10 Controversial Comic Book Couples Fans Hated

1. The Joker And Harley Quinn

joker harley quinn mad love
DC Comics

To date, there has never been a relationship so fundamentally misused, misrepresented or wrongly worshiped than the one shared between the Joker and Harley Quinn.

Abusive to its very core, Joker and Harley's time together was typified by violence, psychological torture and regret. And yet it still somehow manages to resonate with people, misguided make-up YouTubers, writers and, if reports are to be believed, movie executives too. It's not funny, it's not endearing, and it most certainly isn't something to covet, especially now that Harley herself has managed to live on in the medium as a survivor and has a kickass girlfriend in Poison Ivy.

It's a relationship that's been killed dead in the comics in recent years, and both Harley and DC are only stronger for it. While the films themselves seem to be playing catch-up in this regard, as well as a portion of the character's fans, it's clear that the Joker-Harley relationship's days are numbered.

How fortunate we all are that that is, indeed, the case.

Which comic book couple do you cringe at the most? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.