Top 20 Superhero Love Triangles

As if dating between superheroes isn’t hard enough, try untangling a relationship between a sentient android, a hex witch, and a former villain. Yeah, you could say things got messy. Scarlet Witch and Vision have always been each other’s de-facto love interests, and they have several self-titled miniseries' to prove it. But, that didn’t stop Wonder Man from trying to win Scarlet Witch’s affection when they all served together on the West Coast Avengers. In a glimpse of his villainous side, he even once tried to keep Vision offline so he’d have Scarlet Witch all to himself. She rebukes all of Wonder Man’s advances, but the three have remained on very awkward footing ever since.

Throughout most of comic history, the leather-clad Black Canary has only cried for one partner - Oliver Queen, AKA Green Arrow. They’re paired together as often as Superman and Lois Lane, Spider-Man and Mary Jane, Ant Man and the Wasp… you get the point. So, you can imagine the fan reaction when Canary started locking lips with Batman of all people. Who knew the Caped Crusader was such a home-wrecker, right? Their romantic adventures are usually nothing more than a quick fling, but something tells us Oliver wouldn’t like it either way. Luckily, no matter the continuity, Black Canary usually ends up in her rightful spot next to Green Arrow.

The only thing hotter than Johnny Storm’s powers is this scandal. At one point in time, both the Human Torch and Medusa were separately spoken for. Johnny to the Inhuman, Crystal, and Medusa to Black Bolt. But, when both of those relationships hit a rough patch, the newly-single heroes take solace with each other. The issue? Crystal, Johnny’s ex, is actually Medusa’s sister. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best not to date your ex’s siblings. Especially if they both have superpowers. When Crystal discovers who Medusa is seeing, it leads to an emotionally-charged standoff that nearly tears the sisters apart. Next time, Johnny, cast that net a bit wider.

You heard that right. Deadpool and Thanos quite literally fight over who gets to be with the abstract entity, Death. Only in comics, right? To be fair, in most issues, Death takes the form of a very flirty woman. It’s enough to make both Deadpool and Thanos fall head over heels. But, never one to share, Thanos gives the Merc with a Mouth immortality so he can never meet Death again. In fact, in some continuities, Thanos wipes out half of the universe as a grand show of affection for his beloved. Deadpool is predictably more about the quips, but either way, neither have earned more than a few kisses.

As they say, opposites attract. In the Teen Titans, that means Beast Boy and Raven. Not that you’d be able to tell by looking at them. Since Raven has to constantly keep a lid on her emotions, she can’t reciprocate Beast Boy’s unsubtle advances. However, that becomes a lot harder when Terra enters the picture and immediately woos the beastly hero. “Jealous” isn’t usually a word people use to describe Raven, but that’s the only way to explain her coldness towards the Titans newest member. By the time Terra betrays the team, this tragic love story has given two broken hearts for the price of one.

The original love triangle in the Iron Man comics actually involved Pepper, Tony, and his personal assistant, Happy Hogan. Pepper would eventually marry Happy, although Tony would remain attracted to her over the years. Tony also had a working relationship with Maria Hill, particularly during the Civil War miniseries, and the two would eventually get together during the “Dark Reign” storyline. While Pepper and Happy are never romantically linked in the films, there was a bit of tension between Pepper, Tony, and a new character – Maya Hansen – in “Iron Man 3.”

The one you have more in common with or the one who’s drop-dead gorgeous? Also, one of them is orange. This was the choice that Dick Grayson faced. Dick falls for Barbara Gordon as Batgirl almost immediately, but she brushes him off because of his age. They would eventually become a couple, and remained so even after Barbara was paralyzed by the Joker. Complicating the relationship, however, was the emergence of the sizzling Starfire. Dick and Starfire are even nearly married at one point, and in an alternate universe have a daughter together named Nightstar.

It feels like sacrilege to imagine Clark Kent with anyone other than Lois Lane. Superman, on the other hand? That’s a different story. Clark’s dual-life means that, in certain story arcs, he ends up spending a lot of personal time with Wonder Woman. While his heart is always set on Lois in the end, it’s hard to compete with a godlike superhero. Plus, with how often they save the world together, it’s only natural they start to develop intense feelings. And, you know, kiss a few times. Just for good measure. Lois fans don’t need to worry, though. At this point, there are enough Elseworld stories to make everyone happy.

Despite his idealistic pursuit of justice, the Dark Knight is frequently linked to two of the most… let’s say “morally gray” characters in the Batman canon. And by linked, we mean he’s kissed Selina Kyle’s Catwoman in more comic books than we can count. But, she isn’t the only one Batman’s seeing on the weekends. The heiress to the League of Assassins, Talia al Ghul, has also made her way under Bruce Wayne’s mask on more than a few occasions. He really has a type, huh? Given both Catwoman and Talia’s track record, you can only imagine the fireworks whenever they butt heads. For Gotham’s sake, fingers crossed they keep things cordial next time.

Because of a mutation that causes her to absorb the abilities of anyone she touches, Rogue spends most of her life in a self-induced exile. But, that doesn’t stop her from becoming the center of a juicy love triangle. Despite his playboy tendencies, Gambit turns over a new leaf and commits to sweeping Rogue off her feet. And it works! For years, actually. Sadly, their relationship isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. In some storylines, Rogue becomes enamored with the antagonist Magneto, who’s mastery of metal lets them share more, ah, intimate moments. They even have a kid together at one point. Notably, this love triangle isn’t just plain attraction, it’s a full-blown debate on mutant politics, too.

With great power also come great love interests, apparently. To prove it, Peter Parker has a certified web of romantic options to choose from. On one side, there’s Mary Jane Watson, the classic girl next door type. On the other, there’s Black Cat, the very definition of a dicey antihero. They both have their fans, and for good reason. In most iterations, Mary Jane is the better fit for Peter Parker, but Black Cat is superior for Spider-Man. All together, it’s a captivating tug-of-war that shows the struggle of balancing romance and heroics. Both Mary Jane and Black Cat marry Peter in different continuities, so maybe you can just chalk this one up as a draw.

This love triangle was one of the central storylines of Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy. Bruce cared deeply for Rachel, who told him that they could not be together until he retired as Batman. Complicating the issue was Rachel’s relationship with Harvey Dent, who would ask Rachel to marry him. Torn between the two men, Rachel eventually chooses Harvey. This love triangle was exploited by the Joker, however, who SPOILER ALERT, kidnapped both Harvey and Rachel, resulting in Rachel’s tragic death and Harvey’s transformation into Two-Face.

He’s tall, blond, handsome, and a god. It’s no wonder Thor was a popular target for the ladies, like Jane Foster, a nurse from Earth, and the beautiful goddess Sif from Asgard. Thor intended to marry Jane, but Odin forbade it on the grounds that she was a human. When given the chance to become an Asgardian goddess, Jane failed the test, which caused Thor to reunite with Sif. There exists little animosity between the two women, however, with Sif actually saving a dying Jane on one occasion.

The main love storyline in the TMNT universe is between vigilante Casey Jones and news reporter April O’Neil. While their relationship is on and off at times, they are eventually married and have a child together. In most versions, April works alongside the turtles, and while they are close, they have a strictly platonic relationship. In the 2012 animated series, however, Donatello has a crush on April from the moment he sees her, creating tension between him and Casey. Unfortunately for Donatello, April is oblivious to his feelings.

Scott Summers and Jean Grey have one of the more messy relationships in all of comics, and the arrival of Emma Frost only complicated the issue. Upon joining the X-Men, Emma initially provided Scott with marriage counseling, but their relationship quickly turned into a psychic-sexual affair. Jean uses her telepathic abilities to discover Emma and Scott in bed together (in their minds) and uses her Phoenix powers to shatter Emma’s diamond form. After Jean’s death, however, Emma and Scott began a legitimate relationship.

What many consider to be the greatest comic book of all-time also featured an enticing love triangle between Jon Osterman, Laurie Juspeczyk, and Dan Dreiberg, also known as Dr. Manhattan, Silk Spectre II, and Nite Owl respectively. Attracted to the god-like Manhattan almost instantly, Laurie continued on a relationship with him after she retired. As Manhattan became less and less connected with humanity, however, the relationship between the two deteriorated, and Laurie eventually became romantically involved with Dan. At the end of the comic, Laurie and Dan are still together.

As headlining members of Marvel’s so-called “First Family,” Sue Storm and Reed Richards are supposed to have the perfect marriage. And, for the most part, they do. At least, until Namor the Sub-Mariner arrives and starts making waves. Originally introduced as a vengeful Atlantean trying to flood Earth, Namor soon forgives the surface world thanks to his burgeoning relationship with, you guessed it, Sue Storm. Despite her reservations, the Invisible Woman can’t help but feel smitten towards the aquatic antihero. Their taboo romance sparked what is commonly referred to as Marvel’s very first love triangle. Sue can turn invisible all she wants, but there’s no hiding from a legacy like that.

Just when you thought the Scott-Jean relationship couldn’t get any more confusing, enter Wolverine. Jean ended up cheating on Scott with Logan on more than one occasion, most notably in “X-Men Forever Annual #1”. She was a constant source of tension between Logan and Scott, which was one of the main storylines of the original “X-Men” movie trilogy. In that timeline, her alternate personality the Phoenix caused her to kill Scott, and Logan had to kill Jean. But thanks to the convenient time travel shenanigans of “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, that was all rendered moot.

Everyone has that person they grew up with who would then go on to become their first crush. For Clark Kent, that was Lana Lang. Lana is one of the first people to learn that Clark is Superman. In most Superman titles, Lana is Clark’s teenage love interest before he moves on to Lois in his adult years, but some titles see her competing with Lois for Clark’s affection. This is best shown in the television series “Smallville,” where Clark is seen dating both Lana and Lois multiple times during different seasons.

This is one of the rare love triangles that not only didn’t involve an affair, but actually showed all three members as close friends. Peter initially dated Mary Jane, which frustrated Gwen, but broke up with her because he thought she was shallow and superficial. Peter would then date Gwen until she was tragically murdered by the Green Goblin. Her death caused Mary Jane to become more serious, and after some hurdles, she ended up marrying Peter. You go tiger!