Superman, one of the most overpowered characters in the DC Universe, is finally set to return in on-screen adventures this year, with the Superman and Lois TV series starting this month and Zack Snyder’s Justice League Director’s Cut due in March. Finally, fans will see get to see Superman in action, and it appears to be likely that the show, at any rate, will cover some mainstream Superman stories from the comics.
Superman’s willingness to help in “the never-ending battle” also extends to superheroes from other comic book companies. Superman has crossed paths with tons of interesting characters in the comics, but we definitely won’t be seeing them on the big screen any time soon.
Most of these crazy crossovers will have to stay in the comic books because of rights issues, being inappropriate for a modern audience, or just being too crazy to consider,
Here are 10 mindblowing crossovers in Superman comics that we’ll never see on screen:
10) Aliens
In 1995, Dark Horse and DC collaborated to have several heroes fighting the xenomorphs from Ridley Scott’s Alien, including Superman.
The comic sees Superman discovering a long-lost Kryptonian outpost, but, upon making it there, he discovers it invaded with xenomorphs. With no yellow sun, Superman’s powers slowly weaken, making the Aliens real threats. Dark Horse made this crossover work so well there are several sequels, including Superman & Batman Vs. Aliens & Predator.
9) Muhammad Ali
The year is 1978 and Muhammad Ali is about to fight the most powerful man on Earth. Everyone is in the audience to witness two legends going against each other from The Beatles to Pele to Andy Warhol to Batman.
“Superman vs. Muhammad Ali” was made by the legendary Batman team of Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams. The comic’s plot was that an alien race called the Scrub wanted to put their champion against the greatest fighter on Earth. If he lost, Earth would be destroyed. Superman was a likely choice but Ali suggested he would be a better representative. To negate Superman’s powers the fight took place under a red sun.
8) Spider-Man
The times when Marvel and DC Comics have come together for big inter-publisher crossovers are rare, with one of the biggest ones being DC vs. Marvel Comics back in 1996. Released in 1976 and 1981 respectively, these one-shots set the template for all future superhero crossovers, in that a series of misunderstandings leads the heroes to battle before they join forces to take down the real threat, the teamed-up supervillains.
It also features a team-up between Lex Luthor and Dr. Otto Octavius/Doc Ock, who actually manage to trick the two heroes into fighting.
7) Top Cat
In 2016, DC announced a collaboration with Hanna Barbera to create a series of comics with more modern takes on different classic characters. It included surprising crossovers such as Suicide Squad/Banana Splits and Deathstroke/Yogi Bear, but Superman’s team-up with Top Cat was as compelling as it was odd.
In the comic, it turns out that the vegetable kale is actually an alien that doesn’t take kindly to being eaten, and it’s up to Superman and Wholesome Goods’ worst employee Top Cat to put an end to it.
6) Nesquik Bunny
The crossover comic was a promotional made by DC & Nestle and written by Mike Carlin. Superman Meets The Quik Bunny is somewhat more carefree, with the rabbit and his Quik Qlub kids assisting Superman to catch the Weather Wizard. It closes with a Quik drinking challenge, obviously.
5) Tarzan
In this crossover Dark Horse comic series, Kal-El is actually Lord of the Jungle. Superman’s pod crashes in the jungle where he is raised by apes and becomes “Argozan.” Meanwhile, Tarzan was raised by his real parents to be Lord Greystoke. In the comic, this is the circumstances in which they meet.
4) The Terminator
One of the most epic crossover comics ever made from 2000 is the four-part story Superman Versus Terminator: Death To The Future. It begins with Sarah and John Connor barely escaping few Terminators with the help of Superman.
The Cyborg Superman, who is basically a Terminator himself, sends a message to the future to inform Skynet about Superman, and how to counter him. Skynet pulls Superman to the future, leaving the past undefended. It also featured Terminator 3‘s T-X Terminatrix three years before the movie eventually came out.
3) Brady Bunch Kids
In the 70s, Filmation made an animated spin-off of The Brady Bunch called The Brady Kids. Filmation also had the right to produce DC Comics cartoons with the Superfriends show. Probably the most remembered episode from The Brady Kids was “Cindy’s Super Friend.”
It featured Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Cindy Brady invites them to help paint their local bank but they find out that the villain Wily Toulouse La Trick has replaced their paint with special invisible paint that allows him to rob it. The cartoon also featured the first-ever animated appearance of Wonder Woman.
2) He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe
Masters of the Universe have come across the DC universe several times, within several different continuities. The two mighty warriors have battled many times, the first being in 1982’s DC Comics Presents #47, the second in 2013’s DC Universe vs The Masters of the Universe, and most recently in 2019’s Injustice vs the Masters of the Universe.
1) The Fantastic Four
In 1999, twenty years after their last crossover, Marvel and DC did comic crossovers again, and one of the most exciting was Superman meeting Marvel’s first family The Fantastic Four. It starts with Superman finding a message from his father Jor-El, who tells him that Krypton’s destruction was actually the work of Galactus. Fantastic Four are attacked by the Cyborg Superman, who wants to become the new herald of Galactus.
Tell us about your favorite crossover in the comment section below!
Source: ScreenRant
