What that up in the sky? It’s a bird, no wait it is a plane saying… I’m going to be late for the wedding?! Welcome to Comic Theory, where educated guesses about comic tropes might go in their worlds or the real world. Today we will be focusing on the Superhero Love Life. I mean with everyone aborting their main ships; is it even possible?
Basic Ideas of Superhero Love
Now in the comics; you have the usual love interest who has to be in the dark about secret identity for whatever reason. And may I ask why a couple of characters in DC date reporters? Seriously, you wanna keep a secret and you wanna get jiggy with a scooper?! Worst part is, you make them feel stupid when the ‘big secret’ is revealed.
Anyway, Marvel and DC are bringing back a lot of old flames in their comics after several retcons; DC’s got Aquaman and Mera, the Flash has Barry Allen and Iris West (possibly Wally West and Linda Park), Green Arrow and Black Canary (not on the CW show by the way), Wonder Woman with Steve Trevor, and Superman is married to Lois Lane again (they even have a son). Marvel soon followed suit with Black Panther and Storm, Rogue and Gambit, and most recently Spider-Man and Mary Jane. Only one of these stayed in tact. There are also a few attempts at marriage which have been disappointing fans; read all about it someplace else it’s everywhere.
Psychology Of Superhero Love
As for what it means for a superhero’s social life, it is without a doubt complicated. Superheroes as anyone with a comic book will show you, are celebrity emergency workers. Any news site or blog tells you that the world a celebrity inhabits is completely alien to the average person. But dating anyone is difficult; you really wanna listen to a bunch of people who are just bringing stuff up for the sake of clickbait? Well… some explanations might be exaggerated but they’re not totally off the mark.
Fame in Dating Life
Anyone with fame will have attention on them, some good, some not so good. Being on a pedestal can seem like a good thing but it’s objectifying. On the worst case spectrum, you have people who are dating just for the sake of popularity and a fling; at best that person can’t get a decent date because the others think the famous person is too good for them. And in one of the worst case scenarios, those celebrities are the subject of those people’s fantasies to sell brands. Let’s not go into details except this one; those fantasized ideals are almost nothing like the real deal. Celebrities are still human and have flaws that are almost never shown on camera unless it gains someone publicity.
Most of the time, you’ll see magazines and fans going crazy over which celebrity is dating who, especially when it’s another celebrity. I know that these count as fans living in their fantasies but hear me out. When you’re in the same community, it’s easy to look past the facades that people unconsciously put up. It would be common sense of how someone who is of the same group can have an easier time with one another. However that’s not to say it’s a rule. Figures such as Oprah Winfrey and Matt Damon met people who were not of their social class yet they managed to tie the knot with them. Although you could argue those cases are more of the exceptions.
These People Need a Date
As for emergency workers, that’s going to be harder. Unlike celebrities, studies have more facts backing them. One group of emergency workers gets the most attention in regards to relationships and marriage; Emergency Medical Technicians. EMTs include paramedics, nurses, and transport pilots. Unlike cops or fire fighters, who have a relatively simple job of keeping emergencies under control; these people have to act quickly and keep people alive before getting them in more stable conditions. Needless to say, it’s a lot of pressure. Especially with how complex the human body is and how it reacts to different treatments. Not to mention how those patients/civilians ended up like that in the first place.
These might be paid government backed jobs, but there are traumas that go all around in this industry. From how someone acts in the field, the reactions of civilians, the high expectations, and dealing with the events long after they happen (refer to this page). Because of all the stress building up, they often misplace their priorities. Some are so concerned with work that they give up their social lives. It’s almost as if all emotional investment goes into the occupation, effectively becoming married to their jobs. The worst cases just use work to cover up their emotional insecurities. Subjects like that are similar to bad relationships; built on dumping all your problems somewhere else rather than dealing with it, not unlike alcoholism. This is especially relevant in men as they are more emotionally invested in things than women are. (See here, you haters)
Time for the Main Event
In the case of superheroes, you have highly celebrated superhumans who have access to great power and equipment. But they still deal with very dangerous situations on a regular basis. If you’re a hero like Spider-Man, there are a lot of expectations both good and bad. There are situations that could have been handled better, injuries in the line of duty, and heroes acting like nothing is wrong when some events have actually scarred them for life. For such public figures, putting on a brave face is the hardest thing to do; showing weakness of any kind can invite a lot of trouble on a hero’s doorstep. The only source of therapy a superhero has are friends and family who have their own issues to deal with; that’s a sure sign of trouble.
Meaning?
Fortunately there’s a silver lining to all this. While powerful, superheroes are still human which means they are capable of feeling love, sadness, loneliness, and all the motions. This means there are times when they need to have connection around to better themselves. While being a superhero is way more intense than most emergency work, that does not mean they are incapable of living their lives with others. They just have to devote their time to the right people.
The Moment of Superhero Love
Now I’m no expert when it comes to relationships, I’ve never had a long-term romantic relationship with anyone. However, the lengths that relationships go vary per person. Even now most sources will only tell you that things are going bad just for the sake of publicity. To be frank even this here will not be the most accurate. This is mainly just an educated guess so try not to take anything personally.
Also if you want the idea of superheroes dating an average person in comic form, I recommend the webcomics Love & Capes and Dude in Distress. Although they’re more along the lines of what it’s like to date Superman and/or Wonder Woman than anyone else. As for relationships between superheroes, it’s easy with Google search.
Thanks for coming to the end, remember to comment and keep up with my posts.