with Moondragon and briefly left Rick before Moondragon realized she'd always be second to Rick in Marlo's eyes. After that, Marlo disappeared and was transformed into the Harpy while Rick was transformed into A-Bomb. They've rarely been seen since then, but maybe now Marlo and Rick ''finally'' have a solid relationship.

* ''[[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk The Hulk]]'' once averted this trope for the same reason as above. (Creator/PeterDavid's wife said ComicBook/BettyRoss Banner was her favorite character, and he swore never to break them up or kill her off.) After a very messy divorce between the RealLife couple, guess [[CreatorBreakdown what he did]]. He later regretted that decision. Furthermore, Betty has subsequently come BackFromTheDead and become an [[EvilCounterpart Evil]][=/=][[DistaffCounterpart Distaff]] for Hulk and ComicBook/SheHulk. Their reunion is still ironing out some wrinkles.

* Dialed UpToEleven in ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': over Seasons 1-2, Xena and Gabrielle get closer and closer until ... Seasons 3-4 wrench them apart, they get back together, wrenched apart, rinse, wash, repeat. In seasons 5-6, Xena and Gabrielle are '''always''' apart and Xena shags the GirlOfTheWeek to emphasize the point.