Infidelity/Cheating in DC Comics

[godisawesome]

It is interesting that none of the main A-listers have really been involved in something like this. Probably DC wanting their biggest heroes to be clean. Oliver Queen seems to be the exception to that. And none of the main love interests have been involved in it either. The Atom is the only major character I can think of whose main love interest cheated on him

Well, just look at the fallout from the few times other characters have had storylines involving cheating. Oliver Queen is the closest you've got to a major character with that, and clearly some fans despise the more egregious moments of that. And he's arguably been slowly transformed into a character you could *maybe* expect to have that trait, so what may be debateable about him probably won't apply to other heroes.

Probably the biggest problem with trying to pull off any cheating storyline (in any medium)is that you have, at minimum, 3 separate characters who generally all have to be treated somewhat respectfully, or have at least one character be a clear cut villain, for people to accept it. Probably the only cheating storyline that I've seen work where everyone still kind of likes all participants would be James Gordon, Barbara Sr., and Sara Essen, a trio of supporting cast members, two of whom were only minor additions to the mythos at the time of the cheating. In contrast, I don't know a single fan of the characters Jesse Quick or Jade who approves of the storyline where they were involved in infidelity, and it's kind of hilarious just how little patience people have for Lois Lane's other love interests period.

There's also the simple fact that a well-written infidelity plotline threatens to subsume all subplots in a characters story.

[Lightning Rider]

I'm okay with the A-listers being kept away from it. Ollie is slightly below A-lister but it fits his character and multiple storylines so I'm okay with it. Same with the other characters mentioned.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Bruce but I'm confident he's balanced multiple informal lovers at some point. Between Selina, Talia, Vale, and the rest.

"What law of the heart says you can't love two women, even three or four? You're a complex, many-sided man..."
- Selina Kyle

[Frontier]

I'm okay with the A-listers being kept away from it. Ollie is slightly below A-lister but it fits his character and multiple storylines so I'm okay with it. Same with the other characters mentioned.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Bruce but I'm confident he's balanced multiple informal lovers at some point. Between Selina, Talia, Vale, and the rest.

"What law of the heart says you can't love two women, even three or four? You're a complex, many-sided man..."
- Selina Kyle

See, I thought about this, but I don't think Bruce has ever been in a serious or consistent enough relationship with any of these women to have actually cheated on them.

If he were actually in a committed relationship with someone I'd like to think Bruce wouldn't do it, but he generally isn't so...

[The Kid]

See, I thought about this, but I don't think Bruce has ever been in a serious or consistent enough relationship with any of these women to have actually cheated on them.

If he were actually in a committed relationship with someone I'd like to think Bruce wouldn't do it, but he generally isn't so...

Although if there is any couple I could see having an open marriage, it's Bruce and Selina

[Frontier]

Although if there is any couple I could see having an open marriage, it's Bruce and Selina

Agreed .

[Jokerz79]

Agreed .

Now all I'm picturing is Damian making remarks about Selina bringing home strays.

[Tuck]

It's Batman. Never gonna happen in canon.

Also, Harley and Ivy actually do have an open relationship. So that is already going on in DC. But again, in a book that is not really canon . . . and also not Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman.

[married guy]

I totally forgot about that one!

Prior to that, hadn't Kyle cheated on Donna Troy with Jade? Or am I completely senile...?

Kyle didn't cheat on Donna.
She dumped him after her ex husband & kid was killed in a car accident that was just bought up in casual conversation!
The arguing between the WW office and GL office was apparently one of the reasons for the left turn, and the GL people found it easier to write her out of the book than to keep trying to share.

[CryNotWolf]

I suppose I should also add Aquaman, who began a relationship on the side with Dolphin while Mera was lost in some other dimension. They were still married.

I'm okay with the A-listers being kept away from it. Ollie is slightly below A-lister but it fits his character and multiple storylines so I'm okay with it. Same with the other characters mentioned.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Bruce but I'm confident he's balanced multiple informal lovers at some point. Between Selina, Talia, Vale, and the rest.[/B]

"What law of the heart says you can't love two women, even three or four? You're a complex, many-sided man..."
- Selina Kyle

An unfortunate product of him being in so many different books and having so many different writers wanting to do their own things with him. This was the case in the early New 52 days, when he had relationships with that bunny chick, the pianist, and was also banging Catwoman on the side. But Bruce in Scott Snyder's Batman was practically celibate and none of those women were ever mentioned. It's strange. There was also that time when he was in a relationship with Jezebel Jet in Morrison's Batman, was flirting around with Zatanna in Dini's 'Tec, all the while proclaiming his love to Selina. Also during Brubaker's Catwoman, Bruce and Selina were shagging each other, while Bruce was seriously flirting with Wonder Woman in Kelly's JLA.

One of the reasons DC has been so hesitant to have Batman be in a serious long-term relationship is that it would force writers to actually have to play along across titles, of which he usually has many.

[Desean101101]

I suppose I should also add Aquaman, who began a relationship on the side with Dolphin while Mera was lost in some other dimension. They were still married.



An unfortunate product of him being in so many different books and having so many different writers wanting to do their own things with him. This was the case in the early New 52 days, when he had relationships with that bunny chick, the pianist, and was also banging Catwoman on the side. But Bruce in Scott Snyder's Batman was practically celibate and none of those women were ever mentioned. It's strange. There was also that time when he was in a relationship with Jezebel Jet in Morrison's Batman, was flirting around with Zatanna in Dini's 'Tec, all the while proclaiming his love to Selina. Also during Brubaker's Catwoman, Bruce and Selina were shagging each other, while Bruce was seriously flirting with Wonder Woman in Kelly's JLA.

One of the reasons DC has been so hesitant to have Batman be in a serious long-term relationship is that it would force writers to actually have to play along across titles, of which he usually has many.

Bruce is a freak. He is terrible with commitment but he loves women as much as anyone so he has a string of casual relationships with women that are all somewhat aware they aren't the only women in his life. Now with Him and Selina getting married I can see her putting a rotating third chair in their life for whatever might come along. Selina and Bruce are freaks man and would not have the most conventional marriage XD Actually one of Bruces closest friends was already in a relationship like that and might be up for another one, Zatanna, John Constantine and one other Guy were in a 3-way bi relationship for years before John Fucked it up like he did almost everything. I could See Selina and Z hitting it off and Bruce kinda being dragged reluctantly into it.

He wouldn't complain super hard, And Alfred would just be happy to see more people around the house with the prospect of children XD. Which Reminds me, Have we ever seen a Alt-future Kid of Zatanna and Bruce? Magical Batman would be an interesting Elseworlds one-shot

[godisawesome]

Eh, I'm always leery of calling Bruce or Selina freaks in the way you mean. Not to say that it's not a logical depiction, but more that most people have avoided casting Bruce especially that way, and a few people have screwed up that. In general, Bruce gets portrayed as a serial monogamist in each individual book and in other media, and a whole lot of writers have treated Bruce's dates at functions as de-facto superhero-pretending-to-be-a-playboy beards with whom he never seems to seal the deal. The exceptions tend to come from great writers like Paul Dini (having Selina reference Jezebel Jet), or in stuff like Batman Black and White, where I think one single story became the first one to actually depict Bruce as sleeping with his dates. And of course, Zach Snyder went with a more literal playboy version in the DCEU, unless they retcon his girls friend to someone.

I'm not saying they ain't freaky, kinky, or willing to swing. But I am saying that it's not been portrayed that way, with the exception of the critically derided end of Catwoman #1, which is a pattern we don't need to follow. Doing something like that requires forethought and care, like Tom King's take on a similar ending.

[Desean101101]

Dude They are alteast exhibitionists for how often they have been banging on rooftops naked. They just did it not to long ago, not in the new52, atleast then they had the decency to break into an apartment and **** on a bed. Its no wonder almost none of the robins can hold a relationship down longterm, Their dad is a superfreak who has many casual dating and sex partners. Like I said before. Bruce and Selina will be a loving couple with a rotating Third chair in their bed or maybe turn it into a poly relationship. They are the type of people I see being able to maintain that type of relationship.

Hell they probably have a list for their third chair. I can't see most other Comic couples in a poly relationship outside of the two of them.

[The Kid]

I just remembered this when posting on the Carol Ferris thread earlier but Kyle Rayner cheated on her with Kalista in Omega Men

[Sacred Knight]

I don't recall it ever being implied in the slightest that Lois was cheating on Clark with Jeb. That thing was always written as a completely one-sided infatuation on Jeb's part, with Lois not at all interested. The stuff leading up to his death was to facilitate Lois and Clark's separation by means of the stupid "would you kill for me?" angle, considering in the Joker storyline Clark seemingly let Lois succumb to Joker's poison without killing him for the cure, whereas later Jeb killed a guy then was shot and killed himself defending Lois.

[DGraysonWorldsGreatestSpy]

Most of the times it has been done it was a retcon that didn’t mesh and/or rape. Comics relationships are weird and non reflective of actual relationships.