Anthony Bergamini
Romance and superheroes go hand in hand, with characters like Mary Jane, Lois Lane, and Steve Trevor being synonymous with their superhero love interests: Spider-Man, Superman, and Wonder Woman. While this has always been the melodramatic part of these heroes’ stories within the comic books, this aspect has also transferred over to superhero films in a large way. Superman: The Movie would not be nearly as iconic and groundbreaking without the scene of Superman flying to the top of the Daily Planet to save Lois Lane, and Spider-Man’s famous upside-down kiss between Peter and Mary Jane has become synonymous with the franchise. Even films like the original X-Men trilogy and their subsequent sequels feature major plot points and themes predicated on the love triangle between Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Cyclops. When venturing outside of comic book adaptations, one could look at films like The Incredibles and see a romance element that features a married couple with kids. Without a doubt, romance is almost integral to the superhero formula; although, all of the above examples showcase dramatically different ways in which adaptations or original pictures choose to depict this, leaving the question of, what works best for the audience?
Starting with Superman: The Movie, there is a lot to break down with the relationship between Superman and Lois Lane. First things first, this film was made in the 1970s, which means it follows that era’s not so stellar depiction of women with agency. So, anything mentioned here needs to be prefaced with the fact that Lois Lane is portrayed as a strong and able reporter; however, she also loses a ton of agency every time the film positions her near Superman. With that being said, a lot of what makes this relationship interesting is actually Superman’s infatuation with Lois more so than her infatuation with him. When the film starts, Clark is still learning a lot about himself and the interactions we see with him and the girl from his hometown really lean into the idea that he is pitied because of his inferior social status when compared to the jocks. Because of this, the film gives off the impression that Clark is somewhat lonely and has yet to encounter someone who challenges him either physically or mentally. This all changes in the moment he first encounters Lois Lane.
Lois Lane is introduced as Clark starts working at the Daily Planet. This introduction immediately sees him astonished by her visual appearance at first, but this evolves as he starts speaking with her. Lois has a demeanor about her that she is a no-nonsense person and refuses to let anyone have the last word. This shows Clark that she is completely able to challenge him in the way that she holds herself. She is willing to put herself and her job on the line by telling Perry White what she wants to write about and by refusing to adhere to the demands of a burglar in an alley. While Clark does put on a clumsy show to help differentiate him from his alter ego, he also is able to recognize that Lois is unique in the way that she demands her own destiny and speaks her mind.
When the scene arrives where Lois is falling from the Daily Planet, Clark is quick to rush into action, putting on his Superman suit and saving her. This is where the two really get to meet, with Clark no longer putting on a performance to hide his persona. Unfortunately, this is where Lois starts to lose agency, with the filmmakers allowing her to fall for Superman purely because of his looks and powers. In later films she will even put herself in dangerous situations just to have Superman save her, which almost comes across as out of character compared to how she commands most situations with her strong personality in any other instance. Either way, this relationship is often viewed as a sort of benchmark for superhero romance, with Superman being the all-powerful hero and Lois being the completely innocent journalist. The great part here is how different these characters are but how much they complete each other. In many ways, Superman challenges Lois by forcing her to accept the impossible or improbable, whereas Superman is challenged by Lois’s demeanor and personality as she commands all situations despite who she is talking to.
On the Marvel side, the big couple to discuss is Peter Parker and Mary Jane. Their relationship is very straightforward in the way it is depicted. Spider-Man portrays their relationship as the literal girl next-door trope. Peter is the nerdy guy at school who grows more confident when he gets his powers, whereas Mary Jane is the neighbor he is in love with who also happens to be in a relationship with the high school bully. Their relationship is purely built on the idea that she is in love with the guy who saved her life, similarly to Lois Lane and Superman. The similarities grow as Peter forms a “relationship” with her as Spider-Man yet refuses to reveal his identity to her out of protection. The most similar part comes up in Spiderman 2, mimicking the story from Superman 2, where Peter reveals his identity, which although being still dangerous, allows them to be together. It is obvious that these two films are cut from the same cloth with the love stories acting as mirror images for a familiar audience.
The big shift here is with the X-Men franchise, which has a whole cast of characters and opts to not focus on the traditional love story. Instead, the films feature an already established Jean Grey and Cyclops relationship that gets somewhat disrupted by the appearance of Wolverine, who himself grows infatuated with Jean. Throughout the original X-Men trilogy and even into The Wolverine, Wolverine has huge character moments predicated on his love for Jean. This romance is viewed in the sense of a love triangle, where Wolverine is never truly in a relationship with Jean, but instead longs for her from the sideline for four films. Cyclops’s relationship with Jean is never fully explored, with the film just expecting audiences to be okay with the idea that the two are together and not wanting anyone to ask questions. In this instance, all of these movies are predicated on this love triangle for core character moments; however, the romantic elements are never really explored beyond those characters giving each other a longing look or saying that they love each other. Despite this, audiences still hold this relationship triangle to a high regard.
On the flip side of all of this is The Incredibles, where the romantic element is established as an existing marriage between Bob and Helen, who get introduced in a montage flashback prior to their present-day state as parents with superpowers. In this interpretation, the romance is shown as a facet that is explored as something that birthed this superhero family and continues to grow as the family must work together to reclaim their status as superheroes in a world that outlawed them. This type of romantic relationship is not often explored in superhero films, as the idea of a fledgling love story often appears to be more enticing to some. Despite this, the film does an excellent job showcasing the love that Bob and Helen have for each other with the sequel doubling down and switching around the character’s roles to showcase their equality within their relationship, while also making a joke about classic marriage tropes.
It goes without saying that you cannot talk about romance in film or superhero media without addressing the fact that this genre has not done a great job with showcasing romance in the LGBTQ+ community. Films like The Eternals feature a same-sex marriage; however, it gets relegated the background instead of being at the forefront. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness featured America Chavez’s mothers in a same-sex relationship, but once again, this was a fleeting scene that ends faster than it began. Even on the TV side, a lot of buzz came about when the Loki TV show made mention of the idea that Loki was possibly pansexual; but then does absolutely nothing with that concept. That is not to say that LGBTQ+ relationships are not ever well depicted, with Harley Quinn doing a good job of showcasing the titular character’s relationship with Poison Ivy. Either way, these few instances of proper depictions or representation showcase Hollywood’s insistence on including these relationships, possibly just to pat themselves on the back.
Romance and superhero films are connected indefinitely; however, they never need to follow the same tropes as one another. Some are done better than others, but the key is that the romantic plots often are used as the heart and soul of the stories. For those looking for a love story on a Valentine’s Day weekend, you may find a good one in a superhero film, or you may just find some surface level stuff that doesn’t quite satisfy.
