A Sapphic Celebration: Ten of DC’s Best WLW Couples
Pride isn’t just a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community, it’s an act of rebellion and resistance! Being who you are and loving who you want is a powerful and beautiful thing. Since I personally represent the L in LGBTQIA+, I wanted to take a look at some moments of queer joy and love with some of my favorite of DC’s WLW couples! And yes, I’m saying “women loving women” because although these powerful ladies are in relationships with other women—not all of them are lesbian!
I would consider Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy—Harlivy, if you will—the most influential and notable WLW couple in the DC Universe. The beginning stages of their relationship can be seen in Batman: The Animated Seriesin the early 1990s—the show that Harley Quinn was createdfor. Here we get to see their close friendship blossom with sapphic tension building up beneath the surface. Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy would then become an iconic duo for years with their romantic relationship first setting sail in 2016 in DC Comics: Bombshells, one of my all-time favorite DC comic books. They had their first kiss in chapter42 and since then, their love has blossomed in the mainline DCU and is currently taking center stage in the Harley Quinnanimated series.These days, it’s hard to imagine a time when they weren’t a canon couple!
Check Out:Harley Quinn: The Animated Series – The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour
Batwoman is arguably the most prolific lesbian character in the DC Universe. Kate Kane is the cousin to Bruce Wayne and has been an openly queer character in the comic books since her relaunch in 2006. She has two notable love interests: Detective Maggie Sawyer (who she even proposed to at one point) and an on-and-off relationship with Renee Montoya, aka the Question. It’s hard to choose which two members of this triangle to highlight here, but I’ll be going with Kate Kane and Renee Montoya simply because they’re more current. Renee Montoya was also created for Batman: The AnimatedSeries, where she started off as a beat cop before moving her way up to detective. Her sexual orientation was hinted at, but never explicitly stated in the show. Her lesbian identity was later embraced in the comic books!
Nubia, my queen—er, I mean the queen of the Amazons! Introduced in the early ’70s, she was DC’s first Black superheroine and is one of the most influential Amazons. How influential? Well, she’s shared the title of Wonder Woman with Diana. She’s also one of the best warriors on Themyscira (she even faced off against Medusa!) and seceded Hippolyta as queen of the Amazons. She is in a relationship with fellow Amazon Io, the chief blacksmith of Themyscira. Their relationship is absolutely beautiful and has been featured in DC’s annual Pride anthology. These two powerful women deserve to be celebrated this Pride month and every month, really.
While we’re on the subject of the Amazons, Diana’s mother, Queen Hippolyta, has always been depicted as having a close relationship with Philippus, chief councilor and general of the Amazon army. But they go far beyond just a close friendship. In more recent years, Hippolyta and Philippus are lovers. Philippus is a fierce warrior and protector of her island and queen and has even helped train Princess Diana!
Wonder Woman, one of the most famous DC characters and a household name, was confirmed bisexual in 2016 by writer Greg Rucka. And in the Elseworlds series Dark Knights of Steel, the princess of Themyscira is in a romantic relationship with the princess of the House of El, Supergirl. This Supergirl is Superman’s sister, not cousin, and her name is Zola Jor-El. (This isn’t the first Elseworlds story with Supergirl in a sapphic relationship either. In DC Comics: Bombshells, Supergirl sweeps Eloisa Lane off her feet!) Unfortunately, the odds are stacked against this fantasy-fueled take on the couple. Tensions are rising in Dark Knights of Steelas Diana and Zola’s kingdoms are on the verge of a war—talk about forbidden love!
Check Out:Dark Knights of Steel
DC’s first transgender wedding happened in Batgirl #45.Alyssa Yeoh, best friend and roommate of Barbara Gordon, is one of the first major trans characters in mainstream comics. She married fellow activist Jo Muñoz in what has to be one of the cutest and most romantic issues of Batgirlever published. Alysia was also a major player in Gotham City in DC Comics: Bombshells and was one of the members of the Batgirls. Though unlike in that series, she practices her heroics through activism in mainstream continuity, she still wields a baseball bat every once in a while.
Check Out:2011’s Batgirland DC Pride 2022
Sojourner “Jo” Mullein and Syzn of the Cliffs
In the limited series Far Sector, a new Green Lantern was introduced: Jo Mullein. Created by award-winning sci-fi author N.K. Jemisin and artist Jamal Campell, Jo was part of DC’s Young Animal imprint, which was developed by Gerard Way. She’s also one of my absolute favorite DC characters and is openly bisexual with two different love interests in the series. In the end, she ends up with Syzn of the Cliffs, who is of the alien species the Nah. We don’t get to explore their romantic relationship too much in the series, but I do hope we get to see them together again sometime in the future. This comic is a must read for bisexual representation—especially if you love sci-fi. It also came out at a pivotal point during Black Lives Matter in 2020 and explores many relevant and important themes.
Thunder (Anissa Pierce) and Grace Choi
You may have seen Anissa and Grace in the CW TV series Black Lightning, but they are also featured in the comic books. Anissa Pierce is the daughter of Jefferson Pierce (Black Lightning) and is openly lesbian and a member of the Outsiders. Her partner Grace Choi is also a member of the Outsiders—which is how they met—and she is half-Amazonian. After many years of being together and even married, these two sadly had an off-page breakup confirmed in DC Power 2024.Hopefully they can work things out—it’s never too late to give things another go!
CheckOut:Black Lightningand 2003’sOutsiders
Crush is the *super edgy and cool* daughter of the villain Lobo. And she’s in a sapphic relationship with Katie—a civilian! Crush and Katie definitely have some stuff to work on. Their relationship is a bit rocky as Crush is learning how to balance fighting bad guys with being in a relationship. Young love, it’s complicated. You can also see Crush getting some relationship advice from Harley and Ivy in DC Pride 2023!
Everyone inDC Comics: Bombshells
Look, I know I keep mentioning it, but that’s because reading DC Comics: Bombshells when I was a teenager was truly a life changing experience. There are so manysapphic characters and relationships featured in this thrilling World War II-era alt-universe story that it would take way too long to list them all. But fortunately, I don’t have to do that! DC.com writer Alex Jaffe has already put together an excellent list highlighting these iconic WLW couples. Check it out here!
While there are many women loving women in the DC Universe, not all of them have the time or energy to maintain romantic relationships. With so many sapphic characters to highlight, this House of List-ery is meant to celebrate sapphic love in relationships! I do hope to see this list grow by the time Pride Month rolls around next year. And if you haven’t already, I recommend checking out this year’s DC Pride special. The first three specials are also now available in a lovely hardcover box set which is high on my wish list! Happy Pride Month, everybody!
Sami DeMonster writes about superheroes, horror and sci-fi for DC.com and reviews comics every week on social media. Follow her at @samidemonster on Instagram and Substack.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Sami DeMonster and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
