Marvel Comics was built on crossovers. While earlier publishers had their characters team-up, The House of Ideas went a step further in building their universe. By placing most of their characters in Manhattan, it cemented the idea of multiple characters existing in a single space. That idea would later expand into alternate realities, and the heroes of Marvel eventually encountering characters from other franchises in the first intercompany crossover events.
Most of these crossovers events took place with other comic companies. Unsurprisingly, most of these comics involved Marvel’s main competitor, DC Comics. However, after being purchased by Disney, Marvel began to crossover with more cinematic franchises. 2025 alone has seen crossover comic series with Aliens, Predator, and Godzilla.
Best Marvel Crossover Events as of 2025
Since 1976 and Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel has published over 100 crossover event comics. Most of these were published as one-shot specials or miniseries. Surprisingly few of them were later collected in trade paperback or hardcover editions. Even those stories that did see such a collection are largely out of print in 2025. This makes finding these stories a bit tricky if one does not have a local comic book shop.
The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans (1982)
By the early 1980s, Marvel and DC Comics had already had their most popular heroes crossover in several specials. At that time, the X-Men and Teen Titans were the highest-selling series in American comics. Given that, it was a no-brainer to pair the two teams together in one epic event.
Written by Chris Claremont, with art by Walt Simonson, The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans is set in a universe where both teams coexist. They are set on a collision course, as Darkseid sets out to revive the Dark Phoenix and recruit her into his service. This comes about after Raven senses the nightmares born of Darkseid drawing knowledge of the Dark Phoenix from the X-Men’s minds and Starfire recognizes her descriptions of a woman on fire among the stars.
Surprisingly, Marvel mainstay Chris Claremont does not play favorites in his portrayal of the two teams. Deathstroke is depicted easily capturing the X-Men, though he has more trouble fighting Wolverine without the benefit of an ambush. The interactions between the two teams are fun, particularly the hint of romance between Beast Boy and Kitty Pryde. All in all, it’s a shame this event never got a sequel.
Archie Meets the Punisher (1994)
Like Marvel, Archie Comics has a long tradition of intercompany crossovers. Naturally most of these events are comedic in tone, such as the recent one-shot where Archie meets Jay and Silent Bob. However, this history started with an event that was originally a behind-the-scenes joke among Archie Comics’ executives that somehow became a reality; Archie Meets the Punisher.
The story finds Punisher recruited by the Feds to capture conman Melvin “Red Fever” Jay, in the hope that he can be persuaded to testify against his bosses. Unfortunately, Jay takes refuge in Riverdale, as do the hitmen hoping to take him out before he turns state’s evidence. Further complicating the caper is Red Fever’s striking resemblance to Archie Andrews and Jay’s latest mark being Veronica Lodge’s father.
What started out as a joke works amazingly well under the pen of Batton Lash. The script is strictly serious, mixing the high-school drama of Riverdale and the grim adventures of Frank Castle into a glorious whole. The same can be said of the artwork, with comic legends Stan Goldberg and John Buscema blending their styles perfectly. The final product is so good that Marvel considers it canon to Frank Castle’s history. Alas, the two publishers have yet to build on the sequel hooks of Jughead Jones being a Mutant or Sabrina the Teenage Witch studying with Doctor Strange.
Amalgam Comics (1996-1997)
The 1990s were a time of rapid growth and rampant gimmicks for the American comic industry. A wave of speculators led to new publishers, new publicity stunts, and a wave of new #1 books. It was into this environment that Amalgam Comics quickly came and went.
The Amalgam Universe was born of an earlier DC vs. Marvel Comics event, which pit comparable characters from both companies against each other. Midway through the event, the two realities were merged, along with many of the heroes and villains. This resulted in a run of 24 one-shot comics, profiling new heroes like Super Soldier, Dark Claw, and Amazon.
The quality level of the one-shots vary wildly. Some, like Doctor Strangefate, are uninspired, while others like Lobo the Duck are just weird. Nevertheless, Amalgam Comics as a whole is a fascinating relic that captures the zeitgeist of its time. Beyond that, what superhero mash-ups do work are worthy reads.
Avengers/JLA (2003)
Avengers/JLA is notable for many reasons. Until the recent Deadpool/Batman one-shot, it was the last official collaboration between Marvel and DC. It is also considered by many historians to be the magnum opus of legendary creator George Perez; one of the few artists to extensively draw both Justice League and Avengers.
The plot centers around a game between the Grandmaster of Marvel Comics and the Green Lantern villain Krona. The two arrange a scavenger hunt of cosmic artifacts, with the two teams unknowingly being pitted against each other. However, when Krona’s team loses, he refuses to honor the terms of his wager and threatens both universes in retaliation.
Perez gives his all in depicting this unprecedented alliance of superheroes. However, writer Kurt Busiek also deserves praise for capturing every character involved perfectly, however briefly they appear. He also injects some welcome humor into the story, such as Batman‘s off-panel takedown of Punisher after instructing the rest of the JLA not to reveal themselves as they explore Earth-616.
Sadly, while highly regarded, Avengers/JLA is not the most readily available crossover event. The original comics routinely resell for several times more than their original price. The 2004 hardcover and 2008 paperback collections have likewise become highly valued collectors items. Even the 2022 Hero Initiative reprint is hard to find. Despite this, the effort is agreed to be worth it by fans of both teams.
Aliens vs. Avengers (2024-2025)
Aliens vs. Avengers depicts a decidedly dark future for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The story opens with Black Panther and his son raiding a Shi’ar lab in deep space. Unfortunately, they arrive too late to stop the chief scientist from enacting his mad plan to infect multiple worlds, including Earth, with fertile Xenomorph eggs.
The story jumps forward to what few Avengers remain years later, as they consider their options. Saving the Earth is not a possibility. The Alien menace is too great. Their only hope is to help what remains of humanity flee to the stars in the hope of rebuilding on another world. However, even that may be beyond their ability to deliver.
Jonathan Hickman is celebrated for his ability to spin a cosmic superhero epic. His script for Aliens vs. Avengers does a fantastic job of merging the tone and continuity of the two universes. He is well partnered with artist Esad Ribić, who offers up some truly amazing visuals as the story progresses.
How we chose the best Marvel Crossover Events
Historical significance, variety, and quality were the main criteria in assembling this list of the best Marvel Crossover Events. The core intent as to showcase a wide scope of stories by some of the best creators to ever work at Marvel Comics. Availability was a secondary concern. Thankfully, with the exception of JLA/Avengers, most of these comics are easily available and not overly expensive.
