Comic book couples tend involved two characters who are also beloved on their own, inspiring passionate and dedicated fan followings. Superman apart from Lois Lane? Batman without Catwoman? While it’s perfectly canon for these heroes and others to have multiple romances in their histories, plenty of fans find themselves rabidly denying any and all relationships outside their preferred pairing, and why not? Sometimes people were just meant to be, and why mess with a couple if the ship’s not sinking?
Then again, there are fans who imagine something more, beyond what even the writers have hinted at over the years, between characters who seem to have little to no romantic notions between them. Some unexpected pairings of DC couples created by fans are inspired by appearances alone: Catwoman and Wonder Woman may not seem compatible, after all, but they’d sure look cute together. Others seem to fit better than their canonical counterpoints do: the Joker and the Riddler together make much more sense than the Clown Prince of Chaos with Harley Quinn.
Many fans who reimagine DC characters in new relationships also put LGBT couples together– a much-needed form of representation that the company has largely, until more recently, been woefully behind in writing. No matter the reason, there’s no denying how imaginative artists can get with their DC fanart, and luckily many of them choose to share it online. Whether they make sense or not, they definitely make us think. Some even make us swoon.
Here are 20 Wild Redesigns Of Unexpected DC Couples.
Catwoman And Wonder Woman
It’s one of the strangest pairings among unexpected relationships in DC comics, but not because neither could love another woman. On the contrary, both Selina Kyle and Diana Prince seem to have hearts open enough to be capable of loving anyone. This is just one of those pairings where we could envision opposite political party signs on the front yard every four years in November, not to mention a lot of arguments. While sometimes that can work out, it often doesn’t since it implies two completely different sets of values.
Still, we can’t argue that the women make a cute couple in artist izka197’s piece, complete with Catwoman winking at the audience and Wonder Woman donning a pair of cat ears to match her love.
Superboy And Robin
There’s something about superhero art where couples fly around holding one another. It makes Dirty Dancing look amateur in comparison. Why catch your partner when you could fly with them? Perhaps that’s the reasoning behind Cris-Art’s piece, “In the Air,” featuring Superboy and Robin in a loving embrace. Kon-El is blushing as if he’s completely sweet on Robin, but he’s also holding on like he’ll never let go. Robin is snuggled into the embrace, completely unafraid of falling because, let’s face it, he’s already fallen.
Like many heroes, even though he’s canonically paired with women (like Wonder Girl II), Kon is most frequently paired with men in fanworks, with Tim Drake and Bart Allen as the most popular choices.
Supergirl And Lena
Arch enemies, BFFS, and girlfriends– there are a lot of scenarios in which fans wish for Kara Zor-El and Lena Luthor to interact but artists who support them as a couple tend to create images of them smooching pretty often. The pair have such a devout following that they have their own couple nickname: “Supercorp.”
The interesting thing about Supercorp is that there have been moments in the Arrowverse that could hint at more than just friendship, depending on how you look at them. In this beautiful digital piece by Amber Fox, there seems to be some symbolism in the glasses coming off, too.
Kid Flash And Robin
Robin shows up in a lot of fan art with other people. He’s a fun character, depending on which alter ego you’re using, and in this case Autumn-Secura is pairing Dick Grayson with Wally West, also known as Kid Flash! The artist says that the piece is not too romantic, since Robin is a kid and “too young for serious stuff,” but it can be looked at as a crush or the beginnings of a romantic relationship.
Not only is the idea of this pairing adorable, but the artist’s work is incredible: everything from the shadow of the leaves falling on the characters to their content expressions makes this a classic work of burgeoning love straight out of a romantic movie.
Mera And Wonder Woman
We love how Mera and Wonder Woman fit so well together, not just in appearances but also in abilities, completing the perfect team that we need to see in action on the big screen.
Batman And Joker
These arch enemies have way too much violence and enmity between them to ever even hope of a healthy relationship, but since when has either of them ever truly had a healthy relationship in the first place? One likes to hook up with the person he stalks as a crime fighter and the other attempts to take out or regularly abuse the girlfriend he drove to insanity. Neither one of them are relationship goals.
That’s why EREKI’s fanart should be taken a bit more seriously than first glance might suggest. It’s dark, but so is Batman, and everyone knows that Bruce Wayne has that Bruce Wayne has a sinister side that speaks to the Joker, making him more vulnerable than he’d like to his nemesis.
Starfire And Raven
There are plenty of DC fans who love the idea of Teen Titans’ Starfire and Raven becoming an item. Take artist kawaiibabyheero here, who has drawn Starfire cradling Raven and looking quite proud of her love for the young woman. Raven is blushing and holding Koriand’r’s hand, with the hearts around the image showcasing their sweet, shared love.
Raven did interrupt Starfire’s wedding once, after all, and even if she was evil at the time, maybe it was an omen. The pair may be polar opposites but they still work well together, and after all, they say that opposite attract.
The Flash And Green Lantern
There’s something classic about picturing Green Lantern and The Flash as a couple. Their old school costumes make them look as if they belonged together from the start. Could you imagine if LGBT characters were given such a prominent and positive focus in the 1960s?
That’s the kind of treatment that artist AJJJ gives Barry and Hal in this achingly sweet piece. The strength of each hero remains palpable, even in this intimate moment when they only seem to have eyes for each other, which is the perfect way to convey love between two comic book characters. Another popular fan pairing, the Flash and Green Lantern just look right together, even if their personalities might clash a bit.
Superman And Catwoman
He’s the Man of Steel. She’s a cat burglar. What would go wrong? While it sounds like the perfect tagline for a romantic comedy, this is one pairing that would certainly meet the kind of absurd bumps and hijinks along the way that rom-com couples face.
That said, we can’t deny that this gifted artist has imagined Superman and Catwoman as something special here in this striking piece. Maybe Clark Kent could find himself falling for Selina Kyle. After all, Batman hasn’t always loved her, either, and has come up against her as many times as he’s been romantically linked with her.
The Penguin And The Riddler
While Penguin and the Riddler sound a little ridiculous when you picture them together as, say, Danny DeVito and Jim Carrey, when DeviantArt users like arsidoas put Oswald Cobblepot and Edward Nygma together they look so right. Their bond on the TV series Gotham has riveted viewers, with the actors who play the characters, Cory Michael Smith and Robin Lord Taylor, even commenting on their relationship.
Honestly, when paired together this way, one would never even dream of their combined cruelty and violence. They look like a pair of chic art dealers or fashion writers who fell in love on the job.
Cyborg And The Flash
The Flash is depicted here by artist Ototobo with none other than his Justice League teammate Cyborg. Cheekily captioned, “When you go out looking for friends and end up with a boyfriend,” the piece features Barry Allen laughing and blushing, while his aforementioned boyfriend Victor Stone gazes back with a steady yet pleased look.
The cutest thing about this piece, aside from their expressions, is their clothing. Those casual hoodies make their relationship all the more believable. In this art inspired by their Justice League live-action film incarnations, Cyborg pulls Barry into an embrace that makes it clear that their bond airtight.
Artist winterRimyea depicts the two young heroes gaze lovingly at one another, reminding us all what that sick-sweet kick of first love to the stomach felt like. There’s a real comic book feel to the edges and coloring in this work that make it feel so much more real. We could easily picture these two fighting crime together one night and attending prom together the next.
The artist has many other works depicting the two as a couple, including a super cute one where they play with a bunch of cats made to look like their DC hero super friends. Many other artists have captured Superboy and Robin in similarly cute poses.
Captain Cold And The Flash
Antiheroes are all the rage, so why not pair the Flash up with Captain Cold for a while? This pair look absolutely adorable in this artwork by merildae. Leonard and Barry seem very smitten with one another. Leonard’s always said that Barry has the capability to be as ruthless as they come, which is likely why they get along so well, but in this piece they both look anything but ruthless. They look downright starry-eyed.
Fans of the pairing emerged not based on the comics, but on CW’s The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow series. It’s one of the most popular non-canon pairings in the DC universe and, in art like this, we could see it happening.
Green Lantern And Green Arrow
It’s the case of double greens. DeviantArt creator Autumn-Sacura made this stunning image of Kyle Rayner and Connor Hawk in the rain together, not only looking quite cozy despite the weather, but also fulfilling the dreams of many a fan.
The detail work in this piece is phenomenal, with everything from the fine arrow fletching to the hazy background lights of the city making the piece pop. Perhaps the best detail is the umbrella stemming from the ring energy, which just adds to the in-character feel. The artist expressed displeasure with how the men’s faces turned out, but we think it’s a brilliant piece.
When it comes to alternative couple art in the DC world, Robin is a frequently used hero. Many fans just can’t seem to get enough of him paired with new people, such as in this piece called “Breathing” by artist Cris-Art, where he is featured with Kid Flash. There’s so much emotion conveyed in this piece of art that it’s difficult to remind ourselves that the pair aren’t a canon couple. Between the longing in Kid Flash’s eyes and the placement of Robin’s hands, their love is depicted perfectly.
Cris-Art also pairs Superboy and Red Robin together frequently, creating more moving art with the pair.
Catwoman And Supergirl
To be fair, Catwoman has been paired up with just about every hero, villain, and even original character in the fan-world. She’s a complicated character with an energy that attracts a lot of people. Pairing her up with Supergirl, while not necessarily the most logical choice, really isn’t all that surprising.
In this piece, artist izka197 has created a digita rendition of the pair. It’s cute, irreverent, and everything you’d think a relationship between Kara and Selena might be if it were an anime feature. The artist has created pieces in the same style with other DC characters as well, such as Wonder Woman with Catwoman and Poison Ivy with Batgirl, but as mermaids.
Jason Todd And Dick Grayson
For those who’ve ever pictured Jason Todd and Dick Grayson together as a couple, artist jmk-jjmk has a cool piece that might satisfy your curiosity. The artist has drawn the young men super buff so these Robins have no shortage of musculature, and they’re also drawn to appear a similar age. It’s also nice to just see them so carefree and happy together, because doesn’t every Robin deserve a bit of happiness?
Need more Jason and Dick together? The Jaydick Summer Exchange features many more pieces of art, including fiction, about the couple to enjoy, including some adorable pieces of them outside a flower shop.
Supergirl And Batgirl
What an incredible team these two would make if they paired up as a power couple. Artist Архив 2 has dreamed up a scenario in which Supergirl and Batgirl are in love and soaring through the skies together, lost in one another’s eyes. It’s such a lovely piece of art that we almost believe it’s canon. Not only is this well-done art, with clear shadowing and movement conveyed in one picture, but it makes the pair seem as if they really could be that into one another.
Of course, those who want to pair Kara with anyone else might take umbrage, as might Barbara’s plethora of followers, but why couldn’t this scenario play out? The pair have more in common than Barbara and Dick Grayson, after all.
Batman And Robin
Sure, they’re partners in justice, but what if Batman and Robin (in this case, Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne) were much more? DeviantArt artist Cris-Art made a beautiful piece depicting just what that might look like. It’s a supportive and tender snowy moment.
The artist is known for many other unexpected pairings as well, from Superboy and RedRobin to Robin and Kid Flash. It would seem as if Cris-Art is not only a pretty big Robin fan, but also the kind of fan who can imagine a favorite character in a relationship with several different characters without clinging heavily to just one.
Batman And Superman
The Man of Steel and The Batman–who could ask for more? These heartthrobs have kept devoted fan bases going for decades, from comics to TV shows, animated series to films. Many fans would swoon over the idea of the nearly incorruptible Superman, with his squeaky clean image, pairing up with the dark bad boy of Gotham. Easily DC’s most popular heroes, they would make the ultimate power couple.
DeviantArt artist fliegen80s captures Batman’s brooding nature with a soft gaze from Superman, who might have easily caught his boyfriend in this piece. The artist makes it easy for us to picture a film where Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck might be an item.
What unexpected DC couple would you like to see together? Let us know in the comments!
