Marvel vs. DC
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DC vs Marvel Comics or Marvel Comics vs DC is a 1997 comic book mini-series by DC Comics and Marvel. In DC vs Marvel, two "Brothers" personify the universes that comics fans know as DC and Marvel. After becoming aware of the other's existence, the brothers challenge each other to a series of duels involving each universe's respective superheroes. The series includes four comics total.
The matches (shown below) are written by Ron Marz and Peter David, with art by Dan Jurgens and Claudio Castellini. There are eleven primary battles that occur between the heroes, along with numerous other skirmishes between other DC and Marvel heroes that are briefly shown and are typically displayed only in one or two panels without giving any indication of a decisive winner, with the exception of a fight between Captain America and Bane in which Captain America wins. Of the eleven primary battles, the outcome of five fights are determined through fan votes while the remaining six are decided by various team of writers and artists participating in writing the entire event, with each universe winning three of these fights. Despite Marvel achieving more votes than its rival, and thus winning more matches, the series' storyline opts not to show one side victorious. Marvel wins three of the five open to vote matches (DC's Superman and Batman win their matches, whereas Marvel's Spider-Man, Storm, and Wolverine win theirs), this proved a prescient move. The final outcome is a 6–5 Marvel "victory". After Batman defeats Captain America, it is revealed that the Amalgam universe would be used to settle the dispute, making the Marvel victory an ambiguous one.
Ultimately, the Brothers decide to "settle things in their own way" by temporarily creating a new universe. This new universe, called the Amalgam Universe, depicts a merging of each company's most popular heroes into new ones: Dark Claw (Batman + Wolverine), Spider-Boy (Spider-Man + Superboy), etc. Each new hero stars in a one-shot comic book, all of which are released prior to the series' fourth and final chapter. Caught in the middle of the two worlds is an inter-dimensional traveler by the name of Access.
The miniseries is a top vote-getter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Limited Series for 1997.
Contents |
[edit] Matches
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker, even though the costume corresponds to Ben Reilly) defeats Superboy (fan voted)
- Superman defeats Hulk (fan voted)
- Thor defeats Captain Marvel
- Robin III defeats Jubilee
- Wolverine defeats Lobo (fan voted)
- Storm defeats Wonder Woman (fan voted)
- Aquaman defeats Namor the Sub-Mariner
- Flash defeats Quicksilver
- Elektra defeats Catwoman
- Silver Surfer defeats Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)
- Batman defeats Captain America (fan voted)
[edit] Other DC and Marvel crossovers
- Amalgam Comics - Universes merge to form new beings like Dark Claw, Super-Soldier, and Spider-Boy.
- DC/Marvel: All Access #1–4 - Access tries to hold the remnant fabrics of time from the previous series together with Venom, Annihilus, Green Lantern, Doctor Strange, Robin, and Batman guest-starring.
- DC/Marvel: Unlimited Access #1–4 - Access encounters bouts with Avengers, Justice League of America, X-Men, Magneto, Mantis, Darkseid, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Mystique, Sabretooth, Wonder Woman, Juggernaut and more.
- DC/Marvel presents Green Lantern/Silver Surfer - against the Cyborg Superman, Parallax, Terrax, and Thanos. Thanos, it turns out, arranges these events to gain access to Green Lantern's ring and use it to trigger the end of the multiverse (the Cyborg and Terrax being used to test the transference process) but Parallax battles him in an attempt to harness the energy for his own purposes, and Green Lantern and the Surfer drain off their enhanced powers before returning to their respective realities.
- This is actually a prelude to DC VS Marvel #1-4. In #3 The Silver Surfer and Green Lantern refer to the oneshot during their fight.
- Darkseid vs. Galactus : The Hunger
- The Incredible Hulk vs. Superman - set in the Silver Age of Comic Books. Having triggered a battle between the two using a robot duplicate of the Hulk, Lex Luthor attempts to use the military's gamma-ray technology to stop Superman and the Hulk. (shared continuity)
- JLA/Avengers #1–4 - Krona and Grandmaster play a game involving the two teams searching for twelve powerful artifacts, six from each universe. (shared continuity)
- Justice League of America #103 (1972), Amazing Adventures #16 (1973) and Thor #207 (1973) - Justice League unofficially team-up against the Avengers on Halloween.
- Marvel and DC presents: Batman vs. the Incredible Hulk - Batman encounters Hulk under Joker's control and stops his rampage using a gas bomb. The Shaper of Worlds grants Joker omnipotent powers, but the Hulk and Batman are able to drive the Joker to use his powers so much that his mind nearly collapses. (shared continuity)
- Marvel and DC presents: Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man - Spider-Man and Superman fight Doctor Octopus and Lex Luthor in the first crossover, and battle Doctor Doom and Parasite in the second (Wonder Woman and the Hulk guest-star, the Hulk clashing briefly with Superman while Wonder Woman is tricked by Doom into briefly attacking Spider-Man). (shared continuity)
- What If? #1 Volume 1 shows part of the first crossover, showing Superman's fist and Spidey on panel. Uatu (when showing various Marvel timelines) questions whether Spider-Man's fight with the costumed clad alien took place within this continuity or another.
- A panel in Avengers Forever #7 shows a scene with Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus escaping from prison. Issue guide refers to Lex as a Bald Criminal.
- Marvel and DC presents: Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans - The X-Men and Teen Titans team up to defeat Dark Phoenix (Darkseid creates a copy of Dark Phoenix using residual Phoenix energy where the original Phoenix used her powers), Deathstroke, and Darkseid (shared continuity). There were plans for a second crossover, involving The Cult Of Brother Blood and The Hellfire Club.[1]
- Superman/Fantastic Four - Galactus is apparently responsible for the destruction of Krypton, luring Superman into the Marvel Universe, where Galactus makes him into his new Herald despite the pleas of the Cyborg Superman (who follows his foe) to gain the power instead. Fortunately, Superman is able to shake off Galactus's influence- Krypton's death so defines him that it remains even when his memory is erased- and it is revealed that the Cyborg fakes the information about Galactus eating Krypton to encourage Superman to take him into this universe to meet Galactus.
- Batman/Spider-Man - In the first one the Joker and Carnage are subject to a new treatment that uses a chip to remove violent impulses, but Carnage's symbiote cures him and he removes the Joker's (Although the two don't get along due to the Joker favouring theatrical murder while Carnage prefers numbers). In the second, the two face Ra's Al Ghul and the Kingpin, but Kingpin betrays Ra's and contacts the two heroes to save New York.
- Batman/Captain America - The heroes join forces against the Red Skull and the Joker during World War II.
- Batman/Punisher-The two take on Jigsaw and the Joker. Note this wasn't the Bruce Wayne Batman but the fill-in Jean-Paul Valley Batman.
- Punisher/Batman-In this second team-up, the Punisher teams with the real Bruce Wayne Batman. Once again the Joker and Jigsaw are the enemies.
- Daredevil/Batman - Was a DC Elseworlds story. Batman and Daredevil join forces against Two Face and Mr. Hyde.
- Batman/Daredevil The two battle the Kingpin of Crime and Scarecrow.
- Superman/Silver Surfer The two are menaced by the powerful imps, Impossible Man, and Mr. Mxyzptlk
- Aquaman #56 (1971) and Sub-Mariner #72 (1974) - An unofficial crossover in which the Sub-Mariner tidies up some loose ends from an Aquaman adventure. Both issues are the last in their series and are written by Steve Skeates.
[edit] Graphic novels
- The Marvel/DC Collection - Crossover Classics, Vol. 1
- DC/Marvel Crossover Classics, Vol. 2
- The Marvel/DC Collection - Crossover Classics, Vol. 3
- DC/Marvel Crossover Classics, Vol. 4
- DC versus Marvel Comics
- The Amalgam Age of Comics: The DC Comics Collection
- The Amalgam Age of Comics: The Marvel Comics Collection
- Return to the Amalgam Age of Comics: The DC Comics Collection
- Return to the Amalgam Age of Comics: The Marvel Comics Collection
[edit] Cards
Marvel and DC released several card sets of superheroes following the series.
