Why the Time is Right for a Deadpool and Batman Crossover

In early 2004, after defeating Krona, the Justice League and the Avengers said their goodbyes as each team returned to their proper universe. It was the last time that Marvel and DC would cross paths in any official capacity for decades. Well, unless you count the roundabout way of having them duke it out with Fortnite skins. In terms of comics, the two industry giants would keep separate, especially once Marvel was scooped up by Disney.

After 21 years, the two worlds will collide once again. In September, Marvel is releasing Deadpool/Batman, written by Zeb Wells with art by Greg Capullo (including backup stories featuring talent like Kevin Smith, Chip Zdarsky, Adam Kubert, and more). Then in November, DC is doing Batman/Deadpool, written by Grant Morrison with art by Dan Mora. On top of that, this is apparently only the beginning, as there will be Marvel/DC crossovers happening on an annual basis.

That does bring into question some choice narration from Doctor Manhattan in 2017’s Doomsday Clock. In the DC Universe/Watchmen event, the omnipotent, blue-donged god noted that in 2030 there would be an event known as “The Secret Crisis,” which would involve Superman fighting Thor across the universe and the heroic sacrifice of one unnamed green behemoth. A hopeful joke or something more?

Regardless of what the future brings, starting things off with dual meetings between the Dark Knight and the Merc with a Mouth is a brilliant choice. They could have had Superman team up with Spider-Man all over again or something just as on the nose, but this is fresh and has tons of potential. Here are some reasons why.

Deadpool Missed Out

The first crossover between the companies was 1976’s Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man. While there had been a few other attempts in the ‘70s and ‘80s, it wasn’t until the mid-’90s that they went absolutely ham with it. Over a six-year stretch starting in 1994, there were fifteen different team-ups and cross-company battles. This includes the memorable and oh-so-dated Marvel vs. DC event and its dip into Amalgam, the merged reality where Dark Claw (Wolverine/Batman) and his sidekick Sparrow (Jubilee/Robin) fight Hyena (Sabretooth/Joker).

Meanwhile, though Deadpool was introduced in 1990, he wasn’t really cared about among comic fans until the 1997 solo run by Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness. By the time Deadpool really picked up steam in popularity (Deadpool actually won a fight based on reader votes against Daredevil in 1999’s Contest of Champions II), the DC alliance was on its way out. The poor guy didn’t even get to be in Amalgam. They merged Deathstroke the Terminator with Daredevil instead.

Centering this Batman story on a mainstream hero who wasn’t mainstream enough back in the ‘90s only adds a new coat of paint onto this novelty.

The Previous Batman and Deadpool Crossover

Then again, this wouldn’t exactly be the first time Batman and Deadpool have crossed paths. In an unofficial way, they have met. Sort of. As mentioned, the Kelly/McGuinness run of Deadpool was iconic and character-defining. That same creative team worked on Superman/Batman Annual #1 back in 2006. In a modern retelling of the pre-Crisis storyline where Bruce and Clark discovered each other’s secret identities on a cruise, the two had to deal with both Deathstroke and Deathstroke’s heroic Earth-3 doppelganger. Outside of the blue and orange color scheme, Earth-3 Deathstroke was Deadpool in as many ways as they could legally get away with. This included constantly getting interrupted with extreme violence whenever he was about to say his actual name.

Still, even being in a separate company never stopped Deadpool from razzing on Batman. In his movies alone, he’s made fun of how dark the DC Universe is, crapped on the ending of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and joked about how Wolverine’s mask is like Batman’s with actual neck mobility.

Speaking of…

The Writers Understand the Assignment

Zeb Wells might not be the most popular comic writer right now due to reasons involving Ms. Marvel’s death and… Paul. Still, he was one of the writers of Deadpool & Wolverine. People seemed to like that one. The guy knows a thing or two about putting Deadpool with a gruff, brooding superhero with reluctant father issues. This one will probably have less mutual bludgeoning… er, at least I hope it will.

On the other side of things, we have Grant Morrison. Morrison is no stranger to the X-Men corner of Marvel, but he’s strangely never touched Deadpool before. Considering how much Morrison loves playing with the fourth wall and the boundaries between reality and fiction (Animal Man, Flex Mentallo, Seven Soldiers: Zatanna), it’s a real surprise that they never got to write for Marvel’s most self-aware antihero.

Letting Deadpool Loose in Gotham

On paper, the idea of having Deadpool specifically mixing things up with Harley Quinn might have made for a more fitting crossover. Unfortunately, DC kind of beat that into the ground with their “we can rip off your guy more blatantly than you can rip off ours” creation Red Tool, a regular in Harley’s comics. Regardless, having Deadpool mix it up with the worst of Gotham has legs.

If anything, the very idea of Deadpool antagonizing the Joker is enough to sell issues. We could see him make Bane look nearly useless by recovering from a broken spine in seconds. We could find out what happens when Wade huffs fear gas. He could brutalize a confused Penguin for what happened to Victor in the HBO Max season finale. An official Deadpool vs. Deathstroke showdown is on the table. The possibilities are endless!

As for Batman, he could… um… He… could fight… huh. Is T-Ray still a thing?

Deadpool/Batman #1 will be released on September 17, 2025. Batman/Deadpool #1 is set to arrive in November.