What If Cory and Topanga Weren't Endgame Part 1
- Reverse Hipster
- Jun 11
- 16 min read
Updated: Jun 14
What if Topanga and Cory weren't endgame Part 1? What if Cory and Topanga didn't end up together? There were 18 possible romantic connections for Cory throughout Boy Meets World's 7 seasons. I've narrowed it down to the top ten endgame couples for Cory. I will write Topanga out in each entry and create Cory's Alternate ending. You tell me which girl you would pick if Topanga weren't an option.
What if Topanga and Cory weren't Endgame Part 1
10. Rosie Sparrow

Rosie, a foreign exchange student, goes on a double date with Shawn and Cory after Topanga goes to Pittsburgh. Rosie makes the list because she is a sweet girl who just met Cory at the wrong time. Cory gives her nothing during their date; instead, he mopes about Topanga. Rosie is very patient and even cries with him instead of pressuring him to do anything or ruining the time her friend is having with Shawn.
Alternate Ending

Rosie is last on the list because, as an exchange student with one-fifth of the screen time in one episode, she has more to overcome than the other girls to be Cory's endgame. But it can still be done. In Rosie's timeline, her date with Cory is still the same. However, she convinces Cory to go to Pittsburgh and fight for Topanga. Instead of Topanga coming back, Cory comes after her, and that role reversal changes the show forever.

Topanga explains that she didn't write to Cory because it was too hard. They fight with Topanga's parents. They argue for their relationship, but they fail without the support system of Feeny, Alan, Amy, and Eric. Topanga's parents' relationship is rocky, and they really don't believe in love right now. When they fail, Cory convinces Topanga to run away with him. They go to the bus station, but at the last minute, Topanga decides to stay.

Topanga doesn't think it's realistic for her to run away with Cory at sixteen and says, "I don't know, maybe we do need some time apart. This crazy Cory." Topanga offers to let Cory come back home with her and leave the next day, but Cory is so upset that she's not going that he declines. Her parents pick her up. Cory stays at the bus stop. It starts to rain, and he goes back home, drenched and heartbroken.

Cory gets grounded for a few days for running off, but he's so depressed that it doesn't even matter. He goes back to school, and Rosie is excited to hear about his adventure, but she's heartbroken when she finds out the truth. Rosie helps Cory get back to himself over time, and they start going out. She's only on a six-month visa and will leave after the school year ends. Cory and Shawn go backpacking in Europe to see her over the summer, the way Shawn always wanted to, and Eric and Jason almost did in season 2. After a fun adventure, Rosie and Cory have an emotional send-off.

Cory and Rosie are a long-distance couple who constantly write to each other. Shawn thinks Cory is crazy at first until he falls in love with a woman's purse and finally understands how Rosie and Cory stay connected through letters. Lauren's storyline is erased, and instead, Cory is tempted by...TOPANGA.

Topanga returns to rekindle things with Cory, and there is a lot of interest on both sides. However, Cory is conflicted because of Rosie. Topanga doesn't care about that, seeing as their history is more important. They get dangerously close to getting back together. Still, Cory's reluctance frustrates Topanga, and they fight about why Cory is so understanding about Rosie leaving but not about her staying in Pittsburgh.

Ultimately, they don't get back together. After one last run at Cory, Topanga attends Yale, while Cory and his friends attend Pennbrook, where he is reunited with Rosie. They become college sweethearts, and instead of her having to leave again, Cory and Rosie get married, and she stays in the U.S. with Cory.
9. Linda

Linda is the girl Cory falls for in the second season, while he was supposed to be keeping her off the market for Shawn. Linda is number nine because she entered the series earlier than Rosie and had already lived there. She even dated Cory before Topanga and Cory were solid, making her an easier insert into Cory's life. Plus, Linda and Cory had a good connection until he ruined it.
Alternate Ending

Cory dates Linda and gets dumped just like he did originally, with one small change. When Shawn offers to thumb wrestle for Linda and Stacy, Cory declines. Stacey still calls them pigs, and the bar still calls them scum, but Linda doesn't join in. She leaves with Stacey but gives Cory one last look from the stairs.

The next episode is the Turnaround Dance. Changing the timeline again, Cory sees the real Allison coming down the hall, but Ingrid asks him first. Cory says no, and then she runs off. Allison sees that Cory is available and asks him, and Cory rejoices that he has gotten with the popular girl. Shawn hears through the women's network that Cory dissed Ingrid, and Becky ropes Shawn into making her over. Ingrid gets her makeover and goes to the dance with the popular boy she likes. Cory gets dumped at the dance by Allison, who was only using him as cover for her parents so she could meet her 9th-grade boyfriend at the dance, like in the original episode.

However, since Cory and Ingrid never went to the dance together, she isn't there when Cory gets dumped. Instead, Linda sees him and hears about his breakup. They laugh together about the irony of the situation. She reminds him it's not nice to be used for someone else. He agrees, and they get reacquainted. For one night, they dance, kiss, and have a good time. On Monday, they see each other in the halls, smiling at each other as they lock eyes and then go their separate ways.

That's the last time we see Linda in season 2. Cory has his moment with Topanga in the Thrilla in Philla, where she says, "You go your way, and I'll go mine, and if in the end we end up together, it's beautiful." Cory and Topanga still get together at the beginning of season 3. However, when they break up, instead of going to the prom fashion show with Topanga, he bails on her, telling her that she can't ask him to stop acting like they are still together and then still expect him to show up that way. Instead, Cory goes to hang out with Linda. Linda and Cory are dating by the end of season 3.

In Season Four, Linda goes away with Cory to Beach State, and they have their magical night that Topanaga avoided in the original series. Cory and Linda go strong for a while, but after she comes over for Christmas and takes over, they have a big fight. Cory runs away to Shawn and then comes back. She leaves, and they break up. Cory is single, and while hes facing his breakup, he helps Shawn get with Angela. He also meets Lauren. They have their fiery romance and then split ways for college. It's a mutual and emotional breakup, and they leave on good terms.

In this timeline, Topanga went to Pittsburgh but did not return. However, in the graduation episode, Topanga returns and asks Mr. Feeny for advice on whether she should attend Pennbrook or Yale. Shawn spies on Topanga for Cory and tells Cory that Topanga is going to Pennbrook because he hears half the conversation. Cory thinks he confirms this when he talks to Feeny and reveals that the gang knows another girl who is going to Pennbrook. Topanga and Cory meet again, and Cory is chill about it because he thinks he knows she is going to Pennbrook. So she is saying goodbye, but he is acting totally nonchalantly like he did in the original timeline when she went to Pittsburgh, because he thinks he knows she is going to Pennbrook.

However, Topanga doesn't actually attend Pennbrook, and Cory discovers this on the first day of Season 6. Instead of running off to get married, he goes to Yale after finding out she's there. It's a two-part episode that ends with an emotional goodbye to Topanga in episode 2. Cory remains single for college in season 6. Then, in season 7, the gang finally finds out who the other girl from John Adams High is. Linda is at Pennbrook, too. Cory and Linda have a little will-they-won't-they storyline as they reopen the wounds that broke them up before healing them. Linda and Cory get back together before the midseason break. They get married after college, Boy Meets World, and before Girl Meets World.
8. Mary Beth

Mary Beth is the College Girl who tried to seduce Cory at Beach State after her boyfriend dumped her. In the original, Cory ends up considering her offer to take his virginity after he finds out Topanga lied to him and bailed on the trip with him, but blamed it on her aunt. Mary Beth was captivating and all over Cory. Plus, as someone older and later in the season, she is already closer to the endgame.
Alternate Ending

Now, you might assume that in the Cory and Mary Beth universe, Cory sleeps with her, but no. We are going to make a small change to their interaction. Cory will still turn down Mary Beth, but he will mention that he will be faithful to his high school girlfriend. Mary Beth is going to be shocked that he was still in high school and be like, "Oh my god, I can't believe I threw myself at a High schooler."Cory will comfort her, and they will end on good terms.

Everything else goes the same—until the Lauren saga. This time, Topanga and Cory don't get back together. This causes a ripple effect, and Shawn and Angela break up before college, agreeing to go their separate ways. Angela and Topanga grow closer as friends and go to Pennbrook together. Cory's grades slipped because of the breakup. Shawn's fears about Cory being able to get into school that Shawn can’t are revealed to be unfounded. Cory and Shawn go to Beach State together.

Season 6 is wild with Eric, Jack, Rachel, Topanga, and Angela at Pennbrook and Shawn and Cory at Beach State. They all stay on the show, and Cory and Shawn have their own adventures at Beach State, where Cory reconnects with Mary Beth. After a few misfires, Mary Beth and Cory get back on track and finish what they started in season 4. At the end of Season 6, Shawn, Cory, and Mary Beth had outgrown Beach State and transferred to Pennbrook for the seventh season.

In the 7th Season, Cory and Shawn rejoin the group, but they come back with Mary Beth as Cory's Girlfriend and the girl who was their third member without Topanga and Angela for an entire year. In Season 7, Shawn wins back Angela over the course of the season, and they end up together. There's a love triangle between Topanga, Cory, and Mary Beth, and ultimately, Mary Beth and Cory end up together, and Cory and Topanga keep a lifelong friendship.
7. Jonina

Jonina is the girl Cory almost slept with in season 7 after Topanga dumped him and finally made him give up on her. Jonina believed Cory was capable of more than Topanga did, like being the school's mascot. Also, meeting Cory when he was actually single and in the final season makes her, debatably, the easiest alteration.
Alternate Ending

In the Jonina Cory universe, Topanga doesn't make it to Cory in time, so he goes to Jonina's room, and they hook up. They start dating, and Topanga is upset about it, which causes a rift in the friend group. Rachel and Angela side with Topanga, thinking that Cory should have waited longer, while Eric, Jack, and Shawn side with Cory, arguing that he did everything he could to get her back, and she rejected him. Jonina is caught in the middle, but she is undeterred. She is having fun with Cory and chooses to focus on that.

After Topanga finally accepts that it's over between her and Cory, Cory starts having trouble with Jonina. Jonina is not the serial monogamist that Cory is, and she feels like he's putting way too much pressure on the relationship. It gets so bad that she breaks up with him, telling him she doesn't know if she can do this. He talks to Shawn and then goes to find her, and they make up at the outside tables in the union at night. Jonina teaches Cory how to have fun and not take himself so seriously all the time.

Topanga leaves for New York at the end of Season 7. However, it's just her tearful goodbye because the rest of the cast stays. Topanga and Cory don't get married in this universe, but Shawn and Angela do. Shawn proposes to Angela to keep her from going with her dad, and they stay together. Boy Meets World comes back for season 8. In this season, Angela and Shawn must decide whether they truly want to go through with getting married, and thanks to Jonina's encouragement, Cory changes his major to film. Jonina starts to really fall for Cory in season 8 and considers a future with him.

Jonina experiences a pregnancy scare similar to Topanga's in the original season 7, but she doesn't tell Cory. Shawn finds out first, and she makes him promise not to tell. Shawn and Jonina find out that she isn't pregnant, but their sneaking around makes Angela and Cory suspicious. Shawn convinces Jonina to tell Cory the truth. Cory and Angela get over the misunderstanding. However, Jonina was forced to picture a life with Cory, and she realized she loved it.

However, Cory has become very laid-back romantically, and now that the roles have been reversed, she is scared to scare him away, as he seems so happy with the casual way things are going. She is serious about him, and when she finally reveals her feelings, Cory is really happy, and they become more serious as a couple. They end up together and start a production company. He directs, and she acts. Angela and Shawn come very close to getting married, but decide to extend their engagement and not skip ahead too fast. Angela and Shawn travel to California with Jonina and Cory to help launch the company. Shawn is a marketer, and Angela is a cinematographer. Eric, Rachel, and Jack graduate in Season 8. Eric becomes a weatherman, eventually settling in his hometown. Jack has an offer to start on the path to Wall Street, but instead stays in Pennsylvania to become a real estate agent. Rachel goes to New York to work with a nonprofit that helps fund pro bono law firms, where she reconnects with Topanga.
6. Missy Robinson

Missy Robinson, the girl who tempted Cory in season 3. In her original guest spot, she seduced Cory while Topanga was sick, putting on the moves on him until she finally got a kiss out of him. Missy was a cool, popular girl with a lot of personality. She shone in her episode, even at moments when she didn't have any lines and was emoting. Cory very clearly liked her and was very attracted to her, but because he was with Topanga, they couldn't be together. But they can be on this list.
Alternate Ending

In the original Timeline, Cory stops her advances until he calls Topanga. Missy then nibbles on his ear, driving him wild, and suddenly kisses him, and he allows it. He doesn't engage, but he doesn't stop her. In this timeline, however, Cory fully engages in the kiss, even dipping Missy instead of telling her he has a girlfriend. The intense makeout is only stopped by her father coming home. After at Chubbies, Cory decides to come clean like he did in the original episode when they met at Chubbies.

Also, this episode actually happens three episodes before Cory and Topanga actually break up in Season 3, so it's an easy transition. They broke up because they were in a rut, so we will speed up that revelation. Cory will tell Topanga the brutal truth that Missy pursued him hard, but ultimately, it was his fault because he liked it and gave in. That difference changes everything. Topanga dumps him very publicly in Chubbies, and it spreads like wildfire.

Cory becomes the most hated man at school. Shawn, of course, has his back, but even the teachers are mad at Cory. He goes to Missy, but Missy dumps him. She wanted him when he was unattainable, but now that he's the most hated guy in school and very available, she isn't interested, despite all of this. When the school also turns on Missy, Cory lies and says that he is the one who kissed Missy. This makes Missy like him even though she retreats from him publicly once her name is cleared. However, this act makes Topanga hate Cory even more. Cory uses Frankie to get the guys off his back at school, before realizing that he and Shawn have become like Harley. They apologize and become genuine friends in the "He Said She Said" episode.

In the next episode, "A Kiss Is More Than a Kiss," Topanga moves on from Cory to Nick. Nick and Cory fight, which makes Topanga even angrier. In this timeline, we are gonna erase Melissa. Cory will have no date of his own because all the girls are still bullying him. Topanga asks Cory if he will still walk in the Prom Fashion show with her, and at first he agrees. However, after watching Topanga so easily kiss Nick and watch him get picked on without speaking up for him, he feels no obligation to do so. So Cory tells her to go with Nick. Topanga says she will, but can't believe Cory is running away. Then Cory, out of anger, says he isn't running away, he's still going, he will have a date of his own. Topanga laughs angrily at his obvious lie, given that every girl is shunning him.

Cory asks a bunch of girls, and they all do him dirty, rejecting him in no uncertain terms. Until Missy Robinson approaches him about his problem and offers to go with him to pay him back for standing up for her. Cory knows this will only make his situation worse, but he likes Missy a little bit, and mostly, he wants to prove Topanga wrong. Cory shows up with Missy, and Topanga is furious about it. It's the last time they speak for several episodes.

Generally, the school moves on from Cory's cheating after Topanga finds someone else. Soon, Cory starts dating around the school, as in the original timeline. However, first, we need to tweak the episode' Life Lessons'. So, instead of a random dude or Cory, Missy Robinson leads the revolt against Feeny and his draconian finals setup.

Cory and Shawn originally join up with Missy and the rest of the students, but Topanga talks to Shawn, convincing him that this is getting out of control, and she blames Missy for all the cruel pranks being pulled at Feeny's house. Cory is also appalled, and he goes by himself to confront Missy. Missy reveals that this whole thing has gotten out of control, and she doesn't know what to do. After a heart-to-heart with Cory, Missy is convinced to stand with him, Shawn, and Topanga to try and stop the students from breaking into the school and stealing the test from Feeny's desk. Shawn gives his speech, and the finality of the episode happens the same, but this marks progress for Missy's character, becoming less self-centered.

Next, Cory has his epiphany about wanting Topanga back in the Teenage Spy episode. He goes after her in Florida, but in this timeline, Topanga falls ill and doesn't attend; instead, Missy Robinson accompanies Robby Waterman. Cory gets to Florida ready to woo Topanga, and it's Missy who reveals Topanga isn't there. Cory and Missy spend more time together, getting to know each other more and having a pretty romantic date at Disney World. Unlike Topanga, Missy likes that Cory is a ladies' man, and she is interested in him again. However, this becomes a major problem for Cory. Missy initially gets mad thinking Cory is holding back because she isn't his precious Topanga, who can do no wrong. But Cory reveals that he remembers the last time Missy took interest in him because of something superficial, like him being unattainable, and reminds her that she broke up with him once she had attained him.

So, despite their amazing date when they got to know each other on a deeper level, Cory rejects her. Missy is more hurt than she thought she would be about losing Cory. She actually comes to his house in the finale to clear the air. She explained to Cory that she really liked him and that it wasn't just about his reputation. This time, it was about him, standing up for her and helping her find her way during the riot, and being a genuinely sweet guy. Cory is stoked because he reveals he likes her too, but she doesn't get happy. She reveals that she is moving. Her father got a job opportunity and they are leaving the area. She kisses him on the cheek and leaves. Topanga and Shawn also leave that summer, just like the original, so Cory is alone and able to do his road trip storyline with Eric.

In Season 4, episode 2, Cory will help Topanga get back to herself after she cuts her hair and becomes superficial. This will remind them both of their past connection, but that's all for now. Until episode 5, Fishing for Virna. Cory will still reunite Shawn with his mother, but instead of the storyline about him not appreciating his mother, it will be about Topanga. With all the charged emotions of Brenda dying and Virna coming back, Cory and Topanga will fall back into each other's arms after Cory apologizes for taking Topanga for granted last year, and they reunite.

Topanga and Cory are back together, with the rest of the season unfolding as it already has, even including Topanga's departure for Pittsburgh. She leaves and doesn't write to Cory because it's too hard, and she's trying to be strong and make a clean break. However, because Cory and Topanga's break-up and make-up story from season 3 is changed in this universe, Topanga doesn't run back to him like he ran to her in Florida in the original. Instead, in episode two, Missy Robinson shows up on Cory's doorstep in the rain.

Missy revealed that he parents are in the process of getting a divorce, and she will have to either live here with her mom or go back with her dad. The toxic battle between her parents got to be too much, and she didn't know who else to turn to. Cory helps her out, and she decides to stay with her mom and continue at John Adams High. Cory and Missy pick up where they left off at the end of season three. Missy has come a long way, and so has Cory, and they are ready for each other now. They go strong until the season 5 Lauren storyline.

However, in this storyline, Missy picks up on Lauren's behavior during the couples game and grills Cory. Cory tells Missy the truth that they had been hanging out all day. Missy tells Cory how to sneak into her room, and she stays back to confront Lauren. Lauren doesn't back down and doesn't undersell the way she feels about Cory, but she maintains that Cory has been respectful. Missy Robinson meets Cory in her room, and they talk all night.

The next morning, Lauren asked Cory if his leg was okay. However, the implication is clear. The real question is, will Cory be staying in again with her or going skiing today? Missy picks up on this and when she sees Cory look into Laurens eyes and hesitate, she jumps in. Missy stops Cory as she tries to say he will be going with her. Missy says she won't allow it. She says Cory should stay back and rest his leg so he can return 100 percent with no "lingering problems." Finally, she tells him she trusts him and leaves. Without the all-night talk, there is no kiss between Cory and Lauren, and Missy's show of faith inspires Cory. He lets Lauren down easily but firmly, leaving no hope.

Cory and Missy go strong for the next couple of seasons. They both attend Pennbrook, where Cory must rein in his jealousy and paranoia about all the guys who hit on Missy. But they overcome those obstacles. However, Topanga comes back and meets up with Cory in season 7. This time, Missy is the one at home sick, and Topanga is trying to get Cory back. Cory feels the pull to Topanga, but as Topanga's seduction continues, Cory and Topanga realize they are different people with different lives than they had when they attended high school together. Cory stays loyal to Missy. Cory and Topanga have a tearful goodbye, and then she is off again. Cory and Missy remain college sweethearts and eventually get married off-screen..
What If Cory and Topanga Weren't Endgame Part 2
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Which of the 5 is best for Cory?
Jonina
Mary Beth
Missy Robinson
Linda
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