Comics have given us some of pop-culture's most beloved couples. Romantic pairings such as Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson or Superman and Lois Lane have captured readers' hearts for decades, but comics are home to some of the world's worse romances, too.
When citing the most toxic relationships in the funny pages, The Joker and Harley Quinn immediately spring to mind for Mr. J's abusive treatment of the lovesick Harley. However, they're not the only culprits unable to maintain a healthy romance. Here are 10 couples you wouldn't think are more twisted than the Clown Prince of Crime and Harley, but actually are.
10 Spider-Man and Black Cat
A fan-favorite relationship, Spidey and Black Cat have been on-again, off-again countless times in the Wallcrawler's history since they first met in The Amazing Spider-Man #194. Seeing the good in her, Peter eventually reciprocated the Cat's infatuation.
However, it became increasingly obvious that she was only interested in his Webhead persona, not Peter Parker himself, going so far as to keep their masks on during intimate encounters. This isn't a great indicator of a long-lasting, happy relationship. A ruthless, jealous ex, Black Cat has shown herself to be more of a thorn in Spidey's side than a reliable partner.
9 Cyclops and Madelyne Prior
Cyclops' relationships have never been the perfect picture of a healthy romance, but his marriage to Madelyne Prior is his worst. Meeting shortly after the events of the "Dark Phoenix Saga," Cyclops was immediately attracted to the fact that Madelyne looked exactly like his recently deceased ex-girlfriend. The pair quickly married and started a family, only for Cyclops to abandon them when Jean returned from the dead.
Madelyne had a brief romance with Cyclops' brother before discovering she was a clone of Jean Grey. Distraught that she was created for a man who left her, Madelyne led a demonic army to New York City during a vengeful rampage as the Goblin Queen.
8 Green Lantern and Arisia Rrab
An innocent crush is harmless, but this pairing from DC Comics grew from schoolgirl infatuation to inappropriate romance. Thirteen-year-old Arisia was one of Hal's students when he began teaching rookie Lanterns how to use their rings. As a man near his thirties, Hal ignored the young girl's flirtatious behavior. So, in Green Lantern Corps #6, Arisia decides to use her abilities to age-up her body, trapping her thirteen-year-old self inside the body of a twenty-year-old.
After some fairly weak attempts to rebuff her advances, the "morally incorruptible" Green Lantern very quickly caves, and they become an official item to the delight of their fellow teammates.
7 Supergirl and Comet
People love their pets, but DC Comics took this to an entirely new level in Action Comics #311. Jealous of Kara dating humans, Comet the Wonder Horse convinced Circe to turn him into a man. Capable of turning into human rodeo great "Bronco" Bill Starr whenever a comet passed into Earth's solar system, he pursued Kara and the pair sparked up a short-lived romance.
To make matters creepier, Comet never revealed his true identity to Kara, despite Supergirl coming close to falling in love with "Bronco." And, though their relationship finally ended, it didn't stop the Wonder Horse from looking for love, later sparking romance with Lois Lane.
6 Daimon Hellstrom and Hellcat
Moving to the West Coast with your lover to start a new life as paranormal investigators sounds like a dream, but it ended as a living nightmare for Patsy Walker.
Hellcat fell for Daimon, aka Son of Satan, during their time as Defenders. Unaware his codename was as literal as it sounds, Daimon's Darksoul eventually showed Patsy his true face, driving her insane. She summoned Deathurge to take her life, trapping her in Mephisto's realm of Hell.
If Daimon hadn't rescued her, she would have faced an eternity of battling in the Arena of Tainted Souls. The couple understandably split when Patsy returned to Earth, but Daimon has returned to haunt her in the years since.
5 The Atom and Jean Loring
Ray Palmer's marriage to Jean Loring ended amicably after Ray's dedication to work and crime-fighting drove his wife to have an affair. The pair divorced and moved on, but their peaceful separation would end in "Identity Crisis" when Jean decided she wanted Ray back.
She devised a truly diabolical plan, murdering numerous people to make it appear as if someone was targeting heroes' loved ones in hopes it would draw Ray back to her—and it worked! When the Justice League discovered Jean had been behind the brutal killings, they had her locked away in Arkham. Nevertheless, she continued to haunt Ray for a long time.
4 The Comedian and Silk Spectre
Despite believing himself to be a hero in Alan Moore's Watchmen, The Comedian is a cynical and sadistic psychopath. This is best represented in the comic's most controversial relationship when he starts dating the original Silk Spectre, Sally Jupiter.
Subjected to multiple acts of violent sexual assault, Sally's low self-esteem sees her stay with The Comedian. Eventually succumbing to Stockholm Syndrome, she falls in love with him, meaning that The Comedian not only gets away with his horrifying actions but "wins" the girl in a deeply twisted way. The relationship is unabashedly abusive and one of the worst ever portrayed in comics.
3 Batman and Batgirl
Bat-family relationships have always taken curious turns, but the most disturbing was revealed in the pages of Batman Beyond 2.0, following events from the animated TV show. Not only do we learn that Bruce Wayne has had a romantic relationship with Barbara Gordon, his much younger mentee who is the daughter of his closest ally and girlfriend of his loyal sidekick, but she is pregnant with the Batman's baby.
Callously shrugging it off, Bruce promises to stay out of the way until Barbara sorts things with Dick Grayson, but he breaks his word and spills everything, fracturing the team. To add more heartbreak to the situation, Barbara loses the baby.
2 Ant-Man and The Wasp
Hank Pym and Janet van Dyme's relationship redefined Pym as an abusive character. In Avengers #213, a row ends with Ant-Man striking his wife across the face. This sparked a trend, tainting their relationship with domestic violence. In 2002's The Ultimates #6, a dispute about Hank's intelligence turns sour when an enraged Hank sprays a Wasp-sized Janet with bug spray before setting his ants on her, ultimately hospitalizing her.
The pair have divorced, recoupled, and separated countless times over the years, but their relationship never lasts. With their violent history, it's easy to see why the Marvel Cinematic Universe decided to immediately pass the Ant-Man mantle to Scott Lang.
1 Ms. Marvel and Marcus
In one of the most mind-boggling plots of all time, Carol Danvers finds love with a man named Marcus who just so happens to be... her own son?! In Avengers #200, Carol gives birth to a mysterious baby who quickly grows into an adult and falls in love with his mother. Weirder still, he reveals that he is a trans-dimensional being responsible for impregnating Carol in the first place.
In a baffling series of events, Carol agrees to live in Limbo with Marcus. To make matters worse, her fellow teammates happily wave her off. Carol would later return under Chris Claremont's watch and accuses the Avengers of letting her be kidnapped and raped by an alien entity in one of Marvel's most twisted storylines.