By Ben Morse
Every week, a secret cabal of Marvel staffers gathers to discuss the best of the best when it comes to the House of Ideas. This time around, the Cabal has Valentine's Day on the mind, and rather than spring for chocolates or roses, they decided to celebrate the occasion by selecting the 10 Marvel couples that most make them go "awwwww." Read on to learn who proved romantic enough to make the list and where you can read more about them on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
10. JUSTICE & FIRESTAR
Their Deal: Meeting on teen team the
New Warriors, Vance Astrovik—then
Marvel Boy—and Angelica Jones—aka Firestar—found themselves attracted to one another's mutual gentle qualities and capacity for good. Their relationship would survive Vance's temporary incarceration, Angelica's problems with her powers and a stint with the
Avengers neither may truly have been prepared for, proving their love to be strong and true. The couple got engaged, but sadly called it off upon realizing they were still young enough to want different things out of life.
Why They Make The List: For readers growing up in the '90s, the romance between
Justice and
Firestar stood out in a decade too often defined by sex and violence.
Angel and Vance provided a new generation of readers with a much-appreciated softer side of Marvel.
Highlight: After years of being apart, first due to Vance serving a jail term for involuntary manslaughter and then after he infiltrates the Upstarts, Justice and Firestar tearfully reunite in the aftermath of the "Younghunt" pitting the New Warriors against
X-Force. (NEW WARRIORS v1 #46—1994)
Lowlight: Following an engagement of several years, the couple realizes they want very different things in their lives, Vance wishing to start a family and Angelica not ready to give up her youth, and thus end their relationship. (I HEART MARVEL: MASKED INTENTIONS—2006)
Spotlight Comic: AVENGERS FOREVER #1 Vance and Angelica confront the
Supreme Intelligence alongside their fellow Avengers.
9. CAPTAIN AMERICA & SHARON CARTER
Their Deal: Sharon Carter followed her Aunt Peggy's footsteps in the intelligence field as and agent of
S.H.I.E.L.D., but never dreamed she would also, like her aunt in the 1940's, become a paramour of Captain America. Unfortunately, Sharon and Cap's relationship got cut short when she had to fake her death for an undercover mission, and upon their reunion years later they agreed to keep a strictly working relationship. However, Sharon has always been there for Steve Rogers, and they recently renewed their romance—only for Carter to assassinate her lover under the mental influence of
Dr. Faustus.
Why They Make The List: Nobody seemed to make "man out of time"
Steve Rogers come alive like Sharon Carter. When they were together, Cap seemed younger and more vibrant that at any other time in his history.
Highlight: With Cap reeling from the discovery that his former partner Bucky has
become the mercenary
Winter Soldier, Sharon puts years of personal tension between the two of them aside to comfort him in his time of need. (CAPTAIN AMERICA v4 #18-#21—2006)
Lowlight: She shot him dead—doesn't get much lower. (CAPTAIN AMERICA v4 #25—2007)
Spotlight Comic: CAPTAIN AMERICA v1 #177 With Steve temporarily retired from being Cap, he and Sharon attempt to begin their life together.
8. THE VISION & THE SCARLET WITCH
Their Deal: When the mutant
Scarlet Witch rejoined the Avengers after a brief respite, she fell in love with the most unusual of suitors: new member the
Vision, an android who had enlisted in her absence. In his romance with Wanda Maximoff, Vision explored and realized his capacity to feel, even as the couple faced down the prejudices of a thoughtless society. Though the couple would marry, their happiness would not last as the government abducted Vision, thinking him a threat, and rewrote his programming, eliminating his emotions and with them his affection for the Scarlet Witch.
Why They Make The List: "Unusual" doesn't even begin to describe the pairing of
Vision and Scarlet Witch, but despite their unique backgrounds, they overcame a great deal through their love, enough to make even an android cry.
Highlight: Finally standing up to her overbearing brother
Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch proclaims her love for the Vision, not caring who does or does not approve. (AVENGERS v1 #103-#104—1972)
Lowlight: When Wanda loses her mind during "Avengers Disassembled," her former husband becomes one of the first casualties, as she forces him to crash a Quinjet into Avengers Mansion. (AVENGERS #500—2004)
Spotlight Comic: VISION AND THE SCARLET WITCH #1 Leaving the Avengers, Wanda and the Vision try to live a normal existence but encounter extremely abnormal problems.
7. CYCLOPS & EMMA FROST
Their Deal: When
Cyclops experienced stress in his marriage with Jean Grey, he turned to his sexy, devious teammate
Emma Frost, surprisingly not for physical companionship, but for somebody to talk to. Forging a strong emotional bond as they helped one another get over their various psychological hang-ups, Scott and Emma took the next step forward with their relationship following Jean's death.
Why They Make The List: After years of using men and discarding them, Emma Frost had no idea how to confront actually caring for Scott Summers, while he found himself in unfamiliar territory as well after years with "good girl" Jean Grey. Watching them learn to love one another has been many things, but never dull.
Highlight: In extreme peril hurling in a space craft towards the Breakworld, Scott ends a heated argument by telling Emma that he loves her for the first time, stunning his normally verbose lover into silence. Moments later when the couple crashes on the surface and Cyclops appears mortally injured, the typically
emotionally inhibited Emma sheds a tear. (ASTONISHING X-MEN #21—2007)
Lowlight: Psychically manipulated by
Cassandra Nova, Emma subjects Scott to emotional torture and uses her powers to apparently shut off his mutant powers—he responds later by shooting her in the back with a handgun. (ASTONISHING X-MEN #17—2006)
Spotlight Comic: ASTONISHING X-MEN #1 Cyclops and Emma re-open the Xavier Institute together as co-headmasters.
6. SPIDER-MAN & MARY JANE WATSON
Their Deal: For years, party girl
Mary Jane Watson would be "the other girl" in
Spider-Man's life, dating Harry Osborn or playing the scene while Peter found his social skills or romanced
Gwen Stacy. The death of Gwen forged a tight bond between the two that eventually led to a committed romance and, a year and a few speed bumps down the line, marriage. They would be one another's rocks through thick and thin until recently, when a deal with the demonic
Mephisto to save the life of Peter's Aunt May tore their marriage asunder.
Why They Make The List: Besides serving as Marvel's most visible couple in most forms of media for over 20 years, Peter and MJ also proved the old adage that opposites attract. He may have been a responsibility-addled bookworm and she a carefree party girl, but their love for one another overcame those surface differences and helped both grow as people.
Highlight: After Mary Jane returns to New York City following years away, she reunites with Peter and reveals she knows him to be Spider-Man,
bringing the two closer together than ever before and leading them down the aisle to be wedded as man and wife. (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #21—1987)
Lowlight: Fed up with the stress of Peter risking his life every day and night, Mary Jane walks out on their marriage and before her husband can win her back, boards a plane that seemingly explodes. (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN v2 #13—2000)
Spotlight Comic: SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE #1 An alternative take on Spidey and Mary Jane's relationship told from MJ's point of view.
5. SPIDER-MAN & GWEN STACY
Their Deal: Peter Parker met Gwen Stacy in college, after he had emerged at least in large part from his wallflower shell, and fell head over heels for the gorgeous blonde. After some initial resistance, kind, sweet Gwen returned Peter's feelings and the two enjoyed the joy of being young and in love. However, it didn't last, as in a moment that would forever haunt Peter, the Green Goblin, his archenemy as Spider-Man, captured and killed Gwen, her lover arriving too late to save her.
Why They Make The List: Gwen Stacy brought a ray of sunshine to the perpetually gloomy existence of Peter Parker that Spider-Man readers had never witnessed to that point. Of course, a large part of the Peter-Gwen relationship's fond spot in the hearts of many also comes from its premature end—we never saw the love affair get stale or got sick of Gwen, as she and what she represented remain idealized years later.
Highlight: Following the death of her father, Gwen leaves for Europe, needing time to sort her life out, but upon her return, she and Peter have both had time to realize how much they mean to one another and pledge that they will make their relationship work, hoping to spend the rest of their lives together.
(AMAZING SPIDR-MAN v1 #95-98—1971)
Lowlight: Not long after the aforementioned reunion, the original Green Goblin,
Norman Osborn, kidnaps Gwen and holds her hostage atop the George Washington Bridge—Spider-Man arrives too late to save his love, as the Goblin drops her and Peter fails to rescue her, his web line inadvertently snapping her neck. (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #121—1973)
Spotlight Comic: SPIDER-MAN: BLUE #1 A flashback to the beginning of Peter and Gwen's relationship.
4. CYCLOPS & JEAN GREY
Their Deal: Scott Summers and Jean Grey were smitten with one another from their first meeting, but it took the shy Scott quite some time to build up the courage to share his feelings. After an all too short romance, Scott thought he had lost the woman of his dreams forever when she seemed to perish as
Phoenix. But years later, Jean returned and after an initial awkward period, the two reunited. Scott and Jean married and tried to enjoy a life together, but unfortunately the responsibility of being
X-Men always got in the way, right up until Jean sacrificed her life for real.
Why They Make The List: They're the couple you're always rooting for if only because there seems to be an endless stream of insurmountable obstacles in their way. Their ships have passed in the night so many times, that when they finally do get together, it not only feels like destiny, it feels great.
Highlight: After years of seeming death, clones, other marriages,
children from alternate futures and just about everything else you can think of, Scott Summers and Jean Grey tie the knot in a beautiful, peaceful ceremony. (X-MEN v2 #30—1994)
Lowlight: Just as they had begun to move away from being full-time X-Men and devote time to their life together, Scott and Jean rejoined the team to battle
Apocalypse and Cyclops ended up temporarily merging with the villain, separating him from his wife—their relationship never fully recovered. (X-MEN v2 #97—2000)
Spotlight Comic: X-MEN v1 #32, Cyclops and Jean first reveal their love to one another
3. DAREDEVIL & ELEKTRA
Their Deal: In college, blind law student Matt Murdock fell hard for Greek beauty
Elektra Natchios and the two shared a passionate relationship. However, their bliss shattered when terrorists murdered Elektra's father and she sought revenge by becoming a deadly assassin, trained by the Hand. Elektra re-entered Matt's life, targeting him as
Daredevil on behalf of the Kingpin, but met her own end at the hands of
Bullseye. While Elektra would be resurrected, she and Matt have never been able to recapture what they once had.
Why They Make The List: Marvel's version of Romeo & Juliet, these star-crossed lovers have packed enough tragedy and angst into their tumultuous history to make even Shakespeare cringe. Both represent to one another that moment of bliss they can never recapture as well as their darkest lows.
Highlight: Matt and Elektra share a whirlwind romance in college, marking probably the happiest and most carefree period in each of their tragedy-ridden lives. (DAREDEVIL: THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR #2-#3—1993)
Lowlight: After re-entering Matt's life as an assassin for the
Kingpin, Daredevil's archenemy, Elektra meets her demise at the hands of Bullseye and dies in her former lover's arms. (DAREDEVIL v1 #181—1982)
Spotlight Comic: DAREDEVIL v1 #181 Elektra battles Bullseye as Matt tries to save her life.
2. MR. FANTASTIC & THE INVISIBLE WOMAN
Their Deal: As a young girl, Sue
Storm dreamed of marrying Reed Richards, the smart, handsome college student who boarded at her parents house, and those dreams would come true in ways she never expected. While dating Reed, Sue joined him as well as her brother Johnny and their friend Ben on the fateful flight that transformed them into the
Fantastic Four. After a few years as teammates,
Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl wed and Sue later gave birth to two lovely children, Franklin and Valeria.
Why They Make The List: They're the "first couple" of the Marvel Universe. While they've experienced their ups and downs over the decades, Reed and Susan Richards remain for most Marvel readers their prime example of a happy marriage. Sue's patience with Reed when he gets lost in his experiments or Reed's clumsy attempts at romance demonstrate the kind of unselfish, give-and-take relationship we all hope to find. And of course they got married before anybody else—that's worth a few points.
Highlight: The entire Marvel Universe turns up to fend off super villains trying to ruin the wedding of Reed and Sue, but their special day goes off without a hitch
thanks to the Avengers, X-Men,
Nick Fury and more. (FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #3—1965)
Lowlight: Questioning his ethics after a
Thor clone he helped to create kills Goliath, Sue leaves Reed at the height of the
Civil War to join Captain America's anti-registration resistance. (CIVIL WAR #4—2006)
Spotlight Comic: FANTASTIC FOUR: THE WEDDING SPECIAL Reed & Sue's wedding day re-told.
1. COLOSSUS & KITTY PRYDE
Their Deal: From the moment she laid eyes on him, teenage X-Men recruit
Kitty Pryde harbored a tremendous crush on her handsome Russian teammate Peter Rasputin, aka
Colossus. While Peter initially dismissed Kitty as too young for him, he gradually came to see her as mature beyond her years and the two became a couple. Peter and Kitty would drift apart, first romantically and then when both left the X-Men at separate times, but when Colossus seemingly sacrificed his life to cure the deadly Legacy Virus, his one-time lover mourned him. After Kitty and the X-Men discovered Peter alive and well, a captive of
Ord, the two renewed their relationship, this time both as adults.
Why They Make The List: To begin with, Kitty and Colossus happen to be two of the sweetest, most likable characters in all the Marvel Universe. More than a few readers—and creators—have copped to cute, spunky Kitty being their first comic book crush, while everybody can relate to falling for a charming older colleague like Colossus. We love these characters and we love seeing them happy together. Kitty and Colossus' romance bears plenty of resemblance to the most "awwww"—inducing Disney movies and prove fairy tales
can come true, even in the Marvel Universe.
Highlight: With the X-Men infected by the parasitic alien Brood and seemingly doomed, Kitty offers herself to Peter physically, but Colossus declines, vowing they
will survive and wait for the right moment, as he wants their first time together to be special. (UNCANNY X-MEN #162-#166—1982-1983)
Lowlight: Stranded on Battleworld, light years away from Kitty, Colossus makes time with the alien healer Zsaji, despite her inability to speak English (or
Russian). After Zsaji dies, a grief-stricken Peter returns home and promptly dumps Kitty. (SECRET WARS #1-#12—1984-1985)
Spotlight Comic: ASTONISHING X-MEN #4 Colossus returns from being thought dead for an emotional reunion with Kitty.
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