Seventeen years. Long enough to be almost of the legal drinking age, but also the number that relates to a titanic comic book crossover for the ages. Picture the scene: Earth’s mightiest mortals, colliding with none other a group of heroes led by a certain man of steel. In 2003, DC Comics and Marvel made fanboy dreams come true when the Avengers met the Justice League.
In a story that saw all of creation at stake, the greatest heroes of the two biggest publishers on the planet met, fought one another and eventually teamed up to save the day. Once you see Superman wielding both Captain America’s shield and Thor’s hammer, your eyeballs will never be the same again. Since then though? Marvel and DC have remained distant from one another. DC has done its fair share of crossovers with other comic book companies in the last couple of years (Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is seriously good stuff), but Marvel continues to exist within its own bubble.
It’s not that the house of ideas needs such a crossover to keep the lights on, but one can’t help but wonder what it would be like if today’s characters met each other through the dimensional divide. Marvel vs DC is turning 25 years old soon, a feat of publishing thought impossible at the time but a series that got writer Gail Simone thinking: What would happen if the two met once again?
The hashtag is simple: #PleaseMarvelDC
Comic book creators since then have been proposing wild ideas for team-ups, putting together wholesome icons and devious villains together in dream projects that’ll never see the light of day outside of fan-fiction. Here’s a few higlights:
I’d sell so many of my teeth for any of these projects to be made. My wishlist tag team though? A John Constantine and Loki series. Just imagine an adventure with those two, lying through their teeth, misdirecting their foes and wielding sharp wit to deadly effect. C’mon Marvel and DC, we need this!
Last Updated: March 27, 2020
Original Heretic
March 27, 2020 at 15:14
I’d personally prefer a Constantine/Dr Strange team up. Wildly different forms of magic and approaches to dealing with issues.
Son of Banana Jim
March 29, 2020 at 15:54
lol, that’s not going to happen – if ever. Diamond has stopped shipping comics to stores, and Marvel and DC have told a bunch of their creatives to “down pens”.
We might see the great cull happening to comics after all. The most vulnerable has always been the comic books stores. Not many of those will reopen.
thetrellan
March 31, 2020 at 10:09
Hey, how about a crossover which indisputably DOES take place for both respective universes for once. DC frequently crosses over with characters from independents like IDW and Dark Horse, but it’s always in some nondescript alternate continuity. Why not set precedence for future crossovers while they’re at it? Hey, a guy dream.