Basic Trope: Rivals or mortal enemies have romantic relationship subtext.
- Straight: Alice and Charlie are at each other's throats, but sometimes Charlie compliments Alice on her looks, making her flustered.
- Exaggerated:
- Alice and Charlie are only Friendly Enemies at the very least, and they spent more time acting like an old married couple than real mortal enemies. And every time they stop being Arch Enemies, it's treated like a romantic break-up.
- Alice is a pure-hearted and selfless Ideal Heroine while Charlie is a monstrous villain, yet their every conversation is dripping with not-so-subtle subtext and flirtation. Much Angel/Devil Shipping ensues.
- Dating Catwoman.
- Downplayed: Alice and Charlie end up thinking about the other a lot.
- Justified:
- Charlie's a Rival Turned Evil that's Brainwashed and Crazy, and they were once dating before his Face–Heel Turn.
- Or, Charlie is a Punch-Clock Villain. When he's not on the clock, he's a quite nice person, and he and Alice get along quite well.
- The only thing stopping them from becoming a couple is their opposing moralities.
- I Shall Taunt You is involved for either side.
- Inverted: Alice/Charlie is the Official Couple; however Alice's UST with her sidekick Bob made Alice/Bob the Fan-Preferred Couple.
- Subverted:
- Charlie is holding a doll in the image of Alice, saying some flirty lines, including a wedding proposal. When one of the Quirky Miniboss Squad members asks if he has fallen in love with the enemy, he answered "No, I don't do that kind of thing. I'm practicing a proposal to Queen Darvik, and I haven't made a voodoo doll of her."
- Charlie has a tendency to make a lot of flirty and suggestive comments to Alice during their fights, but it turns out that it's all just a ploy to make her uncomfortable.
- Double Subverted:
- Charlie is holding a doll in the image of Alice, saying some flirty lines, including a wedding proposal. When one of the Quirky Miniboss Squad members asks if he has fallen in love with the enemy, he answered "No, I don't do that kind of thing. Lord Blackheart just wants me to get her to join his side."
- Charlie's suggestive comments are revealed to be merely because of an attempt to screw with her...or so they were at first, anyway.
- Parodied:
- Everyone but Alice and Charlie thinks they're dating, using rivalry as a cover, but both of them keep telling them that they don't feel that way. However, they have more UST and Ship Teasing moments than anyone else in the show, including the Official Couple, making the others question if their denial is true.
- "Are you plotting the downfall of some other girl on the side?"
- Zig Zagged: Depending on the Writer, they're either Friendly Enemies, act Like an Old Married Couple, or want each other dead.
- Averted: Alice and Charlie only feel loathing over each other, with no subtext of suggesting anything else what-so-ever.
- Enforced: There isn't anyone on the team for Alice to be paired up with. Let's give her subtext with one of the enemies.
- Lampshaded: A mook asks his boss if he has the other strong intense emotion with Alice. Charlie comments that even he doesn't know.
- Invoked:
- Charlie is a full believer of 'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'
- The Villain's Guild insists bad guys act this way to their arch-enemies, to our hero and her nemesis's mutual discomfort.
- Exploited: Charlie takes advantage of her by giving her mixed signals.
- Defied: Alice, aware that Charlie is an expert of mix signals, decides to state out front not to even think about it, as it won't work on her.
- Discussed:Bob: You know, I question your boss' feelings for mine.
Diane: So, does that make us the Beta Couple?
(Beat, then the two give an Aside Glance before looking at each other) - Conversed: "Okay, why the hell does everyone ship Charlie/Alice? They're enemies, they're aren't supposed to be in a bloody relationship!"
- Deconstructed:
- Alice and Charlie have difficulty fighting each other, as they developed feelings over time. They even questioned changing sides just to be together. However, they both felt confused if they should give up what they're fighting for and be unhappy other than being with their companion without battling him or her, or stayed on their intended side, and forced to do something they're reluctant to do.
- Charlie realizes he's honestly attracted to Alice, which sends him into a Villainous BSoD
- Charlie loves Alice but is completely nuts and therefore acts both abusively hostile and insanely possessive. The result is terrifying.
- Reconstructed: However, they pulled an I Want My Beloved to Be Happy, and kept on their respective, but kept each other close.
- Plotted A Good Waste: The writer is Foreshadowing Charlie's eventual Heel–Face Turn near the end of the story.
- Played For Laughs: Alice is an Unknown Rival to Charlie and mistakes his rivalry for loving affection. He plays along, as she found it nice. Hilarity Ensues.
- Played For Drama:
- Alice pulled a Heroic Sacrifice, with Charlie becoming an Antagonist in Mourning. Before he buried the body, he talked to everyone else about his life, as he felt a change of heart once she died, becoming an Anti-Hero in the process.
- Alice's attraction to Charlie is strong enough that her morals become corrupted. She does a Face–Heel Turn by killing one of her teammates in order to be with him.
- Charlie has genuine love and affection for Alice- but due to his traumatic upbringing, he doesn't know how to express this in any way other than heated rivalry.
Back to Foe Romance Subtext.
