Two horror icons met in the 2003 release of Freddy vs Jason. Ronny Yu's gory slasher crossover pit Robert Englund's Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street) against the hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th, here played by Ken Kirzinger), in the bloodiest battle of the century.

A sequel was long mooted - rumored to pull in a third horror legend, with names such as Pinhead (Hellraiser) and Michael Myers (Halloween) being thrown in the ring. The most persistent of these names was Ashley 'Ash' Williams, hero of the Evil Dead series, played by Bruce Campbell. While copyright issues would ultimately prevent the movie from ever happening, the three did eventually meet in the comic book crossover, Freddy vs Jason vs Ash (by James Kuhoric, Jason Craig, Thomas Mason and Jared K. Fletcher).

RELATED: When Ash Met Herbert: Looking Back at Army of Darkness vs Re-Animator

Based on Jeff Katz's attempted screenplay for the movie, Wildstorm's comic book sequel sees Freddy Krueger trying to strengthen his powers by getting a hold of the Necronomicon Ex Mortis (the Book of the Dead). He tricks Jason Voorhees into retrieving the book for him, which launches them into conflict with Deadite slayer Ash Williams.

The battle initially begins with Ash attempting to fend off Freddy and Jason at the same time, but Jason turns on the dream demon as his influence wanes. This leads to everyone fighting on their own and Jason gets trapped at the bottom of a lake. As the most powerful of the three, it looks as though Freddy has the upper hand, especially after he gains control of the Necronomicon and becomes "all powerful". However, despite his losses, Ash is ultimately able to use the Necronomicon to banish Freddy to the Deadite world.

While Ash came out on top this time, neither enemy would stay down for very long. Nightmare Warriors (James Kuhoric, Jason Craig, Wes Abbott and Gabe Eltaeb) sees both Freddy and Jason resurrected by the US government, in hopes of controlling and channeling their supernatural powers for their own purposes. Freddy quickly regains his hold over the Necronomicon, sending Jason after Ash, who has settled down in Michigan.

RELATED: How The Evil Dead Comic Book Adaptation Blazed Its Own Bloody Path

This battle expands with Ash calling upon survivors from both franchises for help, including Tommy Jarvis (Friday the 13th) and Alice Johnson (Nightmare on Elm Street). Ash and the survivors are barely able to fend off Freddy's reality altering powers and Jason's unpredictability. After Freddy absorbs Jason's soul, his victory seems certain, until the Necronomicon deems him 'unworthy', and strips him of his powers. This gives Ash the chance to blast the now vulnerable Krueger with his boomstick, banishing him once again.

As the long reigning survivor of the Evil Dead franchise, Ash's victory may have seemed pre-determined. However, there's no discounting the chosen one's bad luck - possessed at the end of Evil Dead, thrown back in time as Evil Dead II ends, winding up in an apocalyptic future in the Army of Darkness. Even Ash vs Evil Dead ends on a bittersweet note, with Ash once again propelled into a dark future, his fate unknown. So while he survived the events of Freddy vs Jason vs Ash, his victory wasn't certain.

Nightmare Warriors ending with a time displaced survivor essentially wiping Freddy Krueger from all reality is as close to a victory as the perennially unlucky Ash Williams would ever see.