Marvel or DC? It’s a tricky question every comic fan probably faces at least once. While some of us may prefer one of the “Big Two,” for many comic book fans, it’s a bit like asking them to choose a favorite family member. One possible way to relieve the stress of choosing is for the publishers of these iconic and beloved characters to just merge.
Fans have often speculated about such a situation. When Marvel declared bankruptcy, some pondered how DC buying the struggling company could create something even better. Since Marvel’s cinematic ascension, the idea of Marvel absorbing DC has come up several times. As it turns out, the dream isn’t all that far-fetched. Marvel has come close to merging with its biggest rival more than once.
So what would happen if the House of Ideas were to purchase their biggest rival? Would we then see the birth of a new multiverse where both the Marvel and DC universes continue to exist with their own separate continuities? Or would they merge? Perhaps changing their disparate histories into a shared timeline could give fans a chance to see Captain America leading the Justice League of Avengers or Peter Parker and Dick Grayson becoming comic’s best bromance.
While these ideas are fun to speculate on as fans, it is vital to consider what such a merger would mean. Not just from a fictional standpoint, but an industry one. How would it affect editors, creators, and support staff? What would it mean for the comics’ economic ecosystem? Helpfully, one can look at how previous attempts fell through and helped shape the comic book industry as we know it today.
The Big Two’s most iconic characters have crossed over with one another several times over the decades. The first of these took place in 1976 with Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: The Battle of the Century by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, Neal Adams, and John Romita Sr. There would be a sequel featuring the two flagship characters, followed by Batman/Hulk and X-Men/Teen Titans crossovers in the early ’80s. However, it wouldn’t be till 1994’s DC vs. Marvel by Ron Marz, Peter David, Dan Jurgens, and Claudio Castellini that we would see a full-blown crossover between the two universes that featured the largest roster possible. Pitting the most popular characters in each universe against one another, the comic event led to controversial fight outcomes and financial success for both publishers.
While DC vs. Marvel gave fans iconic fights between several iconic characters and led to the bizarre but inventive Amalgam Universe, it didn’t tap into the storytelling potential of a complete merger. For this reason, The Uncanny X-Men and New Teen Titans by Chris Claremont and Walt Simonson and JLA/Avengers by Kurt Busiek and George Perez remain the favorites among fans and critics. These crossovers contain more interesting character interactions and give a more vivid glimpse into what it might be like to read a shared DC/Marvel universe.
While talks never reached how DC and Marvel continuity the stages of figuring out how the two separate universes would interact, Marvel did come close to buying the licensing to their rival’s most popular characters. In 1984, DC was so behind Marvel in comic sales that Bill Sarnoff of Warner Communications contacted then editor-in-chief of Marvel, Jim Shooter, about the House of Ideas possibly owning all of DC’s characters’ licensing and publishing rights.
This deal would have seen Marvel treating the DC roster much like they had with the then-running Star Wars license. They would be solely in charge of publishing the characters’ comics, with Warner still retaining film and television rights. Despite President Jim Garlton deeming the DC characters as “no good” since their titles weren’t selling, Shooter’s plan for a relaunch of the Marvel licensed DC characters would have gone ahead had it not been for a lawsuit from a small independent publisher called First Comics. First decided to sue because Marvel already had a near-monopoly of the comic book market, with their titles making up nearly 70 percent of total sales. Absorbing the second-highest publisher would violate anti-trust laws, effectively making the entire industry a monopoly. Not wanting a legal mess, Marvel pulled the plug on the DC licensing deal.
This turned out to be a blessing for comic fans. Two years later, DC would revitalize the entire comic industry with Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, leading to a renaissance for the medium as a whole. While it is impossible to be certain, both seem unlikely to have been published under a Jim Shooter-controlled DC Comics. Or consider how, a decade later, Marvel would find itself nearly bankrupt. While, in our timeline, the company eventually righted itself, would the same have been possible in a Marvel-DC merged entity? For that matter, does Marvel Studios happen under the circumstances? Does Disney buy the entire company?
Speaking of Disney, the next credible attempt to combine Marvel and DC came in 2016. Seven years after buying Marvel, the House of Mouse seriously considered purchasing Warner Media. Warner Media, of course, has owned DC Comics for some time by then. Only AT&T’s pursuit and acquisition of Warner derailed the plan.
While merging the two companies would give comic fans a lot to look forward to, such as more crossovers between the two universes and even a Marvel/DC movie, we would also stand to lose a lot. What makes these Marvel/DC crossovers unique is how rare they are. Having them together in either a shared universe or multiverse would make such events more frequent and, in turn, less special. Already people criticize the comic industry for being an oligopoly. The two biggest publishers merging would make it so much worse. The lack of competition could lead to less innovation. Less innovation leads to uninteresting storylines and worse. Having all those characters under one banner does seem like fun. For comics’ long-term health, though, it would almost certainly be a mistake.
KEEP READING: How Marvel and DC’s Movie Universes Were Shaped by George Perez
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