One of the things we’re looking forward to the most about Netflix’s Defenders television miniseries is Luke Cage and Iron Fist meeting for the very first time. Since both Luke Cage and Iron Fist have their own series and will be teaming up next year, it’s only a matter of time before we see the two heroes forming the epic friendship they share in the comics.
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Although the two come from wildly different backgrounds, Danny Rand and Luke Cage have been inseperable since they first teamed up in Power Man #48 and formed the Heroes for Hire. Although both heroes have changed a ton over the decades, Cage and Rand are still close enough that Cage named his daughter Danielle after his best friend.
There are tons of fantastic friendships in comics that date back decades. From the power duo of Superman and Batman to the often tenuous friendship of Captain America and Iron Man, these friendships are typically what keep many comic book fans reading throughout the years.Here’s a look at five of the best friendships we’ve seen in all of comics:
Batgirl and Black Canary
When Black Canary first joined the Birds of Prey, she didn’t know her partner Oracle’s true identity. Acting as her eye in the sky and a “cricket in her ear”, Oracle’s methods clashed with Black Canary’s more impulsive personality, leading to plenty of early drama.
It wasn’t until Black Canary saved Oracle’s life from the supervillain Blockbuster and met Barbara Gordon, the woman behind the Internet persona that the two truly became friends. Barbara even served as Black Canary’s maid of honor when she married Green Arrow in 2006.
Black Canary and Barbara Gordon’s friendship even survived DC’s 2011 reboot and Barbara’s return to active superheroics as Batgirl. The two fought together in a new version of the Birds of Prey and Black Canary became a key supporting cast member in Batgirl’s new life protecting the Burnside neighborhood of Gotham.
Calvin and Hobbes
For over a decade, a young boy’s antic with his stuffed tiger delighted millions of newspaper readers around the world. One of the most popular and groundbreaking newspaper comics of all time, Calvin and Hobbes used one hyperactive boy’s imagination as a way to explore the philosophies and quirks of everyday life.
Calvin’s rambunctious nature was offset by Hobbes’ more rational worldview, despite the fact that Hobbes was a stuffed tiger to everyone but his owner. However, the two made a perfect pair and it’s fitting that the final strip featured them sledding away in search of more adventures.
Blue Beetle and Booster Gold
On the surface, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold might look like a pair of ineffectual “also-ran” superheroes, but the bumbling duo had one of the more genuine and organic friendships in comics. The pair first met up during the Justice League’s “International” period and were the source for many of the famed run’s goofiness and laughs.
Team “Blue and Gold” remained friends for over a decade, sticking by each other even as their careers faded into obscurity. When Blue Beetle discovered a conspiracy targeting superheroes, Booster was the only one to listen and try to help him. When Blue Beetle died investigating the conspiracy, Booster singlehandedly forced the rest of the DC Universe into action to avenge his friend’s death. In the New 52, Blue Beetle is still alive, which means we could see these two friends reunite for more laughs.
Quantum and Woody
While the other pairs on this list are merely good friends, Quantum and Woody are literally inseparable.
When a lab explosion gave them both powers, it also bound them together via a pair of metal wristbands. If the metal wristbands aren’t touched together at least once per 24 hours, both heroes will literally dissolve into nothingness. Forced to live together, Quantum became a more traditional superhero (complete with a codename and costume) while the more rebellious Woody reluctantly tagged along on his adventures.
They’re also accompanied by a super-powered goat, who as the memories and personality of their late adoptive father.
Maggie and Hopey
The stars of Jaime Hernandez’s “Locas” stories in Love and Rockets, Maggie and Hopey are best friends and occasional lovers bouncing between jobs and apartments in California.
Most of the “Locas” stories feature Maggie grappling with the trials of everyday life, which are often complicated by her esteem issues and self-doubt. While Maggie seems to just want to find stability in her life, Hopey is impulsive and wild and often drags Maggie out to enjoy the local punk scene. While Maggie and Hopey have separated for years at a time, the two inevitably end up back in each other’s life. Both Maggie and Hopey have settled down in recent years (which has led to Jaime scaling back on “Locas” stories), but Hernandez and his brother have promised a return to a quarterly version of Love and Rockets in the near future.
