Heartbreaking Breakups From The Nerdier Side Of Pop Culture

Breaking up is hard to do. In fact, it downright sucks. Even when you know it’s for the best, you feel objectively the worst. Having a breakup routine, complete with dramatic haircut and a somewhat dispirited return to Tinder, can sometimes help. Being able to share you misery with some of your favourites from the nerdier side of pop culture can also do wonders. So, grab your kleenex and comfort food of choice, and sob along as we relive some truly heartbreaking breakups.

Kate Kane and Maggie Sawyer, Batwoman #34

DC Comics

Sparks flew between Kate Kane, aka Batwoman, and police officer (later police commissioner) Maggie Sawyer from the moment they met. Kate’s extra-curricular activities caused more than a few problems at first, especially when you consider how anti-vigilante most police forces happen to be. She eventually unmasked herself (metaphorically speaking) by proposing to Maggie, while still in full Batwoman getup. Maggie accepted, and they began what could have been a very interesting and amazing life together.

DC Comics

Sadly, things don’t always work out well, especially for superheroes in the DC world in 2014 (when Dan DiDio famously decreed that DC characters could not have relationships outside of crime-fighting). When Maggie’s horrible, homophobic ex-husband found out about her happiness, he threatened to fight her for custody of their daughter. Kate was already worried about the effect her superhero-ing had on young Jamie, and opted to contact the ex to discuss things. She offered to leave Maggie and Jamie, if he promised to let Maggie have custody of their daughter. Kate made the heartbreaking choice to leave, knowing that even though it would break both their hearts, Jamie’s happiness was the priority. “If we’re soulmates, what’s a few years, huh? That’s what I keep telling myself anyway” breaks my heart every time.

Willow and Oz, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Wild at Heart”

Bustle

There is no shortage of broken hearts in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In fact, picking just one is a lot harder than it looks. Who can forget Buffy sobbing in bed about how it hurts to breathe? Or Anya’s face when Xander left her at the effing altar? Personally, though, this one hurt more than all the others. Willow and Oz had broken up once before, and had only recently gotten back together. Each was supportive, sweet, and considerate of the other. They were one of the show’s cutest couples. #RelationshipGoals all the way.

Bustle

Sadly, life had other plans, bringing another werewolf brings up a lot of difficult feelings for Oz. He decides to work in movies leave town, breaking our Willow’s heart in the process. The worst part about this breakup is that they both still love each other so much. As Oz leaves, she asks if he loves her, which, given the circumstance, fair question. His response, “my whole life…I’ve never loved anything else” is crushing.

Leslie and Ben, Parks and Recreation

NBC

Leslie and Ben started out as a super sweet, and super secret, couple, even bribing a custodial worker to keep their relationship under wraps. Despite keeping things hidden from everyone else, they still developed a close and supportive relationship, which is what makes their break up even worse. Fun fact, it’s REALLY hard to find images of the breakup online. Probably because we’d all rather forget it happened.

Tumblr

Breaking up with someone you care about is pretty awful, but it’s even worse if it’s for your career. Watching Leslie realize she had to give up Ben or abandon her run for city council was heart-wrenching. Even worse? When they do break up, Ben gives her a Knope 2012 button – telling us all that he knew where things were headed and wants only the best for her. The breakup itself was pretty tough to watch, but even worse were the episodes after, where we all saw exactly how miserable Leslie and Ben were without each other.

Kurt and Blaine, Glee “The Break Up”

Tumblr

If this were a Friends episode, it would be called “The One Where They All Break Up.” The episode follows Finn and Rachel, Brittany and Santana, Emma and Will, and Kurt and Blaine as they deal with the distance (physical and metaphorical) now present in their relationships. Kurt elects to bury himself in work at his Vogue internship, causing Blaine to feel neglected. He deals with these feelings by cheating on Kurt, in an absolutely shocking moment.

The heartbreaking part comes when he visits Kurt in New York, deciding to sing him an acoustic version of “Teenage Dream”, the song he once wooed him with when they first met. As the song goes on, Blaine is no longer able to cope with the pain his actions caused Kurt, and breaks down, eventually abandoning the song. Kurt’s reaction is so hard to watch, as he struggles to figure out what exactly is going on.

Hero and Claudio, Much Ado About Nothing

CBR

There isn’t much worse than being left at the altar, except perhaps being left at the alter after an accusation of infidelity. And poor Hero has this exact thing happen to her. Claudio is tricked into believing that Hero was with another man the night before their wedding. Hurt, he decides to publicly humiliate her and leave her alone at the altar.

Think Progress

Traditionally, Hero’s father also steps in, blaming his daughter for her disgrace, breaking her heart even further. In Joss Whedon’s adaptation, her father begins to yell, but then wraps her in his arms, with the two of them crying on each other’s shoulders. Either interpretation of this scene amplifies Hero’s anguish.