Marvel’s first superhero wedding was between Mr. Fantastic & The Invisible Woman, a union that has lasted to this day. However, superhero marriages remain a divisive subject. On one hand, fans may feel that it risks making the character unrecognizable. For instance, the Clark/Lois/Superman love triangle is an essential part of Superman’s initial appeal. On the other hand, characters should be allowed to grow and change.
While audiences may be accustomed to the romantic conflicts of single life, the Richards family proves that married life can be just as interesting of an adventure. Superheroes don’t have to be an adolescent fantasy, they should be allowed to act their age. Several other Marvel superheroes have followed the march of wedding bells, but some have fallen victim to editorial cold feet.
1/10 Susan Storm & Reed Richards Are The Most Successful Married Couple In Comics
Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) Annual #3, By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, Stan Goldberg, And Artie Simek
The first superhero wedding issue was DC’s Aquaman in 1965, featuring the eponymous hero and Mera. Meanwhile, several Golden Age superheroes such as Jay Garrick (the Flash) were depicted as married. However, Marvel’s first wedded couple, Susan Storm & Reed Richards have had the longest marriage of any continuously published character.
Reed & Sue tied the knot in Fantastic Four (Vol.1) Annual #3, which was an extra-sized issue that set the template for most superhero wedding issues that followed. A large ensemble of other superheroes appeared on the guest list, and supervillains threatened to spoil the occasion.
2/10 Ant-Man & The Wasp Also Got Married In The Sixties
Avengers (Vol. 1) #60, By Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Mike Esposito, Sam Rosen, And Herb Cooper
Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, the original Ant-Man and the Wasp, got married in Avengers (Vol. 1) #60 by writer Roy Thomas and artists John Buscema and Mike Esposito. Amusingly, the issue threw off the readers, and Captain America, by showcasing a wedding invitation for the nuptials of Janet Van Dyne and the “Yellowjacket,” which turned out to be Pym’s new alias.
Pym and Van Dyne’s relationship was far more troubled than the two-dimensional relationship strife that most superheroes endure. Hank was intimidated by Janet’s wealth and outgoing nature, while Janet was frustrated by his obsession with work. Hank Pym infamously struck his wife in a Bronze Age comic, and this domestic abuse was explored explicitly in The Ultimates.
3/10 Namor’s Wedding To Dorma Results In Tragedy
Sub-Mariner (Vol. 1) #36-37, By Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, Bernie Wrightson, Jean Izzo, Ross Andru, Mike Esposito, And Artie Simek
Namor is one of the oldest superheroes in the Marvel canon, and his primary romantic partner Dorma debuted right alongside him in Marvel Comics (Vol. 1) #1 in 1939 by Bill Everett. Dorma is Namor’s most trusted ally and grew up with him in Atlantis.
Namor spent most of his time spurning Dorma’s affections in favor of surface women like Betty Dean and Susan Storm, who could probably sue him for harassment. Namor & Dorma have married on occasion, most notoriously in 1971, when it turned out that the villain Llyra had killed Dorma and assumed her body.
4/10 Wanda-Vision Have A Complicated History
Giant-Size Avengers (Vol. 1) #4, By Steve Englehart, Don Heck, John Tartaglione, Petra Goldberg, And Charlotte Jetter
Giant-Size Avengers (Vol. 1) #4 featured not one but two superhero weddings. The more iconic one was between Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) and Vision, who had a complicated marriage. The pair started a family using magic, but equally contrived situations split them apart.
A romance between artificial intelligence and an organic human opened the door for interesting existential explorations. Some comics explored that premise to interesting effects. However, Vision’s artificial intelligence was based on Wonder Man, who also had a relationship with Wanda, which resulted in a whole other can of worms.
5/10 Mantis Married The Swordsman
Giant-Size Avengers (Vol. 1) #4, By Steve Englehart, Don Heck, John Tartaglione, Petra Goldberg, And Charlotte Jetter
Mantis & Swordsman were the other pair that tied the knot in Giant-Size Avengers (Vol. 1) #4. Mantis may not have as high a profile as Scarlet Witch or Vision, but she’s soundlessly entertaining in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and she got hitched all the way back in 1974.
The Swordsman, on the other hand, was a pretty irksome foil for the Avengers, who then weaseled his way into the team and married a superhero. Swordsman was also transformed into a plant, replete with leaves and everything. Sadly, death did them part when Swordsman sacrificed himself while facing off against Kang.
6/10 Black Bolt & Medusa Are A Royal Power Couple
Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) Annual #18, By Mark Gruenwald, John Byrne, Mark Bright, Mike Gustovich, Petra Scotese, And Phil Felix
Medusa has come a long way since she was first introduced as an antagonist for Marvel’s first family. She was popular enough that comics revealed her to be part of an advanced race called the Inhumans, and would eventually be betrothed to their king, Black Bolt. Medusa & Black Bolt tied the knot in Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) Annual #18 in 1984.
Black Bolt and Medusa’s marriage lasted decades and even produced an heir. Things got a bit weird when Black Bolt married a few more women, as a political deal, then when he briefly died, creating the opportunity for Medusa to date Johnny Storm. But for the most part, Black Bolt and Medusa remained one of the most powerful couples in comics, genuine partners in marriage and statecraft.
7/10 Hawkeye & Mockingbird Were Never Going To Last
Hawkeye (Vol. 1) #4, By Mark Gruenwald, Danny Bulanadi, Brian Garvey, Eliot R. Brown, Bob Sharen, And Joe Rosen
Hawkeye & Mockingbird are the Green Arrow and Black Canary of Marvel Comics, although their marriage wasn’t quite as endearing or enduring. The pair were married in Hawkeye (Vol. 1) #4 by writer-artist Mark Gruenwald, appropriately titled “Till Death Do Us Part…”
Hotheads Hawkeye and Mockingbird ended up getting a divorce, mostly because Clint Barton behaved like an adolescent throughout their marriage, and after… and before. This gave readers the famous scene during Brian Bendis’ Avengers run where Clint and his new boo Spider-Woman make romantic glances at each other, only to be intercepted by Mockingbird’s searing glare.
8/10 Betty Ross & Bruce Banner Had A Gothic Romance With A Superhero Twist
Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #319, By John Byrne, Keith Williams, Andy Yanchus, And Rick Parker
Before Marvel reinvented itself with the Fantastic Four, its most popular genres were romance and monster stories. Body horror was a big part of the original FF comics, but The Hulk is the most obvious product of that lineage. Bruce Banner and his big green alter ego’s relationship with Betty Ross feels like something out of a gothic romance novel.
Betty and Bruce got married in Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #319 by writer-artist John Byrne. This laid the groundwork for Peter David’s mammoth 12-year run on Hulk, which explored the strains that Bruce’s suppressed rage can place on a marriage. Eventually, Betty was infamously killed off in a classic example of the “women in refrigerators” phenomenon.
9/10 Jean Grey & Scott Summers Have A Pretty Messy Relationship
X-Men (Vol. 1) #30, By Fabian Nicieza, Andy Kubert, Matt Ryan, Joe Rosas, And Bill Oakley
The pairing of Jean Grey and Scott Summers probably came about because Cyclops was the archetypal leader of the original X-Men and Jean (then called Marvel Girl) was the only woman on the team. However, Chris Claremont’s definitive run on the X-Men went a long way towards justifying their relationship. These were two people who’d grown up together, best friends who couldn’t help falling in love.
When the couple finally got married in X-Men (Vol. 1 #30), that didn’t mean they got a happy ending. Jean’s godlike powers alienated her from her husband, and they had affairs with Wolverine and Emma Frost, respectively. A couple of deaths and resurrections didn’t help either. However, the current era of the X-Men seems to have given the Summers family a stable home life.
10/10 Spider-Man’s Marriage Led To One Of The Most Infamous Retcons
Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 Annual #21, By David Michelinie, James Shooter, Paul Ryan, Vince Colletta, Bob Sharen, And Rick Parker
Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson were married in Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 Annual #21, although the marriage was wiped out of continuity a decade later in the infamous One More Day storyline. An essential element of Spider-Man stories was that Peter Parker is eternally down on his luck. Apparently, this meant Peter being married to the love of his life risked changing the character too much.
At the same time, readers can only stand so much of the “will they won’t they?” romance before tiring of Peter & MJ’s relationship. If Spider-Man is the ultimate everyman superhero, perhaps he should be allowed to explore the everyman challenges and rewards that come from being a husband or father.
