DC and Marvel are major competitors. Long before their cinematic universes competed at the box office with titles like the upcoming “Deadpool & Wolverine” in the MCU or “Superman: Legacy” in the new DCU, there were comics on the counters. But over the years we have always found common ground. Just as actors and directors are active for both companies today, cartoonists have been active for decades.
There were always Marvel and DC comic crossovers, which became rarer and even stopped as companies positioned themselves more strongly against each other. Sometimes there were even arguments in court. Recently, however, there has been a renewed rapprochement, which has now taken a major step forward.
Because In a joint statement, comic book giants Marvel and DC announced they would publish a series of legendary crossover issues in two so-called omnibus books. They are thicker works in which numerous comic books are summarized. The works now appearing are:
- “DC vs. Marvel Omnibus” it is said to feature numerous stories published between the mid-1970s and 2000s, each featuring characters from both universes competing with each other. These include clashes between Batman and Spider-Man, Batman and Daredevil and the comic “The Incredible Hulk vs. Superman”.
- DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus brings comics back from the 1990s, when the idea arose to truly create a shared universe in which standalone stories could be told with characters from both worlds. This resulted in stories like ‘Legends Of The Dark Claw’ (with Batman and Wolverine), ‘Super Soldier’ (with Superman and Captain America), ‘Iron Lantern’ (with Iron Man and Green Lantern), ‘Bruce Wayne: Agent of SHIELD” (with Batman and Nick Fury) or an absurd combination like “Lobo the Duck” (with bounty hunter Lobo and Howard The Duck).
Also good news for cinema fans?
For comic fans this for an August 6, 2024 release in the US (There are no details yet about a translation into German) The announced omnibus books are excellent news. Ultimately, many stories that were previously no longer reprinted due to disputes between the two publishers and are therefore no longer available will become available again.
But it’s also good news for cinema fans. If Marvel and DC get closer again, it will at least increase the chance that the wild fan dream of a crossover will one day become a reality. The chance is certainly still small, and it is not expected in the near future as DC is now busy building its own new universe. But hope dies last – and now she has received a little nourishment. Especially since such a crossover, in which Batman, Spider-Man, Superman and the Hulk suddenly fight with or against each other, would be very suitable to drive away any comic book fatigue among the audience.