10 dysfunctional superhero movie relationships
Relationships are tough.
Whether you are in high school trying to ask a girl out to the prom or arguing with your
husband about how to raise your children, having a personal relationship with another
person can get pretty messy.
Now imagine how much tougher things get when you throw in the added stress of having to
constantly save (or even try to destroy) the world.
It seems like there is a pattern of some seriously messed up relationships plaguing the world
of superheroes so we’ve looked through some of the unhealthiest cases for our list of
10 Shockingly Dysfunctional Superhero Movie Relationships
Superman and Lois Lane (Man Of Steel, Batman V Superman)
Clark Kent and Lois Lane represent one of the most iconic couples in all of pop culture,
but when you stop and think about it their relationship is pretty messed up.
For starters, he is an alien and she is a human – but who are we to judge some cross
species loving.
We do however have a problem with just how much danger he puts her in by having her in
his life and the fact that she cheats on him, or, well, thinks she does, as she is technically
not cheating when she hooks up with Superman.
This whole relationship is built on secrets and danger and is really just one big mess
– and that’s without even mentioning the super weird bathtub scenes in Batman V Superman.
Batman and Catwoman (The Dark Knight Rises) While Halle Berry’s catwoman might be one
of the must dysfunctional superhero characters of all time, the relationship we are talking
about here is between Christian Bale’s Batman and Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman in The Dark
Knight Rises.
We understand the idea of playing hard to get but this one might take it a little too
far as the two characters seems to not care for each other at all and then end up saving
each other’s lives all in what feels like a blink of an eye.
She robs him, he stalks her, and they both ditch each other, what a classic love story!
We aren’t sure how their relationship might have continued after the movie ended but we
can only imagine that it was a life full of conflict.
Deadpool and Vanessa (Deadpool) Deadpool was one of the best movies of 2016
and totally took the world by storm with its raunchy humor and gory violence.
Ryan Reynolds was absolutely perfect as the character but what wasn’t so perfect was
Deadpool’s relationship with Vanessa.
The relationship begins in a very dark place and is filled with a very adventurous sex
life, but that’s not what makes it dysfunctional.
The messed up part about their relationship is Wade’s inability to talk to Vanessa after
his face has been mangled and he has become Deadpool.
He follows her around but he will not show his face to her and this causes a lot of serious
problems.
Deadpool calls itself a love story, which may be true, but it is certainly a dysfunctional
one.
Scott Summers and Jean Grey (X-Men) This is one of the most iconic and amazing
romances of all time…in the comics that is.
In Bryan Singer’s movie adaptation of the Cyclops and Jean Grey X-men love however,
it is a bit more complicated.
The two characters are involved in a very confusing and troubling love triangle with
Wolverine that spans between movies and even timelines.
In the movies, Wolverine is made to seem much cooler than Scott Summers which makes it all
the more difficult to understand why Jean Grey ends up choosing Scott.
Love triangles are dysfunctional by nature and super powered one is no exception!
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts (Iron Man 1,2,3, Avengers Age Of Ultron, Captain America Civil
War) It is revealed at the beginning of 2016’s
Captain America Civil War that Tony Stark’s relationship with Pepper Potts.
This shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone as this relationship has been troubled
for years.
Throughout his solo movies, Iron Man was constantly putting Pepper in dangerous situations and
she was one of the main reasons that he decided to hang up his suit in pursuit of a more normal
life.
That, of course, didn’t last very long as Tony Stark suited back up as Iron Man for
Avengers: Age Of Ultron, which was likely the last straw for him and Pepper Potts.
We guess it can be pretty tough dating a world famous billionaire superhero sometimes, so
we understand why she may have left.
Bane and Everyone…
(The Dark Knight Rises) If we are talking about messed up relationships,
we have to mention just how dysfunctional Bane’s relationship seems with literally
everyone in The Dark Knight Rises.
He is a badass dude with a message and people seem to follow him like some sort of messiah.
He has people dying in the name of his cause left right and center and no one seems to
be bothered by it, in fact they are more than willing.
On top of all that, the end of the film reveals his true relationship with Talia Al Ghul to
be one filled with dysfunction and secrets.
We’re not sure what it is, but Bane seems to bring out the worst of people.
Black Widow and The Hulk (Avengers: Age Of Ultron)
Ever since Avengers: Age Of Ultron, fan have been “shipping” Black Widow and Bruce
Banner together.
Maybe they’re right or maybe it’s just the dynamic chemistry between Mark Ruffalo
and Scarlett Johanssen.
Either way, this is one relationship that would certainly be dysfunctional.
Even if Natasha has learned some tricks and lullabies to help calm The Hulk down, he is
still a rage monster who could smash her to pieces if a domestic argument didn’t go
his way.
We strongly suggest that these two just stay friends and coworkers as we believe that it
is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to dealing with an angry Bruce Banner.
Spiderman and Mary Jane (Spiderman 1,2,3) Even the iconic upside down kiss in the streets
moment can’t save this relationship from being truly dysfunctional.
Once Peter Parker becomes Spiderman, he begins living a double life filled with secrecy,
not a great foundation for any healthy relationship.
Not only that, often times his double life causes Mary Jane to be put in danger as an
emotional pawn being used against him by his foes.
All of this, on top of the fact that she already previously dated his best friend turned enemy,
Harry Osborn and you definitely have the recipe for one messed up relationship.
Doctor Strange and The Ancient One (Doctor Strange)
Doctor Strange has arrived to the Marvel cinematic universe and for the most part, people are
thrilled.
The story and the visual effects in the movie are amazing but one part of the films that
left fans feeling a bit uneasy was the odd relationship between Dr Stephen Strange and
his magical trainer The Ancient One.
This might just be because Tilda Swinton is admittedly quite unique in her acting or it
could be due to the fact that the character is secretly grooming Stephen Strange to be
the successor to the great sorcerer without him even knowing it.
Whatever the reason may be, there is undoubtedly a peculiar vibe between these two.
Harley and The Joker (Suicide Squad) Although Harley was originally introduced
into the DC world in Batman The Animated Series, the world really got to see her on a big stage
for the first time in 2016’s suicide squad.
While Margot Robbie’s outfit may have been distracting, audiences were quick to remark
on just how dysfunctional and even abusive her relationship with Jared Leto’s joker
is.
The two are an explosive on again off again couple where the power dynamics are way out
of whack.
The joker has her wrapped around his finger and no matter how badly he treats her; she
keeps crawling back to him.
While their screen time was limited in the theatrical release of the movie, the extended
cut of Suicide Squad offers more of a window into just how problematic Harley’s relationship
is with the clown prince of gotham.
So there’s our list of 10 superhero movie relationships that are seriously messed up?
Do you agree with what’s on our list?
Are there any other relationships that we missed?
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