One of the steamiest hookups in the Justice League is spotlighting what a weakness may actually mean for a hero. Martian Manhunter’s dalliance with a teammate shows how the hero’s vulnerabilities might actually be something quite appealing for him.
Superheroes wouldn’t be who they are if they didn’t have a weakness in some form or fashion. Superman has the radioactive slivers of his home planet in the form of Kryptonite. The Flash is rendered helpless by the total stoppage of movement caused by absolute zero. Even the mighty Green Lantern has shown a vulnerability to the color yellow in the past. Weaknesses make characters more well-rounded and increase the stakes in their adventures. If a villain knows just how to exploit a hero’s Achilles’ heel, they’re in the best position possible to exterminate them. Some heroes might have more obvious disadvantages than others, but nearly superhero has something that can harm them.
That said, one hero seems to get a kick out of his weakness by pairing up with the most unlikely partners fans could have imagined. In Human Target #5 by Tom King and Greg Smallwood, the titular character is continuing his investigation into Justice League International to see who is responsible for poisoning Christopher Chance. Chance and his new romantic partner, JLI member Ice, have dinner with Martian Manhunter. However, J’onn has prepared for this encounter and begins a psychic interrogation into Christopher. What Martian Manhunter doesn’t expect is that Chance has already trained himself to defend himself from telepathic attacks. The two begin to root around through one another’s psyches. Just as J’onn sees Chance’s backstory, the Human Target sees Martian Manhunter’s private life, including several hook-ups between him and his fellow Justice League International teammate, Fire.
One Justice Leaguer Reveals Even Heroes Have Kinks
It’s obviously a bit odd that Martian Manhunter would date someone who specializes in flames as fire is his biggest weakness. But interestingly enough, this is actually the second heat-based hero he’s seen romantically as J’onn had a brief love affair with the flame generator, Scorch. This seems to suggest that J’onn is inexplicably drawn to people who specialize in his biggest aversion. J’onn’s weakness has been reinvented several times over the years, but this takes it to an entirely new level.
Martian Manhunter’s vulnerability to fire has sometimes been something that actually physically impairs him or something that only affects him psychologically. But Martian Manhunter’s repeated hook-ups with fire-based paramours suggests that the Manhunter’s true weakness is one of the flesh and that fire is actually irresistible to J’onn. At least, when it’s presented in a form he finds personally alluring. J’onn hasn’t had many long-term love interests, and it’s possible that may be because knows he’s putty in the hands of someone who could turn him to cinder. It’s a bit more spicy than one would expect for a member of the Justice League, but history seems to be painting a very obvious picture for Martian Manhunter.