Modern fandom is driven by "shipping" (relationshipping). Platforms like Tumblr, Twitter, and Reddit explode over a single panel of two characters holding hands. Writers like Tom King (Mister Miracle) and G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel) understand that a romantic payoff generates more reader loyalty than a major death.

Consider Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. DC spent years dancing around their relationship. When they finally committed to a canon gay romance between the two anti-heroes, sales skyrocketed. The audience didn’t just want fight scenes; they wanted to see two damaged people find solace in each other.

For a long time, the comic industry believed that romance didn’t sell superhero books. They were wrong. What they actually feared was change.

Romantic storylines are the only narrative device that forces permanent evolution. When Peter Parker marries Mary Jane, he grows up. When Cyclops commits to Jean Grey (or Emma Frost), the X-Men dynamic shifts.

Comic book time is a curse for romance. Editors fear that if a character is too happy (married with kids), they become unrelatable. Hence, One More Day (Spider-Man selling his marriage to the devil) remains the most hated storyline in history.