Never-Before-Seen Encounters In Superhero Comics

Stephen Parry · 30 March, 2016, 11:16:31 PM

Although both DC and Marvel have existed for many decades, and every conceivable battle must have been written, I am of the view that there must surely be some encounters which haven't been done previously. I can't know of every comic issue or story that has ever been published, but I've been reading superhero comics a long time and there are some battles which I don't ever recall seeing.

Have the Fantastic Four ever taken on Juggernaut (that seems to be an encounter that would be loaded with flavour)? Has Spider-Man, not averse to taking on dictators, battled Mandarin? What about X-Men VS Dr. Octopus, Hulk VS Lizard or Iron Man VS Electro?

At DC, I can't recall having ever seen Flash take on Lex Luthor in a one-on-one encounter. Has Superman taken on Sinestro? Have the Teen Titans ever taken on Brainiac?

There are many DC/Marvel battles which I don't think have been done (or have been done rarely). Has the Thing ever battled the Abomination? Has Captain America taken on Rhino? So many that could be done. And if they haven't, wouldn't they be good to see? I am a fan of cross-pollination of supervillains as it keeps things fresh. As much as I like seeing, say, Dr. Octopus battle Spidey, how refreshing if he goes toe-to-toe with Wolverine instead or maybe even another villain like Venom.

And there are even villain vs villain encounters I'd pay good money to read about. Juggernaut VS Destroyer would be a dream battle of mine, the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. And there are magical/mystical beings - Dormammu, Mephisto, Nightmare - who I'd be intrigued to see battling each other.

Any thoughts? I guess I just want to see more fresh encounters in comics. Even if the above match-ups have happened, and I'm not sure some of them ever have, they would be more refreshing to me than seeing the same characters fight again and again.

Hawkmumbler · 31 March, 2016, 09:16:49 AM

At this point? I wouldn't rule anything out, it's probably all tucked away in an annual somewhere.

Heck, I didn't find out until the other day there was a Doom Patrol/Suicide Squad team up!

The Legendary Shark · 31 March, 2016, 10:01:26 AM

Is Wolverine still dead, or was he cured?

Greg M. · 31 March, 2016, 10:02:52 AM

Quote from: The Legendary Shark on 31 March, 2016, 10:01:26 AM
Is Wolverine still dead, or was he cured?

Proper Wolverine still dead, currently replaced by an alternate future Old Man Logan version of himself. Current holder of the Wolverine title is clone-daughter X-23.

The Legendary Shark · 31 March, 2016, 10:14:23 AM

Ah, I see. Got to admire that Marvel continuititituity...

Link Prime · 31 March, 2016, 10:30:52 AM

Quote from: Greg M. on 31 March, 2016, 10:02:52 AM
Quote from: The Legendary Shark on 31 March, 2016, 10:01:26 AM
Is Wolverine still dead, or was he cured?

Proper Wolverine still dead, currently replaced by an alternate future Old Man Logan version of himself. Current holder of the Wolverine title is clone-daughter X-23.

The more detached I get from these titles, the more ludicrous it all seems.
The fact that the time displaced teen X-Men still haven't been swept under the rug (with a large face-palm statue placed on top) is the sole reason I wouldn't even try a modern X-Men comic.

Tjm86 · 31 March, 2016, 10:38:21 AM

One of my guilty pleasures is X-men. I guess largely because it was one of the earlier titles I started reading back in the eighties when I started moving beyond the tooth. The John Romita Jr artwork and the mutant massacre storyline were my earliest experiences and I have to say, probably the best. Recently I've found myself struggling to figure out what the hell is going on. The death of Cyclops? Oh yeah, a few panels in Secret Wars. Terrigan Mists and the potential extermination of mutants (again!)? Nope, not a clue where that came from. I'm all for trying complex storytelling but at least make sure key major events are part of the core story, not a vague and oblique reference in some obscure comic that no one else has read.

Greg M. · 31 March, 2016, 10:45:52 AM

Quote from: Tjm86 on 31 March, 2016, 10:38:21 AM
The death of Cyclops? Oh yeah, a few panels in Secret Wars. Terrigan Mists and the potential extermination of mutants (again!)? Nope, not a clue where that came from.

It's all part of the eight-month gap. The real death of Cyclops is still to be revealed - the Secret Wars one doesn't count - all we know is it happened during some offensive against the Inhumans, presumably because of that Terrigen Mist thing. I think they're lining up a mini-series to fill it in.

Colin YNWA · 31 March, 2016, 10:57:06 AM

Quote from: Stephen Parry on 30 March, 2016, 11:16:31 PM

And there are even villain vs villain encounters I'd pay good money to read about.

Would love more of this type of thing. Really enjoyed Paul Cornell's run on Action Comics featuring Lex in what was basically a team up title... The Superman issue... well anyway. Would love DC to do a Barmy and the Bad title (well with a better name) or Marvel Traitor Up *again name issues, but hopefully you get the idea.

Colin YNWA · 31 March, 2016, 11:01:17 AM

Quote from: Link Prime
The fact that the time displaced teen X-Men still haven't been swept under the rug (with a large face-palm statue placed on top)
/quote]

Arh but then we wouldn't of had the genius of the awkward teen Cyclops travelling with space pirate Dad. Christmas that series all was great (and alas too short).

Stephen Parry · 31 March, 2016, 08:55:03 PM

I can think of so many supervillain encounters I'd like to see. I accept there'd be a logical premise needed, but just look at the amount of magical/mystical beings in the Marvel Universe: Dormammu, Nightmare, Mephisto, etc. I'd like to see them invade each other's realms.

On a more street level scale, I'd like to see something such as Electro VS Lizard or Rhino VS Abomination.

On a grand and global scale, well Doctor Doom is never short of ambition. How about Doom VS The Leader or Doom VS Mandarin?

Colin YNWA · 31 March, 2016, 08:57:29 PM

Marvel did of course have Super-Villian team-up brief in the late 70s (was it). The bits I've read weren't very good but the concept could really work. I kinda hoped the recent 'Sinister 6' series would use some of that potential, instead it seemed to want to be a sit com.

Spikes · 31 March, 2016, 10:04:34 PM

This would be nice to see made real...

Hawkmumbler · 01 April, 2016, 09:39:45 AM

Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 31 March, 2016, 08:57:29 PM
Marvel did of course have Super-Villian team-up brief in the late 70s (was it). The bits I've read weren't very good but the concept could really work. I kinda hoped the recent 'Sinister 6' series would use some of that potential, instead it seemed to want to be a sit com.

What about that recent Suicide Squad type team up of various Spidey villains that seemed to go down quite well with fans? Spectacular Foes of Spider-Man?

Dandontdare · 01 April, 2016, 09:48:07 AM

supervillain team-ups ate nothing new - remember Acts of Vengeance in the 80s when all the top-league villains (Doom,Mandarin, Kingpin, Magneto etc) made a pact to fight each other's nemesis (nemesises? nemeses?) under the direction of (a disguised) Loki?.

daft idea, but a nice opportunity to see heroes battling other people's main villains for a change.