Marvel and DC Comics have announced their first new crossover in over two decades will star Batman and Deadpool, and unfold across two one-shots. The first, Deadpool/Batman, will be written by Zeb Wells with art by Greg Capullo, while the second, Batman/Deadpool, will reteam Klaus writer Grant Morrison and artist Dan Mora.
It’s the crossover you never expected but always wanted! Deadpool and Batman cross swords and batarangs as Marvel and DC unite for the first time in decades! Wade Wilson has been hired for a job in Gotham City, but will the World’s Greatest Detective help him or destroy him?
The crossover, which was first teased earlier this year, marks 21 years since the last Marvel/DC crossover, 2003-04’s JLA/Avengers (created by Kurt Busiek and the late George Perez.) Marvel and DC reprinted their previous crossovers in a pair of omnibuses last year, but had not confirmed any new ones until then.
In the exclusive announcement at Entertainment Weekly, DC publisher Jim Lee stated, “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.”
Marvel president Dan Buckley said about the choice of heroes, “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.”
For more from Lee, Buckley, Wells, Capullo, Morrison, and Mora, head to Entertainment Weekly. Deadpool/Batman will be released by Marvel on September 17, and DC will publish Batman/Deadpool sometime in November. In addition to the main storyline, the comics will contain back-ups featuring more encounters between Marvel and DC characters; further details on these, including their creative teams, will be announced at a later date. Another crossover is set to follow in 2026.
