Film franchises that involve comic books or fantastical worlds are so embedded into society today that it has sparked fan fiction, namely in the form of relationships (ships). The DCEU has a rich collection of characters that have romances together, some even being of the same sex.
With the popular fan fiction website Archive Of Our Own, fans are able to list their favorite ships between characters, some having actually happened and some that potentially could. While there are a few complimentary matches, DCEU fans were clearly more intrigued with the more “roller coaster” ones.
Wonder Woman & Cheetah
It’s not every day that enemies become friends. It’s even rarer to see enemies become romantically involved with each other. This would be the case with a potential Cheetah and Wonder Woman ship.
Barbara Minerva is a well-known enemy of Diana Prince and is a main antagonist in Wonder Woman 1984. Because Diana is bisexual in the comics, this led fans to believe that there could be a relationship between her and Barbara. However, director Patty Jenkins debunked this, wanting to focus on Diana and Steve Trevor’s renewed relationship. Maybe this could be explored in a third Wonder Woman movie, as Diana has to once again move on without Steve.
Batman & Catwoman
Batman and Catwoman’s relationship is complicated, to say the least. They have gotten together (and even engaged) and separated numerous times throughout the comics and films.
Selina Kyle is very flirtatious towards Bruce, as she is intrigued by the mystery surrounding him and realizes that he is fighting on the same side as her. Bruce is more reluctant, as he doesn’t want to bring anyone else into his world that he could lose. They both give in to each other to different degrees, whether it’s a kiss like in The Batmanor ending up together like in The Dark Knight Rises.
Aquaman & Mera
Mera is the queen of Atlantis and the wife of Aquaman. While their relationship isn’t necessarily toxic, it is somewhat rocky at times.
Mera originally planned to assassinate Arthur but fell in love with him instead. Despite her temper, she and Arthur share a common goal of uniting Atlantis with the surface world. It’s a shame that Jason Mamoa and Amber Heard’s chemistry was absent in the film, otherwise this could have been front and center inAquaman. With The Lost Kingdom, DC could pivot and introduce a new romance for Arthur, such as Dolphin.
Wonder Woman & Batman
Both Bruce and Diana have had romances with other characters, but their romance together is the most notable. It’s the small actions that they each make towards each other that show there is something there.
In the Justice League Unlimited episode “Maid of Honor,” they share a dance together, and Diana deduces Bruce’s identity (with a similar scene in Dawn of Justice). Further evidence of their romance is in the 2017 Justice League during the scene where Diana pops Bruce’s shoulder back into place, and they share a drink together. Bruce’s personality is similar to that of Steve Trevor, which could explain why she is attracted to him.
Huntress & Black Canary
Since their introduction in Birds of Prey, fan fiction on AO3 has Huntress and Black Canary sharing a romance together.
Huntress has had feelings for Nightwing, and Black Canary even married Green Arrow. In fact, in the Green Arrow TV show, Black Canary was revealed to be bisexual. While it’s unknown if Huntress herself is bisexual, it would’ve been a great idea to explore in Birds of Prey as DC could’ve surpassed Marvel in terms of having the first live-action openly gay female relationship.
Poison Ivy & Harley Quinn
DC does have an animated same-sex relationship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy in the dark animated comedy Harley Quinn. This pairing would be perfect for expanding upon in a live-action movie.
Ivy and Quinn first crossed paths in Batman: The Animated Series at the Gotham Museum. Ivy tried to convince Harley to leave the Joker due to his treatment of Harley. As Harley was once a psychiatrist, she concluded that the real reason is that Poison Ivy loves her. Their chemistry is so concrete that there are a number of memes that support their relationship.
Victor Zsasz & Black Mask
Another popular fan fiction involved the villains Black Mask and his right-hand man Victor Zsasz, both making their DCEU introduction in Birds of Prey.
While the movie failed to elaborate upon possible relationships within the Birds of Prey team or Renee Montoya with Ellen Yee, it also failed to explore the crime lord and serial killer’s relationship. Ewan McGregor himself confirmed that his character Black Mask is likely gay, along with Zsasz (via Variety). There is validity to this claim based on the character portrayals and the way they act around each other. Black Mask and Zsasz have great chemistry and are inseparable, which could hint at something more than platonic.
Superman & Lois Lane
Out of all the DC relationships, perhaps the most iconic is between Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Their love is so strong that it’s a catalyst for the Injustice storyline.
The Joker tricks Superman into killing Lois (and their unborn child), resulting in the destruction of Metropolis. Superman then kills the Joker and becomes a tyrannical ruler of Earth. This shows that Lois is the anchor for Clark, and vice versa. They show each other that there is good in the world. As Clark confesses to Lois before he is killed by Doomsday in Dawn of Justice, “You are my world.”
Joker & Harley Quinn
Certainly the most toxic of the relationships in the DCEU is between the Joker and Harley Quinn. It’s because of this toxicity that there is a great number of fan fiction on AO3, and could set the stage for the Joker sequel in Joker: Folie a Deaux.
The Joker is physically and mentally abusive towards Harley, yet he has deep seeded feelings for her. She seems to be the only person he can trust and that “understands” him. Because of her love for Joker, Harley is easily manipulated and submissive. There are moments when she stands up to Joker, but she always keeps returning to him for far too long. Luckily, in the DCEU and comics, Harley has moved on and forged a more independent path for herself.
Wonder Woman & Steve Trevor
The most popular fan fiction on AO3 is between Diana Prince and Steve Trevor. They complement each other so well because they both want to improve the world.
Ever since Diana saved Steve from the plane wreckage, it was love at first sight from Steve’s perspective. For Diana, she grew to love Steve as he was the one who showed her that people are inherently good despite her mother and Ares stating otherwise. Diana loved him so much that she essentially shut herself off from the world after his death.
