Top 20 Romantic Couples in Geekdom (10 Canon/10 Fanon): 2013 Edition

Those of us here at LGG&F are back again and working tirelessly to compile and vote on this year’s top 10 canon and top 10 fanon pairings in Geekdom. Last year’s list can be found here.

Now onward to see who made to this year’s list!!

The Canon List:

1. The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch

Out of all the couples on this list I’m so glad that The Monarchs from Venture Bros. made it to number one. Despite being an evil supervillain couple they are probably one of the most interesting and even somewhat realistic depictions of marriage in Geekdom. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch doesn’t always like her husband’s obsession with killing Dr. Venture, but as a wife she tries to be supportive. Meanwhile, The Monarch has always loved his beautiful wife with her deep, raspy voice. They had to fight through limbless men, David Bowie’s tests, and trust issues in order to get the point of having a stable marriage, but despite being supervillains they are actually a surprisingly loving and stable couple.

2. Pepper Potts and Tony Stark

At of all the couples on our list I would argue that this one is the most dangerous. Oh yes, Tony and Pepper may seem to fight constantly and always be annoyed with each other over something (usually it’s Pepper annoyed with Tony’s antics), but don’t ever doubt for one moment that not only do these too characters love, they will do anything for each other. If that includes ruining your day, they’ll do it. Tony needs the steadying hand of Pepper in his life, and well, maybe Pepper says she wants Tony to be less out there but she definitely likes how he keeps her life interesting. They are the powerhouse couple of the Marvel Universe so evildoers beware if you try to come between this couple.

3. Zoey and Wash

Firefly’s Wash and Zoe are already married when we first meet them. It’s a clear case of opposites attract: Wash, the light-hearted and comedic pilot and Zoe, the strong and serious lieutenant. Zoe is clearly the alpha partner and Wash is just fine with that. Wash begins to get jealous of Zoe’s relationship with Captain Mal: Zoe and Mal are old war buddies and as second in command, Zoe accompanies Mal on most dangerous missions while Wash is stuck on the ship (ready to fly in at a moment’s notice to save the day, of course). It’s only after Wash and Mal are captured and tortured that Wash realizes that Mal did everything he could to keep Wash from breaking. Wash finally realizes that the relationship between his wife and his captain is strong, but platonic, and all things settle back to normal.

4. Rumplestiltskin and Belle

Once Upon A Time‘s twist on the Beauty and the Beast story is an interesting one. Belle and Rumplestilskin are possibly the most shat-upon of all the characters in the show, (excluding maybe Regina), even if Rumple’s issues are pretty much all of his own making. Although their relationship is certainly problematic, it’s also complex and fascinating and touching, and it’s hard not to wish the best for the two of them. If you are watching Once Upon A Time and don’t have Belle/Rumple feels, you may be heartless. Despite their problems Rumple always does what is best for Belle and trusts her completely, while Belle keeps Rumple human, as well as giving him the love and support that he never seemed to have in his life.

5. Jake the Dog and Lady Rainicorn

Jake and Lady have been through a lot together, and for a pairing from a kids’ show, they deal with a lot of complex issues for an interspecies couple. From parental acceptance, to the language barrier, to dividing up responsibilities for their adorable bi-species babies, they go through a lot. They’ve saved each others’ lives pretty often, too.

6. Rory and Amy

The love story of Doctor Who’s Amy and Rory burns with an intensity that rivals Rose and the Tenth Doctor. They were childhood friends; Rory loved Amy and Amy loved playing the Raggedy Doctor game. Amy only realized that Rory loved her after her best friend (and future daughter) pointed it out. Even after they get engaged, Amy has her doubts—especially when the Raggedy Doctor comes back and whisks her away on an adventure. Rory’s love for Amy is constant and passionate. He routinely sacrifices himself for her, he would die to protect her. Amy’s love is different. It’s only when faced with the prospect of a life without Rory that she realizes how much she loves him. Her love is slow burning. The hardest thing for her is not to die for her Rory, but facing the prospect of a life without him. And so together they come to realize that an ordinary life together is more valuable than traveling through all of space and time apart.

7. Darcy and Elizabeth

Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are the iconic couple from Pride and Prejudice. Darcy starts off as a prideful, distant man who has no idea how to talk to people, and Elizabeth starts off as an opinionated young lady who lets her first impressions of people prejudice her view of them henceforth. When Darcy finally tells Elizabeth he loves her, in as many backhanded compliments as possible, Elizabeth turns him down. It’s only after many more events that Darcy gets over his pride and Elizabeth her prejudice, and they marry. They’re a couple for the ages.

7. Fry and Leela

He’s the idiot from the past brought to the future to save the world and she’s the one eyed mutant space captain, and yes, somehow they tied with one of the greatest romantic couples in literary history (Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy). Fry was always trying to woo Leela, but he often failed mostly due to the fact that he wasn’t very bright. Leela scorned his advances with a swift boot to the face, but eventually Fry proved how sweet he could be and he and Leela are now one of our favorite sci-fi couples.

8. Ned and Chuck

The pie-maker who can wake the dead and the formerly dead girl named Chuck make up one of my favorite couples on this list. Their love is tragic, but beautiful and fairy tale like. Ned and Chuck were childhood sweethearts who shared their first and only kiss at their parents’ funerals. Years later, Ned, by working with a detective, would discover that Chuck was killed on a cruise line. Ned was supposed to touch Chuck, thus resurrecting her for only one minute, to ask who killed her, then touch her again, which would kill her. Ned couldn’t bring himself to touch her again, making Chuck one of the few people he ever made alive again to stay. Though they can never touch, because it would be fatal to Chuck, they are still extremely romantic, loving, and tend to get very creative with plastic wrap.

9. Katniss and Peeta

Katniss and Peeta need each other and change each other for the better. When Katniss is introduced she is independent and headstrong, but also stubborn and cold, while Peeta, though generous and kind, is meek and self-deprecating. As the two grow throughout the series, they change thanks to their individual journeys, but also thanks to the effect they have on each other. Katniss learns gentleness from Peeta and lets go of much of the anger she carried through most of the series. Peeta, in turn, learns confidence from Katniss and finally stands up not only for himself but for others as well.

10. Raoul and Christine

These childhood sweethearts separated by years find each other once again, but their reunion is more complicated than Raoul realizes at first, for Christine is under the thrall of her mysterious “Angel of Music” who is both intriguing and threatening. Over the course of the Webber musical the two rekindle their love against the will of this “Angel”, known to most others as The Phantom of the Opera. The romance blossoms from its childish beginnings into a full-fledged relationship and in the end are both willing to sacrifice their own futures for the sake of the other. It’s a dynamic, dramatic romance which gives us one of the most romantic duets in all of musical theatre.

The Fanon List:

1. Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn

Here is a fanon pairing that is so close to canon that it literally almost made it on to the canon list. For years DC Comics writers have tortured us with hints about Ivy and Harley’s relationship, but any Batman fan can see that two really do love each other. Yes, Harley only has eyes for the Joker, but it seems in her more lucid moments that she goes running to Ivy for love and support. Ivy hates literally all human, preferring the company of her plants, but somehow Harley broke through all of Ivy’s baggage and found a place in Ivy’s heart.

2. Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood

Harry and Luna are just bros in the Harry Potter books, but they could have made a GREAT couple. Luna’s the one who helped Harry with Sirius’s death (although inadvertently) and Harry makes Luna feel accepted for exactly who she is. Remember that time Harry took Luna to Slughorn’s party and they had a great time? Why couldn’t we have had more of that instead of implied-at conversations with Ginny?

3. Zuko and Honor

Zuko and his Honor began as a running joke in the Avatar: The Last Airbender fandom. Zuko, the banished prince of the Fire Nation, goes on a quest to regain his honor by capturing Aang, the Avatar, for his father. If he captures the Avatar, nothing can stop the Fire Nation from indefinitely ruling the world… and maybe his dad will love him again. He’s the Draco Malfoy to Aang’s Harry Potter. Zuko constantly talks about his honor: how it’s been lost, how he wants to find it again, how much he needs to find it again. He talks about his honor like an infatuated lover… or an obsessive stalker. But Zuko has a change of heart, realizing that Aang and his friends are on the side of the good, of restoring balance in the world. By helping Aang, Zuko is able to regain his long-sought honor and his rightful place on the Fire Lord throne.

4. Sherlock and Watson

So the picture here is from Sherlock, but pretty much every iteration of Holmes and Watson have been slashed. ACD!Canon, RDJ!Holmes, even House and Wilson have their unresolved romantic tension. John is the one person that Sherlock cares deeply about (really that he cares about, period). John, on the other hand, is the only one to truly believe that Sherlock is a good person, and who cares about his welfare. The exception to both those statements is, of course, Mrs. Hudson, but then again, everyone loves Mrs. Hudson and she cares for everyone.

5. Princess Bubblegum and Marceline

Then we have this totally adorbz pairing. Bonnibel and Marceline almost had the honor of being the first openly gay couple on a kids’ show, but The Man at Cartoon Network put the kibosh on the writers’ and animators’ shipping. This ship’s big episode, “What Was Missing”, shows that they used to be super-close, but fell apart due to a misunderstanding. But Bubblegum still sleeps in the t-shirt Marceline gave her, and judging from Marceline’s song, she’s not over PB yet. And come on, these two are way better together than Peebles and Fin would ever be.

6. Steve Rogers and Tony Stark

Steve and Tony (or Captain America and Iron Man) have been shipped together in the Marvel comics universe for years (although there isn’t yet much evidence for it in the Marvel cinematic universe). There’s even a universe where they got married. And why not ship them? The avowed capitalist of the modern age and the humble patriot from the forties work together, lead the Avengers together, and are great friends, as well. Tony has a Captain America room where he keeps all his Cap fanboy memorabilia, and Steve is totally comfortable with Tony showing up in his room at all hours, being handsy, and talking about their feelings. And when they’re constantly being pictured flying around like that *points up*, I’m pretty sure Marvel ships them too.

7. Regina and Emma

Regina and Emma… well they hate each other yeah, but people can get over that. It’s been done before. Despite Regina hating Emma and her family, there is definitely some sexual tension happening there. Regina seems to like Emma despite herself and Emma is the only one who truly trusts and believes Regina can change from evil queen to good person. On top of that, Emma is the biological mother of Henry and Regina is his adopted mother, so a relationship between these two can only work in Henry’s favor. Not to mention that Emma touching Regina literally brought the magic back to Storybrooke.

8. Aurora and Mulan

In-show, these two have united over their mutual love of Prince Philip, but once you’ve got your slash goggles on, it’s easy to see that they could fall for each other. When Aurora’s heart was stolen by Cora, Mulan did everything she could to get it back, and was totally frantic and worried about it. Mulan is very protective of Aurora, and I don’t think there’s anything she wouldn’t do to help or protect the princess. And come on, Sleeping Warrior is a freaking sweet ship name.

9. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman

Last year our fanon list featured Superman and Batman, this year Wonder Woman joins to make our only OT3 on the list this year. Wonder Woman has canonically dated both Batman and Superman, while Superman and Batman have been a favorite fan pairing for years. So it was only a matter of time that fans would begin to claim of a polyamorous relationship between the three. Certainly, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman certainly care for each more than they do anyone else in their superhero team. They all love each other, support each other, and understand each other better than anyone else.

10. Picard and Dr. Crusher

Within the hallowed lore of Star Trek: The Next Generation lies one of the more feel-inducing pairings out there. Throughout the seven seasons of TNG, there was serious sexual tension between Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher, almost to the point where they almost went at it on Picard’s desk several times. In some fanfics I’ve read, they do more then think about a relationship, as the two have had various relationships ranging from sexual to marriage, complete with little baby Picards. The feels are obviously there in the series, and if you told me Wesley Crusher was Picard’s son from an earlier Picard/Crusher fling, I wouldn’t bat an eyelash. I wish this would’ve been canon. The idea is so natural. Plus, I actually care about these characters, as opposed to the stupid Troi/Riker relationship we got instead. Gosh, I hate Troi.