Comics 411: Favorite Superhero Rivalries

Welcome back! I’m Steve Gustafson and if you enjoy discussing anything comic book related, you’ve come to the right place. Each week we cover something in the industry and I always enjoy your input in the comment section below.

Previously on…

 
Last time we discussed our Favorite Comic Book Couples Here’s what some of you had to say:

William Jansen: “The obvious answer is Superman and Lois Lane and to me that is also the correct one. In the best stories you get both the lovable and loveless Clark Kent bumbling along, not knowing how to talk to girls, and the totally unrealistic dream of being Superman and literally flying away with the girl of your dreams. Pure brilliance to find a way to tell a story, where my younger and dorkier self was present alongside pure wish-fulfilment.

Shout out to Kite Man and Poison Ivy, because it managed to make Kite Man interesting without compromising the A-level-character Poison Ivy.”

Jeremy Thomas: “Cyclops and Emma, and I will fight anyone who says they don’t make a great couple. That relationship did a LOT of rehabilitation of Cyclops after he fucked over Madelyne Pryor without skipping a beat when Jean came back. And while Emma was already well on her way to becoming the best X-Men before she and Scott got together, she’s completed her ascension since.”

Ken Wood: “I love Spidey and MJ but he and Black Cat made a fun couple. But Spidey and MJ are the ultimate couple, for me.

I also love Cyclops and Jean but Cyclops and Emma are so much better together. Cyclops and Jean were cute together but Emma and Cyclops just compliment each other so well. They have little moments of friction and fights that work. They’re like a grown up couple while Cyclops and Jean are more of a high school romance.

I just don’t think of Batman and Catwoman as a couple. They just never made sense as a couple to me. Frenemies with benefits, maybe, but not a couple.

Jean and Wolverine were a mess. They were never destined to be together.

I used to dig Gambit and Rogue but I’ve softened on Gambit a lot over the years. He just doesn’t do much for me anymore.

X-23 and Hellion were fun. It was fun to see X-23 vulnerable like that.”

Acolyte Of Glorious La Parka~: “Reed and Sue Richards (I know very few will probably agree, but when I was growing up with Marvel Comics in the ’70’s, the FF was still the flagship comic of the company, and that’s what I was reading)
Jean Grey and Cyclops (basically the standard all other comics couples are judged on. Last I heard they were no more, but I would hardly know, because I haven’t read the sh*t Marvel comics have become in MANY, MANY, MANY years.)”

Richard C: “Cue up “Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order — Archie, Betty, Veronica.”

Excollector: “I really felt like Marvel screwed up in splitting up Storm and Black Panther. DC tried the same thing with Hawkman and Hawkwoman which is one of my favorite couples but my all time favorite might be Reed Richards and Sue Storm.”

Luis: “I choose spiderman and shadowcat. They are the perfect power couple. They share their secret to each other, and together to fight crimes. Hopefully if they made a alternate version of Peter and kitty stay together as couple and get married.”

Wheeljack84: “Madman and Josephine.”

Carl Rood: “You do realize that Emma basically psychically raped Scott, don’t you? She was supposed to be giving him therapy and took advantage.

1. Clark Kent & Lois, mainly since Crisis. It was kind of messed up in the pre-Crisis days.
2. Wally West & Linda Park. Their love almost killed the DC devil.
3. Peter & Mary Jane. Either it’s not quite as great, or Mephisto is made of sterner stuff than Neron.
4. Green Arrow & Black Canary, at least until someone decided Ollie was a habitual cheater, which he never was.
5. Hawkey & Mockingbird. They were gold back in The West Coast Avengers. It’s kind of sad that writer changes never truly had them find their way back together way back then.

I’d like to include Nightwing and Starfire, but it’s been a really long time and looking back, I have to admit they had almost nothing in common other than being heroes on the same team. I’m no fan of Dick & Barbara, mainly because I’m old enough to remember there was originally a nearly 10 year age gap and she was an adult while he was still in high school.”

Benjamin Kellog: “Moose and Midge from Archie Comics, particularly the version of their relationship as depicted in “Life with Archie: The Married Life.” The couple broke up for what I felt were entirely realistic reasons given the problems usually facing them, but it was nice they stayed friends, even from a distance. And Moose had the chance to run for mayor and nearly won the position, a major life change he’d likely never have had in his traditional depiction. Come to think of it, the way just about every single major character or relationship in the Riverdale universe was addressed, enhanced, or altered made the book worth picking up every month. Definitely light years better than that joke of a CW show.”

El Atomico: “The first couple I thought of was Hawkeye and Mockingbird. Then I pictured them driving around in the Avengers-mobile or whatever singing “Mockingbird” a la Clark and Ellen Griswold. 🙂

Reed and Sue Richards are definitely the most Ward and June couple on this list, lol.”

Vince Basile Jr.: “My favorites are Batman and Wonder Woman when they actually are paired together which unfortunately isn’t a lot but hopefully that changes after some of these recent comics DC has been putting out, and also Spiderman and MJ.”

Mojotheclown: “Joker and Barbara Gordon.

(Too soon?)”

Elia Notari: “Invincible and Atom Eve took the cake”
So many great comments! Big thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts!

This week we discuss our…

Favorite Superhero Rivalries

Competition runs naturally when you’re dressed up in a costume and battling supervillains on a regular basis. Of course you’re going to try to prove to everyone that you’re the best, even if it means getting into a misunderstanding with a fellow hero so let’s take a look at some of our favorite superhero rivalries. 
Before I jump in and before I get comments wondering why I didn’t include Reed Richards and Doctor Doom, I’m talking about traditional superhero-on-superhero rivalries.

Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis were gold from the very start of their 1987 Justice League run. One of the highlights was the rivalry between Guy Gardner and Batman. Guy always felt he should be the leader of the group and often took umbrage under Batman’s direction. While Gardner usually complained or gave Batman a hard time, the two finally clashed physically in Justice League #5, when Guy decides to challenge Batman to a fist fight.

Yes, he picked a fist fight with Batman.

Guy takes his swing and then Batman proceeds to knock Guy out with one punch.

“One punch! One punch!”

To me, that’s the bar when it comes to rivalries. Comic book history has had its fair share of friendly superhero rivalries. Some are more friendly than others. Some of those rivalries have upped the drama to the point of battling it out from time to time.

Take Batman and Superman. The world’s finest! We could do a whole column on what these two represent and how they reflect on each other. Batman and Superman have a long and storied history together; both as allies and opponents. While it’s exciting to see these two match wits and duke it out, I’ve always enjoyed the quieter moments that showed how much these two respect each other. You have the hard-edged Batman, dedicated to his mission contrasted with the hope Superman inspires. The two first crossed paths in ‘The Mightiest Team in the World’ story in Superman #76 back in 1952. Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent happen to be vacationing on the same cruise. Of course the ship is overbooked and the two have to share a cabin and are called to action when a diamond thief makes himself known. Over the years the two have built a mutual understanding with each other and have been in some classic stories like The Dark Knight Returns, World’s Finest Vol. 2, Superman & Batman: Generations, the entertaining Superman/Batman series, and working with each other in several incarnations of the Justice League. Their rivalry is definitely one for the ages and beyond.

Of course not all rivalries are as complex as Superman and Batman. Some are simply over the love of a woman. We’ve all been there. Maybe not exactly like the one between Cyclops and Wolverine though. Jean Grey has long cast a spell over these two, making herself the center of their not-so-secret dislike for each other. On one hand you have the primal, animalistic Wolverine and on the other you have the reserved and focused Cyclops. A classic theme that showcases their strengths and weaknesses. What’s a girl to do? These two have enjoyed poking the other over the years, coming to blows at time and trading barbs. They’ve split over ideology differences but it still comes back to Jean. With these two, will there ever really be a “winner”? And how will their current status in the books develop this ever-changing relationship?

If you want straight action and punching, look no further than the Hulk and Thing. Many debates have been waged over who would win in a fight between these two. The Hulk has usually come out on top but Ben Grimm has held his own and has managed a win or two. This rivalry has survived and thrived over the years. Out of all their encounters, I liked the Grey Hulk v Thing the best. Even though Hulk started off at a lower strength level, his cunning made the match up that more exciting. Probably tied with those encounters was back in Fantastic Four #112. We witnessed the Thing go full tilt against the Hulk, no holding back. The issue was one big super fight and Grimm’s smarts and determination were on full display. While the Hulk kept going, Ben had reached his limits, yet refused to yield. Unfortunately, his heart brought him down when his girlfriend at the time, Alicia Masters, screamed out as debris fell around them.

Poor Ben.

You know who’s not poor? Tony Stark. Which makes the Captain America and Iron Man rivalry one of my favorites. This is another case of ideologies coming into play. While they have the same goal in mind, they use different methods to achieve them. Marvel’s ‘Civil War’ played out thanks to these two and the rivalry plays so strong that they are basing some of the cinematic universe around it. Who’s right or wrong when it comes to these two? It all depends on whose side you’re on.

I was thinking of including Namor on here but who would I pair him with? Reed Richards? Black Panther? Also, isn’t he more an anti-hero than anything else? 

Who’s your favorite? Who did I miss?  Punisher and Daredevil? 

That’s all the time I have. See you next week!