The superhero genre is all the rage these days at the movie theater. It seems like virtually every actor working today has appeared in a superhero flick at one point or another. For some actors, their roles in superhero films have put them on the map. For others, it’s just another thing to put on their resume.
Either way, this ultimately makes for a lot of interesting pairings and dynamics both on screen and off screen. Whether these characters have a romantic relationship, a friendship, or an antagonistic relationship, certain actors and actresses mesh amazingly well on screen.
Often times, these on-screen superhero relationships can lead to a romantic relationship behind the scenes. If the pair have great chemistry on screen, it’s not surprising to find out that there could be romantic tension between them in real life, too — even if the relationships don’t always last.
However, as believable as some of these connections may be, it doesn’t always mean that the two characters dated in real life. Sometimes that’s just the mark of a fun friendship off-camera because the actors get along so well.
Here are 9 Superhero Costars Who Dated In Real Life (And 6 Who Are Just Best Friends).
Dated: Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult (X-Men)
The X-Men franchise got a much needed revitalization in 2011 after the X-Men: The Last Stand misstep a few years earlier. Among the new cast was Jennifer Lawrence as Raven Darkholme/Mystique and Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy/Beast.
It’s hard to imagine a time when these two weren’t household names, but they were relative newcomers to mainstream audiences at this time.
In the film, the story teases out some romantic tension between the two characters. Both characters felt like they were outsiders, and they shared that bond together. Ultimately, nothing became of that relationship on screen. Behind the scenes, though, Lawrence and Hoult kindled a relationship.
The two met on set while filming the movie, and the relationship lasted for five years. While it wasn’t meant to be between the two of them, they’ve both managed to carve out successful careers for themselves. Lawrence earned acclaim for her portrayal of Katniss Everdeen as well as winning an Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook. Hoult appeared in the critically acclaimed film, Mad Max: Fury Road as Nux, and the main character of the movie Warm Bodies.
The two will reunite onscreen for X-Men: Dark Phoenix next year and reprise their superhero roles.
Dated: Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood (Supergirl)
Supergirl has found its stride over the past few seasons. Throughout the series’ run, fans have seen Kara develop as a superhero and a person, diving into more of her backstory as well as how she fits into this world.
Things definitely took a turn for the dramatic in season two with the inclusion of Mon-El, the former prince of the destroyed planet Daxam who crash lands on earth. Although he and Kara are skeptical of each other at first, their similar tragic backstories lead them down a path that leads to a very rocky romantic relationship.
Say what you will about the way this relationship unfolds on the show, but Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood have a connection that makes the couple interesting to watch.
The two began dating in real life in 2017. Prior to that point, Benoist was married to her former Glee costar, Blake Jenner, before Benoist filed for divorce at the end of 2016. Benoist and Wood have been a pretty influential couple outside of the show, advocating for mental health awareness through Wood’s website “I Don’t Mind.”
The reactions to this pairing have been somewhat mixed overall on Supergirl. However, Benoist and Wood seem to be pretty happy together off screen, which means that this on-screen relationship was probably a good thing in the end.
Best Friends: Gal Gadot and Chris Pine (Wonder Woman)
Wonder Woman became a true cultural phenomenon after it hit theaters and 2017. It marked the first critical success for the DCEU, performed well at the box office, and proved that a female-led superhero movie could succeed with audiences in an epic fashion.
At the center of it allaare Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Chris Pine as Steve Trevor. After Steve crash lands into the waters of Themyscira, Diana becomes compelled to join the fight in World War I — saving the world in the process. Gadot and Pine are charming and magnetic on screen.
Their chemistry seems to come so easily, and makes for an incredibly compelling relationship amid the action set pieces.
If you didn’t know any better, you might think there was something more between the pair off screen, too. However, Gadot is married to real estate developer Yaron Varsano, with whom she has two children. Pine is also rumored to be dating actress Annabelle Wallis.
While there is nothing romantic between the costars in real life, they still got along great on set. Pine even joked that he got to flirt and fall in love with her while filming the movie and nicknamed her “Giggle Gadot.”
Dated: Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns)
Batman Returns is one of those rare instances where a superhero sequel is actually better than the original. While Tim Burton’s original Batman was good, Batman Returns introduced two new villains who in turn deepened Bruce Wayne/Batman as a character, making for a story that was dark and tragic, yet entertaining and fun to watch.
Above all else, though, was the electric dynamic between Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman. The two form a connection because they have similar, tortured pasts which have shaped them into the people they are. Keaton and Pfeiffer make you believe this relationship at every turn.
In real life, the pair dated for a brief period of time before they ever filmed Batman Returns together.
In an interview with The Telegraph, it is noted that Pfeiffer had an affair with Keaton, and that her marriage with Peter Horton had fallen apart by that time. Keaton was asked about the relationship again in 2010 in an interview with Elle, where it was commented that the two didn’t have any problems while filming the movie together.
Although their relationship in real life was relatively short-lived, Keaton and Pfeiffer’s spark is undeniable when watching Batman Returns.
Dated: Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man)
There have been a lot of different iterations of the iconic webslinger Spider-Man over the years. Tom Holland is currently swinging into action — and breaking hearts — in Avengers: Infinity War.
Before any of that, though, there was Tobey Maguire’s version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man - the geeky high-schooler trying to simultaneously save the city and impress his crush, Mary Jane Watson, played by Kirsten Dunst.
MJ and Peter are a pretty memorable pairing in the comic books, but unfortunately, that did not fully come across through Maguire and Dunst’s chemistry with one another. They were perfectly fine in their roles, but they lacked that extra spark that is needed for a romance to work on screen. It is somewhat surprising, then, that Maguire and Dunst actually dated for a bit in real life.
They reportedly began dating while filming the first Spider-Man movie, but broke up prior to the second one.
Back in 2007, The Sydney Morning Herald spoke with director Sam Raimi about the relationship. Raimi said he was worried how this break-up would affect their connection on screen, but that things ultimately worked out while filming.
Peter and MJ’s relationship throughout the trilogy has its ups and downs, but unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be for Maguire and Dunst.
Best Friends: Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Avengers: Age of Ultron)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to grow after each film they release. That’s pretty clear after the release of Avengers: Infinity War, which proved it was somehow possible to stuff them all into a movie together while still giving every character their “moment.”
Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch showed off the extent of her powers in this film. Before she ever became an Avenger, though, Wanda was a girl living in Sakovia with her twin brother, Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver. The two agreed to undergo experiments for HYDRA to help their country, and develop powers as a result. We see these abilities on full display in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The two clearly have a close bond during the events of the film — made even more clear after Pietro loses his life. In the comics, this sibling relationship takes a romantic turn for a period of time.
It’s not far fetched to think that there could be something more between actors Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson — especially because they just co-starred in Godzilla as husband and wife.
However, these costarring roles have only cemented a good friendship between the two. In an interview with Nerdist, Olsen commented that it was nice to have a friend while joining this massive team-up of superheroes. The duo even helped one another form a distinct Sokovian accent.
In real life, Taylor-Johnson is married to director Sam Taylor-Johnson, and Olsen is currently dating singer/songwriter Robbie Arnett.
Dated: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively (Green Lantern)
Many were excited about the prospect of a Green Lantern movie. Ryan Reynolds is one of the most likable actors around, and has proven he’s adept at both comedy and drama. With him as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, and Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively starring opposite him as Carol Ferris, surely you’d have a winning combination, right?
Wrong. From its bland villain to its horrible CGI, Green Lantern was a critical and box office failure. Lively had very little to do outside of simply being Reynolds’ love interest, and even Reynolds made Hal feel like a cocky jerk. The DCEU has barely offered any plans for a Green Lantern reimagining — whether to let the stink dissipate more or for some other reason.
If there is one good think that came out of Green Lantern, it’s the relationship that developed between Reynolds and Lively.
According to an interview Reynolds did with People, the two went on a double-date — with other people. However “fireworks” were flying across the table between the two.
Reynolds and Lively got married in 2012, and have been together ever since. They now have two daughters, James and Ines. After six years of marriage, the two still keep their flirty relationship alive. They often troll each other on social media — most recently when Lively briefly deleted her Instagram posts and unfollowed Reynolds.
Clearly, their relationship is still going strong, and proves that a bad movie can still result in a great relationship.
Best friends: Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans (MCU)
After the events of Avengers: Infinity War, it looks like the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be heading in a new direction than we’re used to. Over the course of all these movies, though, there have been a few characters that have remained constants. Among them are Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America.
The character Natasha first appeared in Iron Man 2, while Steve debuted in Captain America: The First Avenger. They first shared the screen together in The Avengers back in 2012. Here, they certainly proved they were both up to the task of becoming Avengers. However, it wasn’t until Captain America: The Winter Soldier that viewers got to see Steve and Natasha team up by themselves.
While on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA, the duo have to put a lot of trust in one another. They even share a kiss to avoid suspicion while in a mall. This connection raised the question on whether Evans and Johansson might have chemistry off-screen, too.
Like many others on this list, though, their time as costars has only made them better friends.
They met on the set of The Perfect Score back in 2004, and have been friends ever since.
In real life, Johansson is dating SNL’s Colin Jost, while Evans briefly rekindled his romance with actress Jenny Slate. Even if they aren’t dating, their friendship is still pretty great.
Dated: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner (Daredevil)
Netflix’s Daredevil television series has caught on like wildfire. With two seasons now on the books, the show offered a dark, gritty, realistic take on the character and remained faithful to Matt Murdock/Daredevil’s comic book origins. It also did virtually the impossible — it washed away the stink of the 2004 Daredevil movie.
In this forgettable iteration of the character, Ben Affleck donned the red suit as Daredevil. Jennifer Garner starred opposite him as Elektra Natchios. The two are simultaneously antagonists and love interests for one another in the movie. They share some mildly entertaining action sequences that results in Elektra discovering Matt’s true identity. Before anything more can happen, though, the hitman Bullseye takes out Elektra.
There was ultimately a lot of wasted potential in this movie, but it did help to build a real-life relationship between Affleck and Garner.
The two had previously worked together on Pearl Harbor. They began dating in 2004, and got married in 2005. Although they had a successful marriage for a period of time, they separated in 2015, and filed for divorce in 2017. Despite that, their relationship remains amicable, and they sought joint custody of their three children.
Affleck is currently in a relationship with TV producer Lindsay Shookus, while Garner remains single.
Best Friends: Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart (X-Men)
X-Men is one of the stronger superhero franchises. People don’t give these films enough credit for doing the big superhero team ups first — and not to mention, very well. Credit for that success largely goes to the central dynamic between Charles Xavier/Professor X, played by Patrick Stewart, and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, played by Ian McKellen.
The superhero pair have a very complicated relationship on-screen grounded in two belief systems that oppose one another. Beyond the big spectacles of these blockbuster films, it’s truly these two characters that drive the overall narrative forward. It’s a true marvel to watch, and no one does it better than Stewart and McKellen - not even James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, although they do come close.
The two have now starred opposite one another in four of the X-Men movies. As a result, Stewart and McKellen have formed quite a wonderful relationship. However, their relationship off-screen is purely a close friendship.
They are such good friends that McKellen officiated Stewart’s wedding back in 2013, where Stewart married singer/songwriter Sunny Ozell.
Outside of the X-Men franchise, the duo also did two plays together — Waiting for Godot and No Man’s Land. They are probably the two best parts about X-Men, and their relationship is truly friendship goals.
Dated: Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man)
With the success of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Homecoming in the MCU, sometimes it’s hard to remember that we had yet another version of the character a few years prior with actor Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man movies.
While they were still modest box office and critical successes, people unfairly judge these films for being the weaker installments of the Spider-Man movies. They do not get enough credit for being the best depiction of a Spider-Man romance.
The chemistry between Garfield’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy is palpable. When they interact with on another, it feels like a genuine relationship. In the films, it was also one based on mutual dependency and trust. Peter was the “superhero” but Gwen was the real brains behind everything. Their relationship truly grounds the events of the two films.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Garfield and Stone dated for awhile in real life, too. They became friendly on the set of The Amazing Spider-Man, and began a relationship that lasted until 2015.
While their relationship ultimately didn’t work out — much to the chagrin of many fans — the two still appear to be friendly with one another.
Garfield and Stone were both nominated for Golden Globes and Academy Awards in 2017 for their work in Hacksaw Ridge and La La Land, respectively. Garfield even gave Stone a standing ovation when she won her Golden Globe.
Best Friends: Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards
Arrow started the CW’s television superhero universe back in 2012. It came out of the gate pretty strong, but the road has been somewhat rocky for the show in terms of quality. Whether it’s because of lackluster villains, unfocused story arcs, or too much focus on relationship drama, Arrow has been fairly inconsistent over the years.
That last point about relationship drama is primarily directed at the relationship between Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen/Green Arrow and Emily Bett Rickards’ Felicity Smoak. Their relationship is actually pretty cute for the first couple seasons, but the show gives way too much weight to it beginning in seasons three and four.
Although the story arcs they are given do not always showcase this, Amell and Rickards do actually have decent chemistry on screen. If it were handled differently, the relationship would have faired better on the show.
In real life, though, Amell and Rickards remain close friends. Amell is actually married to actress and model Cassandra Jean, with whom he has a daughter.
Rickards recently helped Amell celebrate his 36th birthday at the Kentucky Derby, along with Amell’s wife.
We’ll see how the relationship pans out for the couple on screen, but their friendship is doing pretty well off screen.
Dated: Morena Baccarin and Ben McKenzie (Gotham)
Gotham has taken a less traditional route with James “Jim” Gordon’s story arc on the show. In the comics, Gordon was married to Barbara (Kean) Gordon. While he does date Barbara on the show during season one, she takes a turn for the worse and later becomes a villain instead. However, Dr. Lee Thompkins enters the picture, and Gordon strikes up a relationship with her on the show.
The two characters mesh well together in the context of the show, even if the arc doesn’t totally follow comic lore. This on-screen relationship has become increasingly complicated over time, though. The pair become engaged, and Lee later becomes pregnant with their child. However, when she loses the child, she leaves Gotham City, and returns with a new partner.
It remains to be seen how this relationship will turn out. Either way, actors Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin have great onscreen chemistry as James Gordon and Lee Thompkins, respectively.
That connection translated offscreen as well. The costars began dating in 2015, shortly after Baccarin’s first husband filed for divorce.
Baccarin became pregnant with the couple’s first child in 2015, and the two got married in 2017.
It looks like their marriage has faired much better than their characters’ relationship on Gotham so far.
Dated: Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford (Legends of Tomorrow)
Legends of Tomorrow marked the second spinoff within the Arrow-verse. The show is comprised of characters — both heroes and villains alike — from Arrow and The Flash to make one big team-up show. Among those characters is Ray Palmer/Atom, played by Brandon Routh.
Ray originally appeared on Arrow in season three as a tech genius and romantic love interest for Felicity. He has since taken more of a starring role on Legends of Tomorrow Routh is in his third season on Legends. This season, Courtney Ford — Routh’s real-life wife — appeared beside him in a recurring role as Nora Dahrk. Nora is the daughter of Arrow and Legends villain Damien Dahrk, so naturally, she was somewhat of an antagonist to the team of Legends.
This is a relationship that actually precedes the couple’s appearance together on-screen.
Routh and Ford became engaged in 2006, the same year that Routh’s Superman Returns hit theaters. They married in 2007, and have been together ever since. They also have one child together.
On the show, it’s clear that the two have fun playing opposite one another on screen. In one story line, their two characters become stranded in 1960s Germany, forcing them into a tense but entertaining situation.
Best Friends: Tom Holland and Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
For many, Tom Holland has quickly become the definitive version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He stole the show — and Captain America’s shield — back in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, proving that Spidey was back and better than ever in the hands of the MCU.
His outing was so successful, in fact, that Marvel turned around and gave him a solo movie one year later with the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming. This movie saw Peter back in high school, juggling an “internship” with Tony Stark/Iron Man as well as the general trials and tribulations of high school life and attending the homecoming dance.
When it was announced that Zendaya would be joining the cast as the character “Michelle,” many fans speculated on what type of role she would have in the film. Many thought she might be the character Michele Gonzales, Peter’s friend and sometimes love interest in the comics. In the movie, though, Michelle revealed that her friends call her “MJ,” which led many to believe that she might be the MCU’s version of Mary Jane Watson.
Off screen, many rumors have swirled around whether Holland and Zendaya might be an item, but they have denied that this is the case.
Last year, they addressed the rumors by laughing at the idea that they go on vacations together. Whatever the case may be, they do seem to spend a lot of time together outside of filming, which proves that their friendship is alive and well.
Did we miss any superhero couples or best friends? Let us know in the comments!
