╭━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━━✶━━ ⋅𖥔⋅ ━╮
LENA
SANTOS
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SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

+ WARNING: This chapter contains major spoilers for both Havoc and Aftermath. If you are not caught up with both, I suggest you wait to read this.

+ note: gifs made by me !!! take them/post them on any other platform without my permission and i will bite you.

1. LENA AND PETER
(aka parkos/spideyvoc)

Lena and Peter met at the respective ages of 15 and 14, both academically-driven kids who went to Midtown School of Science and Technology. Their paths crossed after Peter joined Robotics and the Academic Decathlon team. Though Lena knew Peter was smart, they didn't spend much time together, floating around one another as acquaintances.

Everything changes when the Vulture entwines their fates in the fall of 2016. Lena discovers Peter's identity as Spider-Man on accident, and thus begins the beginning of a snowball effect that will carry on for the rest of their lives. Working with each other teaches them both valuable lessons about teamwork, honesty, and how to grapple with the powers that seem larger than themselves.

The two of them have been through hell and back together — dropped from the sky into an inky-black river, buried under the rubble of a building, fighting countless enemies — and it's only made their bond stronger.

Lena's romantic feelings weren't reciprocated at first. When she'd started to crush on him, he'd still been head-over-heels for Liz Allen. But after their final battle with Vulture, when Peter dropped off Lena's new suit from Tony, that changed.

Once they confess their feelings for one another, they fall into each other like it was always meant to be.

2. LENA AND GRAHAM
(aka grena)

Arguably the heart of the series, Lena and Graham met in kindergarten and have been best friends ever since. He learned about her powers at a young age and still kept her secret for ten years. He can calm Lena down when nobody else can, often reading to her or telling her stories when her unstable powers get out of control and she needs to feel grounded.

Graham is the reason Lena became a vigilante in the first place. He'd helped her come up with a costume and alias and kept an eye on her, essentially becoming the Wade to her Kim Possible. He was the mastermind behind Havoc.

He is the first person Lena will call in times of distress. They even created a color-coded system based on the severity of things they want to tell each other in private. Green means everything is fine, they just want to talk. Yellow is a warning that something happened and they need to speak soon, but it may or may not be terrible news. Red means drop everything and come over, because this cannot wait.

There have been two red instances in the series— both in Act One. First, when Lena calls Graham immediately after learning the truth about her parents' experiments on her and her late brother. Graham comforted her and said the iconic line, "You're my hero, no matter what your past says," solidifying into her mind that she isn't evil just because her mom and dad created her abilities for destructive purposes.

Second, when Graham wanted to reveal his recently-developed powers to Lena, he sent her a code red and explained how he'd been struggling. He has received nothing but unconditional support from her— including an immediate invite to join her and Peter in fighting crime. Much like he had done for her, Lena created his alias, Specter.

Graham and Lena know each other like the backs of their hands. Their family is each other's family, and Graham often stops by to eat some of her parents' homemade meals. Lena grew up alongside him and his brothers and babysat the younger Seager twins as a teen.

Their lives have always been entwined, and Lena intends on keeping it that way.

3. LENA AND MA
(aka mother & daughter)

Though not her birth daughter, Ma has never let Lena feel alienated due to her adoption. She can be a bit harsh on Lena at times, but it's out of love— even if it makes her frustrated.

Ma has high expectations for Lena, but only because she knows her daughter is capable of spectacular things. Over the years, she has watched Lena grow from a young girl who loved books into an intelligent young woman who has saved the world multiple times. She couldn't be more proud.

Though Ma didn't harbor the same resentment toward the Avengers as her husband did, Lena was still apprehensive about revealing her secret identity. She was adamant that Lena's powers didn't change her opinion about her. She will always be loved and accepted by her parents.

4. LENA AND PA
(aka father & daughter)

Pa gave up a dream job to help raise Lena. He's always pushed her to do her very best. He's a family man, but very practical, his beliefs rooted in tradition and science.

After his coworker, Sal, was crushed by a building that the Hulk ruined in the Battle of New York in 2012, he retained animosity toward super-powered beings and the destruction they caused. He thought that they had no regard for their surroundings as they confronted their foes and ultimately did more harm than good. Because of this, Lena hid her powers from her parents until after the final battle with Thanos when she had no choice but to reveal her alter ego.

Pa was alone for five years after Thanos's snap made both his wife and daughter disappear. During that time, he underwent a lot of introspection and grew closer to Tony, who kept an eye on him. His resentment toward the Avengers began to fade once he realized that the world was better with them and they were learning from their mistakes. Tony's kindness had shown Pa a different side of the billionaire that he wasn't used to seeing.

After Lena's return, Pa reassured her that he will always love her no matter what. He apologized for making her feel ostracized and fearful of coming to them with her problems. Lena had changed after facing Thanos, and Pa is careful to show his daughter extra love.

Pa would like to uphold traditions in Lena's life; he pushes for them more than Ma does. He believes custom and culture are important, leading him to suggest the process of Panliligaw, or courting, when it came to Lena and Peter's relationship. Ma quickly shut that idea down and encouraged them to take things at their own pace.

Though Pa seemed harsh at the beginning of the series, the truth is that he's a loving, selfless man who would do anything for his family.

5. LENA AND CINDY
(aka lindy)

The girls' friendship began shortly after they started high school. Since they shared some classes and both joined the Academic Decathlon team, they decided to stick together.

Lena and Cindy's dynamic isn't as overtly present in Act One as it is in future parts, but if you look closely, you can catch hints of how close they are. They shared a lunch table, Cindy encouraged Lena to go to Homecoming and even offered to lend her a dress last-minute, they always room together and watch bad Hallmark movies during Decathlon trips, etc.

Cindy had no idea that Lena was Havoc until Act Three when she accidentally discovers her secret along with MJ, the Seager twins, and Abe. However, she immediately voiced her support for Lena and promised to keep her secret.

Lena and Cindy's friendship has grown stronger throughout the years, amplified by the fact that Cindy's now involved in their superhero lives.

6. LENA AND TONY
(aka starktos)

Tony was never great with kids, especially teenagers, but he'd been intrigued by Lena ever since he'd heard of Havoc and decided to look into her past. He wound up digging up more than he expected. For days, he investigated the truth about Lena's biological parents and their heinous experiments on her and her late brother.

Tony decided that Lena deserved to know the truth about her background and why her powers were so unstable. He gathered all of his research— articles, personal notes, birth certificates, audio transcripts, and more, putting them into a file. Lena did not expect him to show up at her apartment. She got home from hanging out with her friends to discover Tony sitting on her sofa, waiting for her, while Pa passive-aggressively prepared stew in the kitchen.

Under the excuse that Lena was a winner of a Stark-funded scholarship, Tony was able to speak to her in private. He warned her that he found information about her parents, but that it wasn't good. He would understand if she didn't want to read it. However, Lena chose to bite the bullet and read the file, leading her to have a panic attack. Having experienced them himself, he was able to help calm her down and reassure her that she's a hero no matter what her parents did.

Tony continued to help Lena after that, even creating a new suit for her and helping her stabilize her powers in a secret laboratory. He was distraught after losing both her and Peter after Thanos's snap. He kept an eye on Pa for the next five years as the man struggled to live alone.

After his death, Tony left Lena the lab they worked in together and full control over everything in it. He also added a bank account so she could purchase any additional tools or materials she needed to finish their task of stabilizing her energy.

Even though Tony is physically gone, Lena thinks of him often, keeping him alive in her thoughts.

7. LENA AND BRUCE
(aka brucena)

Deemed Lena's "babysitter" after Tony had flown into space to save Peter, Bruce was the second Avenger she met. She was a huge fan of his scientific work and had read almost all of his published journals. Being around him had her more starstruck than she'd been with Tony.

Bruce kept his word and continued to look out for Lena as the threat of Thanos's invasion progressed. He introduced her to Steve, Natasha, Sam, Wanda, Rhodey, and Vision at the Avengers Compound. She tended to stick by him because she found his presence comforting even if he was clumsy.

At the battle in Wakanda, he caught her when she fell out of the sky, saving her life by cushioning her fall with the Hulkbuster armor. He did his best to keep her safe but ultimately couldn't prevent the inevitable. Bruce was the last person Lena saw before she turned to dust.

When the snap was reversed and everyone was brought back, Bruce continued to watch over her. He saved her again during their second battle with Thanos and reassured her that she was an official Avenger. Lena was stranded in Germany after Mysterio tried to drown her, so the first person she thought to call for help was Bruce. He organized for Happy Hogan to pick her up once he figured out her whereabouts.

He's become like a father figure to her — one of many in her life — and is always there to lend support.

8. LENA AND SHURI
(aka princess havoc)

Both girls have a passion for science, so they'd clicked almost immediately after meeting in Wakanda. They didn't get a chance to interact much before Thanos's army attacked. However, they managed to have a few moments during the second battle five years later, alluding to how close they would become.

Before Tony's will was read, granting Lena access to the lab, Shuri started working on stabilization back in Wakanda. The two of them communicated frequently over the next few weeks and managed to make some progress. The girls look up to one another intellectually, admiring each other's intelligence and knowledge about various topics.

Does Lena totally have a crush on Shuri's brother? Maybe. But it's okay, Shuri doesn't have to know.

9. LENA AND STEVE
(aka stena)

Lena's relationship with Steve was short-lived but still one of the most important dynamics of her life. Steve was jarred by Tony's disappearance into space and felt obligated to take Lena under his wing, much like the other Avengers.

Their first one-on-one conversation left Lena embarrassed— Steve had sneezed and she'd blurted, "God bless America," before quickly apologizing and running away. He found it amusing anyway and was intrigued by her abilities.

In Wakanda, after Thanos had lifted her by the neck and tossed her aside, Steve had helped her to her feet. They attempted to locate the other Avengers together but it was too late. Thanos had already found the last Infinity Stone and snapped his fingers. Steve tried to hold her in place, but she turned to dust in his arms.

Along with Bruce and Tony, Steve watched out for her during the second fight with Thanos. He calmed her down after a panic attack and ensured she was okay to keep going.

He and Bucky brought Lena and Peter back to their apartments after Tony's funeral. Steve was present when Lena reunited with her parents and revealed her secret identity to them. It was a very vulnerable moment for her, and his presence was like an anchor. Steve told encouraged her to take a break from superhero things for a while.

Her last encounter with him was in the hallway of her apartment building, where she hugged him and thanked him for everything. She told him that he deserved a break as well and then watched him leave.

Lena tried to take his words to heart about taking a step back from saving the world, but she was afraid she didn't know how. It had been a habit for so long that she couldn't sit still knowing others were in trouble.

Steve's legacy continues to live on in Lena and how often she thinks of the difference she made in her life.

10. LENA AND KEANU
(aka the super siblings)

Technically, they would never have met if Lena, Peter, and Graham hadn't made one of the biggest mistakes of their lives.

Keanu was born a year earlier than her and died just before her birth. Lena had no idea about his existence until Tony's file informed her of his birth and demise. From then on, she felt his absence from her life like a gaping wound, mourning the brother she never got to know and wondering how different her life would be if he'd survived.

Her agony intensified when Mysterio lied about knowing her brother. Since he claimed to be another universe, he said that Keanu had been a part of the last battalion to fight the Elementals. It had given Lena strength to know that, in another dimension, he'd survived past infancy and was a hero. But Mysterio had only been toying with her in an attempt to gain her trust.

Part of the illusions Mysterio shows her is a grotesque depiction of her biological parents experimenting on Keanu. He villainized Keanu and made Lena think a zombie-like brother was attacking her. The image is one of the most traumatizing things Lena has ever seen and she still struggles to get it out of her head.

Once people from alternate universes actually start infiltrating their own, Lena finally meets her brother. He'd experienced significant losses in his dimension, so they can heal each other with their respective presences. Lena is still in a daze from seeing him in the flesh.

The gaping wound she's felt for years has started to heal.

a/n: i love lena and her 45205353 father figures (bucky, sam, and paul were not included in this but they count too)