WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Suicide Squad, now in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
The Suicide Squad is the latest superhero genre film to hit theaters and streaming services and so far, it has lived up to the hype. The movie surprised viewers with its shocking deaths and surprise twists. Yet it lacked something most superhero films have: a romantic subplot.
Several romantic dynamics were teased, such as Bloodsport and Ratcatcher 2's interactions shown in the Red Band trailer. They ultimately ended up having a surrogate father-daughter relationship as the two bonded over their past traumas. Ratcatcher 2 even helped Bloodsport get over his fear of rats, albeit reluctantly on his end.
Harley Quinn also got her own tease of a romantic subplot in the form of Presidente Silvio Luna, a former general who overthrew the ruling Herrera family and seized control of Corto Maltese. The two share a blissful, romantic montage together and Silvio even proposes, but it all comes crashing down as Harley shoots Silvio with one of his antique guns. She explains to the dying ruler that she swore she would kill the next person she dated if she saw any red flags. Silvio's openness to child-killing matched her criteria, leading to his death and Quinn's detainment by the Corto Maltese government.
The Suicide Squad is not the first superhero film to steer away from love interests, but like others before it, the movie benefits from not having one. That's not to say superhero movies shouldn't feature love interests for their main characters, but losing the romantic subplot allows time for more character development and team bonding. One of the biggest complaints of the superhero film genre in recent years is its predictability. The hero goes on a journey where they overcome adversity, usually fight some twisted, evil doppelganger of themselves if it's an MCU movie and win the day along with their love interest.
The Suicide Squad focused instead on the personal issues and growth of each individual character, from Ratcatcher 2 finding a new father figure in Bloodsport to Harley showing how she's overcome her past abusive relationship with the Joker. Even Polka-Dot Man got his "superhero moment" and overcame some of his past trauma with his mother.
Superhero movies, like any movie that features romance, have to divide time between the main plot and the love interest. Viewers have to become invested in the character and the hopefully believable love story in order for the subplot to be worth the time. Some films like The Amazing Spider-Man are known for their excellent romantic subplots. Others, like Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner's infamous romance in Avengers: Age of Ultron, bring down the film for some fans. Thus, superhero filmmakers are going to have to make a choice going forward: have a love interest or ignore the trope.
For some characters, like Ant-Man and Spider-Man, who have established partners in their respective films, removing a romantic subplot is not really an option. Others, like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, have so much to work with that a romantic subplot would likely just drag the film down. It all comes down to what characters the creative team is working with and what storyline is chosen. Batman doesn't have to have a love interest to have a successful story, as mediums like Batman: Arkham Asylum have shown fans.
Even so, asking the superhero genre to do away with love interests all together is an impossible request. A better move is to focus on other kinds of personal relationships like The Suicide Squad did, while also highlighting romantic subplots that haven't gotten much exposure, like the LGBTQ+ relationship appearing in Eternals.
The Suicide Squad is currently in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
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