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File:Lnlwedding.jpg
Luke and Laura's record-breaking wedding, November 16 1981 on the daytime drama General Hospital. The point at which the term Supercouple was born.

A supercouple (also known as a power couple or dynamic duo) is a term used to describe a popular or financially-wealthy pairing that captivates and intrigues its observers beyond normal expectations, applying primarily to soap opera, primetime, film, and celebrity. The term was coined in the early 1980s when soap opera couple Luke Spencer and Laura Webber were elevated beyond the soap opera medium and well into the public eye, making them a phenomenon in popular culture and reference to having defined the term.[1]

Outside of the soap opera medium, the supercouple title has become quite prolific, such as in the naming of certain celebrity pairings and being referred to within primetime dramas. Extremely popular romances in film are often recognized as supercouples,[1][2] sometimes producing memorable catch phrases such as "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" and "You had me at hello". In addition, the term has entered into psychology, as a type of mental stress known as Supercouple Syndrome, defined as two overachieving individuals within a romantic pairing who strive to be super in union.[3]

Despite, however, supercouples existing in other forms of media, the success of the title is greatly attributed to the soap opera genre.[1]

Soap opera

Becoming a supercouple

See also: List of soap opera supercouples

In soap opera, a supercouple storyline is typically detailed by the couple facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, such as a difference in social class, strong family interference, simple disagreements, marriages to other people, children with other people, etc.[4]

However, the two characters that make up the supercouple will usually reunite and marry.[4] The most significant obstacle to the couple, though, is that the soap opera genre is neverending, thus there can be no closure for the pairing unless both characters leave the show together or one of them dies. It is because of this, that after the usual fairytale wedding, if the supercouple remains on the show, they cannot live happily ever after as a couple in a fairytale would, but are rather subjected to a continual cycle of being separated and reunited. This factor has contributed to two characters of a supercouple divorcing and re-marrying each other several times.[4]

Notable supercouples

While the term was not coined until the early 1980s, and early supercouples could be noted as Jeff Baker and Penny Hughes[5] and Bob and Lisa Hughes on As the World Turns, the first supercouple is primarily considered to be Doug Williams and Julie Olson on Days of our Lives.[6] From 1970 until 1976, Doug and Julie tread the thin line between love and hate. The chemistry that the two actors exhibited became evident off-screen; the real-life couple, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth, were married in 1974. This set off a commotion among fans, thousands, who wrote endless letters to the show asking that the couple also be allowed to marry in the story, since the actors were married already. NBC milked the tension for all it was worth, lengthening the anticipation of the wedding, but eventually caved into the audience's pressure, and the characters Doug and Julie were married in October 1976.[7] Doug and Julie were also the first soap opera characters to grace the cover of Time Magazine.[8]

The most famous supercouple is perhaps Luke Spencer and Laura Webber, portrayed by Anthony Geary and Genie Francis on General Hospital. "Their romance enthralled viewers, and, when they wed on November 16 1981, daytime television recorded its highest-ever ratings, with 30 million people tuning in to watch them say 'I do.'"[9] As a result, Luke and Laura have arguably become daytime's quintessential and most iconic couple.[10]

Supercouple Golden Age: 1980s

The 1980s is known as the "Golden Age" of supercouples[11] and shows such as All My Children, As the World Turns and along with the aforementioned General Hospital and Days of our Lives were well known for their supercouples.

Days of our Lives in particular had a particularly large number of them — Bo and Hope,[12] Shane and Kimberly, Steve and Kayla[12] and Jack and Jennifer all going on at roughly the same time.

All My Children was represented by Cliff and Nina, Greg and Jenny[13] and Jesse and Angie, the first African-American supercouple.[14]

As the World Turns had the immensely popular couples Craig and Sierra, Tom and Margo, and Steve and Betsy, with Betsy Stewart being portrayed by future star Meg Ryan.

Along with Luke and Laura, General Hospital also boasted Alan and Monica and Frisco and Felicia. At the same time, Santa Barbara introduced another supercouple, Eden and Cruz Castillo.

The phenomenon even spread to foreign shores around this time, with Scott Robinson portrayed by Jason Donovan and Charlene Ramsay portrayed by Kylie Minogue on the Australian soap Neighbours, and "Dirty" Den and Angie Watts portrayed by Leslie Grantham and Anita Dobson on the British soap opera Eastenders, generating an audience response similar to that of the supercouples on American soap operas. Den and Angie are renowned as arguably Britain's most iconic soap couple, having broken the record for episode ratings to 30.1 million viewers on the episode of their divorce, a record that remains unbeaten by any British soap opera episode today.[15]

Supercouples today

While there are many popular couplings on soap operas today, very few earn the right to be called a supercouple by fans and the soap opera media alike.[12] Usually, the term is reminiscient of the 1970s and 1980s. As such, the few supercouples that are still on serials today were from the 1980s, or at the latest, the early 1990s. After that, the supercouple phenomenon slowly faded and the nature of soap operas today allows few characters and couples to truly define the nature of the show anymore, as the original supercouples once did.[12]

Shows have attempted to revive the success of the supercouples through modern couples (see Notable wave), but only a few have resonated with fans. Though these couples are popular with viewers, the majority of modern soap opera pairings have yet to reach true "supercouple status." The case for couples such as Ethan and Theresa and Luis and Sheridan leaves their status as supercouples in doubt, as the soap opera on which they appear, Passions, didn't exist during the "supercouple era." However, the inordinate emphasis placed on them in the show, as well as their overwhelming popularity, suggests that (by at least Passions standards) they are supercouples.

There are some instances where a character becomes a part of two popular pairings, where both couples in which include the character develop the same or close to the same amount of positive fan reaction from viewers. This causes a certain rivalry between the two couples, with both vying for the title of supercouple, as only one of the two can be crowned as such. An example of this was especially evident with the early 1990s storyline of General Hospital's Sonny Corinthos, Brenda Barrett, and Jasper "Jax" Jacks, often referred to as "the hottest love triangle in soap opera history" by the soap opera media.[16] The couple combinations within the love triangle of either Sonny and Brenda or Jax and Brenda were equally in demand, and which of the two is the actual supercouple remains in dispute to this day. Sonny and Brenda, however, do gain reference to being a supercouple often. In particular, Yahoo! TV commented:

Vanessa Marcil’s coupling with Benard, gave 'GH' its first legitimate heir to the 'Luke and Laura' throne of soap coupledom. Marcil’s Brenda Barrett, a spoiled, troubled beauty drawn to danger and dangerous men, ignited explosive sparks with reputed gangster Corinthos, the likes of which had not been seen on daytime television in some time — if ever. The 'Sonny and Brenda' pairing, along with the return of Luke and Laura after a decade-long absence, ushered in the soap’s second golden age of being thee daytime appointment television.[17]

Character Sonny eventually acquired definitive supercouple status in the pairing of Sonny and Carly, as he became a part of two successful romances to viewers.[18][19]

In other instances, a character is part of two equally popular couplings, but the storyline does not lend itself to the scenario being referred to as a love triangle. For example, Samantha "Sami" Brady of the soap opera Days of our Lives is romantically desired by the two men, Lucas Roberts and EJ Wells. However, she is not considered to be actively involved in a love triangle, yet both couples, Lucas and Sami and EJ and Sami, resonate with fans and appear to be at least equal in comparison and popularity.[20][21] This particular aspect can also be related to the relationships involving Elizabeth Webber on General Hospital. The difference is that Elizabeth is in love with both Lucky Spencer and Jason Morgan. Both couples are in demand by viewers.[22]

In today's medium, there are couples which come close to gaining supercouple status in terms of popularity. Although these pairings have explosive chemistry and immense potential, the couple's story is cut short, often due to the actors leaving to pursue jobs outside of soap operas or due to the writers changing direction in a storyline. These wildly popular couples simply do not last long enough on-screen to garner the long history of a true supercouple. Such couples include Leo and Greenlee (All My Children),[23] Ryan and Gillian (All My Children),[24] Dusty and Lucy (As the World Turns), Simon and Katie (As the World Turns),[12] Robin and Stone (General Hospital), Jonathan and Tammy (Guiding Light). These couples were or are extremely popular with critics and fans, and with time they arguably would have become beloved supercouples.

Emergence of gay and lesbian supercouples

Soap operas are traditionally heterosexual when featuring tales of romance and true love. For American soap opera, that began to change with characters Bianca Montgomery, Lena Kundera, and Maggie Stone from All My Children. Bianca's unveiling as a lesbian marked uncharted territory for daytime television. By being a core character and the daughter of legendary diva Erica Kane, "the show initiated an innovative discourse about the possibility, location, and representation of lesbian and gay characters in a television genre historically predicated on the celebration of heterosexual courtship, romance, and family life."[25]

In 2003, Bianca's relationship with Lena resulted in American daytime's first lesbian kiss.[26] The two became daytime's first lesbian couple, and received much press. Though Bianca and Lena's romance was very well-received, popular, and the couple made history on more than one occasion, it was Bianca's relationship with close confidante Maggie that thoroughly captured the hearts of viewers.[27] What made this topic particularly unique was the show's insistence that character Maggie was not gay. The show's insistence, however, did not deter viewers from desperately wanting the two romantically paired; the audience often wrote in to the network (ABC) pleading and demanding that Bianca and Maggie become an official item. Eventually, little hints that Maggie might not be so heterosexual after all started to appear throughout the series, complicated by Maggie (now instead of the show's executives) insisting that she was not gay but rather very much "into guys" and only guys. The audience saw this as a clear case of a woman in denial of her sexual orientation. Fan mail for the Bianca and Maggie pairing became enormous,[27] as the show continued to tease the audience with subtext that implied that the two romantically desired each other, going so far as to add friendly and intimate kisses to their already ambiguous status. Bianca and Maggie were often written as being on the verge of becoming an item, but never quite making it there, even with declarations of clear romantic love from one to the other. This approach by the writers infuriated viewers, but they remained entranced. The couple's popularity grew beyond soap opera press, as newspapers and television magazines became fascinated by the love story as well. TV Guide, The Advocate, Daily News, among others, were of the media taking interest.[27][28][29] The pairing eventually became the most popular gay couple in soap opera history, shocking industry insiders that a gay pairing could be this in demand.[27]

File:Bianca and Maggie (Main).jpg
Bianca and Maggie in a promotional commercial used to entice viewers during the couple's reign of ambiguity.

Though Bianca and Maggie's romance was not made official until both were offscreen, it made clear the answer to writers and executives who had been conflicted about including gay and lesbian love stories — daytime was interested.

"While the past decade has witnessed a growing number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered characters in primetime dramas and situation comedies, daytime soap operas offer unique challenges (and possibilities) regarding the inclusion and 'normalization' of varied sexualities in entertainment television." Daytime television has been ahead of primetime for some time in exploring diverse or controversial storylines. The one glaring exception has been homosexuality.[25] Gay and lesbian issues or characters existing on television back in the 1950s and early 1960s could be characterized as having been virtually invisible. When it came to the mainstream, audiences were built up as "replications of the idealized, middleclass nuclear family, defined as monogamous heterosexual couples with children" (Buxton, 1997, p. 1477). Because of this perception of what was ideal, networks geared programming toward it, feeling that viewers were exactly like these images on their television screens.[25] In contrast to primetime, daytime dramas have different obstacles to developing innovative programming, with their advertising sponsors being more conservative, their audience smaller and "genre restrictions that emphasize continuity and respect for history over innovation."[25] Soap opera tried its first chance at including a gay character back in 1983 on All My Children. Actress Donna Pescow portrayed Dr. Lynn Carson, who "came out" as a lesbian to patient and confidante Devon Shepherd McFadden (Tricia Pursley). The two women admitted to having romantic feelings towards each other — "and that’s about as sexual as the good doctor, or any other gay soap character, would get for quite some time. A gay man whose never-seen partner with AIDS came later, followed by a couple of gay teens who battled community homophobia in the 1990s."[30]

A prominent obstacle for gay and lesbian characters on daytime television is interference from television network executives who fear a decline in their ratings.[30] The characters are often denied fulfilling and lasting romances with others of the same sex. "Before Bianca's gay character was written into All My Children, the purpose of gay characters was to make a point or explain homosexuality for the audience — a task handled within the course of a few episodes. The distraught parents or angry bullies who caused the early gay characters so much turmoil would suddenly see the light. Then the story — and the character — would simply vanish." It was not until Bianca, that prominent gay characters and couples seemed possible within daytime.[25][30] Since then, soap operas have tried to replicate the success of the Bianca character with the introduction of their own gay and lesbian characters.[30] One soap opera in particular, As the World Turns, has been successful in launching the first popular romance between two men on a daytime drama, Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer. In late 2007, the two made television history by carrying out the first kiss between two male lovers on an American soap opera.[31] The popularity of the pairing, though not as widespread as Bianca and Maggie's, borders on the same fascination level that centered around their lesbian romance. Not even months into the romantic aspect of their relationship, TV Guide named the male duo a top power couple.[32]

Noah Mayer, the latest soap opera character to "come out", joins Bianca and others as visible gay characters in daytime. However, while "the boys are garnering attention, their female counterparts are, so far, garnering the most affection."[30]

Still, gay couple storylines, female-female/male-male, are making an impact. "These stories have the ability to reach the many different generations of viewers who watch daytime and share with them stories of our lives. What viewers are seeing is that more and more of their own neighbors and friends are dealing with these issues, and the soaps are merely reflecting the reality of the world we live in," stated Zack Hudson of Washington Blade.[30]

Primetime

See also: List of prominent primetime couples

Primetime supercouples, although at first combination might not seem to follow a formulaic road of courtship, often tend to have a paradigm as well[1] such as the typical love-hate relationship.

File:Krystle and Blake.jpg
Krystle and Blake bickered and loved passionately.

Characters Krystle and Blake (Linda Evans and John Forsythe) from the television series Dynasty fought for years, through ex-lovers and a host of other interferences. Krystle wound up in a coma and Blake spent years in jail. But their love eventually conquered all, becoming one of television's classic supercouples.[33]

Other early primetime power couplings included Pam and Bobby (Victoria Principal and Patrick Duffy) from Dallas,[34] Adam and Nicole Drake (Donald May and Maeve McGuire) from The Edge of Night,[35] etc.

Sometimes the occasional tragic love story is spun. One such love story was that of Buffy and Angel from the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the pairing's long and tortured fight to be together cementing their place in supercouple history.[36] Voted Number 2 on IGN's list of top ten favorite television couples, the tear-jerker of a romance was described in all of its early gloomy angst:

Buffy and Angel were the ultimate star-crossed lovers. After all, when you're a Vampire Slayer, it hardly seems like the appropriate person to fall for would be a Vampire. But fall for Angel Buffy did, setting up one of the most involving and tragic love stories we can remember on TV. After all, it's pretty rare for one half of a great couple to go from gentle and caring to sadistic and murderous in the course of a single night…and spurred on by having sex with the girl he loves no less.[37]

Great tragedy came about as Buffy of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer had to kill her true love[38] Angel in order to save the world, episode Becoming, Part Two.

Of course, not all shows are apt for the telling of a tragic love story. For comedies, there's often the mismatched couple approach,[39] and for dramas, there tends to be the will-they-won't-they setup. Cinemablend states, "There’s two general formulas for a will-they-wont-they setup. The first one is when one person pursues the other, then finally gives up and dates someone else, and the other scenario is when the two characters are so different and often do not get along with one another, they fight and argue constantly, but then one thing or a series of 'things' happen and they are forced to put up with each other", citing such popular couples as Buffy and Spike (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ross and Rachel (of the show Friends), Logan and Veronica (of the show Veronica Mars), etc.[40]

One of the greatest will-they-won't-they setups is considered to be the sexual-tension induced relationship of supercouple Agent Fox Mulder and Agent Dana Scully from the series The X-Files.[1][41][42] Mulder and Scully, two FBI agents investigating cases that involve the paranormal, bordered on the line of subtle hints of romance throughout the entire series, without ever being heavily romantically paired. While the excitement was there with waiting for Mulder and Scully to romantically commit to each other, when the two finally kissed in 1999 after seven seasons of buildup, some viewers could not help but feel that the show waited too long for such an event, and were left wondering where to go from there.[43][44] In this case, if a series goes on too long with sexual tension, the downside can be that when the couple finally begins their romance, the best part of watching that pair was all of the years of their will-they-won't-they status. Although, there are viewers who will love such a situation under any circumstance.

With some fictional supercouples, soap opera or primetime, the couple might have either started out as unexpected, therefore not necessarily following a certain paradigm, but due to viewers citing the chemistry of the two, the show decides to pair the unlikely lovers.

Film

See also: List of prominent film couples

Given that films inherently have a shorter amount of time in carrying out storylines, the task of convincing the audience that the two main lovers within the film are of true love can be somewhat daunting. With films, if not enough of the plot is focused on the buildup of the two lovers interacting with each other, then the love story can come off as more so contrived than a soap opera or a primetime drama putting together a quick romantic union, but naturally having more time to eventually win over its audience, if at all possible. [citation needed]

Film love stories will often resort to the fairy-tale notion that romance is a solution to life's problems, tapping into the audience's need for love to conquer all,[45] as even in tales of doomed romance, the underlying concept may be that the love story was cut short, but that the love itself was not.

Just as within soap operas or primetime dramas, not all romances will have an impact on observers, but on occasion there are two lovers within a film that manage to captivate their audience in such a way that the two are launched into supercouple status, ultimately standing far above any of the deemed average couples.[1]

In film, a supercouple may be a coupling that appears with the same actors over the course of many movies. Such as Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan or Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Becall. Or a supercouple could take place in an epic style of movie or movies such as Rocky and Aidrianne, or Jenny and Forest from Forest Gump.

Celebrity

See also: List of celebrity supercouples

The media is known to focus their attention on celebrity couples, but only certain ones in which either seem to fascinate the public or create a power coupling due to finances are granted the title of supercouple.[46] A notable supercouple that spun such media frenzy was the former pairing of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. The highly publicized couple became so popular that not only did they become known by the portmanteux Bennifer (for Ben and Jennifer) to much of the media, as well as to fans combining their first names, but the term Bennifer itself became just as popular, eventually being entered into urban dictionaries or neologism dictionaries as of notability,[47] ultimately starting the trend of other celebrity couples being referred to by the combination of each others' names. However, the pairing of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez eventually succumbed to overexposure, and the public interest in their romance resulted in less admiration.[48] Even so, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's former union within its previous popularity serves as a clear example of a celebrity supercouple. The best description of what often defines a celebrity supercouple may be of what sofeminine.co.uk reports.

Media and public interest in the super-rich, famous and beautiful, and their equally beautiful offspring, is at an all-time high, and mono-monikers are just one sign that the supercouple is becoming a virtual phenomenon of the society we live in. When magazines are prepared to pay millions of dollars just for the first baby pics of your little Suris and Shilohs, and the paparazzi start setting up camp outside your doorstep, you know you've gone from A-listers to fully-fledged supercouple. There's something about a celebrity love match that really captures the imagination and brings out the voyeur in us: when rich, famous and successful meets rich, famous and successful, does it equal a passionate relationship based on mutual understanding and respect, or a showcased play-act lived out in front of the cameras? Let's face it, in the plastic world of stardom it's been known for celebs to fake entire relationships with other celebs just for the tabloid space that's in it.[49]

Supercouple TomKat at a press conference in March 2006.

Bennifer's decline in popularity did not stop the public's interest in wanting to see super celebrity pairings. A prominent celebrity supercouple to emerge after Bennifer was TomKat, the power coupling of celebrity stars Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and years before, the United Kingdom had Posh and Becks (David and Victoria Beckham), who still dominate today.[50][49] The spotlight and attention given to these pairings seemed to be the height of celebrity supercoupling. Until 2006, where the celebrity phenomenon dubbed "Brangelina" triggered media obsession surrounding screen stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The two emerged as a prominent supercouple,[51][52] and the mania centered around the pairing was described as having "reached the point of insanity, far overshadowing the hoopla that attended such couples as 'Bennifer' and 'TomKat'."[53] The "hoopla" that now surrounded Pitt and Jolie's union, still observed today, first came to life with rumors of Pitt's involvement with Jolie during the shooting of their 2005 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Speculation that Pitt had been romantically involved with Jolie while still married to actress Jennifer Aniston was top gossip and thought to be the reason for Pitt and Aniston's divorce.[54] Jolie, however, stated that there was no romance between her and Pitt during filming and that she would never be intimate with a married man.[54]

An official item not long after Pitt's divorce from Aniston, the two became even more of a media fascination for their social activism and ever-growing family, with the couple adopting from foreign countries. The anticipated birth of Pitt and Jolie's first biological child together, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, was cited as the most influential celebrity baby,[55] as the public pondered what the combined physical features of two of the world's most beautiful people would produce in a child.[56][57] The first baby pictures for Shiloh set a world record. People paid more than $4.1 million for the North American rights, while British magazine Hello! obtained the international rights for roughly $3.5 million; the total rights sale earned up to $10 million worldwide, the most expensive celebrity image of all time.[58]

File:Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie with first born, Shiloh.jpg
Supercouple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt on the cover of Hello! magazine with newborn daughter Shiloh.

All profits were donated to an undisclosed charity by Jolie and Pitt. On July 26 2006, Madame Tussauds in New York unveiled a wax figure of two-month-old Shiloh; it was the first infant re-created in wax by Madame Tussauds.[59] Robert Thompson, director of the Centre for the Study of Popular Television, said the coupling of A-list stars like Pitt and Jolie, or in years gone by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, was "a paparazzi's dream come true". He further relayed that "as silly as it sounds, this new tendency to make up single names for two people, like 'Bennifer' (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez) and 'TomKat' (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes), is an insightful idea'. 'Brangelina' has more cultural equity than their two star parts."[53] Polly Vernon of British newspaper The Guardian summed up her analysis of what makes a celebrity supercouple in her May 25 2000 article:

The basic appeal of the accomplished supercouple can be reduced to this: by hooking up with another, carefully selected celeb, you can eliminate your bad points, compensate for your own shortcomings, and hint at a softer, more vulnerable side. Attach yourself to someone smarter, prettier, more fashionable, hipper, funnier than you are, and you will automatically acquire these missing qualities by osmosis. They, equally, will benefit from your particular brand of star quality. Your public perception will become more complete, more exciting. Together, you are quite literally, the ultimate individual.[46]

In other media

Video game

See also: List of prominent couples in other media

Video game creators have realized the asset of incoporating supercouple romances within their products, stringing together epic stories of love and intrigue. While writing epic romances into video games is not a new phenomenon, the idea of capturing a video game player through emotionally-charged moments via the death of a hero's lover in order to produce feelings of attachment to the fictional environment has expanded,[60] especially within action-adventure games. The goal is to make the gamer actually become emotionally invested in the characters and their actions, ultimately resulting in heightened gaming experience. Video game designer Peter Molyneux, when speaking of the main component he wanted in his game Fable 2, spoke of more than just the romantic aspect, stating, "We want you to feel loved. You can have sex and you can have a baby. That baby will grow up and will kind of look like you."[61]

One of the most noted love stories in the gaming world is the complicated romance between characters Cloud Strife (resident bad boy put in a position to save the world) and Aerith Gainsborough (also known as Aeris, an innocent he meets during his mission) from the 1997 game Final Fantasy VII. The relationship starts off as a love triangle involving character Tifa Lockhart (childhood friend of Cloud's). While some gamers favored Tifa as a love interest for Cloud, the relationship between Cloud and Aeris was considered not only more canon but also more popular. One gamer claimed it to be "the most touching love story ever in the history of gaming."

Cloud and Aeris are the most memorable couple in the FF series — and have the most tragic love affair in the entire video game world. Cloud’s reclusive character is matched only by Aeris’ happy demeanor. But before they even have the chance to share their feelings, Aeris is struck down by a mad Sephiroth in one of the most infamous video game death scenes. A remorseful Cloud is later on 'forgiven' by the spirit of Aeris in the movie adaptation Final Fantasy: Advent Children. Maybe perhaps Cloud can finally have a relationship with Tifa Lockhart.[62]

File:Cloud and Aeris (C).jpg
Cloud (left) and Aerith (right).

In 2005, Electronic Gaming Monthly listed Final Fantasy VII number six in their list of "10 Most Important Games", citing that without it, "Aerith wouldn’t have died, and gamers wouldn’t have learned how to cry."[63]

Other notable love stories that have impacted the gaming industry include Solid Snake and Meryl Silverburgh (from Metal Gear Solid),[64] which took on more of a subtle approach, Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly (from Final Fantasy VIII),[64] another tale of star-crossed lovers, and couples defined more by the troubles they caused each other as opposed to any good.

Video game insiders state that the need for these love stories within the gaming realm is valid, and in most cases, a great addition to the gaming experience.[61]

Literature, toys, comic book, and other

In literature, couples such as Romeo and Juliet and Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw usually top the lists of greatest romances in literary works. While Romeo and Juliet are the most recognized of the two, Heathcliff and Catherine, written by Emily Brontë in 1847, is often the most honored.[65]

In the genres of toys and comic books, toys were given their first big supercouple with the creation of Ken and Barbie by Mattel in 1961,[66][67] and for comic books the reign of Clark Kent and Lois Lane (created in 1938)[68][69] and Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson (created in 1966) are still seen today.[70]

With the spread of supercouples throughout every medium possible, the public's interest in them has turned into a prominent marketing strategy that does not seem to demonstrate a foreseeable end.

In the popularity of message boards, fans have used portmanteux for their favorite couples, including supercouples from the past. For example, Logan and Veronica (Veronica Mars) becomes "LoVe," Josh and Reva (Guiding Light) becomes "Jeva," Jack and Kate (Lost) becomes "Jate," Michael and Sara (Prison Break) becomes "MiSa," and so on. Seth Cohen of the show The O.C. parodied this when he talked about real couples' overexposure to one another; he wondered whether or not his pairing with Summer Roberts would be called "Summereth" or "Sethummer".[71] Occasionally, even anti-fans come up with names for couples, such as General Hospital's Sonny and Emily. The unpopular pairing of the mob boss and his enforcer's sweet younger sister became known as "Soily."[72] Viewers even took to online petitions with the nickname, urging for the end of the couple.

As the press is also known for coining the names of popular and unpopular celebrity pairings, the existence of such nicknames can ultimately seem inescapable in their usage.

See also

References

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Further reading

  • O'Rourke, Michael (June 3 2006). San Antonio Express-News, S.A. LIFE; Pg. 1E. Supercouple must have supername. An analysis concluding that "Bennifer, Tomkat and Brangelina. To be considered a supercouple, it isn't enough to be compatible, loving and gorgeous anymore. Your names have to fit together to form a headline-pleasing moniker. You have to be a portmanteau."
  • Meet a geriatric ‘supercouple’ Elderly couple baffles medical experts due to what seems like superhuman abilities at such old ages. "Most people are amazed by their age and what they are capable of doing," said Mitch Solarsh, the club’s general manager. "It is unbelievable to exercise as consistently as they do and lift what they do." Retrieved on 2007-11-20
  • San Diego's Panda 'Supercouple' Keeping Sparks Alive "Since 2003, Bai Yun and her consort, Gao Gao, have produced three cubs, making them one of the most reproductively successful panda couples ever in captivity." (2007-11-23). Retrieved on 2007-11-24
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