Deadpool Will Battle Batman in Marvel and DC’s First Crossover in 22 Years

The two comic book companies will publish two different crossover stories about the iconic characters.

This fall, Marvel and DC will debut their first comic book crossover in 22 years, bringing together two huge characters in two different Deadpool and Batman team-up stories.

What’s Happening:

The news of the crossover broke via EW.com, who revealed that the first crossover story, Deadpool/Batman #1, will be released on September 17 by Marvel Comics. Zeb Wells, who co-wrote the hit film Deadpool & Wolverine, in addition to his comic book work, is writing the one-shot, with art by Greg Capullo.
The story focuses on Deadpool being hired for a job in Gotham City, putting him into conflict with Batman. There will also be backup stories that feature other “exciting Marvel and DC character match-ups," with details about the characters and creative teams to be revealed at a later date.

Then, in November, DC Comics will release the second crossover for the characters, Batman/Deadpool #1, written by Grant Morrison with art by Dan Mora. Details on this one and how connected or unconnected it is to the first story are yet to be revealed. It will also feature backup stories about other Marvel/DC crossovers.
EW notes there will be at least one more two-issue crossover between Marvel and DC characters in 2026, but the companies aren’t revealing who will participate yet.
The first crossover between Marvel and DC was in 1976’s Superman vs The Amazing Spider-Man, leading to several other crossovers in the late 70s and early 80s featuring the likes of Batman & Hulk and the X-Men & Teen Titans.
A resurgence of crossovers in the late 90s then featured team-ups like Green Lantern & Silver Surfer and the Fantastic Four & Superman.

Most of these stories have kept things simple to let the characters meet and imagine a reality where the Marvel and DC superheroes co-exist, which looks to be the case with at least the first Deadpool & Batman one-shot. However, the limited series DC vs. Marvel and JLA/Avengers acknowledged the characters coming from different universes across the multiverse. Released in 2003, JLA/Avengers was the last crossover between the companies until now, but Marvel and DC’s recent decision to finally reprint their previous crossover stories seemed to open the door to new collaborations.

What They’re Saying:

Dan Buckley (President of Marvel Entertainment) tells EW: “A lot of things have to align [for a cross-company crossover]. Mostly we plan our editorial schedule pretty far out. DC does their schedule pretty far out. You want to have the right talent involved because with this type of thing, you want to elevate it as much as you can to get people excited… It just felt like a fun combo. I'll be quite frank. It was nothing more complicated than that. Like, Deadpool hanging out with Batman. There's a lot of levity to be had in there, a lot of fun. And it would also be a little bit uber violent at the same time.... Our big thing is we want to do something that is a lot of fun, showcase comics, generate excitement, and bring new readers or lapsed readers back into the industry."
Jim Lee (President, Chief Creative Officer, and Publisher for DC Comics) tells EW: "It happens kind of once every generation of readers. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions as to why. The timing has to be right in that you don't want to do these too often. You want them to feel special. It is sort of finding that right moment for both companies to come together because it is complex. There's a lot more coordination, collaboration, approvals that have to be done. And, obviously, from the business side, you're sharing revenue, but it's going to be a big deal. So you want the story, creatively, to warrant the hype of it all. Anyone that's working in comics today grew up with a Marvel, DC crossover at some moment in their reading timeline history. I think once you become a creator, you want to work on the biggest characters for both companies, but then to be able to do something that only happens every 15, 20 years, it is something you don't want to pass up. So I think fans are going to see a lot of interesting projects from their favorite creators. That's all I can say."

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