Super Hero Relationships

(Writer’s note: Most of the relationships I reference in this entry are Pre-New 52)

In a recent blog entry I talked about how DC Comics finally hooked up Superman and Wonder Woman (see here). That got me thinking about other relationships between super heroes. What does it take to make it work between two powerful individuals? How do the sparks start flying when the fists stop?

 

Now with a few exceptions, I am going to avoid the relationships between a hero and a civilian. There was an entire TV show about Lois and Clark (aptly named Lois and Clark) and I don’t think it needs rehashing here. Besides, a super hero dating a normal human is pretty standard and boring. It is a super hero dating another super hero that I think would cause the most drama.

Among the popular super hero relationships is Green Arrow and Black Canary. I choose to talk about these two because not only did they get married in the comics but their courtship up to the wedding has also been well chronicled in the pages of the comics. These are two street level heroes who know what it takes to be a hero without powers. I believe this fact may be the cause of many of their romantic arguments. They know the dangers they face, and in turn know that their lover is facing those same dangers. They know one night they may not make it home safe from crime fighting and are terrified that their loved one might not do the same.

An odder coupling is that of Mister Miracle and Big Barda. These two are the opposite of Green Arrow and Black Canary. While those are mortals, Mister Miracle and Big Barda are gods. New Gods to be specific. They come from the pages of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World series. This series dealt with the war between two groups of advanced aliens from the planets New Genesis (good) and Apokolips (evil). Scott Free (aka Mister Miracle) comes from the planet New Genesis, though he was raised and tortured on Apokolips where he learns how to escape any trap or lock that can be devised. Big Barda was also raised on Apokolips to be one of Darkseid's Female Furies, his personal assassins. Despite their harsh upbringing, these two heroes are usually portrayed as having a storybook marriage. They help save the world and then go home to a suburban neighborhood.

These first two couples are interesting because they both show heroes in which the other half of the relationship is the same type of hero as they are. A street level vigilante attracted to another street level vigilante, and a godlike man attracted to a godlike woman. They say opposites attract but judging by these pairings that would not seem to be the case. Could a street level vigilante make a relationship work with a godlike being?

My next relationship should be a little bit closer to that. I am talking about Nightwing and Starfire. Nightwing is Dick Grayson, former Robin and sometimes Batman fill-in. Starfire is an alien princess with enhanced strength, flight and energy projection. As far as power sets and personal histories go, I cannot think of two more opposite ends of the spectrum. Though my previous point may be correct because the comics have always portrayed this relationship as very off-and-on. Nightwing has been romantically involved with a number of other costumed heroes including Huntress, Batgirl and Tarantula, all of which are similar costumed vigilantes.

The final couple I am going to discuss in this blog entry is the reason why I don’t enjoy reading stories about super heroes and civilians in relationships together. That is the tragic story of Ralph and Sue Dibney. Ralph Dibney is a hero known as The Elongated Man. He is a detective with the ability to stretch his body. He was never a major hero in the DC Universe but was always portrayed as a beloved member of the Justice League. He and his wife. Sadly their story ended in the pages of the brilliant mini-series Identity Crisis. In that series Sue Dibney was brutally murdered and the investigation into her death brought about disturbing secrets about the Justice League’s past.

 

While I don’t want to spoil the storyline, suffice to say Sue Dibney died because she was married to a super hero. Her life, and the life of anyone in a relationship with a hero, is constantly at risk. They become a target. While in a previous blog entry (see here) I explored the downside of a secret identity, it can never be forgotten the main reason why heroes choose to hide who they really are. To protect their loved ones. Ralph Dibney’s identity was public and thus everyone knew who his loved ones were.

Apollo and the Midnighter

Relationships are complex things under the best of circumstances but add the pressures and difficulties of being a super hero and you can see a whole new set of problems. And yet, nearly every hero in the comics has a significant other. Sometimes it is another hero, sometimes it is a civilian, but in each case it is someone the hero cares deeply about. Which makes sense. Heroes have made a choice to defend the world and it helps if there is someone in the world worth defending to them.