Coke vs. Pepsi, Star Wars vs Star Trek, and Marvel vs. DC. Some rivalries are just meant to be, which makes it all the more remarkable that Marvel and DC Comics have come together on various occasions for out-of-continuity crossover comics starring character’s from both separate universes.
Below you’ll find a complete guide to crossovers between Marvel Universe and DC Universe heroes and villains, as well as a guide to the Amalgam Universe when DC and Marvel characters merged!
On a semi-related note, I also recommend checking out Slugfest: Inside The Epic, 50 Year Battle Between Marvel and DC
as a non-fiction insiders look at the two competing companies over the years. It’s a good read for fans of comic book history, along the lines of Marvel Comics: The Untold Story
.
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The Marvel/DC Collection: Crossover Classics, Vol. I
Collects: Superman Vs. The Amazing Spider-Man (1976 Treasury), Dc Special Series (1981 Treasury) #27, And Marvel And Dc Present: The X-Men And The Teen Titans (1982)
The 1976 one-shot of Supes vs. Spidey marks the official modern debut of inter-company crossovers between Marvel and DC, with Superman and Spider-Man ultimately facing the villainy of Doctor Octopus and Lex Luthor.
The X-Men and New Teen Titans crossover may well remain the most notable Marvel/DC crossover of all time, with Chris Claremont, Walt Simonson and Terry Austin delivering a surprisingly synchronized story involving Deathstroke, Darkseid, and Dark Phoenix.
DC/Marvel Crossover Classics, Vol. II
Collects: Batman/Punisher (1994), Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights (1994), Silver Surfer/Superman (1996), And Batman/Captain America (1996)
The 90’s Punisher and Batman team-ups offer an interesting glimpse into the DC continuity of the time period, with the opening “Lake of Fire” story featuring Jean-Paul Valley, aka Azrael, as the acting Batman. By crossover number two, Bruce Wayne is back to face off against Frank Castle.
The Marvel/DC Collection – Crossover Classics, Vol. 3
Collects: Superman & The Incredible Hulk, Superman & Gen13, Team X & Team 7, Daredevil & Batman, Spider-Man & Batman, And Generation X & Gen13
Hot on the heels of DC’s purchase of the Wildstorm universe, the likes of GEn13 get all sorts of Marvel Universe crossover team-ups.
Collects: Wildc.A.T.S / X-Men #1 To #4
Again, works as a Big 2 crossover when including Wildstorm as part of the broader DC Universe. Also, deceptively fun.
DC/Marvel: Crossover Classics 4
Collects: Green Lantern/Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances, Darkseid Vs. Galactus: The Hunger, Batman & Spider-Man, And Superman/Fantastic Four
Collects: DC Vs. Marvel Comics #1 To #4
Amalgam Age of Comics The DC Collection TPB (1996)
Collects: Legends Of The Dark Claw, Super-Soldier, Amazon, Jlx, Assassins, And Doctor Strangefate
Comics were a hop, skip and a jump away from some of their worst days in 1996, but that didn’t prevent DC and Marvel from launching one of their most fan-friendly ideas: The Amalgam Universe! Crossover characters include Batman and Wolverine (Dark Claw), Superman and Captain America (Super Soldier), and Superboy and Spider-Man (Super-Boy).
Amalgam Age of Comics The Marvel Collection TPB
Collects: Spider-Boy (1996) #1, Magneto And The Magnetic Men (1996) #1, Bullets And Bracelets (1996) #1, Speed Demon (1996) #1, Bruce Wayne Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1996) #1 And X-Patrol (1996) #1
Return to the Amalgam Age of Comics: The DC Comics Collection
Collects: Bat-Thing (1997) #1, Dark Claw Adventures (1997) #1, Generation Hex (1997) #1, Jlx Unleashed (1997) #1, Lobo The Duck (1997) #1, Super Soldier Man Of War (1997) #1
Return to the Amalgam Age of Comics: The Marvel Comics Collection
Collects: Challengers Of The Fantastic #1, The Exciting X-Patrol #1, Iron Lantern #1, The Magnetic Men Featuring Magneto #1, Spider-Boy Team-Up #1, And Thorion Of The New Asgods #1
Collects: JLA / Avengers #1 To #4
By Kurt Busiek and George Perez, the creative team behind Marvel’s Avengers from 1998 to 2002, with this crossover released in 2003.
Amazingly, this is the last big DC vs. Marvel crossover for the 2000’s (at least as of the time of this article’s publication in 2018). Seeing as Busiek’s writing of this story is some of the most well regarded in Big 2 crossover history, perhaps it’s the right note to go out on!
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