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As my birthday approaches yet again, I am reminded just how few of my friends are people I know in meat space. Thus turned my mind for this month's Marvel 70th anniversary celebration to the topic friendship. After all, in some ways we are defined by the company we keep. Sometimes friendships that form in Marvel seem natural, sometimes they are weird and unexpected. The same holds true in real life. Alice Cooper was friends with Barry Goldwater and you can't get much stranger than that.
- Deadpool and Weasel -- I think the bond these two share can best be summed by letters twisted out of someone's intestines, but let's not and say we did.. They may make fun of each other, due various vicious acts they have done to one another but it is all out of respect. They both know they are the best there is at what they do. Wade kills people for profit using his fast trigger finger, his faster katana and a mouth with speeds that disprove Einstein. Weasel is a tech expert who specializes in making Wade look good for a ten percent cut plus expenses. Even on the occasional case where they rip each other off on a deal, it won't stop them from doing the one thing they actually compete at; watching television.
- Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm -- Okay - these guys are classic. They act like the really hate each other. Boiling showers, sending phony fan mail, even the old ink blot binoculars. Even a nonsensical retcon made Johnny Storm the source of all the prank items sent to Ben by the Yancy Street Gang. Only we saw the Yancy Streeters mailing some of the exploding cuckoo clocks on panel. For the most part, Ben gives as good as he gets. They play mean pranks on each other and love every minute of it.
- Speedball and Nova -- Back before Speedball went crazy and Nova became Marvel's big shot cosmic space cadet, they were both members of The New Warriors. Everyone picked on Speedball. Most of the team seriously didn't like him. Nova on the otherhand, if he admitted it or not, saw a bit of his younger self in Robbie. Nova gave him the nickname ˜Toothpick' which was a nickname Richard had in high school. He'd rag on him but it was more like a big brother. Speedball returned, but Nova was also the first one he could actually have a serious conversation with.
- Jamie Madrox and Guido Carosella -- This is a friendship that on the surface is kind of superficial. In the first of Peter David's runs on X-Factor they both tended to party hard and gravitated toward each other. The new era has made some real progress in that regard. They are both thought of as freaks even amongst their fellow mutants. They don't always agree with each other but there is a general respect for each other. (It can also be noted that Jamie doesn't often agree with himself..) When Guido was mind controlled and killed someone, Jamie was the first to forgive him. When Jamie accidentally absorbed his own son "an infant dupe," Guido was the first one to take his side.
- Kitty Pryde and Wolverine -- Most people see this as a basic student and teacher. Unless you're a delusional fanfic writer in which case, you see as pent up sexuality. What I have always found interesting about this friendship is that if, as I stated before, it is one of student and teacher, it is a rather confusing one. Kitty learned a lot about being a super hero from Logan. This is true. It often seems that no character, surpassing even Storm or Jean, retaught Logan the importance of his humanity than Kitty.
- Beast and Wonder Man -- Unlike some, Hank McCoy didn't gain self confidence until he became an inhuman looking creature. The emerging big brained party animal quickly began palling around with Simon Williams, a man with just enough brains to get a high school diploma. Hank learned how to have fun and Simon learned, period. In some ways I think these two have inspired DC's The Blue and The Gold. Or maybe they both were inspired by the same source- Laurel and Hardy. While not as deep a friendship as some of the others mentioned, it is often incredibly amusing.
- Ben Grimm and Reed Richards -- For a lot reasons this one seems a little odd. An absent minded professor who is sometimes not quite adept in the social graces and rough and tough All American athlete from Yancy Street. They were originally thrown together after Reed's first roommate blew up the dorm room. It seems rather odd to me they would have remained friends past college. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that in spite of their serious differences, they had several interests that did overlap. Reed is an engineer and Ben became a test pilot. Also, Ben believes (though maybe not as correctly as he thinks) that he couldn't have graduated from NYU without Reed's help. It has also been implied that Reed would never have been able to ask Sue out if Ben hadn't forced him to. The fact that their friendship endured after Reed accidentally turned Ben into The Thing is also remarkable. Though these days Ben complains about not being The Thing when he's transformed into a normal human about as much as he does about not being normal when he's The Thing. Reed sticks up for Ben in spite of his temper problems and Ben put up with Reed's sheer unbelievable ego and sexism. (Ben isn't immune to this as well as both Sue, Alicia and She-Hulk proved it is only those who think any gender is better than another that really ticks him off.)
The rivalries of the Marvel Universe are classic. Originally a gimmick thought up by Stan Lee as a device to make crossovers and cross-continuity easier to do some these have made for some great stories over the years.
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- Wolverine and Hulk -- Wolverine has been associated with the X-Men for so long that it is easy to forget his first appearance was as an opponent for Hulk. The two have fought in almost every incarnation since. Logan knows what it is like to be a savage. In some ways, he may even think he's doing Banner a favor by fighting him so that he doesn't smash innocent people. On the other hand if Logan didn't attack him, he might just change back sooner or later anyway. It's possible these two fight each other simply because they enjoy it.
- Spider-Man and Punisher -- These two always agreed that certain activities should be stopped. Spider-Man always despised Punisher's methods. He tags along to try to keep people from getting killed. After going through that time and time again he just gave up and tried his best to stay out of Frank's way. When they do meet up the results are pretty much the same. Spidey has more than once tried to bring Frank in and it never takes. The funny thing about this rivalry is that it is a little one sided. Frank respect's what Spider-Man is doing, he just doesn't think it is enough.
- Human Torch and Ice-Man -- Both of these guys started out filling the same niche on their teams: the young kid who gets in trouble. They are also masters of opposing elements. It is somewhat natural that these two would end up at each other's throats. The Torch and Ice-Man's adventures always seem to end up with their agreeing to team up but then having things wind up with both of them looking like idiots and them never wanting to see each other again. My favorite example of their rivalry was from an issue of What The"?! where the Torch riffs on Ice-Man for being in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends when he and Spider-Man barely know each other, unlike the Torch who teams up with Spidey several times a year.
- Reed Richards and Sub-Mariner -- My first encounter with Namor was in a Fantastic Four in the collection of a friend of mine's dad. This one is a rivalry over the most classic reasons- women. Reed maybe a little sexist but at least he didn't lock Sue in an upside fish bowl full of air under the sea. Like many great rivals, each have something the other lacks. Namor wears his emotions on his sleeve. He is a man ruled by his passions. Reed appears cold. It's not that he doesn't have emotions but he's calculating. Namor isn't the brightest thing under the sea. It's not that he lives in a pineapple or anything but his brain power isn't his defining characteristic. Reed Richards, on the other hand invents five or six things by the time he finishes eating his morning bowl of Raisin Bran.
- Deadpool and Cable -- I put these two on the rivals list even though they shared a team book in the not too distant past. Why? Because these two got along like cats and dogs. They almost always worked against each other's agenda, used each other for personal gain, treated each other like crap and saved the day more by dumb luck more than anything else. Unlike Deadpool and Weasel, Wade didn't really give a crap about Cable one way or the other. They aren't friends but they aren't enemies. Cable only hired Wade because face it, a certain X-Man's hype is wrong- it is Deadpool who is the best there is at what he does. Have you ever seen Wolverine regrow his neck to reattach his head? Didn't think so.
- Spider-Man and The Human Torch -- What do two smart alecky young goofballs do when they meet? Do they beat each other up? Rarely. While they like to rag on each other, you get the feeling that they might actually be friends. Sort of. How many archenemies leave messages to each other in the paper saying 'Meet Me at the Regular Spot'. Everyone knew that guy in college who'd say: "bet you five bucks you can't eat that whole plate of Rice Krispy Treats." Then you go and do it. Then, after receiving the five bucks, end up saying something like: ˜Well, I bet you five bucks you can't chug a shot glass full of Dave's Insanity Barbeque Sauce.' Of course he refused to learn from your stomach cramps and chugs it down. Spidey and Torch are the super hero equivalent.
- Hulk and Thing -- This is the grand daddy of them all. It started as Lee and Kirby admitting the similarities in these characters. They are both angry, disfigured men who can lift tanks. Both of them have a very set moral core. The difference is that Hulk lashes out like an infant. Thing is actually much more intellectual than people tend to think. Sure, he brags about his C average. A C average in a science class at one of the best non-Ivy league schools and where Reed Richards was there to eliminate the curve. Another huge difference is that Hulk surrounds himself with people, be it Rick Jones, Betty or The Defenders but really claims to be a loner. The Thing is a very social person who actually enjoys having friends but doesn't always think they'll accept him because of his condition. He's a social man who spends a great deal of time alone.
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