There has always been a thin love between love and hate, and this doubly applies in the world of secret identities, where membership is scant on either side of the roguish or super-heroic side. Shared enmity can make for strange bedfellows, and sometimes even the nicest and most moral superheroes can become tempted by the allure of the dark side, which has led to a surprising number of romantic encounters in comic books and various other media.
Unfortunately, these also tend to fail quite frequently because in the world of superheroes and their adversaries, business and pleasure rarely mix well. This is quite evident in unlikely pairs like Rogue and Magneto, whose opposing ideologies created a doomed romance; Spider-Man and Black Cat, where love couldn’t overcome their moral clash; and even Daredevil and Elektra, whose passion was marred by their conflicting nature. This article will explore five such romances between superheroes and their supervillain counterparts that were likely never meant to be.
Rogue and Magneto
The massively popular X-Men ’97 animated series, whose Season 2 we’re all impatiently waiting for, has revealed a lesser-known storyline from the comics in which Rogue and Magneto are romantically involved. While their previous relationship is only mentioned and implied in the episode Mutant Liberation Begins, the two were together during the Age of Apocalypse storyline, which later spilled over into the mainstream Marvel Universe.
In truth, Rogue has had a very troubled and painful romantic history due to her superpowers and the inability to physically touch anyone. Magneto is, for whatever reason, immune to her powers—we theorized it in our Rogue × Magneto article—and completely able to withstand her touch. Since she was a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants at the time, Rogue entered a serious relationship with Magneto, but it didn’t last due to their opposing ideologies.
Batman and Talia al Ghul
Though she was initially depicted as the daughter of the supervillain Ra’as al Ghul—nicely portrayed by Liam Neeson in 2005’s Batman Begins—recent depictions have shown her to be an enemy of Batman and a supervillain in her own right. With that said, that wasn’t always the case, and Talia and Batman were previously romantically involved; the two actually had a child together, Damian Wayne, who has since become Robin.
Given that Batman indirectly killed Ra’as Al Ghul across several media, Talia’s undying loyalty to her father, and the fact that the Caped Crusader can’t really allow or support horrific acts like mass murder or genocide, it was quite evident that the relationship wasn’t going to last. Also, when it comes to Batman’s love interests with villains and supervillains, that whole can of worms demands a discussion of its own.
Victor Von Doom and Sue Storm
Victor Von Doom is a supervillain in his own right, and it is quite a shame that none of the Fantastic Four movies we received thus far managed to capture the true complexity of his character. He’s charismatic and noble but also quite jealous and petty, which feeds right into his resentment of Reed Richards—so resentful that he actually covets something, or rather someone, Richards holds most dear: his wife, Sue Storm.
As it turns out, the two have engaged in a romantic relationship in the Secret Wars timeline, in which Doom became the reality-altering God-Emperor Doom and crafted a universe in which Sue Storm, Reed Richards’ wife, is now his wife. This gave Doom everything he ever wanted, but the romance was based on lies and manipulation and was never actually meant to be.
Spider-Man and Black Cat
Spider-Man × Black Cat romance was perhaps one of the more unique relationships between a superhero and a villain, simply because the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and Black Cat were an unlikely pair. One was a college attendee who got bit by a radioactive spider, while the other was an accomplished jewel thief who fell in love with the web-slinger’s power and strength.
The two went on to become a vigilante team, but the romance didn’t last because Black Cat simply wasn’t attracted to the nerdy man Peter was while his costume was in the wash. The two eventually separated, and Peter later married his best friend and love interest, Mary Jane Watson.
Mystique and Wolverine
While Wolverine rejects Mystique’s advances in X2: X-Men United—you know, the scene in which she sneaks inside his tent—the truth is that the two have previously met and even engaged in a romantic relationship, which might’ve ended up painful for Logan. Namely, the two met in 1921 and had a brief romance that quickly became stained due to different viewpoints.
The fling ended with Mystique pushing Logan out of the moving train. This didn’t really hurt Logan emotionally, but we guess that it did physically, despite him being immortal and having near-instant regeneration powers. While this kind of violent breakup resulted in longstanding consequences, there’s an alternate timeline in which the relationship between the two resulted in the birth of Raze Darkholme, who possesses both shapeshifting abilities and Wolverine’s claws.
Summary
Love is rarely straightforward in the world of superheroes and supervillains, and these five romantic entanglements serve as a reminder that passion, power, and opposing moral codes often create explosive results. And while love tends to conquer many things, the clash of superhuman abilities and villainous tendencies makes us wonder whether opposites truly attract.