The One Challenge Super-Heroes Cannot Overcome? Marriage.

Inspired by Captain Elias over on Superpowers That Be, I was thinking about marriage in superhero books.

What is it about married super-heroes that some find so challenging? Not that there are not characters who are married. There are some that have had long marriages, such as Reed and Sue Richards, Flash (Jay Garrick), Flash (Wally West) and Animal Man. But it looks like Superman will not be once DC's Relaunch happens in September. Spider-Man's marriage has been cosmically erased due to the events of "One More Day." Not to mention that as they worked their way through the morass of Hawkman's continuity, one of the things that didn't survive was his marriage. Elongated Man's wife was killed, and Atom's wife turned into Eclipso. Flash (Barry Allen)'s wife was killed. Some of this veers into "Women in Refrigerators" territory, and it is easier for me to come up with examples where the marriage went away than where it became the new status quo.

Why do creators not want these Superman and Spider-Man - in many ways the flagship characters for each of the companies - married? I have a few theories. First off, back to a recurring theme I have hit on several times here: the inter-media status quo.

In his movies, Superman isn't married. The same is true in Spider-Man's movies, most of his cartoons, etc. So, as a reader moves from one medium to another, from a practical, "we've hooked 'em, now we've got to land 'em" perspective, I can see wanting the character on the page to be as close as possible to the character on the screen. This does present challenges, of course. Amazing Spider-Man is a three times a month book. Superman is in a number of titles every month. There is bound to be a lot more development at that pace than at one movie every 2 or 3 years, and now they are looking to reboot the franchise. To keep the comics looking like the movies, then there can be no real character advancement, and those romantic relationships these characters have will have to be in a constant state of romantic comedy-like misunderstandings and making up to have a good reason to never move the relationship forward.

This also gives the characters an easy sub-plot. Many writers are comfortable writing conflict in a non-married relationship. But they don't want to do the same within a marriage. I'm not sure if this is a cultural taboo, or what, but most marriages that do exist in comics are generally shown as being supportive and harmonious all the time. I am a happily married man. Very happily. But that doesn't mean that my wife and I never have any kind of conflict in our relationship. The dynamic changes, but there are as many interesting stories to be told about married couples as dating ones. At least I think so.

Of course, there is a third aspect to my theory. In many ways, super heroes are wish fulfillment for their fans. Maybe on some level, writers think that the fans want the freedom of not being tied down? I don't know. That may be true for some. For others, part of being a good person is making real connections with other people. Marriage is, perhaps the ultimate expression of that. I feel like super heroes should be role models. Finding the perfect person in your life, and committing to spend the rest of your life with them? Working through problems with them, supporting each other through good times and bad, in sickness and in health? Well, that is a role worth modelling.

Which is not to say that all characters should be married. Just that I wish that characters who are married off are not seen as having closed off creative options. Instead, maybe, that they have opened up some new ones.

There are some things I will really miss post-reboot at DC. The JSA, Babs in her wheelchair, and Superman's marriage.