Diana and Romance

[Agent Z]

Ah, I dunno man. Isn't Artemis a little.....lazy? Other than Diana (and not counting Donna because she's always a mess) Artemis is typically the only other "actively used" Amazon around. And I never really felt like that was an overly warm relationship either.

Not at first but it did change over time.



I also don't see what is lazy about it given every other choice here is either Steve, Superman and Batman who have both been done.

I feel like Fire or Starfire might maybe be worth considering but they're both established as straight (far as I know anyway?). Kate Spencer too. I feel like somehow a Power Girl-Diana relationship would play out a lot like a Clark-Diana one, even though PG is a very different person than her quasi-cousin. And I don't see Rene Montoya working out at all, nor Kate Kane. And I can't think of any lesbian supporting characters who'd work either.

Well, there is the issue of these characters having their own franchises they are attached too. And in Fire and Renee’s cases they already have known female characters fans prefer them with.

[Robanker]

In modern characterization it feels far more that any tie that binds between Diana and Bruce is based far more on their feelings for Clark, as opposed to any substance between them independently. DC wants them to be just as close, so we're often told they're just as close, but I dunno, it just consistently falls flat compared to the history between Clark and Bruce as friends, and Clark and Diana as friends. He's the glue, realistically.

This is my take as well. I just don't think Diana would really like Bruce much after Brother Eye, to be honest. She can respect and even love him like family, but I feel like he's not getting any birthday cards from Di after that.

Ascended listed a lot of options for a female love interest, but most of them are either straight (Fire, PG, Kate Spencer) or busy in love with each other (Kate Kane, Rene). Is Thunder still with Grace in Rebirth? Anissa may work.

Starfire has always been portrayed as straight as far as I know, but I suspect she's probably bisexual. And since DC will never let her be with Nightwing, why hold her back? I can see Fire a bit, but I suppose I just took her relationship with Ice as akin to sisters, much as blue and gold. I just don't see it with Manhunter or Power Girl, frankly.


Ultimately my answer is Steve, if only because he's a member of her supporting cast and the movie solidified him as her love interest in a way that works for a lot of people. He just needs to be portrayed as someone worth Diana and that starts with being supportive, not a mopey dork. She can have a female love interest too, but if so the answer is inward, not out. Tying Diana to another hero with a fan favorite love interest essentially puts a time limit on developing them until the other character returns to what works for them and Diana is back to square one. For that reason and others, I always hard pass on Clark or Bruce. Diana and her corner of the DCU could always use more development and her stories should build upon that instead of looking for loans elsewhere.

[kjn]

I think a problem with Diana's romances is the vast majority of them have been written by men. Therefore, they can't/don't/won't put themselves in the position of a woman. So you end up with relationships that are bland or make Diana out to be a prize or reward for the coolest Justice League member (and by that I mean the writer's favorite character).

I think this is only a partial explanation. There are plenty of male writers who have proven themselves able to write female characters well, or to write romances in such a way that women can appreciate them too. But relatively few of them are active in comics. Another important contributing factor is that superhero comics have come to devaluate romance as a storytelling element, and that hits on all levels, between writers, editors, and publishers.

I appreciate Steve is a character created for Diana. But except for Chris Pine, he tends to be dull. I can't stand pairing her with Superman or Batman or any other Justice League member.
This is a big reason why I support Diana just getting a girlfriend. Maybe, just maybe, she might find someone aside from Chris Pine she has actual chemistry with.

I think the heart of the matter is few know what Diana is really looking for in a relationship. Most writers latch onto the "she wants an equal" thing, which is how we get the Superman ship. Maybe she wants someone who sees her as a human being despite her fantastical origins...which is something Steve could do, depending on the writer. Some writers make her someone who wants a "project" that she can fix.

You're onto something here. With Steve Trevor I think a huge problem is that he gets too little personality, and no character arc to call his own. Wilson I think was on the start of a real relationship arc between the two, but I doubt Orlando will pick up that element.

But even giving Diana a girlfriend instead, while a step forward in one dimension, won't solve the question you ask about what Diana is looking for in a relationship. DC has made her personality so vague and unformed that her relationships with other characters are suffering as well.

[AmiMizuno]

I really don't understand why writers can't get Steve. What makes him Steve

[Ascended]

Ascended listed a lot of options for a female love interest, but most of them are either straight (Fire, PG, Kate Spencer) or busy in love with each other (Kate Kane, Rene). Is Thunder still with Grace in Rebirth? Anissa may work.

Does Anissa still exist in Rebirth? I don't think we've seen her since the reboot.

I think there's some problems there though. There's a significant age difference; Diana would be old enough to be Anissa's mother, unless they've drastically changed Thunder's origin. And maybe if Diana is centuries old a couple decades don't make any difference to her but the readers would be another matter. If Diana is written as being a peer to Black Lightning, I don't see people being okay with her dating Jeff's kid.

Starfire has always been portrayed as straight as far as I know, but I suspect she's probably bisexual. And since DC will never let her be with Nightwing, why hold her back? I can see Fire a bit, but I suppose I just took her relationship with Ice as akin to sisters, much as blue and gold. I just don't see it with Manhunter or Power Girl, frankly.

I don't think there's ever been anything that actually says Kory is bi, she's just really open with her sexuality. Same with Fire; as far as I know the only "hint" at Bea being anything other than straight is the fact that she's so close to Tora but like you said, that's just friendship.

And even if Power Girl and Manhunter were gay, I don't think they'd mix with Diana properly for a relationship. Seriously, somehow I see a Diana-Karen Starr thing being far too close to what Diana had with Clark for anybody to be comfortable with it.

[Sacred Knight]

I really don't understand why writers can't get Steve. What makes him Steve

And if they can't find anything creative on their own, just shot-for-shot copy Chris Pine's Steve. Hell just the trailers from the first two films have been better than anything the comics have done with Steve I want to say ever.

[Celgress]

Diana paired with Superman is my favorite. I thought they were a great couple.

I tend to agree with you. Although I also like Clark with Lois so I'm torn. Diana with Bruce could maybe also work or Diana with a female for a change.

I think why I don't care about Diana x Steve is because modern Steve is a non-entity. He's boring as a character and as a love interest. He hasn't added anything to the narrative in decades. He's criminally underdeveloped. I blame DC Editorial.

[Celgress]

...If I got to play God and do anything I wanted, I'd steal Steve Rogers from Marvel and dump him in Diana's lap (and as a consolation prize to Peggy Carter we'll send her Steve Trevor). But since that will never (and should never) happen I'm gonna stick with DC's Steve for Diana.

I agree with you. They'd make an interesting inter-promotional couple. This is why I've paired Wondy and Cap in my DC/Marvel crossover "Convergence Point". I haven't given their full backstory yet but seeing how the Amazons are immortal (so they'd still be around after a time skip while the pair were in stasis so to speak) I think I'll have it revealed Diana was frozen in the ice alongside Steve Rogers while fighting the Nazis then revived in modern times (about a decade ago in-universe) -

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1319924...vergence-Point

[Robanker]

Does Anissa still exist in Rebirth? I don't think we've seen her since the reboot.

I think there's some problems there though. There's a significant age difference; Diana would be old enough to be Anissa's mother, unless they've drastically changed Thunder's origin. And maybe if Diana is centuries old a couple decades don't make any difference to her but the readers would be another matter. If Diana is written as being a peer to Black Lightning, I don't see people being okay with her dating Jeff's kid.



I don't think there's ever been anything that actually says Kory is bi, she's just really open with her sexuality. Same with Fire; as far as I know the only "hint" at Bea being anything other than straight is the fact that she's so close to Tora but like you said, that's just friendship.

And even if Power Girl and Manhunter were gay, I don't think they'd mix with Diana properly for a relationship. Seriously, somehow I see a Diana-Karen Starr thing being far too close to what Diana had with Clark for anybody to be comfortable with it.

For Starfire, given Tamaranian culture being what it is, I just don't see it as much of a stretch. Enough that if it happened, I wouldn't bat an eye. Bea is possibly, but frankly I never saw her that way though I'm not against it. However, I think Di is both out of her league and not really a good match regardless.

I agree with the point that Anissa may be young, but Diana being some immortal demigoddess makes this an issue for any romance, frankly. Where did she stop aging? Because of her status as a member of the Trinity and thus one of the OGs, anyone sans JSA or Big 7 seems like someone she watched grow up, and even them technically. Better to invent a new love interest.

[AmiMizuno]

If we had a good writer Steve wouldn't be underwhelming. I think I can do a pretty good idea.

Steve Trevor joined the military to live an adventurous life. He helps others even if it goes against his higher-ups. He loves classical music and rock. Cooks and helps with his nieces and nephews. His first mission from Argus is to visit a base near the ocean unknown to them Ares uses him to crush on the plane. He tries to take over trevor's body but the amazons stop him.

[DochaDocha]

Kind of makes me wonder how many times did writers intentionally make Steve look like some kind of schmuck.

[Restingvoice]

Why did they decide to not make Steve Trevor the love interest in Post Crisis btw?

[Robanker]

Why did they decide to not make Steve Trevor the love interest in Post Crisis btw?

While I've never read an interview about it, the usual criticism is "really, the FIRST man she meets is her true love? Gag." Just seems like there was no backup plan.

[kjn]

While I've never read an interview about it, the usual criticism is "really, the FIRST man she meets is her true love? Gag." Just seems like there was no backup plan.

I think that's part of it, and partly it might have been a result of some variation of the Madonna complex. The "first man" problem was something easy to point to, but at the same time it's telling that Pérez and the rest of DC didn't attempt to fix that problem. Which wasn't an insurmountable one, and fixing it like in the movie did Steve's character a world of good.

[Agent Z]

I think that's part of it, and partly it might have been a result of some variation of the Madonna complex. The "first man" problem was something easy to point to, but at the same time it's telling that Pérez and the rest of DC didn't attempt to fix that problem. Which wasn't an insurmountable one, and fixing it like in the movie did Steve's character a world of good.

They did fix it. By not having it be a factor at all.