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Love Interests for female super-heros

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Anteres Since: May, 2010
#1: Apr 6th 2013 at 3:39:45 AM

Just having a discussion with a friend of mine and was looking for wisdom.

I was trying to think of any female characters that have long-term love interests that aren't also high profile characters. Any male equivalents of MJ, Lois Lane, Pepper Pots or the like. I don't mind if the guy has powers, just if he's a hero in his own right. So Jean Grey and Scott Summers don't count but Thor and Sif would be okay as she's a support character, not someone who sustains a title on her own.

I'm drawing a blank on this but my knowledge of stuff outside Marvel is shaky. Any help ?

TheConductor Since: Jan, 2011
#2: Apr 6th 2013 at 4:52:58 AM

Wonder Woman has had, at a various times, Steve Trevor.

Anteres Since: May, 2010
#3: Apr 6th 2013 at 6:12:39 AM

Thought of him, but he hasn't been her love interest for, what 25 or so years now ?

Just seems like an odd difference between male and female characters.

Cider The Final ECW Champion from Not New York Since: May, 2009 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
The Final ECW Champion
#4: Apr 6th 2013 at 8:49:19 AM

That is because comic book fans are ...they have double standards. A super powered man who can move mountains romancing a woman who is completely physically unremarkable? Not a peep, in fact it will be sweet that he gives up so much for her. She is lucky!

Super powered woman who can destroy cities playing hard to get with a man who is completely physically unremarkable? Fans will be livid! The hell? She is too good for him! She should be dating super powered man who flies at orbital velocity!

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SaintDeltora The Mistress from The Land Of Corruption and Debauchery Since: Aug, 2012 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
The Mistress
#5: Apr 6th 2013 at 8:52:37 AM

[up]That is the entire rationalization for Clark x Diana

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Anteres Since: May, 2010
#6: Apr 6th 2013 at 9:12:59 AM

[up][up]I'm not sure I entirely agree with that one. I think it could be more about how male comic book readers view the characters.

Superman, Batman are to some degree wish-fulfillment characters. But a male comic reader doesn't want to BE Wonder Woman, even if they're a fan. I wonder (hee smile) if it's a possessive thing, not wanting some other guy hooking up with their heroine. I'm not sure if the heroine hooks up with an equally powerful character who was only a support character (Like Sif with Thor) would that be accepted. I mean I can't think of any of them either. (If that paragraph makes sense.)

edited 6th Apr '13 9:14:01 AM by Anteres

Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#7: Apr 6th 2013 at 9:38:49 AM

I think the trope page you are looking for is All Amazons Want Hercules.

C0mraid from Here and there Since: Aug, 2010
#8: Apr 6th 2013 at 9:56:33 AM

Most of the near permanent civilian love interests were established by the 60s, which is one reason why many female Superheroes don't have them. Since then there have been lots of relationships that have lasted for several years, but few that have become guaranted status quo.

Another factor is that you don't often get to have a supporting cast without your own book, as we all know not enough female characters have their own books. Ultimately I think this is the major source of the problem.

One point I would make is that any love interest a female superhero has is almost always some sort of badass. Female love interests can range from Misty Knight to Lois Lane to Betty Brant, which is a good thing. Male love interests are almost always in reasonably heroic lines of work. Even a plucky reporter boyfriend would be a nice change of pace.

Am I a good man or a bad man?
smokeycut Since: Mar, 2013
#9: Apr 6th 2013 at 2:00:13 PM

I think Batwoman has one. She's engaged to a cop last time i checked.

Robbery Since: Jul, 2012
#10: Apr 6th 2013 at 11:28:22 PM

Most characters that have regular love interests also generally carry their own solo book (or in the case of the Golden Age, their own feature). There simply haven't been that many female characters who have carried their own books.

That said, let me think...Wonder Woman had Steve Trevor, the Golden Age Black Canary had Larry Lance, the Harvey Comics' Black Cat had Rick Horne...can't think of too many others, off the top of my head.

Anteres Since: May, 2010
#11: Apr 7th 2013 at 5:02:11 AM

[up][up] I'm not sure Batwoman is counter to my idea. If male author's are avoiding letting female characters have male love interests to avoid "competition" of a sort, I'm not sure writing a lesbian love interest counts. I mean Steve Trevor or Nemesis aren't exactly beloved but I doubt WW getting a girlfriend would raise as much ire (outside the "Yay, Mainstream Homosexuality" and "Boo, Mainstream Homosexuality" reactions).

VampireBuddha Calendar enthusiast from Ireland (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
Calendar enthusiast
#12: Apr 7th 2013 at 5:19:54 AM

Donna Troy had an utterly superpowerless boyfriend/husband who never really caused any major drama and lots of fans hated.

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Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#13: Apr 7th 2013 at 12:21:16 PM

I thought people hated Terry Long because he was sleazy as all hell.

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#14: Apr 7th 2013 at 12:25:25 PM

[up] That and I've seen a lot of people assert that Terry was an Author Avatar for Marv Wolfman, which is even skeevier.

I believe Zatanna had a love interest in her short-lived solo series. I think he was a San Francisco PD officer.

Tiamatty X-Men X-Pert from Now on Twitter Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: Brony
#15: Apr 7th 2013 at 12:29:11 PM

Carol Danvers, in the first Ms. Marvel ongoing, had a will-they-won't-they with two guys, her psychiatrist and a photographer working for her. In her current series, the photographer, Frank Gianelli, is back, and they have a bit of a flirtatious relationship, though it really could go either way at this point.

She-Hulk had extended relationships with both John Jameson and Wyatt Wingfoot, and she may possibly be getting back together with Wyatt. Tough to tell for now.

X-Men X-Pert, my blog where I talk about X-Men comics.
Cider The Final ECW Champion from Not New York Since: May, 2009 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
The Final ECW Champion
#16: Apr 7th 2013 at 4:59:14 PM

John Jameson is the astronaut man-wolf Star-god. I am not sure how much he counts. Miss Marvel did have muggle boyfriends and from what I remember fans disliked the one she had around civil war and wanted to see more of Wonder-man.

edited 7th Apr '13 7:21:11 PM by Cider

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Watchtower Since: Jul, 2010
#17: Apr 7th 2013 at 5:07:43 PM

Yeah, just checked The Other Wiki, and Jameson and She Hulk were together while he was going through his superpowered phase, so he doesn't count.

I'm curious if there's a feminist stance in the double standard. Like, people don't want someone like Wonder Woman to "lower" herself for a man who isn't her "equal". It's still incredibly stupid, but it would explain Superman x Wonder Woman.

EDIT:Just realized I basically said what Cider said, but with the added "feminist" slant. Oh well.

edited 7th Apr '13 5:09:04 PM by Watchtower

comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#18: Apr 7th 2013 at 6:06:47 PM

I've seen some women argue the exact opposite: that the Superman thing is so problematic to them precisely because it seems like DC decided to give her a lover who could potentially dominate and control her in the way no human man could. Because as has been mentioned I'm sure, people rarely complain about super strong men with unpowered women.

Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#19: Apr 7th 2013 at 6:32:13 PM

[up][up]Batman sometimes gets a pass.

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
Tiamatty X-Men X-Pert from Now on Twitter Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: Brony
#20: Apr 7th 2013 at 6:33:39 PM

I think the double-standard comes down to that of men being warriors and women being nurturers. Men are supposed to protect women; therefore, supermen get normal women who they can save from bad guys, like white knights saving princesses from dragons or evil wizards or whatever.

A woman rescuing a man would run totally contrary to that. She can aid the man, but she's never supposed to save him. It would be emasculating.

Now, if they're on the same level, then hey, that's fine. Then she's not saving him. They're cooperating to accomplish their goal, and that's more acceptable.

One of my favourite books as a kid was The Paper Bag Princess. So I think this double-standard is ridiculous bullshit. I actually hope that in Captain Marvel, Carol keeps saving Frank's life. Because it would be sending the message that women can be protectors, too. They can be the white knights, saving their princes. It's fucking 2013 - it's flat-out ridiculous that comic books still can't show a woman being flat-out stronger and more heroic than a man.

X-Men X-Pert, my blog where I talk about X-Men comics.
RedM Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
#21: Apr 7th 2013 at 6:34:51 PM

[up]Bats/Wondy always made sense to me for the same reason Carol/Spidey did.

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comicwriter Since: Sep, 2011
#22: Apr 7th 2013 at 6:35:29 PM

I guess I never got why the Distressed Dude trope is such a problem for people anyway. I mean in real life when a guard or employee gets tied up and gagged during a robbery, I don't see people calling them "p*ssies" or "b*tches" or anything like that. So I don't get why the idea of male characters being kidnapped and needing to be rescued is such a huge deal.

Cider The Final ECW Champion from Not New York Since: May, 2009 Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
The Final ECW Champion
#23: Apr 7th 2013 at 7:24:56 PM

I do not think it is really that widespread. The Queen does the fighting for the almost helpless King in Chess. I think it is a symptom mostly limited to the comic book genre, maybe just superheroes. Maybe American Superhero comics . It is a thing but it is not omnipresent.(Power Puff Girls? Xena?)

Edit: No wait, Xena's boyfriends were all warlords and gods. Her only damsel lover was a poetic farm girl and the Power Puffs had no interest in boys

edited 7th Apr '13 7:30:55 PM by Cider

Modified Ura-nage, Torture Rack
Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#24: Apr 7th 2013 at 7:31:04 PM

[up][up]The question is who is really at fault? Is it the readers or the execs? Are a signifigant portion of the fan base throwing a hissy fit every time a super powered woman goes out on a date with a non-super-hero guy or are the execs shutting down all the attempts by saying that the fanbase doesn't want to read about superpowered ladies dating normal guys?

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
Robbery Since: Jul, 2012
#25: Apr 7th 2013 at 10:26:41 PM

At Vampire Buddha: Actually, Terry Long was only sleazy in the sense that, when he first appeared he seemed to be rocking a bearded, redheaded John Travolta look (gold chains and open-collared shirt exposing copious chest hair), but at the time I don't think that was intended to read as sleazy. There is the fact that he was 29 year old man dating, and then marrying, a 19 year old woman/super heroine. He was never anything less than decent and supportive of her and all the Teen Titans (a lot of fans called him their "den father") until he became a jerk for plot purposes in the mid-90's, divorced Wonder Girl/Troia, and was killed off.


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