Ah, the Marvel/DC Comics crossovers…

The first official instance of these rare-but-welcome treats arrived in 1975 with the publication of MGM’s Marvelous Wizard of Oz, by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. However, once this adaptation of the classic 1900 children’s novel broke the seal, Marvel and DC wasted little time bringing the two company’s respective superhero properties into the mix.

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In 1976, readers witnessed the first modern Marvel/DC superhero crossover in the form of Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: The Battle of the Century, by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, Neal Adams and John Romita Sr. Then, in the early 1980s, the companies doubled, or rather tripled down on their collaborative efforts, releasing Marvel Treasury Edition #28: Superman and Spider-Man, by Jim Shooter, Marv Wolfman and John Buscema, DC Special Series #27: Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk, by Len Wein, José Luis García-López and Dick Giordano, and Marvel and DC Present: The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans, by Chris Claremont and Walt Simonson.

In 1994, after a 12-year hiatus, Marvel and DC would team up once again by pairing the Azrael incarnation of the Caped Crusader with Frank Castle in Batman and Punisher: Lake of Fire, by Denny O’Neil and Barry Kitson, followed a few months later by Punisher and Batman: Deadly Knights, by Chuck Dixon and John Romita Jr., with Bruce Wayne back under the cowl.

These stories paved the way for a number of crossovers throughout the ‘90s, but arguably the most popular age of the Marvel/DC Comics crossovers began in 1996, with the launch of Ron Marz, Peter David, Dan Jurgens and Claudio Castellini’s four-issue miniseries DC vs. Marvel Comics/Marvel Comics vs. DC. Then, of course, there was the launch of Amalgam Comics – a shared imprint by Marvel and DC in which the two companies merged some of the most popular superheroes of all time over the course of two 12-issue waves of books.

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Finally, in 2003, the era of Marvel and DC crossovers culminated with the release of the four-issue miniseries JLA/Avengers (aka Avengers/JLA), by Kurt Busiek and George Pérez, which was originally planned all the way back in 1979. However, unlike these aforementioned stories, not every Marvel/DC crossover was “official.”

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In the early 1970s, before the publication of MGM’s Marvelous Wizard of Oz, several stories were released by both Marvel and DC that took place at Rutland, Vermont’s annual Rutland Halloween Parade. Orchestrated by writers Len Wein, Gerry Conway and Steve Englehart, this “unofficial” crossover began in Amazing Adventures #16 (art by Marie Severin) and ran through Justice League of America #103 (art by Dick Dillin) and Thor #207 (art by John Buscema).

“After my first time in Rutland, I got together with two other attendees/writers, and we co-plotted the first inter-company crossover-story event,” Englehart recounted in his Tor column “From Comics to Cosmic” back in 2010. “I had my first-born series, The Beast; they had Marvel’s Thor and DC’s Justice League of America. Our combined story involved us three and the JLA writer’s wife at the Halloween event, where our heroes and villains were also in attendance. Since this was not officially sanctioned by the two companies involved, we made sure the stories dovetailed neatly but could never refer to the other company’s books. We’d pass offstage in one book and move onstage in another, and so would the superheroics, so that each comic stood on its own and also told the larger story. In those days we Marvel writers had absolute creative freedom…”

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This tradition of “unofficial” Marvel/DC crossovers – similar to their fully sanctioned counterparts – has continued over the years, much to the delight of eagle-eyed readers who dip their toes into the books both publishers are offering. In fact, this year alone, we’ve already witnessed a handful of instances of Marvel and DC books seemingly blurring the lines between the two publishers’ respective universes, and it certainly doesn’t appear to be by accident, either.

On February 21, Marvel released Infinity Countdown Prime #1, by Gerry Duggan and Mike Deodato Jr. In that story, we learn that Carol Danvers isn’t the only Captain Marvel to come into possession of the Reality Stone; additionally, both Monica Rambeau and Mar-Vell, who are each Captain Marvels in their own right, can be seen holding the precious Infinity Stone. However, just off to the right-hand side is the unmistakable yet carefully cropped image of another Captain Marvel: the Fawcett-turned-DC alter ego of Billy Batson, Shazam.

(The color scheme of the character’s costume more closely resembles that of Freddy Freeman/Captain Marvel Jr., but you can probably chalk that up to Marvel shielding itself from any legal issues, as the Marvel/DC Captain Marvel debacle is already something of a sore subject.)

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While the House of Ideas struck first with the “unofficial” crossovers in 2018, DC followed suit just one week later in Action Comics #998, by Dan Jurgens and Will Conrad. Taking place during the tail end of the “Booster Shot” arc, the issue sees Booster Gold jokingly refer to his robotic pal Skeets as Batman’s butler Alfred. However, when Skeets takes exception to this comparison, Booster trades in breaking the timeline for breaking the fourth wall.

“Not like I can call you Jarvis,” he says. “Whole other timeline.”

This, of course, is a nod to Tony Stark/Iron Man’s beloved butler (and AI in the MCU) Edwin Jarvis, who – thanks to Multiversity – could very well exist in a Multiverse adjacent to the DCU proper.

Not all of these so-called crossovers are quite as on the nose, though. Take, for example, May 30’s Infinity Countdown: Captain Marvel #1, by Jim McCann and Diego Olortegui. While it’s hardly a major nod, there’s no denying the green-and-white-clad Captain Marvel who’s wearing the Reality Stone like a ring (a power ring, perhaps?) evokes strong memories of a certain group of lantern-themed space cops from the DCU.

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However, while this Green Lantern reference might be a bit of a stretch for some, Marvel struck again that same week in Lockjaw #4, by Daniel Kibblesmith and Carlos Villa. This time, though, it isn’t the Green Lantern Corps that’s teased, but rather two-thirds of DC’s trinity.

While transporting between realities, Lockjaw suddenly finds himself in a universe that’s labeled “[REDACTED].” Once there, the teleporting canine is kindly asked to leave by two characters whose faces aren’t visible, but judging by their lower halves, are clearly intended to be Superman and Wonder Woman.

Finally, we arrive at the most recent “unofficial” Marvel/DC crossover, which takes place in the pages of Robert Venditti and Bryan Hitch’s Hawkman #1 from June 13. Much to Venditti and Hitch’s credit, the pair does wonders in terms of trying to patch up Hawkman’s incredibly convoluted backstory, but one particular panel opens up a whole new can of worms.

As Hawkman’s countless reincarnations across both time and space appear to him in a vision, we see one version of the hero that bears a striking resemblance to the Inhuman king Black Bolt, but with a green-and-yellow costume. Then, further down in the panel, Hitch includes a rendition that seems to imply the character was once host to the Phoenix Force.

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Does this recent influx of “unofficial” Marvel/DC crossovers mean that readers could be poised to see another true crossover between the Big Two publishers sometime soon? Well, while many, including Marvel-turned-DC writer Brian Michael Bendis, would love to see it happen, it certainly doesn’t appear to be in the cards… at least not yet.