There is nothing more romantic than saving the world together. The action! The adventure! The quips! The long-running nature of superhero comics means that some of the love stories can rival those of soap operas (let’s be honest, comic books kind of are soap operas) in terms of tortured will-they/won’t-they romantic subplots. So, without further ado, here are the top five couples in superhero comics for your perusal this Valentine’s Day.

#5: Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) and Ms. America Chavez

Kate Bishop is Hawkeye, and she’s both more responsible and (probably) a better shot than the old Hawkeye. America Chavez is a dimension-hopping, butt-punching, shark-tossing college student with a heart of gold. Too bad they have to come in at No. 5, just because they aren’t exactly a couple. In fact, at the moment, Kate is involved with her West Coast Avengers teammate Fuse. But you can’t deny that their friendship/romance — Kate as a classic screw up who can barely juggle taking care of herself while solving mysteries, and America as the uber-capable fighter who manages to care deeply about her friends — is one of the most interesting aspects of either character, and their dynamic is a big part of what makes Kieron Gillen’s and Jamie Mckelvie’s “Young Avengers” the masterpiece it is.

Their Best Stories: “Young Avengers” Vol. 2 #1-15, “America” #5-6

#4: Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and Mary Jane Watson

“Face it Tiger, you just hit the jackpot.” That’s one of the most iconic lines in comics for a reason: because the romance between Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker that started there hasn’t let up since. Mary Jane has been part of Spider-Man stories for a long time — since she was first mentioned in passing by Aunt May in 1964, though the running gag of Peter avoiding being set up on a date by his aunt lasted for two more years. Even though Peter’s romance with Gwen Stacy, and her subsequent death, is the thing that really made him Spider-Man, his relationship with Mary Jane is what allowed him to move on and grow up. They share a determination, and a sense of loyalty, that makes them perfect for each other. Despite their marriage being removed from reality by a literal demon, their romance lives on, most recently in the pages of Nick Spencer’s run on “Amazing Spider-Man,” where hints of a return to the married status quo have been popping up.

Their Best Stories: “The Sensational Spider-Man” Annual #1, “The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows” Vol. 1 #1-5

#3: Talkback (Chase Stein) and Arsenic (Gertrude Yorkes)

Chase and Gert were the most unlikely couple in the Marvel Universe. The only thing they had in common was finding out their parents were supervillains. But, over the course of the first run of Brian K. Vaughn’s and Adrian Alphona’s “Runaways,” the two fell in love. It was Chase’s big heart and Gert’s vulnerability beneath her cynical facade that drew them to each other, and what made what would happen to them so tragic. (No spoilers – go read it for yourself. It’s really good.) Since then, Chase has been adrift, until he recently went back in time to fix his mistakes. Now that the timeline has been changed (and Chase and Gert are having relationship troubles on Hulu’s “Runaways” adaptation), the future for Chase and Gert is uncertain. But the Marvel Universe finally has one of its best pairings of the last 20 years together again, and that’s a really good thing.

Their Best Stories: “Runaways” Vol. 1 #1-18, “Runaways” Vol. 2 #14-18, “Runaways” Vol. 3 #14.

#2: Superman (Clark Kent) and Lois Lane

Superheroes really got their start 81 years ago in “Action Comics” #1, and so did the romance between Superman and Lois Lane. (It’s so iconic, they each have their own Wikipedia articles and an article just about their relationship.) Since the beginning, he’s been a crusader for truth and justice, but he’s also always been a massive nerd. Lois, too, has always searched for truth and justice in her own ways, and she’s always been sharper, smarter and more dangerous than almost anyone in the DC Universe. They’ve been married and separated by a crisis, and then had it turn out they were actually married the entire time and had a kid, and they’ve even had a TV series that focused more on “Lois and Clark” than “The New Adventures of Superman.” Their relationship has lasted through nearly every permutation of the characters, across time, space, reboots and universes. These two were literally made to be together, and it’s hard to see a time where the name Superman doesn’t bring to mind Lois, too. Superman and Lois need each other, and comics need them.

Their Best Stories: “Superman: The Wedding Album” #1, “Superman” Vol. 4 #7

#1: The Vision and Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff)

If there is any relationship that defines Marvel Comics, it’s the one between the Vision and the Scarlet Witch. The Vision is an android built by one of the Avengers’ greatest villains. The Scarlet Witch is a (sometimes) mutant and former villain given another shot. Though the Avengers started as a team featuring successful heroes who each had their own features, the book quickly became a place to feature characters who couldn’t hold their own titles. The Vision and the Scarlet Witch joined the team in this era, when they were hardly more than kids, one an immigrant and the other an inhuman being with no emotions. They were brought together by gaps they filled in each other, and their love — impossible, complicated, and tortured — survived through years of hardship. It’s this sense of family that defined the Avengers, and the Marvel Universe, in that formational period. Besides, you really can’t get any more melodramatic than Wanda breaking up with Vision to be with Wonder Man, whose own brain waves were used to create the Vision in the first place. Their feelings for each other have been a constant source of tension since the 1960s, and the loss of their twins, and then the twins’ return as retro-reincarnated teenagers/cosmic beings who became adults before they even knew their parents, is one of the great tragedies in comics. It’s still driving major storylines at Marvel, and with a new “Vision and Scarlet Witch” TV show on the way featuring the version of the characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, expect their lives to get even more complicated soon. For me, these two are the heart of the Marvel Universe and the Avengers, and their relationship might be the single most important love in any comic book.

Their Best Stories: “Avengers” Vol. 1 #89-97 (The Kree/Skrull War Saga, especially #91), “Vision and the Scarlet Witch” Vol. 2 #1-12, “The Vision” Vol. 2 #1-12.