Love Interests in Superhero Stories

Love Interests in Superhero Stories

Is it necessary to have a love intrest in a superhero movie or book?

Editorial Opinion
By thoarnejones - Feb 29, 2012 09:02 PM EST
Filed Under: Other
Source: comicbookmovie.com

This editorial might be quite long. I have things to say about this subject in general. But I will also use examples. First of all for the movies its a way for men to be able to.drag their girlfriends/wives to see the movies.
"What...it has romance in it". Kinda like how Twilight tries to appeal to guys with the supposedly cool action scenes. But for me being a romantic myself if its done wrong I'm offended. Like SM3 we're suppose to like Mary Jane,but she's a total...well I don't wanna say it,but you guys know what I mean. She's mean,insecure,petty,selfish ect. The problem is better communication,its so simple,but they make it seem like rocket science. Plus she seems mad that people in New York like Spidey now. Really...she's supposed to be his girlfriend.

Fantastic 4. This was dragged out as long as possible. In the comics Reed and Sue are already married so in the first one we knew it would happen. But even then they don't get married until the end of the second one. Sue just comes off as manipulative. And in a stero type like Sue is so pretty that Reed should.just take what she gives out because he should be lucky to be with her. But she was the one all mad in the first one because Reed didn't pay her as much attention as she wanted. Not all women are like this and I find a little offensive that they are portrayed that way.

The Avengers will be a nice break from this. I doubt we'll have to see anyone deal with their romantic issues. Now I love to write. And in my stories I have the romance fuel the story. This should have been with Thor. While it doesn't bother me I hope they make it the great love story it should be. I mean he's a god,there should be something special about her. Besides the fact that she's smart. Does she have courage.is she worthy to lift his hammer? With this story it should be kinda like Thor learns humility by her example and she molds him into the man the hero Odin wants him to be. I like what was done in Captain America TFA. Peggy was a strong capable woman who handled herself in action. Heck she killed people,for me that was a real turn on. I can see why Steve would be upset not being able to see her again,oh and SHE FREAKING HOT!!!!

In some ways I hate Thor. He's got Sif,Jane,Enchantress,and Valkerie. And all of them are hot,especially Enchantress. When romance is in a superhero story for story purposes it helps the story. But when its there because its a superhero story and the need to pander to women it comes off to me as offensive,especially when they portray women in a bad light. People love a good romance and when done well it adds emotional depth to a story,and gives the hero a reason to fight for what he believes in.

So my question is should it even be there at all? Well to me it should. There are so many love stories to tell. And women in the audience when its sincere will love to see these movies. I would,that and the awesome story of the hero. Love is a natural part of life,but I do think that its hard to make it seem real in a 2:00 hour movie. We need to see so much in over to feel like its real. But also it depends on the acting. I think for Thor if Jane went with him to that S.H.I.E.L.D. jail it would have made their love more believable. They are suffering together,and learning to depend on each other. Fantastic 4 was more romantic comedy. One that got annoying. In Iron Man its pretty much what we've seen before the guy falls for his secretary. But in Iron Man its the Kight in Shinning Armor. In Thor its the Sweet but Arrogant Prince who learns Humility. Hulk is Beauty and the Beast,and Captain America is the Sweet War story.

What do you guys think? Which CBM do you think has the best romantic sub plot? Mine is Spiderman 2.

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bgharcourt
bgharcourt - 2/29/2012, 11:57 PM
Nice write-up. I wrote a piece awhile back on MOS and discussed this very thing. It seemed that every Superman movie revolves around the Supes-Lois-Clark love triangle. It really grinds my gears that this seems to be the only thing the writers seem to fall back on when they pound out a superman script. Its almost as bad as Lex and his real estate scams. It just turns the movie & live action shows to a scifi romance novella(not that I mind a little romance in my scifi),making the fact that he is a superhero secondary.
bgharcourt
bgharcourt - 2/29/2012, 11:59 PM
Also, The Avengers will have a romantic sub-plot between Hawkeye and Black Widow.
bgharcourt
bgharcourt - 3/1/2012, 12:11 AM
Oh, and to answer your question, Hell Boy's romance between HB and Liz.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 3/1/2012, 12:17 AM
I wholeheartedly agree. Unfortunately, nothing's gonna change - this is how Hollywood started and this is just how it'll be until women in the industry take action.

A romance subplot isn't there to appeal to women, I don't think. I think they're there because of sexism, and how it seems to be a staple of every superhero to have a love interest who gives him a run for his money. That is supposed to strengthen the characters, in fact.

We're supposed to pay more attention to Mary Jane because Peter's in love with her, because Peter is Spider-man, the titular character. There are other women all around who are interesting characters, but Mary Jane is the one he is chasing after. Not Betty Brant, not Gwen Stacy, not Liz Allen, not Felicia Hardy, but Mary Jane Watson. When you think of most of the women I just named, you think of them as love interests. The majority of men consider them sex objects because truthfully, they don't want to wonder about what goes on in their lives, what they want in life, how incompatible they are with Peter Parker, they see how they are drawn and you will notice they are usually the ones who stand out.

Look at the Nolan films and how many female characters there are in the two (soon to be three) stories. Apart from the judge who goes BOOM! and Martha Wayne who takes a bullet to give Batman his origin story, and the weak-hearted Ramirez we have to suffer through Rachel Dawes - a character invented for the films in fact. Now when it comes to looks, I think most people would take Katie Holmes any day, while when it comes to acting ability, Maggie Gyllenhaal is preferable. What I find particularly offensive is that this central character has two different actresses playing her in two different fashions (one is more aggressive and irritatingly confrontational, while the other is more relaxed and level-headed).... yet ultimately Rachel is the force that drives Batman (and later Harvey Dent) to do great or terrible things - because she is the love interest. It makes me wonder what role "Miranda"/Talia and Selina will play in the next one.

For me, I think the best romantic subplot is Hulk (2003). Jennifer Connelly presents an intelligent, human, determined, beautiful, and compassionate WOMAN who just so happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong person. She's less a love interest and more a part of the story.
Supes17
Supes17 - 3/1/2012, 3:34 AM
Agreed Teabag
Don't forget Comedian and the pregnant Vietnamese woman from the bar:P
Viltrumite
Viltrumite - 3/1/2012, 6:42 AM
It's not, but some of them require it. I couldn't picture a Spider-Man movie without the more soap-opery elements (as Stan Lee intended it), nor could I picture Superman without Lois Lane. However, it should not be the focus of the film's plot, but more of a sub-plot to whatever the primary conflict is.
One of the characters who I feel doesn't necessarily need a love interest in every film is Batman. Honestly, I'd probably be happier if the reboot/reinvention doesn't have one.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 3/1/2012, 7:43 AM
@yossarian
Often they do, often they don't. Are you saying you would rather everyone be portrayed in their respective stereotype?
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 3/1/2012, 8:50 AM
Also, suppose Whedon actually put in every love interest from every hero's respective movie in the Avengers.
You'd have Betty with Leonard stalking in the background, Pepper with Happy sitting there out of place, a 90 year-old Peggy, and Jane with her sidekick Darcy looking amused... sitting on the bleachers.
OdinsBeard
OdinsBeard - 3/1/2012, 3:52 PM
gotta have a love interest! always! if it turns out wrong im sure there was more wrong with the movie than a love subplot (your example of SM3 is spot on. MJ was totally unlikable) but don't blame the romantic plot lines ... blame studios!

i KIND OF agree with you on thor. while i don't think you need to substitute anyone else in Janes place simply because they are "hot" i do agree that it went by too quickly wihtout enough build up. but that has to do with everything in the movie not just the jane foster part. it kind of felt like "Weekend at Midgard" - they should have stretched it out over like a year or so.

you have good ideas man!
Nemeres
Nemeres - 3/3/2012, 9:23 PM
Not to go all pretentious here, but superhero stories are mostly fantasies about the exciting lives we would like to live. Why should love be left out? What's cooler than having our crush admire us as we bravely fight the villain? Or, if she doesn't like us, knowing that she would if she was aware that underneath we're more than we appear? It's one of the coolest parts of the fantasy. Love subplots can be good as long as they're not trite. The ones from Superman and Captain America really worked for me. I say keep them.
thoarnejones
thoarnejones - 3/5/2012, 12:56 PM
@Nemeres Dude I totally get what you are saying. That's what makes writing these stories so great. My thing is,is it worth having in a Superhero story if it doesn't help the story. Or if the woman's just dumb.
thoarnejones
thoarnejones - 3/5/2012, 12:57 PM
Or annoying.
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