History Main / TwoPersonLoveTriangle

* ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'': An odd variant appears in Jeff Smith's ''ComicBook/ShazamAndTheMonsterSocietyOfEvil'', which ultimately did not go anywhere due to the characters' ages. Preteen Billy Batson has a PrecociousCrush on adult reporter Helen Fidelity (who isn't interested for obvious reasons), and Helen has an EXTREME attraction to Billy's magic-induced grown up alter ego, Captain Marvel.

** ''ComicBook/SpiderManLovesMaryJane'' has the more traditional version, where Mary Jane has decided to somehow ask Spider-Man to take her to a school dance only to find herself falling for Peter Parker at the same time.
** This goes back a long way with him; at the end of ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManLeeAndDitko'' #6, Peter Parker calls Liz Allen on the phone to ask for a date only to have her tell him she's already told off his rival Flash Thompson and wants him off the line as well, since she's anticipating a call from Spider-Man. As she slams down the receiver, he laments that "Only a guy with ''my'' nutty luck could end up being his own competition!"
** Also, in her early mainstream appearances, Mary Jane flirted both with Peter Parker and with Spider-Man (when he rescued her) and often expressed admiration or attraction to Spider-Man. Years later it was revealed that MJ knew that the two are one and the same all along... Making things interesting, MJ actually didn't want a serious relationship with Peter ''because'' she knew he was Spider-Man, and she was GenreSavvy enough to know the issues with dating a superhero.

** The classic version of this. While it's varied over the years, the traditional triangle is Clark loves ComicBook/LoisLane, while Lois loves Superman and won't see Clark as anything more than a friendly rival at the Daily Planet. This ended a few years after the ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths reboot, with Lois learning the truth while engaged to Clark, and they eventually had a kid. ''Series/LoisAndClark'' similarly has the two start a relationship and get married as well, the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse had Lois discover all of Clark's identities within its cornerstone film ''Film/ManOfSteel'', and most other adaptations (such as the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse) meanwhile play the trope straight throughout their runs. Long after the marriage was established (and [[ComicBook/New52 undone]], and [[ComicBook/Superman2016 re-established]]) in the comics, it was played from the outside, with a nasty rumour that Lois was cheating on Clark with Superman being a factor in his giving up his secret identity in ''ComicBook/SupermanBrianMichaelBendis''.

See LovesMyAlterEgo and AcquaintedInRealLife. This setup can result in MutualPining in many cases. Compare ImaginaryLoveTriangle, which involves three people but is likewise built on false assumptions. May involve LikesClarkKentHatesSuperman.

** The classic version of this. While it's varied over the years, the traditional triangle is Clark loves ComicBook/LoisLane, while Lois loves Superman and won't see Clark as anything more than a friendly rival at the Daily Planet. This ended a few years after the ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths reboot, with Lois learning the truth while engaged to Clark, and they eventually had a kid. ''Series/LoisAndClark'' similarly has the two start a relationship and get married as well, the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse had Lois discover all of Clark's identities within its cornerstone film ''Film/ManOfSteel'', and most other adaptations (such as the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse) meanwhile play the trope straight throughout their runs. Long after the marriage was established (and [[ComicBook/New52 undone]], and [[ComicBook/SupermanRebirth re-established]]) in the comics, it was played from the outside, with a nasty rumour that Lois was cheating on Clark with Superman being a factor in his giving up his secret identity in ''ComicBook/SupermanBrianMichaelBendis''.

* In early ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' comics, Matt covered up his secret identity with his partner Foggy and their secretary Karen by pretending that Daredevil was his twin brother Mike. For a while there was a love triangle where Karen couldn't decide if she loved Matt or Mike.
* The ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse superhero stories have a lot of fun with Paperinik and Paperinika, alias Donald and Daisy, as Donald and Daisy both hate each other's alter ego... But, much to their mutual horror, [[BelligerentSexualTension are also attracted to them]], leading to them fearing to cheat on their significant other with someone who is effectively their significant other.
* [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] ComicBook/GreenLantern Hal Jordan set himself up for this. Carol Ferris was already rejecting his romantic advances, so he decided to actively romance her as Green Lantern. By the time he realizes that this was a bad idea, it's too late and he and Carol are stuck in the triangle. Unlike the Lois & Clark situation, Carol's rejection wasn't that she didn't want to be with Hal Jordan. It was because she was his employer and it would have been a conflict of interest. Hal could have simply found another job (he eventually went through a ton of them).
* The landmark ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' satire ''Superduperman'' by Harvey Kurtzman ruthlessly parodied this concept. In that story, Clark Bent, lowly nebbish assistant copy boy in a newspaper pines for Lois Pain but has an alter-ego Superduperman who is a big, tough, bully, and at the end of the story on revealing his identity, Lois dumps him because, "Once a creep, always a creep", mocking the idea that any one part of the double identity is "more" real than the other, and that a girl should have to settle for less once the secret is revealed.
* ''ComicBook/PS238'' has a PuppyLove variant with [[FlyingBrick Julie]] (a.k.a. 84), who seems to have a crush both on mysterious kid superhero [[TheCowl Moon Shadow]] and on [[MuggleBornOfMages Tyler Marlocke]], a boy with no superpowers whatsoever. Somehow, neither she (nor most people) notice that they're the same person.
* An odd variant appears in Jeff Smith's ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}} and the Monster Society of Evil'', which ultimately did not go anywhere due to the characters' ages. Preteen Billy Batson has a PrecociousCrush on adult reporter Helen Fidelity (who isn't interested for obvious reasons), and Helen has an EXTREME attraction to Billy's magic-induced grown up alter ego, Captain Marvel.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' :

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

* A variant in ''ComicBook/TimDrakeRobin'': the Kents may have to deal with rumours that Lois is having an affair with Superman, but Tim has to deal with people thinking ''he's'' the one cheating on Bernard with the Teen Wonder.
* In ''ComicBook/RiversOfLondon: Water Weed'', the reveal (at least to the audience) that [[spoiler:the Hoodette is actually Rauel's girlfriend Kitty]] comes ''after'' [[spoiler:the Hoodette's attack on Rauel ended with them having sex]]. During the reveal, she says he's cheating on her, and she knows this because he's cheating ''with'' her.
* In the ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]] comics, her love interest Steve Trevor is in love with Wonder Woman, but much to her dismay, doesn't feel anything remotely romantic for her civilian identity Diana Prince. Averted completely in post-''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' and later incarnations of Wonder Woman, where Diana doesn't have a secret identity.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Taking it a step further, we have a Two-Person Love ''Square''. The main character, Marinette, is in love with her classmate, the handsome Adrien Agreste, who considers her an acquaintance ([[PortmanteauCoupleName fans call this pairing]] "Adrienette"). When she transforms into the superheroine Ladybug, she rejects the romantic advances of Cat Noir, her superhero teammate ("Ladynoir"). Of course, behind Cat Noir's mask hides none other than Adrien himself, who has no idea that his beloved Ladybug is actually Marinette in disguise! Meanwhile, Ladybug interacting with Adrien ("Ladrien") shows both of them flustered and blushing, and Marinette interacting with Cat Noir ("Marichat") shows both of them snarky and oblivious.

* In Creator/AbbottAndCostello's version of ''Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk', this was part of the basis for the romantic subplot. Princess Eloise is supposed to marry Prince Arthur, but they've never met. They both get kidnapped by the giant, call themselves Darlene and Arthur, and [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage fall in love.]]

* In the ''Series/HenryDanger'' episode [[Recap/HenryDangerS1E17ElevatorKiss "Elevator Kiss"]], Henry saved Bianca from a malfunctioning elevator. While hanging from his safety line in the shaft, Bianca kisses him, which leads Henry to become jealous that she kissed Kid Danger, not knowing it was him. Ultimately [[spoiler:subverted when Kid Danger sets up another chance to save her but she rejects him explaining she has a boyfriend and the kiss was a mistake.]]

* In the ''Series/HenryDanger'' episode "[[Recap/HenryDangerS1E17ElevatorKiss Elevator Kiss]]", Henry saved Bianca from a malfunctioning elevator. While hanging from his safety line in the shaft, Bianca kisses him, which leads Henry to become jealous that she kissed Kid Danger, not knowing it was him. Ultimately [[spoiler:subverted when Kid Danger sets up another chance to save her but she rejects him explaining she has a boyfriend and the kiss was a mistake.]]

* In the ''Series/HenryDanger'' episode "Elevator Kiss", Henry saved Bianca from a malfunctioning elevator. While hanging from his safety line in the shaft, Bianca kisses him, which leads Henry to become jealous that she kissed Kid Danger, not knowing it was him. Ultimately [[spoiler:subverted when Kid Danger sets up another chance to save her but she rejects him explaining she has a boyfriend and the kiss was a mistake.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/HenryDanger'': In [[HenryDangerS1E17ElevatorKiss "Elevator Kiss"]], while hanging from Kid Danger's safety line in the shaft after the elevator falls, Bianca kisses him, which, as Charlotte points out, technically qualifies as cheating since she doesn't know Henry is Kid Danger. The rest of the episode has Henry jealous about Bianca but can't tell her why as she never told anyone she kissed Kid Danger. Ultimately subverted when Kid Danger sets up another chance to save her but she rejects him explaining she has a boyfriend and the kiss was a mistake.

-> ''"Only a guy with ''my'' nutty luck could end up being his own competition!"''

%%* The ArrangedMarriage plot shows up in the short 1926 silent film ''Crazy Like a Fox'' and its "talkie" 1937 remake ''The Wrong Miss Wright''.

%%* ''Literature/BooksOfBayern'': Played straight and to the letter in ''The Goose Gir]''. (Though it was complicated by [[GoldDigger the third wheel]] masquerading as the heroine.)

%%* ''From This Moment On'' by Lynn Kurland
%%* ''The Forest Lord'' by Susan Krinard

%%* ''The Imposter'' by Celeste Bradley

%%* The webcomic ''Webcomic/RedString''.

* In the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14962537/chapters/34674317 The World Well Lost]]'', Kirk and Spock first meet as teenagers on Tarsus IV and fall deeply in love, but Spock's memory ends up damaged such that he remembers only that there was a boy and they had been in love, but not the boy's name or any details about him. When they meet again at Starfleet Academy years later, Spock is unable to recognize Kirk, and Kirk doesn't tell Spock because he doesn't think there's any benefit to be gained (believing, erroneously, that Spock has ''completely'' forgotten him, rather than just forgetting his identity, and therefore there's no chance of rekindling their relationship) and because there's a chance that knowing the truth could put Spock's life in danger. As a result, when Spock later starts to develop feelings for his Captain, he feels torn between this "new" love for Kirk and his preexisting relationship with this boy from his past, never realizing they're one and the same, and ends up experiencing a significant amount of distress at the impossible choice he's seemingly faced with. At the climax of the story, Kirk is finally forced to tell Spock the truth.

* In the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' fanfic [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14962537/chapters/34674317 The World Well Lost]], Kirk and Spock first meet as teenagers on Tarsus IV and fall deeply in love, but Spock's memory ends up damaged such that he remembers only that there was a boy and they had been in love, but not the boy's name or any details about him. When they meet again at Starfleet Academy years later, Spock is unable to recognize Kirk, and Kirk doesn't tell Spock because he doesn't think there's any benefit to be gained (believing, erroneously, that Spock has ''completely'' forgotten him, rather than just forgetting his identity, and therefore there's no chance of rekindling their relationship) and because there's a chance that knowing the truth could put Spock's life in danger. As a result, when Spock later starts to develop feelings for his Captain, he feels torn between this "new" love for Kirk and his preexisting relationship with this boy from his past, never realizing they're one and the same, and ends up experiencing a significant amount of distress at the impossible choice he's seemingly faced with. At the climax of the story, Kirk is finally forced to tell Spock the truth.

* In the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' fanfic [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14962537/chapters/34674317 The World Well Lost]], Kirk and Spock first meet as teenagers on Tarsus IV and fall deeply in love, but Spock's memory ends up damaged such that he remembers only that there was a boy and they had been in love, but not the boy's name or any details about him. When they meet again at Starfleet Academy years later, Spock is unable to recognize Kirk, and Kirk (believing, erroneously, that Spock has ''completely'' forgotten him, rather than just forgetting his identity) doesn't tell Spock because he was previously told that if he did, it would put Spock's life in danger. As a result, when Spock later starts to develop feelings for his Captain, he feels torn between this "new" love for Kirk and his preexisting relationship with this boy from his past, never realizing they're one and the same, and ends up experiencing a significant amount of distress at the impossible choice he's seemingly faced with. At the climax of the story, Kirk is finally forced to tell Spock the truth.

* In the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' fanfic [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14962537/chapters/34674317 The World Well Lost]], Kirk and Spock first meet as teenagers on Tarsus IV and fall deeply in love, but Spock's memory ends up damaged such that he remembers only that there was a boy and they had been in love, but not the boy's name or any details about him. When they meet again at Starfleet Academy years later, Spock is unable to recognize Kirk, and Kirk (believing, erroneously, that Spock has ''completely'' forgotten him, rather than just forgetting his identity) doesn't tell Spock because he was previously told that if he did, it would put Spock's life in danger. As a result, when Spock later starts to develop feelings for his Captain, he feels torn between this "new" love for Kirk and his preexisting relationship with this boy from his past, never realizing they're one and the same, and ends up experiencing a significant amount of distress at the seemingly impossible choice he may have to make. At the climax of the story, Kirk is finally forced to tell Spock the truth.

* In the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' fanfic [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14962537/chapters/34674317 The World Well Lost]], Kirk and Spock first meet as teenagers on Tarsus IV and fall deeply in love, but Spock's memory ends up damaged such that he remembers only that there was a boy and they had been in love, but not the boy's name or any details about him. When they meet again at Starfleet Academy years later, Spock is unable to recognize Kirk, and Kirk (believing, erroneously, that Spock has ''completely'' forgotten him, rather than just forgetting his identity) doesn't tell Spock because he was previously told that if he did, it would put Spock's life in danger. As a result, when Spock later starts to develop feelings for his Captain, he feels torn between this "new" love for Kirk and his preexisting relationship with this boy from his past, never realizing they're one and the same. At the climax of the story, Kirk is finally forced to tell Spock the truth, revealing that Spock's predicament was never a true decision he was faced with.

* In the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' fanfic [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14962537/chapters/34674317 The World Well Lost]], Kirk and Spock first meet as teenagers on Tarsus IV and fall deeply in love, but Spock's memory ends up damaged such that he remembers only that there was a boy and they had been in love, but not the boy's name or any details about him. When they meet again at Starfleet Academy years later, Spock is unable to recognize Kirk, and Kirk (believing, erroneously, that Spock has ''completely'' forgotten him, rather than just forgetting his identity) doesn't tell Spock because he was previously told that if he did, it would put Spock's life in danger. As a result, when Spock later starts to develop feelings for his Captain, he feels torn between this "new" love for Kirk and his preexisting relationship with this boy from his past, never realizing they're one and the same. At the climax of the story, Kirk is finally forced to tell Spock the truth.

* In the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' fanfic [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14962537/chapters/34674317 The World Well Lost]], Kirk and Spock first meet as teenagers on Tarsus IV and fall deeply in love, but Spock's memory ends up damaged such that while he remembers only that there was a boy and they had been in love, but not the boy's name or any details about him. When they meet again at Starfleet Academy years later, Spock is unable to recognize Kirk, and Kirk doesn't tell Spock because he was previously told that if he did, it would put Spock's life in danger. As a result, when Spock later starts to develop feelings for his Captain, he feels torn between this "new" love for Kirk and his preexisting relationship with this boy from his past, never realizing they're one and the same. At the climax of the story, Kirk is finally forced to tell Spock the truth.

** In a somewhat more straightforward example, Bender seduces his own girlfriend while pretending to be her ex-husband Flexo to test her faithfulness.

* ''{{WesternAnimation/Centaurworld}} features an unusual case of a two person relationship ''becoming'' a love triangle. [[spoiler:The Elktaur fell in love with a human Princess, who was genuinely interested in him, but he was convinced that she would never love a centaur. In self-loathing, he used the power of the Portal Key to split himself into a human half and an elk half, both of them copies of the same mind. The human, who became the General, married the Princess, while the Elk continued to long for her.]]