Fifteen Fictional Couples I Love

I don't have issues I have interests.

Happy Valentine’s Day! I bring you 15 of my favorite fictional couples.

I ship growth.

Couple: Madmartigan and Sorsha Tanthalos
Appears in: Willow (1988), Willow (2022)
Canon: They fall in love, get married, and have twin children. Then they become separated for many years but I choose not to think about that (I like the series quite a lot but not that they introduced this separation and then cancelled the show without resolution).
Summary: Princess Sorsha is the antihero character who chooses to switch sides after experiencing love for the first time in her entire life, the villain who is secretly a victim. In Willow, Darth Vader is a princess.
My favorite version: The film is a childhood favorite, and my affection has only grown. On the surface, it’s a fairy tale fantasy adventure, which is all it needs to be to be my favorite. But it is more subversive and progressive than it appears at first blush. Sorsha and Madmartigan are perfect.
Are they healthy? There’s a power imbalance, and their love story starts with a trick, but for a fairy tale, yes.

Couple: Doug Ross and Carol Hathaway
Appears in: E.R.
Canon: After many stops and starts, they end up living, working, and raising their twins together in Seattle.
Summary: Both characters and their established relationship were introduced in the pilot episode—which ends with Carol’s attempted suicide, the staff trying to revive her while Doug watches. For six seasons, they were in and out of a relationship, at turns estranged or dating, engaged or separated. They are individually and jointly a mess, and their romance is introduced as not merely unhealthy but potentially lethal. But I love them. I love every single messy moment, and I love that they eventually find their way to a stable, lasting, and rewarding relationship. Doug and Carol address the toxicity in their relationship and grow out of it. They get a happy ending, and then they get a happy life.
My favorite version: “Such Sweet Sorrow”, the sixth season episode in which Carol leaves Chicago, echoes “The Storm”, the fifth season episode in which Doug leaves Chicago, and it is truly beautiful. No other couple belongs together more.
Are they healthy? Ultimately, yes, that’s my whole point.

I ship tragedy.

Couple: Logan and Jean Grey
Appears in: X-Men comics, films, cartoons, and related tie-in media
Canon: Both have other romantic entanglements, but Jean is Logan’s one true love, and Jean trusts Logan more than anyone else she knows. Logan is the only person who can withstand Jean’s ultimate form as Phoenix and is often tasked with killing her.
Summary: Logan and Jean are immortal and damned and it’s glorious. But it’s Logan’s genuine interest in and attraction to Jean as herself—not Xavier’s best student or Scott’s best girl or Magneto’s best weapon or the potential of the Phoenix, but just Jean on her own—that really gets me. He sees her, and she sees him, as no one else does.
My favorite version: I love these two in any universe, but I have a soft spot for Hugh Jackman’s and Famke Janssen’s portrayal.
Are they healthy? Nope!

Couple: Lord Asriel and Marisa Coulter
Appears in: His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman, His Dark Materials play, The Golden Compass film, The Golden Compass video game, His Dark Materials television series
Canon: Mrs. Coulter had a torrid affair with Lord Asriel that resulted in a daughter. When they are reunited years later, it’s clear the passion remains despite being at odds. Eventually, they confess their feelings and commit to each other, their child, and her fight, sacrificing themselves to save her and her world.
Summary: It’s a very interesting trilogy with imaginative world-building, incredible ambition, and a winning heroine in her own romance that is as sweet as it is transformative. But I am fully and completely focused on her parents. They are not good people, but they are brilliant characters, and their love is epic in every sense of the word.
My favorite version: The Amber Spyglass (the final book in the trilogy) is truly wild, but all I see are Asriel and Marissa.
Are they healthy? No, but they could be.

I ship politics.

Couple: Max Jenius and Milia Fallyna Jenius
Appears in: Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Macross: Do You Remember Love?, Macross 7, and related tie-in media
Canon: Genius pilot Max and alien spy Milia fall in love while she’s undercover. She defects and helps Earth win the war. The two marry and have seven daughters. Eventually, they embark on a journey into deep space, Max in command of the star fleet and Milia as mayor of the colony ship. The stress of command and their traumatic history put a strain on the relationship, and they separate but ultimately come together to save their society.
Summary: I had a fan page on Tripod dedicated to these two. In the original Macross (and the American adaptation Robotech), they are a sweet if goofy alien version of Romeo and Juliet, with a better ending. In Do You Remember Love?, they have more weight but much less screen time. In Macross 7, they are estranged parents with responsibilities to thousands and a lot of baggage but still so much love. They are never the focus, but they are always my favorite.
My favorite version: Macross 7 forever!
Are they healthy? They need therapy, but some of the unhealthiness really can be chalked up to cultural differences.

Couple: Emma Swan and Regina Mills
Appears in: Once Upon a Time
Canon: (Evil) Queen Regina cursed Emma’s parents (and her entire kingdom), so Emma was raised in foster care and gave birth in jail at eighteen. Regina adopted the baby, and ten years later, he found Emma and asked her to break the curse. Despite that perfect set-up and incredible chemistry, they never become a couple.
Summary: This show is so bad, and it would have been so amazing if they took the leap and let Emma and Regina be a canon couple. What they did without taking that leap is good—the Henry plus Emma plus Regina dynamic is engaging and interesting. But what might have been with a little more courage is a glory to behold.
My favorite version: One the show leaned heavily into heteronormativity with Captain Swan and Outlaw Queen, (both of which I liked, however) I stopped caring.
Are they healthy? Probably not. But if you move past all the magic, maybe?

I ship acceptance.

Couple: Gregory House and Allison Cameron
Appears in: House M.D.
Canon: In the beginning, Cameron has a crush on House, and House is intrigued by Cameron. Ultimately, they have a relationship of mutual respect, but it can’t survive his ambiguous morality.
My favorite version: Seasons 4 and 5. Cameron is no longer under House’s direct supervision, and they settle into a relationship similar to that he has with Wilson (his one true love). These seasons posit that Cameron belongs with Chase, but nothing on screen suggests it’s true.
Summary: Cameron and House accept each other as they are. That can mean they can’t be together, as a couple or otherwise, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t love.
Are they healthy? House is the least healthy person in any relationship ever on TV. Cameron is very healthy for walking away.

Couple: Eliot Spencer, Alec Hardison, and Parker
Appears in: Leverage, Leverage: Redemption
Canon: Parker and Hardison are a canon couple with a beautiful relationship arc. They are both close to Eliot individually, and the three work together as a unit. They are widely accepted to be a throuple, but it is not canonical.
My favorite version: “The Rundown Job” is peak OT3.
Summary: Parker and Eliot understand each other on a level that Hardison can’t access. And they both want to be the best version of themselves for him, not realizing that he has never judged them and never will. They all compliment each other, protect each other, and love each other. Possibly the most functional relationship on this list.
Are they healthy? Absolutely. They are far, far less healthy apart than together.

I ship danger.

Couple: Michael Westen and Fiona Glennanne
Appears in: Burn Notice
Canon: Michael met Fiona while undercover working for the CIA, and they fell in love, but he had to leave. Years later, the CIA burns him (kicks him out with nothing, barely even an identity), and Fiona picks up the pieces. They work together and eventually fake their deaths so they can secretly raise his nephew in Ireland.
My favorite version: All of season 7, but especially “Forget Me Not”. The phrase “It’s time to be brave, little angel.” haunts me to this day.
Summary: Michael and Fiona are the heart of the show. They are sometimes toxic but always, always compelling. They would and do die for each other, lie for each other, kill for each other, and love each other regardless of if it is a good choice. They are tied together with an indelible, unbreakable bond.
Are they healthy? Not really, but I don’t care at all; they transcend the idea of it.

Couple: Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle
Appears in: Batman comics, films, cartoons, and related tie-in media
Canon: Batman and Catwoman fight villains in Gotham City. They are sometimes at odds and other times allies. They have a passionate on-again/off-again rivals/enemies/lovers/haters relationship.
Summary: Generally speaking, Bruce and Selina use different methods to achieve the same goals. I love them both desperately, and together they make me cry with the slightest effort.
My favorite version: Tie between Batman Returns (the OG OTP), The Dark Knight Rises (an actual happy, healthy ending, I’m crying thinking about it), and Gotham (Baby BatCat lives rent free in my head forever).
Are they healthy? When they stop fighting it, yes. And they make each other more healthy, too.

I ship complicated.

Couple: Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher
Appears in: Star Trek: The Next Generation television series, films, and related tie-in media, Star Trek: Picard
Canon: Jean-Luc loved Beverly from the moment they met. Unfortunately, she was married to his best friend, who then died under his command. Years later, she joined his command crew, and they flirted with a relationship for about a decade. She got pregnant and decided to disappear instead of telling him or anyone. She named the baby after her late husband/his best friend (like you do), and twenty-something years later, they all saved the universe together because it was mostly their fault that the universe was in danger. It is ambiguous if they are together in the end.
Summary: These two embody the concept of “divorced, but we share custody of the relationship”. They can’t quit any more than they can stay together. They are the worst, and I love them.
My favorite version: Picard provides the best version of Beverly, and Jack Crusher is my beloved.
Are they healthy? Not even a little bit.

Couple: Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler
Appears in: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Organized Crime
Canon: Elliot and Olivia were partners for over a decade. He was married, and she was guarded, but they were closer than friends, family, or lovers. A tragedy drove Elliot to walk away without a word. He was gone for ten years, and his return was (literally) explosive. Now he’s a widower, she’s more guarded than ever, and we are all still waiting for them to kiss.
Summary: I have been ride or die for EO since 1999. Elliot leaving the job/show did not diminish my fervor (I made my first fanwork for them during the ten-year desert!). I have all but given up on them ever actually having an on-screen relationship (I expect it to be delayed until the series finale), but the fandom keeps me fed.
My favorite version: SVU seasons 1, 7, 8, 12, every nod to Elliot in the in-between years, “The Return of the Prodigal Son”, OC season 1/everything Wheatley is unhinged, and the finale crossover in SVU 24/OC 3.
Are they healthy? I mean, they could be if they tried, but no.

I ship cute.

Couple: Kimber Benton and Stormer
Appears in: Jem and the Holograms cartoon and comic adaptation
Canon: Kimber and Stormer are in rival bands that do not appreciate them so they briefly team up to make beautiful music together.
Summary: As a kid, I strongly related to Kimber, who felt invisible without any hologram. She was the problem child in the Holograms, while Stormer was too nice to fit in with the Misfits. But together they were ‘Okay’. Together, they were great.
My favorite version: Jem 2.5 “The Band Breaks Up” is beloved to me.
Are they healthy? Yes!

Couple: Yuri Katsuki and Victor Nikiforov
Appears in: Yuri!!! on ICE
Canon: Japanese figure skater Yuri catches the eye of his idol, Russian figure skater Victor, when he performs a perfect replica of Victor’s free skate. Victor decides to coach Yuri, which opens him up to love.
Summary: I love sports stories, and this one is top-tier. Every single character is capital A Amazing. Every. Single. One. At its heart is the precious love story between Yuri and Victor. Do they know they’re in a romcom sports dramedy? Probably not. However, they are, and it is perfect.
My favorite version: In the credits of the very last episode, Yuri and Victor skate together.
Are they healthy? There are some boundary issues and power imbalances, but comparatively.

I ship all of the above.

Couple: Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker
Appears in: Star Wars prequels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, various tie-in novels, comics, games, and other media
Canon: Anakin and Padmé’s entire relationship takes place under the shadow of war. They meet in the middle of Naboo’s war with the Trade Federation. They fall in love at the beginning of the Clone War, which is an extension of the same. And they spend their three remaining years together grasping for whatever intimacy they can find while continuing to fight it. Then it all comes crashing down, Padmé dies, and Anakin loses himself for twenty years.
Summary: The galaxy far, far away is a heightened reality, especially in the prequels. Anakin and Padmé’s romance borrows from fairy tales, Arthurian legends, and Shakespearean tragedy. I love the sweeping visuals, the haunting musical cues, dramatic costumes, and even the affected dialogue. But the quiet moments are special. Anakin and Padmé are tragic, mythic, fantastic, romantic, operatic, epic. And when they get the chance, domestic. At their most heartwarming, they are the most heartbreaking. They are so young, and they have so much potential. The Star Wars prequels were always a tragedy, and these star-crossed lovers were always doomed. But I believe in their relationship. I believe in the happiness they could have found if only one thing, or everything, was different. That is why they are my favorite.
My favorite version: Attack of the Clones
Are they healthy? They are very extremely not at all healthy.