Later this year, DC’s iconic superhero Batman will meet up with Marvel’s famous Deadpool in a new two-part comic book crossover. This will be the first time since 2003 that DC and Marvel have worked together on a comic project.
As revealed by Entertainment Weekly, the first issue of Deadpool/Batman is being published by Marvel and will be released on September 17. This issue is being written by Spider-Man writer Zeb Wells while Greg Capullo handles the art and cover. Issue 2, Batman/Deadpool, is being written by critically acclaimed comics writer Grant Morrison with art by Dan Mora. The second issue of this special crossover will land in November and be published by DC.
According to EW, both issues will feature some extra stories and more DC/Marvel crossovers, but those are being left a secret for now. The outlet also confirmed that DC and Marvel plan on doing another one-shot crossover in 2026.
“A lot of things have to align,” Dan Buckley, the president of Marvel Entertainment, told EW. “Mostly, we plan our editorial schedule pretty far out. DC does their schedule pretty far out. You want to have the right talent involved because with this type of thing, you want to elevate it as much as you can to get people excited.”
“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.”
Wells told the outlet that after writing 60 issues of Spider-Man he wanted a break, but Marvel offered him this chance to work on a Batman crossover and he decided that he “no longer needed a break” and hopped on board the project.
“In Batman, we’ve found someone who has even less time for Deadpool’s antics than Wolverine, but a city-wide threat from the Joker makes strange bedfellows (literally, if Deadpool had his way),” said Wells. “It’s been a blast letting Deadpool loose in Gotham City and watching what happens.”
Buckey added that the main reason DC and Marvel chose Batman and Deadpool for a crossover was that it was “a fun combo.”
“It was nothing more complicated than that,” said Buckley. “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.”
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