Beyond Bed-Breaking Sex: Jessica Jones & Luke Cage Share Marvel’s First Real Romance

***WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE FIRST SEASON OF MARVEL’S JESSICA JONES AHEAD***

There’s no doubt Marvel’s Jessica Jones has given viewers a lot to talk about this weekend. Between the show’s progressive themes, stark grittiness, or gleefully open sexuality, there’s been a lot to chatter about. Interestingly, though, there hasn’t been too much opportunity to discuss romance and that’s a shame. Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) and Luke Cage (Mike Colter) might share the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first truly mature love story — and we’re not just saying that because they have bed-breaking sex.

For all the films and shows Marvel has put on screen in the past decade, there has been precious little time given to true love. Tony Stark and Pepper Potts flirt with all the gusto of Nick and Nora Charles in the The Thin Man, but their own sexual tension is rather slim. Natalie Portman’s Dr. Jane Foster practically swoons for Thor, but the Asgardian god’s usually more concerned with his fraught relationship with adopted brother Loki than he is with her. Black Widow and Hulk had an awkward and unfulfilled love story in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy Peter Quill and Gamora have only gotten to the point of friendship, and Ant-Man snagged just one kiss from his would-be Wasp. Only Captain America has given us something really resembling romance so far. Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter’s relationship evolves from respect to friendship to doomed romance. The two finally reveal their feelings for each other only to be separated by almost a century of bad luck.

Enter Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Sure, they share a flirtation from episode one that’s pulsing with sexuality — I mean, they literally have sex in the very first episode — but things don’t go from steamy to scorching until the two realize that they are both “special.” The bar brawl in episode two is a triumph in lazy fight choreography, but both Luke and Jessica’s nonchalance at taking down a group of rugby players exists to set up a careful dance of emotion. The two realize then that they are both super strong, super tough badasses on the outside, which only serves to soften them up on the inside.

Soon, the sex goes from that of a dirty tryst to two people excitedly appreciating one another as they are. They thrillingly test each other’s physical limits and realize that because they don’t have to worry about hurting each other, they can let their emotional guards down. The irony is that this new connection opens them both up to deeper pain. Luke doesn’t know that Jessica was responsible for killing his wife and Jessica doesn’t know how badly she needed a lover like Luke until she has him. We can see it in how overprotective Jessica is, in how she holds him so tightly when they ride on his bike, and how devastated she is when he finally learns the truth.

The nature of love is one of the central theses of Marvel’s Jessica Jones. From David Tennant’s delusional Kilgrave to Trish Walker’s abusive stage mom, we see characters exhibit their “affection” through dangerous and domineering means. Even Jessica’s looney upstairs neighbor Robyn only knows how to communicate her love for her twin brother by controlling him. In the end, Marvel’s Jessica Jones asserts that love is not about ownership or possession. Love is forgiveness and support. It is a superpower we can all possess so long as we have empathy, understanding, and courage.

Luke and Jessica have a connection born out of understanding. They are both marked as “other” by their society and discover that they don’t have to be alone when they meet each other. Instead, they can be a team. The problem is that they both have to learn how to forgive themselves and each other in order to be together. More than anything, Jessica needs Luke’s permission to absolve herself of the guilt of Reva’s death. Hence why scene on the roof in episode twelve where Luke gently tells Jessica that he’ll forgive her every day if he has to — scripted by Kilgrave or not — was so glorious. We don’t know how Luke feels about Jessica at the end of season one, but there’s obviously hope. After all, he did give her permission to blast his skull with a shotgun in self-defense. Maybe that’s not high romance for most people, but it is forgiveness and understanding. For these two, that might be the equivalent of champagne atop the Eiffel Tower.

Marvel’s Jessica Jones argues that love is letting someone be who they are and that true love might just be when two people recognize the heroes hidden in one another.

[Watch Marvel’s Jessica Jones on Netflix]

[Gifs & Photos: Netflix]