Supports are as much a staple in Fire Emblem games as the weapon triangle, but the marriage mechanic is much more novel. It not only encourages you to pair characters off, but it gives the game ridiculous amount of replay value.
The question is; are we going to see it again? Is marriage now going to be a staple in Fire Emblem games? I mean, how marriage works in Awakening is extremely specific to the plot of the game: your characters marry to give birth to children that come from an apocalyptic future. Obviously, that can't be the scenario for every Fire Emblem after this one. Is there anyway or even any reason for IS to keep the marriage system instead of going back to typical supports?