DC’s Superman and Marvel’s Spider-Man united in the Bronze Age, with an “Elseworlds” story suggesting that the two heroes lived on the same Earth.
Superman is arguably DC’s most prominent hero and the same can be said about Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe. The two both work at a major news corporation, and their costumes are even the same colors. With these similarities, it makes sense that the two heroes would represent their respective universes in an epic battle.
Pitting the heroes against each while also incorporating a few of their iconic villains, Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man (by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, and Dick Giordano) was a landmark series that utilized the talent of DC and Marvel creators. It was also rather different from most intercompany crossovers in an important way, separating it from the Marvel/DC team-ups that would be released afterward. Here’s how Spider-Man was able to go up against the usually much stronger Man of Steel.
Superman and Spider-Man United Against Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus
Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man came about after the idea of putting the two heroes in a movie together was shot down. The storyline was written by Gerry Conway, who had a prominent history with both characters, while Neal Adams and John Romita, Sr. (who were known for drawing Superman and Spider-Man, respectively) handled the art. The story begins with Superman defeating his mad scientist adversary Lex Luthor, while Spider-Man does the same against Doctor Octopus. The villains are sent to the same prison, where they conspire to take down both the Last Son of Krypton and the Wall-Crawler.
Clark Kent and Lois Lane come to New York City to attend a press conference, but Lois and Spider-Man’s girlfriend Mary Jane Watson are soon kidnapped by the villains. Superman suspects that Spider-Man might be behind it, quickly getting into a fight with the hero. From the shadows, Lex Luthor envelops Spider-Man’s costume with red sun energy, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with the far stronger Man of Steel. When this wears off, Spider-Man deduces that they’ve both been played, and they team up. All the while, the curmudgeonly J. Jonah Jameson and Clark’s then-boss Morgan Edge discuss their employees, namely their tendency to disappear whenever trouble arises. The two heroes finally corner their foes in space, with Doctor Octopus turning on Lex Luthor. After winning the day, Superman and Spider-Man go on double dates in their civilian identities.
Superman and Spider-Man’s Crossover Adventures Were On “Earth-$”
Unlike many intercompany crossovers between superheroes, Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man was written in a way that suggested the two heroes existed in the same universe. In most Marvel/DC crossovers, the divergent worlds of the two publishers are firmly established as separate, especially since it would make little sense otherwise. The idea for the crossover was very much a monetary one, with Gerry Conway stating that it took place on “Earth-$.” Despite these less than organic roots, the storyline received a follow-up that featured Superman’s draining enemy Parasite and Fantastic Four, foe Doctor Doom. In a way, these can be seen as the original DC “Elseworlds” stories.
Nowadays, there’s endless potential for the world of the crossovers to come back, both with multiverse shenanigans being prominent amid both companies and DC quietly reviving its Amalgam Universe of mashups with Marvel characters. Having a new one-shot special that unites Superman and Spider-Man once more could be a huge hit in terms of sales, which is definitely something that modern comics need. After all, the original story was very much money-driven, so putting Clark and Parker together again wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.
