Back in the '90s, Marvel and DC came together for the massive crossover DC vs. Marvel. A fun aspect of the event was that it led to the birth of the Amalgam Universe, a world populated by merged version of various DC and Marvel characters, such as Super-Soldier (Clark Kent), Dark Claw (Logan Wayne), and Spider-Boy (Peter Ross).
With superheroes becoming more popular in Hollywood, and DC and Marvel's cinematic competitiveness (not animosity) growing, the two comic book giants reuniting for another event seemed unlikely. Decades later, though, the impossible came true when Marvel and DC announced they'd be coming together again for a brand-new series of crossovers. Things kicked off with 'Marvel/DC: Deadpool/Batman' #1, written by Zeb Wells ('Amazing Spider-Man,' Deadpool & Wolverine) and drawn by Greg Capullo ('Batman,' 'Web of Spider-Man').
Now, the latest issue in Marvel and DC's ambitious crossover has delivered what could be considered the most unexpected amalgam character yet. 'DC/Marvel: Batman/Deadpool' #1 came out today.
Written by Grant Morrison ('Animal Man,' 'Doom Patrol') and drawn by Dan Mora ('Batman/Superman: World's Finest'), the story centers on Deadpool and Batman running into each other as they search for a powerful weapon: The Cosmic Keyboard. Unfortunately for the two heroes, Cassandra Nova is using them to get to the weapon first. The villain doesn't make it easy for the two heroes, putting them through bizarre scenarios, which includes encountering a bunch of hyper-violent cartoon characters.
Eventually, Batman and Deadpool come across legendary comic book scribe Grant Morrison (who uses they/them pronouns). Calling back to Morrison's memorable (and, honestly, downright depressing) 'Animal Man' fourth wall-breaks, the writer reveals the cosmic keyboard is their laptop. As Morrison talks to Batman and Deadpool, however, Cassandra comes in and tries to control the writer in her own gruesome way. They, however, are not one to be trifled with. Morrison gives Nova writer's block, and tells her:
"All out of ideas, Cassandra Nova? Writer's block? They say it happens now and again. D'you want to see what it looks like when I run out of ideas? You broke the Bat! You peed on the ‘Pool... Now face the music..."
The writer then creates Deadbat, a mash-up of Deadpool and Wolverine, which can be seen on the X post below:
The character wears a red-and-black Batman costume—cape included, of course. But instead of glorious fists of justice, his weapon is a katana. Deadbat slices Nova's head off, saving the day, before Batman and Deadpool unmerge. Deadpool then takes Nova's head with him, and the issue comes to an end soon after.
Merging the two characters was an unexpected move, particularly because Deadpool is known to have no issues murdering his opponents, while Batman is staunchly against killing. Nevertheless, it was a welcome surprise that shows how fun and out there crossovers between Marvel and DC can be.
The issue also featured another milestone: The return of Dark Claw. As mentioned, the initial DC vs. Marvel crossover created a universe called Amalgam, which featured merged versions of the companies' most popular characters. One of them was Dark Claw, a fusion of Batman and Wolverine. In this latest issue, Bruce Wayne, wanting to test if what they were experiencing was real, gets in front of the crossbows of a lot of cartoon assassins. He gets shot—repeatedly—and dies.
Desperate not to lose the Dark Knight, Deadpool put his body into a Lazarus pit... which just so happens to transform Batman into Dark Claw. As is expected in a superhero crossover, Dark Claw immediately tries to tear Deadpool apart, leading to an epic battle between the two. Ultimately, the transformation is revealed to have been an illusion, but it was exciting to see the merged character appear once again, beating into Deadpool of all heroes.
What do you think about Deadbat? Were you a fan of the latest DC/Marvel crossover issue? Drop your thoughts in the comments!