12 Superhero Movie Romances That Actually Didn't Suck

2. Steve Rogers & Peggy Carter (Captain America)

When it comes to doomed period superhero love stories, though, Wonder Woman is unquestionably informed by the romance between Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) in Captain America: The First Avenger.

The scrawny dweeb who snags the gorgeous, strong woman miles out of his league is a tale as old as time itself, but The First Avenger makes it feel fresh and unique.

The entire film is centred around this power fantasy, what with Cap becoming a mountain of a man thanks to some government-sanctioned serum, and impressively, it doesn't come off juvenile or misogynistic.

And like Wonder Woman, what really takes it to the next level isn't simply the easy chemistry between the actors, but the overarching pallor of sadness, with their growing fondness ultimately never being consummated.

Cap gets buried in the ice and by the time he's thawed out, Peggy's an old lady who's lived a full life. Not long afterwards, she dies and Cap has a (pretty awkward) smooch with her grand-niece Sharon (Emily VanCamp). Sad.

It's possible that Avengers: Endgame might resolve this unfulfilled love story by flinging Cap back to his original timeline, and because the relationship is so well-defined and easy to root for, most fans would probably go along with it.