Warning: The following contains spoilers for Excalibur #26, on sale now from Marvel Comics, and Justice League Dark Annual 2021, on sale now from DC Comics.

The greatest wizard of all time, Merlin has attacked the tower at the nexus of realities. Always one step ahead of our heroes, the magic wielder of Camelot lore's ultimate goal remains unrevealed. What is clear is that whatever his plan, the entire multiverse is at risk.

This story is being told not in a single series but two separate stories -- one in Marvel's 616 and one on DC's Prime Earth. First, as told in Excalibur #26 (by Tina Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arcinega, and Ariana Maher), Merlyn (spelled with a "y" but still the original wizard from Camelot) has assaulted the Starlight Citadel in Otherworld, taking on the role of Omniversal Guardian over the entire Marvel multiverse. Portrayed as filled with hate for mutantkind, this depiction of the wizard is poised to exterminate the X-Men on his way to multiverse domination.

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The other tale unfolds in the Justice League Dark backup feature found in Justice League. Merlin has led JL Dark on a chase from an interdimensional library to Atlantis to the Source Wall. Once there, he finally reveals his intent: he aims to bring down the Tower of Fate, the nexus of all realities, giving him access to the entire DC multiverse.

Again, it should be stressed that these are two are versions of the same character from real-world mythology. They are, in fact, the Merli(y)n made famous by Geoffrey of Monmouth. The intent is not to consider the wizards as referential or homage. Instead, readers are to take these characters as literally the sorcerers who assisted King Arthur and faced their arch-rival Morgan (Morgaine) Le Fey on multiple occasions.

Marvel's Merlyn begins in the early days of Camelot. He helped create the Black Knight -- an anti-hero with a dark side -- by forging the Ebony Blade from the Starstone. However, his most extraordinary feat was attuning the various universes to one another into a singular matrix and bringing together Marvel's multiverse. Merlyn himself is beyond powerful -- an amalgamation of his different multiversal variations, containing their experiences, wisdom, and power.

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Merlin in Justice League Dark

DC's Merlin also began in Camelot. Like his Marvel counterpart, this Merlin helped create an anti-hero with a dark side -- the merging of Jason Blood with the demon Etrigan into a single body in this case. This Merlin is also wildly powerful. John Constantine warned, "This isn't just some magician. This is THE magician."

At times, both magicians have served as allies to their universe's respective heroes. Marvel fans recently saw Merlyn revealed as a Sorcerer Supreme and ally to Doctor Strange in Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme (by Robbie Thompson, Javier Rodriguez, and Nathan Stockman). In DC, Merlin undercut the Demon's power by rebonding him to Jason Blood. That makes both of their turns to evil all the more intriguing.

They even share an unusual relationship to time. Merlin, it has been said, was born in the Big Bang. Ever since, he has been aging backward through time. Merlyn's place and time of birth are less clearly defined, but a Watcher has confirmed that he too ages backward.

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Merlin in JLDark

Each wizard's plans remain in motion. After a long war and intense subterfuge, Marvel's Merlyn has gained the Starlight Citadel and ousted Opal Luna Saturnyne, the former Omniversal Guardian. He has now set his eyes on the mutants of Avalon and Krakoa, intending to oust them from Otherworld. Readers can witness Merlyn's ongoing attacks on the X-Men and all reality in the upcoming Knights of X series.

In DC, Mister E glimpsed Merlin's future. The wizard will reach the Source Wall to parlay with Kula Yuga at some point in the far future. For Merlin's near future, though, Merlin will likely continue to pose a threat to the Tower of Fate. Doctor Fate tells of a recurring vision in Justice League Dark Annual 2021 (by Christopher Mitten, Dan Watters, Ram V., Romulo Fajardo, Jr., Rob Leigh, and Sebastian Fiumara). In it, Merlin obliterates the Tower of Fate, a mystical location that acts much like Marvel's Starlight Citadel.

What could this mean? Is this the beginning of a new amalgamated universe? Or a path linking the two multiverses? While Merlin/Merlyn would be an excellent catalyst for that, it's highly implausible. More likely is that just by coincidence, the two big comic publishers are telling stories where the same wizard is posing the same threat to each universe simultaneously. Yet, the possibilities that could erupt from this synchronicity are intriguing. Perhaps, like the character Access, co-owned by Marvel and DC, Merlin/Merlyn could be a character that moves between multiverses—connecting the two continuities. If the rumors of Disney buying out DC ever come true, Merlin/Merlyn the wizard would be a great way to bridge the multiverses.

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