So you have your couple. Now things get interesting: You get
to torture them.
Once you have your couple in mind, you need to build the
romance. The best way to do this is through a series of misadventures calculated
to get them to know each other. They need to overcome any prejudices about the
other, be it racial, social, or any other stereotype; you need to show them
that they belong together. There are the usual things to consider:
1)
They need to support each other. The couple
needs to learn that they can depend on each other, that they have each other’s
back. Consider Remy and Rogue: Remy needed to know that he could trust Rogue with
his secrets, and he did through a number of adventures, including Rogue gaining
his memories for a while. Afterwards she had dealt with those memories, which
included his part in some of the darkest moments of X-Men history, they were
able to talk about them. Not as visceral as the standard gain-trust-through-combat
scenario, but it was more fulfilling.
2)
They need to learn that each is the complement
of the other. If one is a ranged specialist, the other is a melee master; they
need to cover areas that the other doesn’t. This includes more than just things
like combat, social skills, or even cooking; the couple needs to realize that
where one fails, the other succeeds. They need to be able to handle a wider
range of challenges together than alone; otherwise, there is no reason to match
them up as a couple. This is why the Cyclops/Phoenix romance works; Jean may
have a thousand ways to kick butt, but she needs Scott’s tactical skill to make
the most of it. It doesn’t hurt that Scott isn’t exactly a lightweight on his
own, having basically one of the biggest guns on the planet and a plethora of
skills he can bring to bear on any problem. In short, her raw power is
complemented by Scott’s skills.
3)
They need to be independent of each other. This
goes back to the relationship has to be of equals; if one is dependent on the
other, that’s a great Harlequin romance, but it’s boring to comics readers. We
don’t like heroes that need to be bailed out on a regular basis; the damsel in
distress may be great for other genres, but it’s sort of lame for readers who
expect everyone to pull their weight. This is what made the She-Hulk/Wyatt
Wingfoot romance problematical; Wyatt needed some firepower to equal She-Hulk.
However, with his access to SHIELD firepower, resources, and social
connections, he nicely complemented her physical prowess and legal skills.
Either one can handle a variety of situations, and can help the other fight
battles that are scaled to the other person. If one needs the other to
function, it’s time to debate the pairing.
4)
They need to be bring something out of the other
person. This is where Disney consistently gets it wrong; Cinderella and
Charming may love each other, but they can’t sustain a series. Now, Mulan and
Shang? That’s a couple to emulate: Mulan becomes the warrior she needs to be
because of Shang’s tutelage as well as his belief in her, and Shang overcomes
his chauvinist attitudes because of her. That makes them a more powerful
couple. It’s the same as the traditional wild woman/straight man couple; he
loosens up just as she learns that roots aren’t that bad.
Okay, now we have some goals. Guess we need some plot…
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