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A crossover betweenMarvelandDC Comicsmay be the ultimate dream number true for laughable fans , but according to one major DC executive , a Marvel squad - up is n’t just unconvincing … devotee should n’t want it to begin with . For newcomers , or even late fans of the great two comic publisher , it may be concentrated to believe that the company ever combined resourcefulness and character in globe - shattering event stories . But for comic fans of the 1990s , it ’s a level of cooperation and comradery that no longer seems potential . Not on paper , andneveron the enceinte silver screen .
The truth , as most spirit level - head mirthful consumer acknowledge , is that the rivalry between DC and Marvel is largely a professional one . Maybe not always ' favorable , ' given past disputes , but not as bitter as some lover choose to make it . So why is it that they refuse to put Superman against Hulk , Wonder Woman against Thor , or the rest of theJustice LeaguevsThe Avengers , given the newspaper headline the event would certainly draw ? accord to DC ’s Co - Publisher Dan Didio , the crossovers of the past times may be fondly call up by fans - but he sees them as a sign of weakness , not strength .
DiDio is n’t the first notable risible part to speak to the unlikeligood of Marvel / DC crossovers ever being repeated , usually based on the incarnate desire to claim net profit , not deal them . And when the consumer assume that the two publishing firm have grown to despise eachother in the current earned run average of fierce superhero share picture population , cooperation is easily dismissed .
When asked at SDCC if DC and Marvel have truly agreed to a fight to the death , DiDio explain why DC wants to outsell Marvel whenever possible , but why that desire ( on both sides ) is adept for the medium as a whole :
It ’s not that we ’re deathly foeman - it is competition , if you want the truth . It has to be . As we say , ' the more we compete , the well off you are . ' It means that we ’re trying intemperately to make our books better so you come to our books rather than wonder books . That ’s what the competition is all about . Between the two company , we still are the manufacture leaders . There ’s a batch of companies out there , a pot of great books being create . But we really have to lead by example .
The fact that DC ’s main goal is tumble the sale in their favor , and not the competition ’s may be seen as the real cause crossovers wo n’t be popular ever again . Why boost cut-rate sale with a marquee crossing over , one could ask , if half the money helps out the competition ? From the Marvel side of thing , comic writer Brian Michael Bendis ( Almighty ofUltimate Spider - Manand Marvel ’s followingUltimateUniverse ) antecedently explained why sports fan arithmetic mean also make crossovers a heavy sell .
In short , when DC heroes fight Marvel ’s , fan require a winner . Which is why past crossovers hinge on DC and Marvel merging sub into a new " Amalgam " interlingual rendition , or teaming up against a third party .
But take the money out of the equation , and there are still reason DiDio regard a Marvel crossover as earth he ’s not eager to revisit . Those events may seem fantastic in hindsight , but they stay on a symbol , DiDio warns , of despair , not cooperation :
aboveboard , I looked at Marvel / DC crossover as the last haunt … Because at that item the industry was in bad shape . Each caller felt that they could n’t support themselves , they had to work together to create a product that created enough energy and pastime for the sports fan base at the time . I would rather put that creative zip just in our characters rather than exploit on a account with Marvel reference .
And the shame of it , aboveboard , is there were sealed things make in that mixing - up , that mash - up , that were quite exciting but can never be revisited again without the cooperation between the two companies . At the end of the day , all that does is homogenize us . Marvel has a very classifiable dot of opinion , DC has a very distinctive point of view , and I think we should be play to our own strengths [ rather ] than worry about playing to someone else . And I think , hopefully , all you guys win because of that .
DiDio ’s point in time rings lawful for those who know the history of comic book publishers in the 1990s , but extends beyond business into what such ' case ' reveal about creative thinking at the time ( or the deficiency thereof ) . By now most of DC ’s leadership has recognise that as good an idea as their New 52 Reboot may have been , the marketing buzz of reimagined heroes eventually give mode to lagging sale and enthusiasm from fans . Therecent DC Rebirth was their solution , lionise their wedge instead of twist them for attention , and dropping prices instead of inflating them through one outcome after another . It ’s work so far , which mean - just as DiDio explained - the ball is in Marvel ’s Margaret Court to challenge ( cueSecret Empire , Legacy , Generations , and so on ) .
The core of DiDio ’s appeal to fans is n’t all that unlike from the ones offered by DC and Marvel movies . Audiences may play favorites , but Marvel regularly state that DC Films doing things differently and succeeding , and vice versa is best for everyone involved . DiDio ’s disceptation against homogeneousness and support of unlike company go after their own creative visions is just as applicable to films as funnies , as well . When competition is fierce , inventive , and challenging , its the fans who gain the most .
Even if it mean a DC / Marvel comic crossover is about as likely as a Justice League / Avengers movie battle . At least , we should all HOPE that persist the case , for the saki of the heroes and their creators .
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