Meet the Best Queer Couples Throughout Comics

Happy Pride, geeks! This June — and every month — we celebrate the LGBTQIA+ characters, creators, and community members in our lives. Part of the way we can make that celebration count is by offering our support. And part of the way we can offer support is through constantly championing diversity and representation in comics!

With that in mind, let’s take a look at 6 of the best queer couples across the industry.

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Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy (DC Comics)

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy — AKA Harlivy — are perhaps the most famous WLW comics couple. Their meet-cute varies between runs and writers. Did they meet at Arkham Asylum? As part of the Rogues Gallery? On the streets, as members of the Gotham City Sirens? However it goes, these gals are the paragon for the friends to lovers trope. After decades of will-they-or-won’t-they pining and flirting, they’ve finally got a good thing going.

Of course, Harley and Ivy have their troubles. But so do Batman and Catwoman. Like this other iconic DC couple, Harley and Ivy endure. Their love adapts. It grows from the ground stained with the blood of their enemies. After all, they are both antiheroes.

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Baal and Inanna (The Wicked + The Divine)

The Wicked + The Divine is amazingly queer. It’s difficult, then, to pick a single couple to discuss. But we’ll feature Baal and Inanna. As young manifestations of old gods, Baal and Inanna are powerful and famous and form a fiery pair. Baal is pretty private and closed off, while Inanna lives and loves freely. That aspect of their personality is one of the reasons they and Baal can’t make it work.

Look. Spoiler alert: Things don’t exactly end well for these two. Still, we loved to watch this couple give their love a try. And that unhappy ending fits with the themes and tones of The Wicked + The Divine as a whole. Baal and Inanna don’t suffer because they’re queer. They suffer because, well, everyone in this book must suffer.

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Ayo and Aneka (Marvel Comics)

Ayo and Aneka’s love defies all odds and opposition. Their romance is central to Black Panther: World of Wakanda, in which the Dora Milaje finally get the spotlight. Captain Aneka deals with a new recruit — Ayo — who both fascinates and frustrates her. As the series continues, Aneka and Ayo find themselves questioning King T’Challa and Queen Ramonda — impertinence that comes with a high price.

Don’t worry, though. The women fight through each obstacle the writers send their way. Finally, they come to lead the Midnight Angels, an elite warrior force that takes a more active approach to peacekeeping within their country. You can even see Ayo and Aneka coupled up and wearing the same costumes in the MCU.

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Kevin Keller and Clay Walker (Archie Comics)

 

This couple is historically significant. Introduced in 2010, Kevin Keller was the first openly gay character in Archie Comics history. His partner Clay Walker was introduced soon after in an alternate universe-type issue where the Riverdale High students lived out their adult lives. While parallel timelines exist in the comics where Archie ends up with either Betty or Veronica, Kevin marries Clay in both timelines.

Although Clay doesn’t appear in Kevin’s high school days, we’re always rooting for the pair to reach their happy ending. Kevin’s handling a lot in Riverdale these days — after all, he even survived an assassination attempt — but we expect love in his future.

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Angela and Sera (Marvel Comics)

Angela has a complex history with Thor and Asgard. But you know what’s not too complicated? Her adoration for Sera. Their love story transcends Heven and Hel. That’s not an exaggeration — Angela literally goes to the Underworld for her beloved. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. At the start, Angela rescued Sera from imprisonment in Heven, and the two entered into a devoted romance.

Then, Sera dies. Angela does everything she can to secure Sera’s soul. The final solution? Angela, with all the Asgardian strength and prestige bestowed upon her, takes over Hel. As regent, she is allowed a royal consort. And that’s Sera. Talk about a power couple.

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Ruin and Ben (Sandman — The Dreaming: Waking Hours)

Set in The Sandman universe, The Dreaming: Waking Hours follows classic canon while introducing us to a few new key characters. One such character is Ruin, a nightmare created by Dream of the Endless. Ruin makes a mess of most dreams. His powers are mighty yet uncontrollable. And after destroying the human Ben’s dream/vision, Ruin falls in love with Ben at first sight. Meanwhile, Ben is on a quest to serve the Church. But he can’t get that nightmare off his mind…

So, like any reasonable and lovestruck entity, Ruin escapes his home to find Ben. We encourage you to read the series to get the full extent of Ruin’s trials and tribulations. But the important part is that he and Ben end up together — happy and adorable and in love, despite Ruin’s insecurities or otherworldly origin.

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Who are your favorite queer couples in comics? Did we miss your top pick? Share your ships with other comic book fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!