schmevil came up with this discussion topic for me. Thanks! *waves*

So, both Steve and Tony have had their fair share of canonical romances. Okay, Tony's had more than his fair share. *grins* What do those romances mean for the boys as romantic partners? I mean, clearly none of us have a problem with them in the long run, since we're all here. *g* Not to mention that the nature of comics canon means that every relationship inevitably breaks up, sometimes repeatedly, so all you have to do if one of your pairing is otherwise committed is wait.

But those romances can still have a big effect, both on individual characterization and on the boys' potential relationship. Tony's romances, for example, have contributed a huge amount to his self-esteem issues. (Hey, discussion topic for another time! *makes a note*) But in an attempt to focus musings a bit, let me concentrate on how canon romances impact the Steve/Tony relationship.

And here's the part where I admit, with some embarrassment, that for me...they don't. My default reaction, which I hadn't thought about until now, seems to be to ignore them, except in the most general terms for background purposes. When writing stories set in pre-New Avengers canon, I don't think I so much as checked to see if either of them was involved during the time period in question.

I wonder, now, if that means I'm neglecting a facet of characterization that would make my stories richer...but, to be honest, I'm not very interested in writing the angst of conflicting romantic interests.

Of course, canon romances can work in our favor, if we want them to! Tony's active social life makes it pretty easy to assume that he's at least dabbled with men as well. I'm not nearly as familiar with Steve's canon, but I get the impression that he doesn't date very much at all (Clint's teasing in Avengers seems to support this *g*) and you can take the view that maybe that's because much of his interest lies towards men and he's either being discreet or feels constrained from pursuing that interest.

I know I've been a bit unfocused, but...what do you folks think? Do you feel the need to write/rationalize around Sharon or Rumiko? If so, how? Or do they turn into examples of why Steve and Tony would do better together? Do you ignore the romances (like I tend to), or do you like the complications they can introduce?

Alternately, which cracked out canon romance made you go "WTF? Come on, the slash makes more sense than that!" *grins*

Thoughts?