Love stinks...

[Chris Wallace]

Are there any comic book films that you, personally, could've benefited from less/no romance in the plot?

[Lucy in the sky]

The earlier batman films excluding Catwoman

[co2]

The earlier batman films excluding Catwoman

I'd have to disagree with that. The love story is an integral element to the first two Bat films.

Conversely, I think Katie Holmes as a love interest in Batman Begins could have easily been axed without it hurting the plot much.

I think the love story in both The Punisher and the Blade films was unecessary.

[Kable24]

What love story in the Punisher? Frank and Maria or Joan trying to start stuff with Frank?


I could definitely do without Katie Holmes in BB.

[DarKush]

I think the love story in both The Punisher and the Blade films was unecessary.

What love story in the Blade films? I think Goyer made a mistake by not letting Blade get it on with the vamp Nyssa in Blade 2. Other than that, there was only a mild tension, if you can call it that, between Blade and Karen Jenson in Blade 1, and zero love in Blade Trinity, unless you count Drake's suckling of Danica Talos in the extended edition.

If Blade had been involved with someone it might've added more dimension to his character.

[JackBauer]

Batman Begins is the quintessential example of unnecessary romance...

[WOLVERINE25TH]

Batman Begins

[co2]

What love story in the Blade films? I think Goyer made a mistake by not letting Blade get it on with the vamp Nyssa in Blade 2. Other than that, there was only a mild tension, if you can call it that, between Blade and Karen Jenson in Blade 1, and zero love in Blade Trinity, unless you count Drake's suckling of Danica Talos in the extended edition.

If Blade had been involved with someone it might've added more dimension to his character.


OK, OK. Love story was too strong a phrase. I should have said romantic tension. What you referenced for Blade 2 was what I was primarily refering to. In Punisher I meant between Frank and Joan. The Frank and Maria portion was essential to the story.

[Chris Wallace]

We seem to mostly be on the same wavelengths here.

[TheFalcon]

The Begins one wasn't needed, but WB forced Nolan and Goyer to include it. They got it down to the minimum amount of romance,though, so I'm not that bothered by it.

Spider-Man 2 had a bit too much romance stuff. There was the cookie girl and then there were more scenes of Peter and MJ breaking up, getting back together, breaking up again etc. than with the villain. I'm not saying that all if it should have been removed but it should have been cut down a bit.

[Chris Wallace]

"Cookie girl"?
And at what point did Peter & MJ get together & break up? While she was ENGAGED TO JOHN?

[WOLVERINE25TH]

Ya know, Ditkovich's daughter. She's thinner than my usual taste, but thought she was cute.

[Chris Wallace]

She brought him cake.

[KenK]

I liked the "romantic tension" in Blade 2, especially given what little there was in the first Blade. I mean, aside from the scene where Blade has to drink Karen's blood to heal, there wasn't really anything to suggest that they were attracted to each other. In the case of Blade 2, It was like Blade reconciling with what he was. It's important because from the first film, Blade's always struggled with being half-vampire, so a romance in the context of the woman actually being a vampire, makes it interesting and serves the story, as it gives more insight into what Blade is feeling. I know, we shouldn't care, he should just kill stuff!

But yeah, I don't know if it was Holmes' character in Batman Begins, or just her as an actress, but every time she's on screen, life is sucked out of the scene! Not to mention that sh***y little anecdote she pawns off on Bruce when she sees he's back in Gotham, just so Batman can repeat it to her near the end of the film. "It's not who I am underneath, it's what I do that defines me." I mean, that's about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the back of the head! It was cute in Batman Returns, but in Begins, it was just ham-fisted and cringe-inducing.

[Chris Wallace]

Now I disagree there; I thought it was stupid to have that whole "mistletoe" talk in Returns; Who was talking about eating it? They were in the middle of a fight-why bring up something that irrelevant? And don't most intelligent adults already KNOW mistletoe is poisonous? Begins made more sense.

[Joker]

And at what point did Peter & MJ get together & break up? While she was ENGAGED TO JOHN?

He must mean the whole I love you,I love you not,I love you again dull crap that Peter and MJ went thru in SM-2.

And she might of been engaged to John,but she still went for a little love dovey meeting with Peter in the cafe.What a loyal fiancee.

Now I disagree there; I thought it was stupid to have that whole "mistletoe" talk in Returns; Who was talking about eating it? They were in the middle of a fight-why bring up something that irrelevant? And don't most intelligent adults already KNOW mistletoe is poisonous? Begins made more sense.

It was a bit of banter between Batman and Catwoman.Great banter too.Of course they know it's poisonous.Did you really think Catwoman meant a kiss could be deadlier than eating mistletoe??

And you can't even compare Begins to Returns with regards to romance.Pfeiffer kicked Holmes' character up and down the street.She and Keaton had great chemistry and real fire between them.

Holmes was just.........there.

[CConn]

The weird thing about Rachel is that, I think, as a character, she served a perfectly legitimate purpose; to not only be in that friend role for Bruce, but to serve in being the person that lights the fuse in his quest to become Batman. The probelm with that was, that role could've, and probably should've, been Harvey Dent's.

[Chris Wallace]

I also thought "Batman" & "Daredevil" were hurt by their attempts at a love story. Both of these tried to build around one date, like they knew each other so deeply. Again, Vicki was in town to get dirt on Batman. Who's to say that her professional instincts wouldn't have taken over & she wouldn't have sold him out that night? And Elektra-Jen & Ben had nice chemistry but the connection between the characters wasn't there, IMO.

[tzarinna]

It doesn't seem to get as deep as some movies. I guess to guys it can be annoying. Doesn't bother me much.

[Trevor Goodchild]

In my personal case, it’s not that it’s annoying, it simply has to be done right.
The back and forth crap in SM2 wasn’t.
And I don’t mind ‘romantic tension’ as long as they don’t presume that a one movie girlfriend can grow into something bigger after simply saving her ass. If they want that, they should show something more to it and actually stick with the same woman in the sequel(s). I don’t know, if I explained myself here…
Hey, there are many dull action movies out there with the hero shagging a different woman in each next film, so in my opinion superhero movies do indeed restrain themselves from that little fiasco and that is good.

[The Kid]

you guys said it all.

the only one with a romance that worked for me all the way was blade

[Chris Wallace]

There Was No Romance! They Didn't Even So Much As Hug. Blade Got More Action From His Mother Than He Got From Karen.

[Mee]

Batman Begins is the quintessential example of unnecessary romance...
Yep. Also I think Daredevil would've been better with no Electra.

[Chris Wallace]

Maybe.

[Odin's Lapdog]

daredevil and daredevil dc area two great examples of how the omitting of a strong love tie can aid a film.

[Chris Wallace]

The Problem Was That It Just Didn't Fit; It Felt Forced, Rushed, & It Took Time Away From More Crucial & Relevant Story Elements.

[The Kid]

There Was No Romance! They Didn't Even So Much As Hug. Blade Got More Action From His Mother Than He Got From Karen.

well.... YEAH!!!!! lol ok there wasn't one... and that's my favorite type of romance in a comic movie, one that doesn't get all sappy with romeo and juliet crap. maybe it's better not to have any anyway...

[Orko Is King]

Batman Begins

[Chris Wallace]

It Didn't Even Feel Like Goyer & Nolan Wanted It There.

[The Fonz]

The Hulk definitely could have done without the romance. At the end nothing happened between the two so it was a waste anyway.

[bulok]

Spider-man definitely. They're making it out like MJ was integral to the Spidey mythos, while it is true now, it was not so in Spidey's early days. His relationships should be more carefree than it had been portrayed in the movie. Peter was just far too emo for my liking.

Batman Begins definitely did not need a romantic interest. A friend maybe, but Katie was meh at best.

[bengali]

The Hulk definitely could have done without the romance. At the end nothing happened between the two so it was a waste anyway.
They had to show the main thing that calmed the Hulk down, Betty had to be in the movie, the T.V. show was him traveling, but it was always beauty that calmed the beast!

[Chris Wallace]

I don't think the relationship w/Betty hurt the movie at all; It helped it. W/all the bullets, bombs & missiles being fired at the Hulk, she was the only thing that could stop him.
But then I'm one of the-what-25 people who actually liked the movie.

[Sandman138]

The Hulk definitely could have done without the romance. At the end nothing happened between the two so it was a waste anyway.

Actually Connoly and Banna's relationship was one of the only things I liked in that film.

Batman Begins romance was utterly pointless. Indeed, any relationship outside of Catwoman is pointless. Batman is not about romance, he's about sexual tension. He's a man who feels more comfortable in a costume than he does in his own skin. The whole reason that Catwoman worked so well is because they were both screwed up people who only felt confident when they were playing dress up. They both saw that in each other in that scene on the couch, but they couldn't reconcile it when they realized they were fighting each others alter egos. That was brilliant and a reason why they need Catwoman or an equivilant in Nolan's films if they want to include a "romance".

Romance was the least of Daredevil's problems, hell, maybe it could have been believable if the entire movie hadn't just been a collection of scenes thrown together haphazerdly.

I liked SM2s romance, but the first movie's relationship was pathetic. Peter came off as a stalker and there was no way I could buy MJ thinking that was cute. It was a joke.

[maxmccumber]

- Katie Holmes' character (Rachel Dawes) was NOT in the Batman comics, and it could have been much better to have someone else who was. Fortunately, her presence didn't have too much of an effect on BB's successful reboot of the franchise. I think Chris Nolan has said that she won't be in the next installments and they'll include a non-fabricated love interest instead. Not only that, but it doesn't look like Holmes is gonna be doing much else now that Tom Cruise brainwashed her. She doesn't have anything in the works.
- Sure, Kirsten Dunst has done fine in the Spider-Man series, but they introduced her too soon. I don't read the comics, but I know that MJ wasn't the first Spidey flame. In case the writers forgot, Peter Parker's first real romance was Gwen Stacy in high school. Plus, the Green Goblin, the first film's main villain, ended up killing her, and she was absent from it. Maybe it would have been better if Kiki played Gwen instead, than she wouldn't have to dye her hair red. Now Bryce Dallas Howard, a real redhead, will be assuming the role in the third one, when she could have played MJ and wouldn't have needed to dye hers blonde.

[Trevor Goodchild]

I liked SM2s romance, but the first movie's relationship was pathetic. Peter came off as a stalker and there was no way I could buy MJ thinking that was cute. It was a joke.
Err...what romance?
And checking up on a girl after her audition hardly makes you a stalker.