It’s no secret that as one of the biggest comic book franchises around, the DC Universe has crossed over several times with its biggest rival, Marvel Comics. Throughout several decades, fans could see Batman teaming up with Daredevil or Superman engaging in battle with the Hulk. There was a lot of room to explore by blending the two comic book worlds together.
But the Marvel Universe isn’t the only thing that DC Comics has interacted with. From venturing to other worlds to getting mixed up with cartoon characters, the DC Universe has had numerous crossovers that have elevated both properties. Discover the top ten crossovers DC Comics has had aside from Marvel.
10 Black Hammer
In one of the creepiest crossover events, Black Hammer/Justice League: Hammer of Justice!, the Justice League finds themselves switching places with the unconventional heroes of Black Hammer. Mxyzptlk traps the League on a mysterious farm while the cast of Black Hammer is sent to do battle with Starro in the DC Universe. The crossover highlights the stark differences between the two teams, yet they interact well (save for Aquaman having to deal with the unwanted advances of Black Hammer’s Shazam-like hero, Golden Gail).
9 Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers are undoubtedly one of the biggest and most well-beloved franchises. So when they crossed paths with DC’s heroes in Justice League/Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, it was only natural the two would gel together. Not only does a multiversal calamity pair up each of the Rangers with a Justice Leaguer, it also sees Brainiac teaming up with the evil Lord Zedd. The series revels in its mixing of the two properties, creating some fun dialogue and exciting fights. Any comic fan from the '90s owes it to themselves to check out this crossover.
8 Spawn
When it comes to brooding comic characters, Batman and Spawn are absolutely cut from the same cloth. The two have met several times in books such as Batman/Spawn: War Devil, Spawn/Batman, and most recently in Batman/Spawn. These crossovers shine a light on the similarities between the two heroes, such as their flair for the dramatic and their dark histories and personal losses. And while Batman comes out on top a bit more in the two’s many fights, Spawn is also given his chance to shine in a way that remains faithful to his character.
7 Aliens
The members of the Green Lantern Corps are no stranger to taking on deadly extraterrestrials. But Kyle Rayner’s encounter with a Xenomorph was one of the most terrifying experiences of his life. While Batman and Superman also faced off with the monsters of the Alien franchise, the Torch-Bearer took on the terrifying creatures in Green Lantern Versus Aliens. With Kyle the only Green Lantern in the universe, it’s up to him to stop a swarm of the deadly killing machines who are hunting down a wayward group of explorers. A terrifying story that shows the true horror Lanterns face in the line of duty.
6 Star Trek
While it takes place in an alternate universe, the crossover that bridged the Green Lanterns and Star Trek is absolutely worth the time of any fan. Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War sees Nekron, the Lord of the Unliving, attempting to destroy the universe once more. However, the Guardian Ganthet triggers the emergency protocol to copy the various Lantern Corps’ rings, giving several Star Trek characters such as McCoy, Uhura, and Chekov their official Lantern designations. This and the sequel, Stranger Worlds, embraces the sci-fi nature of Green Lantern to create a unique experience.
5 Hanna-Barbera
In one of the more offbeat crossovers, the heroes of the DC Universe actually teamed up with various Hanna-Barbera characters. Space Ghost fought Green Lantern, the Flash raced Speed Buggy, and even the Suicide Squad had to be bailed out of a mission by the Banana Splits. The crossovers were an experiment following the publication of other Hanna-Barbera books such as The Flintstones and Future Quest. While it was unconventional, there’s a real charm to seeing the usually serious DC heroes teaming up with walking, talking cartoon characters, even if it’s just for non-canonical one-off adventures.
4 Judge Dredd
If there’s one other hero Batman can’t seem to stop running into, it’s Judge Dredd. The Dark Knight has teamed up with the infamous peacekeeper in several Batman/Judge Dredd titles such as Judgment on Gotham, Vendetta in Gotham, The Ultimate Riddle, and Die Laughing. Through a series of anomalies and jumps, Batman and Dredd have fought one another and teamed up to take on sinister threats such as Dredd’s nemesis, Judge Death. While there’s no strong affinity between the two, the truth is their personalities and styles blend well together and make for a solid set of adventures.
3 Looney Tunes
As odd as DC’s experiments with their Hanna-Barbera line were, DC Meets Looney Tunes went even further. Following DC’s previous cartoon-based one-shots, DC published a new blitz that featured the Looney Tunes meeting DC’s greatest heroes and villains. The Joker takes on Daffy Duck as a henchman, Wonder Woman battles the Tasmanian Devil, and Batman finds a worth rival in the hunter Elmer Fudd. As a bonus, the one-shots came with back-up stories with a much more traditional ‘Looney Tunes’ vibe than the main story. Any cartoon lover is certainly to get a kick out of the one-shots.
2 Predator
Superman and Batman have both faced threats that have pushed them to their limits, but rarely has anything tested their mettle like their battles with the Predator. In three separate events starting with Batman Versus Predator, Bruce faces off with the Predators after they come to Gotham looking for worthy prey to hunt, and each time they push the Dark Knight to his limits both as a fighter and as a detective. Clark Kent is equally challenged in Superman vs. Predator as an alien virus ravages his senses while he’s stalked by the killer foe. It’s quite the interesting collection fans of the horror/sci-fi franchise will certainly love.
1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Few crossovers embrace the silly nature of comics as much as the Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy. The series takes the concept of Batman meeting the Ninja Turtles and has as much fun with it as possible. From seeing the heroes interact with one another to the team taking on mutated versions of Batman’s greatest enemies, the comics take any idea one could have by fusing the two properties and executes it perfectly. The crossover delivers exactly what it says on the tin and creates a gold standard that other DC crossovers should aspire to.
The DC Universe has experimented with a lot of brands other than Marvel Comics, and the end result is a lot of really entertaining crossovers fans should certainly track down.