It's not uncommon to see actors, producers, directors, and writers move from the DC Universe to the Marvel Universe on screen. Indeed, recently James Gunn made the jump, from forging the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise in the MCU to now running the show for the DCU. The comics have seen those two worlds come a lot closer.

Despite viewing one another as distinguished competition, there are a few notable examples of Marvel and DC actually crossing over in the comics. The page allows for all kinds of narratives to be told, although it's fair to say that some are better than others in how they are portrayed.

Multiverse Easter Eggs

Shazam Easter Egg in Captain Marvel comic

While there have been significant crossovers between the characters of Marvel and DC, there continue to be Easter eggs, teasing the fact that somewhere out there in the multiverse, those alternative heroes and villains still exist. They are not always obvious, but they add a bit of background depth.

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The notion of DC and Marvel living in the same reality permanently would lead to so many intriguing, non-gimmick stories. However, examples such as Captain Marvel's nod to Shazam as one of the multiversal heroes who hold the same title, indicate how the two brands could co-exist long-term from a narrative perspective. These Easter eggs are just too few and far between to rank next to proper crossovers though.

Buried Alien

Buried Alien arrives in the Marvel Universe

There is a very specific crossover moment that takes place in the main continuity of Marvel that actually ties together a narrative from a DC comic book run. The character Buried Alien first showed up in Quasar Issue 17. He was a visitor from another universe and was one of the few speedsters that have been seen in Marvel.

Intriguingly he had lost his memories, but still wore a yellow and red costume, that tied into his superhero identity. This appearance also linked up to Barry Allen's disappearance at DC Comics. Indeed, it seemed as if The Flash himself enjoyed a short stint in the Marvel Universe, even if his appearance was never officially confirmed; all the signs are pretty obvious. It's unclear if Allen made any best friends on his short visit but there were certainly some fun team-ups!

'Presents' One-Shots

Teen Titans and X-Men comic

Marvel and DC have teamed up on a few occasions to craft multiple one-shots. It's often unclear what reality they actually take place in, and are usually given the 'Presents' banner, with the two comic book companies ensuring that their characters got equal billing.

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The X-Men and the Teen Titans, Superman and Spider-Man, and Silver Surfer and Superman all teamed up during this series of one-shots, which have ranged across multiple decades. The continuity of the stories is pretty independent, and because they are limited narratives, they don't quite carry the scope of other projects. Nonetheless, it's incredibly fun to see these unique personalities interact even if they are in unfamiliar realities.

Crossover Earth

Punisher Batman fight in a comic

While most of the one-shots that Marvel and DC embarked on were small, wacky, and adventurous stories, the occasional narrative actually took place on a specific Crossover Earth. This initiative designated Earth-7642 as the location of choice and began with the very first Superman and Spider-Man team-up in 1976, before concluding with Batman and Daredevil in 2000.

The previously mentioned one-shots were all independent of this Crossover Earth line, which improved upon that concept with a sense of continuity. It allowed the stories to feel a little more authentic, with some of those arcs moving far away from the toy-selling retro lines of some older books. The Crossover Earth went to incredibly dark areas for Batman and Punisher for instance in two arcs, demonstrating the potential of this ongoing landscape recognized by both companies.

All Access/Unlimited Access

An image of Marvel and DC's characters in the All Access Comic.

All Access and Unlimited Access were two 4-issue limited runs, focused on a character named Axel Asher, who went by the codename of Access. He acted as a catalyst for bringing both Marvel and DC together and appeared in other narratives that involved a meshing of realities, including DC Versus Marvel.

The character has a rich history in graphic novel lore that can be traced through the great comic apps out there that hold narrative archives. Unlimited Access acted as a sequel to All Access, with some of the classic villains of both companies causing trouble that the iconic heroes had to battle against for the sake of their realities. It's a great setup for a surprisingly small-scale run in the end.

Amalgam Comics

Dark Claw and Hyena Amalgam Comics

The concept behind Amalgam Comics was to see what would happen if some of Marvel and DC's most famous figures were combined together. It was an experimental process that resulted in some surprising results, birthing the Amalgam Universe, which fans still have some mixed feelings about.

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However, the stories featured in this unique crossover are almost unrivaled, as the initiative forged new heroes like the Batman/Wolverine combo Dark Claw and the Iron Man/Green Lantern team of Iron Lantern. With 24 issues making up the saga, titles such as Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Generation Hex demonstrate just how inventive the creators were allowed to be with these properties. Not everything worked, but it's still an exciting prospect nonetheless.

DC Versus Marvel

DC Versus Marvel

The advent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe has led to plenty of filmmaking comparisons being made between the two worlds. However, in the comics, fans didn't have to speculate how these two brands would battle against one another. DC Versus Marvel answered any questions for them.

The 1996 4-issue miniseries delivered on every promise, having the two factions battling against one another with significant conflicts including Namor versus Aquaman, Elektra versus Catwoman, and Superman versus The Hulk. The story introduces Access, forges the Amalgam Universe, and actually decides a winner with Marvel ultimately coming out victorious. It's a pretty satisfying read that led the way to so much more.

JLA/Avengers

JLA and Avengers comic

In 2003 and 2004 the unthinkable happened. Marvel and DC agreed to pit their most prestigious teams against one another in a limited series, set within the continuity of both realities. JLA/Avengers is one of the most recent attempts to bring these two separate creations together and is largely one of the most successful.

The Grandmaster ultimately acts as a significant catalyst for creating this face-off, although the traditional both sides fight before they team up trope is employed here. Ultimately, no clear winner is decided upon considering the stakes of such a decision were too high, but as a complete story that touches on all the fan expectations, this is a perfect crossover read. However, it can always be bested, if the two sides were to come to another agreement.

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