One of the biggest comic news stories to break over the last little while is the acquisition of the rights to Alien and Predator by Marvel Comics. Originally owned by Dark Horse, the House of Mouse bought the rights to Fox and, along with it, the rights to Alien and Predator so it was only a matter of time before the two iconic aliens appeared in Marvel Comics. Marvel wouldn’t be the first to have their heroes face off against Aliens and Predators In the past, DC have released comics that pitted Superman against the Predator and the Xenomorphs, but the most memorable crossover story was Batman vs. Predator from 1991.
The story began as a kind of murder mystery, with several boxers connected to the mob being murdered by some unknown individual. Batman begins to investigate the string of murders, but unbeknownst to the Dark Knight, he is being watched by the Predator. The mob bosses are understandably annoyed that their champion boxers are being murdered and are having a meeting to discuss what they should do when suddenly the Predator smashes in through a window and starts killing the mob bosses. After a couple of mob bosses are killed, Batman smashes in through another window and stares down the Predator just before another gangster shoots the predator out of a window.
Batman judges that, based on the Predator’s blood, the creature isn’t human. The Dark Knight then follows the Predator out of the window to a junkyard, where the Caped Crusader finds the remains of the boxers in a nearby junkyard. Then, Batman sees the Predator and the two begin to fight. However, the fight is very one-sided. Batman is getting beaten to a pulp by the Predator, taking stab wounds and slashes in the process. Fortunately for Batman, though, he is able to call the Batmobile and runs the Predator over to make his escape.
Understandably, Batman is completely broken by this fight, with the following panel showing Batman in a full-body cast. However, as time passes, Batman begins to plan for their next fight by preparing an armored Batsuit to even the odds. The Predator meets Batman in Gotham and the two begin to fight again, as he runs the Predator over again with the Batmobile, but the creature manages to cling on and the fight ends up reaching the Batcave. After using a swarm of bats, Batman is able to trap the Predator behind bars. However, the Predator switches on his bomb, so Batman is forced to release him and continue the fight into the Batcave.
The fight continues and just as Predator begins to get the upper hand, Alfred shoots the Predator with a blunderbuss. The Predator stumbles out of the Batcave and Wayne Manor, closely followed by Batman who grabs a baseball bat (the ‘Bat-baseball bat’) and then beats the Predator up with it. Just as Batman is about to win, some lights appear in the sky and a Predator ship touches down. The other Predators take Batman to one side as the Predator Batman had been fighting stabs itself with its sword. Batman is then given the sword and the Predator ship takes off.
The question is, however, with the acquisition of the Alien and Predator rights by Marvel, will they be able to top this story? It is certainly possible, Marvel have just as many iconic characters as DC Comics. While Wolverine vs the Predator would be the obvious choice to mirror this fight, Wolverine's healing factor would take away the stakes that were present in the fight against Batman. Instead, perhaps a Captain America vs Predator, or even Iron Man vs Predator would be the way to go for Marvel. Either way, it’s certainly an exciting time for fans of Alien and Predator!