Marvel Versus DC Vol 1 3

The story begins with Jubilee sitting on a rock and starting to write in her diary. She notes that she has not written for a while, since things have been kind of crazy. Now it seems like the whole universe is coming to an end. She starts by writing what she knows. There are two universes, the one she knows and another one. They are kind of similar but still different. The two universes started merging, with people and building crossing from one to the other. Everybody started freaking out, particularly the heroes who were trying to keep total chaos from breaking out. Nobody could figure out what is going on, not even "big deal brains" like Emma Frost and Charles Xavier. But everybody still wanted to know why this was happening.

Jubilee continues her narration. The people received an answer in the form of the Brothers. They are gods or entities who are the embodiment of everything in their respective universe. They had both forgotten that the other Brother still existed. Due to a series of cosmic events, the Brothers noticed each other again. They have decided to find out whose universe is better. To do so they picked champions to represent them. And one of these chosen champions is Jubilee herself, who describes herself as a pyrokinetic mutant mall rat. Once a champion is summoned, he/she will have to fight somebody from the other universe. The fight ends when one of the combatants goes down for the count. The champions are not really given a choice. The Brothers have decided that only one universe gets to survive. The losing universe will cease to exist.

Jubilee continues her narration. The battles have already started. Thor has faced and defeated Captain Marvel. But Namor has lost to Aquaman and Quicksilver could not outrun the Flash. So Jubilee's universe is losing 2 to 1. Jubilee finds it weird and creepy that ordinary people react to this battle as if its a sports competition and placing bets. She thinks that people find this easier than thinking of the actual consequences of the battle. She compares this to whistling in the dark to take your mind of your fears.

Jubilee continues her narration by mentioning her love life. She thinks she has finally found "Mr. Right" in the person of Robin, her new lover. The problem is that in the battle for the fate of the two universes, Robin is her chosen opponent. She has to fight against him. And she thinks the situation stinks. At this moment, Robin interrupts her writing. He was looking for her through a fully interactive biosphere and is quite surprised at its size. Jubilee explains why this place is larger that it seems. Robin complains that waiting to be summoned is driving him nuts. He suggests walking together to get their minds off the situation. Jubilee informs him that she was writing in her diary, because she did not know when or if she will get another chance to update it. She finishes writing in her diary, by pointing that she has to put on her brave face and her famous attitude. Because otherwise people will notice how scared she is. She hopes this is not the final entry in her diary but still says goodbye to it. She then leaves the diary and holds hands with Robin. At these moment, the two of them are summoned by the Brothers and are teleported away.

Jubilee and Robin re-appear at what seems to be a dark warehouse of some sort. It houses giant balloons. Jubilee comments that she founds the location spooky. Before they start fighting, Robin wishes her luck. In reply, Jubilee grabs him and kisses him. A moment later, they start fighting. Jubilee starts by tossing a few of her firecrackers at Robin, which he easily evades. She comments that this is not an fair fight, since Robin does not have any powers. While evading her next attacks, Robin claims that he does not need powers. He soon hides in the shadows, forcing Jubilee to look for him.

Jubilee eventually sees Robin's cloak and starts approaching it. It is a trap, as Robin has removed his cloak and attacks her from behind. He uses a grappling hook as a lasso and ties her up. She is immobilized and loses the fight. A concerned Robin asks her if the rope is too tight for her. Jubilee is quite frustrated that Robin did not even have to land a punch to win. He points that he planned it this way, as he never intended to hit her. She finds the sentiment surprising but sweet. She then asks "handsome" if he is planning on untying her. He smiles and seems about to do so.

The scene shifts to outer space, where Green Lantern and the Silver Surfer are preparing to face each other. They are not particularly pleased with the idea and the Surfer points that this is not their first meeting. In the past, they have teamed up to preserve both universes. But the Surfer claims that the cosmic beings who command them are the most powerful entities he has ever encountered. Even his former master Galactus pales in power before them. Which means they can not defy their will.

While discussing their situation, Green Lantern tries using various energy constructs against the Surfer. They fail to make even an impression. He next tries something more ambitious. He uses his energy to create armor for himself, a lance, and some kind of steed to ride. He looks like a knight ready to joust. He charges against the Surfer, who also uses his Surfboard as a vehicle to acquire speed. The battle is decided in a high-speed collision, which causes a powerful flash of green light. When it is all over, the Surfer is conscious and transports an unconscious Lantern in his Surfboard. He has won, though he feels regret for his victory.

The scene shifts to Gotham City, where Catwoman is fighting Elektra in an unfinished building. Catwoman uses her claws to draw the first blood in the fight. Catwoman is curious at why was she chosen as a champion, since nobody ever accused her of being a hero. While evading one of Elektra's Twin Sai, she guesses that Elektra is not a hero type either. Not when she is carrying around blades like these. She uses her whip to immobilize one of Elektra's arms. Catwoman explains that she always had a thing for whips, since they have such a wide range of uses.

Elektra suddenly turns the tide of battle. She uses her tied-up hand to take control of the whip and uses her strength to start throwing Catwoman around. Soon Catwoman falls off the building, hanging on to the whip for dear life. Elektra holds the other end of the whip and the weight of her opponent. Catwoman is surprised with how strong Elektra seems to be. Elektra chooses this moment to inform Selina that she is a professional assassin and gladly kills her opponents. But since this combat was not a result of her choice or occupation, she will not slay Selina just to please the Brothers. But she still intends to win. She uses her remaining sai to severe the whip. Catwoman falls from a height to a truckload of sand. The fall does not kill her, but she is unconscious and immobilized. Elektra has won.

The scene shifts to Metropolis and the offices of the Daily Planet. Lois Lane is holding the next issue of the newspaper. The front page article is her story the battles. It reports that 6 battles have taken place and the result is a 3 to 3 tie. The article is accompanied by a photo of Catwoman and Elektra. Lois' co-worker "Peter Parker" (Ben Reilly using an alias) congratulates her on her reporting skills. She thanks him for the compliment and points that she would not be around to write the article if "Peter" had not saved her from the two Scarecrows (Jonathan Crane) and Ebenezer Laughton. "Peter" answers that his rescue of her was a service by her "friendly neighborhood" photojournalist.

"Peter" (who is smitten with Lois) takes the opportunity to ask her out on a date. She reveals that she is already engaged to another man. Clark Kent chooses the moment to reveal that Lois is engaged to him. He stands behind "Peter" and makes a point of towering over him while speaking. A shocked "Peter" apologizes for hitting on Clark's fiancée. He then makes an excuse to leave the room, while feeling about to die from embarrassment. He comments to himself that he just feels like a jerk. At this moment, "Peter" is teleported away.

Lois is not particularly impressed with how quickly "Peter" disappeared once confronted by Clark. Clark argues that "Peter" is a nice kid who just did not know about their relationship. At this moment, the Daily Planet's new editor J. Jonah Jameson arrives with a new assignment for them. Apparently the Hulk is fighting Metallo in downtown Metropolis. Jameson points that they should cover this battle since innocent lives are at risk and property damage is certain. All the makings of a great story for their newspaper. Jonah soon notices that Clark Kent has vanished and asks a surprised Lois where did he go. She makes a quick excuse that Clark is probably already on the job. Outside, Clark is changing clothes and transforms into Superman. He seems ready to take care of the situation.

The scene shifts to the Alley, where Axel Asher and his unnamed mentor are discussing. Axel has learned that he is supposedly a shard from both universes embodied by the Brothers and that this is the reason he has been a life-long wanderer. He refuses, however, to believe in what he has learned. He argues that he is nothing special and that his mentor is just a crazy homeless guy. The mentor has little patience for Axel's denial of reality. He grabs Axel's arm and strange light appears. Axel is transformed into Access for the first time, though he is bewildered. The mentor explains that he is the keeper of the gateway between the two universes, one in a long succession of keepers. His time on the job is almost over and Axel is the next in line for the mantle. Axel has to be become Access and to preserve the balance between the two universes. Access is uncertain of how to accomplish this.

The scene shifts to an alien bar, somewhere in space, where Wolverine is fighting Lobo. Lobo wields a hook-ended chain as a weapon. He manages to press his hook into Wolverine’s chest, a seemingly lethal wound. Wolvie screams in pain at first, but then uses his hand to remove the bloody hood. The wound instantly heals. He explains to Lobo about his Healing Factor and how it lets him take a lot of punishment. He claims that he dishes even more punishment to his opponents.

Wolverine attacks Lobo with his bone claws. The two of them fall behind the bar and continue to fight, soon vanishing from the sight of the spectators. They exchange threats and apparently grapple, but the sounds of the battle soon end. There is deadly silence for a while. Then Wolverine slowly emerges from beneath the bar and grabs a smoldering cigar out of an ashtray. He has apparently won and starts smoking in victory. What happened to Lobo is not explained.

The scene shifts to an area outside Fawcett City. Wonder Woman wields Mjolnir and has been transformed into a female version of Thor. She feels more powerful than ever before, claiming she has the power of a god. She is challenged by her new opponent Storm, who is not intimidated. Storm explains that she too has been called a goddess and commands the power of lightning. Diana points that Storm has no hope or winning while she wields the hammer. Storm has no indention to surrender. Diana realizes that she could easily win, but the fight would not be fair. She voluntarily drops Mjolnir to the ground and gives up the powers of Thor.

Diana and Storm attack each other. Storm uses her weather powers to summon a gale and a torrent of rain. Diana is not impressed. She grabs Storm by the ankle, uses Storm’s leg for leverage, pulls her own body around, and delivers a powerful kick to the back of Ororo’s head. While impressed by Diana's great strength, Storm claims that it is of no use against her lightning. She starts electrocuting Diana. Diana tries to withstand the pain, but is eventually knocked out. Storm holds Diana,who she calls "sister", into her arms. She has won the fight.

The scene shifts to Greenwich Village, where Spider-Man (Ben Reilly) is fighting Superboy. A shot of web-fluid destroys Superboy's glasses and enrages him. Spidey proves good at evading his opponent and confusing Conner. However, Conner uses his "tactile telekinesis" to destroy the water tower where Spidey was standing, leaving the Spidey trying to avoid all the water coming at him. Spidey is quite surprised to learn of this ability of his opponent.

Spidey curiously asks what is Superboy's story. He guesses he is Superman's kid brother or second cousin. Conner identifies himself as a clone of Superman, which shocks Spidey. Conner takes advantage of the surprised reaction to grab Spidey, but he then receives two powerful kicks in the face. Spidey points that he has the comparative strength of a spider.

Conner disappears from sight and Spidey goes looking for him. Conner emerges from the water directly beneath Spider-Man and knocks him off of his feet. While Spidey tries to regain his senses, Conner flies right at him at great speed. Spidey recovers just in time to cover his opponent with "impact webbing". Not watching where he is going and still flying with high speed, Conner crushes into a high-voltage electrical box. He is electrocuted and knocked out. Spidey is the victor, but seems sorry at what happened to his opponent.

The scene shifts to Metropolis, where the Hulk uses a large statue of Superman to knock Metallo around. The real Superman arrives and the two heroes introduce themselves. The intelligent Hulk points that he prefers being called "Dr. Banner" or "Bruce". While they talk, Metallo recovers and charges them both. He receives two powerful punches in the face, one from each hero. This battle seems to be over. But then the Brothers summon the heroes and teleport them away.

Hulk and Superman re-appear in the Grand Canyon, with no bystanders in sight. Clark figures that the Brothers send them here to ensure that no innocents would be endangered by their fight. Bruce lays the first punch, sending Superman crushing into a rock formation. Superman counter-attacks with his heat vision. It pains the Hulk, but fails to knock him out.

The two combatants exchange some powerful blows. Superman decides to take the battle seriously, because at stake is the safety of his world, his universe, and the woman he loves (Lois). He delivers his most powerful punch and sends Hulk flying. Hulk crushes to the rock wall of the Canyon, which collapses and buries him in rock. He is knocked out. Superman notes that defeating the Hulk required everything he had ton give, and his opponent almost stood up to it. He decides to wait for the results of the battle between the universes.

The scene shifts to Manhattan, where Captain America is fighting Batman. Cap is frustrated because Batman keeps melting into the shadows, like he is a part of them. He has trouble locating his opponent, and Batman favors surprise attacks. He comments that Batman is more evenly-matched with him than Hydra, Baron Zemo, and Red Skull.

The two opponents attack each other with neither gaining an upper hand. Batman stops to take a breath and notes that they have been at it for hours. He fears the battle could be prolonged for days and decided by one of them dropping from exhaustion. He suggests finding a way to stop the Brothers from wiping out one universe or the other. Cap points that the Brothers could end up wiping both universes if there is no outcome. Cap explains that he chose to become Captain America back in the 1940s to save the world from the greatest threat it had ever known. He is still trying to save his world. Batman explains that he chose to become Batman to protect innocents. He guesses this is what he is still doing.

The battle has taken them down to the sewers of Manhattan and there is suddenly a deluge of water. The fighters try to evade the water, while throwing projectile weapons to their respective opponent. Captain America's Shield misses its target due to a poor throw by Cap, but a batarang finds its target at Cap's head. The rising water gets them both, but Batman swims up while the dazed Cap sinks. Realizing that Cap is drowning, Batman takes a breath and dives to rescue him. He locates a half-drowned Cap and swims with him to the surface. Cap's condition means that Batman has won this battle.

The two former combatants exit the sewers together. They are already wet but its raining on the surface, denying them a chance of getting dry. Cap has recovered but feels poorly about his loss, fearing he may have doomed his entire universe. Attracted by the glow of the box, they step into the Alley. They encounter Access and his unnamed mentor. The mentor rejoices at their presence, pointing to Access that they now have one from each universe. This is their chance to use them and save everything. Access touches the heroes, who start glowing. They seem confused at what is Access doing. The box is destroyed by a sudden burst of light.

The scene shifts to the Brothers. Something is happening to them as they touch hands. They merge and cease to exist, leaving a single giant entity is standing in their place. The new entity is the embodiment of the combined universes, and the old universes merge into a single one to match it. The story ends with images of the characters inhabiting the new universe, Earth-9602. They are Amazon, Dark Claw, Deadeye, Doctor Doomsday, Doctor Strangefate, Lethal, Nightcreeper, Spider-Boy, Super Soldier, and Wraith.

Solicit Synopsis

THE MAIN EVENT IN THE BRAWL FOR IT ALL! Hulk vs. Superman! Batman vs. Captain America! Storm vs. Wonder Woman! Superboy vs. Spider-Man! Wolverine vs. Lobo! The outcome of these battles determines the fate of the top two universes in all of comicdom! And best of all— YOU PICK THE WINNERS! Plus an industry first: birth of a super-hero—jointly owned and created by both Marvel and DC who will impact the continuity of both universes!

Notes

As of this issue, Jubilee and Robin are a couple. This is only mentioned in this series.
Though previous issues hinted that Ben Reilly is attracted to Lois Lane, this is the only issue where he asks her out on a date. He is embarrassed to learn that she is already engaged.
A plot point in this issue is that Lois Lane and Clark Kent are engaged to each other. The characters would get married in Superman: The Wedding Album #1 (December, 1996). The series apparently precedes that story.
A much-publicized aspect of this crossover were the 11 battles between champions of the DC and Marvel Universes. Of these battles, 3 take place in issue Vol 1 2 and 8 in issue Vol 1 3. Issue Vol 1 1 serves as a prologue and Vol 1 4 as an epilogue. In order of depiction the battles and their results are the following:
- Battle 1: Thor defeats Captain Marvel.
- Battle 2: Flash defeats Quicksilver.
- Battle 3: Aquaman defeats Namor.
- Battle 4: Robin defeats Jubilee.
- Battle 5: Silver Surfer defeats Green Lantern.
- Battle 6: Elektra defeats Catwoman.
- Battle 7: Wolverine defeats Lobo.
- Battle 8: Storm defeats Wonder Woman.
- Battle 9: Spider-Man defeats Superboy.
- Battle 10: Superman defeats the Hulk.
- Battle 11: Batman defeats Captain America.
The battle between Marvel and DC characters technically ends with 6 to 5 victory for the Marvel side. The 6 Marvel victors were Thor, Silver Surfer, Elektra, Wolverine, Storm, and Spider-Man. The 5 DC victors were the Flash, Aquaman, Robin, Superman, and Batman. However, the victory of one of the Brothers is rendered moot by the agreement of the entities to co-exist in issue Vol 1 4.
Though not mentioned in the dialogue, Wolverine uses his bone claws in this issue. He had lost his Adamantium back in X-Men (Vol. 2) #25 (October, 1993).
The first pages of this issue, involving Jubilee and Robin, take place in a Danger Grotto. This is an equivalent to the Danger Room which was used in issues involving the Massachusetts Academy and Generation X.
The Marvel Chronology Project, which tracks character appearances, has the following information on the characters of the issue:
- Black Widow appears here following Captain America #445 (November, 1995). Her next chronological appearances is in Avengers: Unplugged #3 (February, 1996).
- Captain America appears here following Captain America #448 (February, 1996), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). His next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and Prime/Captain America #1 (March, 1996).
- Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell) appears here following a full appearance in Captain Marvel (Vol. 3) #6 (May, 1996) and a flashback in Captain Marvel (Vol. 4) #14 (February, 2001). His next chronological appearance is in Avengers: Unplugged #5 (June, 1996).
- Daredevil appears here following Incredible Hulk #434 (October, 1995), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). His next chronological appearances is in Daredevil #345 (October, 1995).
- Dr. Doom appears here following following a full appearance in Fantastic Four #381 (October, 1993), a flashback in Fantastic Four Unlimited #12 (December, 1995), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). His next chronological appearances is in Fantastic Four #405 (October, 1995).
- Elektra appears here following Elektra #4 (June, 1995), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). Her next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and Wolverine (Vol. 2) #100 (April, 1996).
- Green Goblin (Phil Urich) appears here following Green Goblin #3 (December, 1995), and "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996). His next chronological appearance is in Green Goblin #4 (January, 1996).
- Hawkeye appears here following War Machine #19 (October, 1995). His next chronological appearance is in Avengers: The Crossing #1 (September, 1995).
- The Hulk appears here following Incredible Hulk #434 (October, 1995), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). His next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and Savage Hulk #1 (January, 1996).
- Iron Man appears here following Incredible Hulk #434 (October, 1995). His next chronological appearance is in Savage Hulk #1 (January, 1996).
- J. Jonah Jameson appears here following Daily Bugle #3 (February, 1997) and "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996). His next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and Amazing Spider-Man #407 (January, 1996).
- Jubilee appears here following Generation X #6 (August, 1995), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). Her next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and Uncanny X-Men #325 (October, 1995).
- Quicksilver appears here following Captain America #445 (November, 1995), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). His next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and Avengers: The Crossing #1 (September, 1995).
- Silver Surfer appears here following Green Lantern / Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances #1 (January, 1995), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). His next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and the second story in Rune/Silver Surfer #1 (April, 1995).
- Spider-Man (Ben Reilly) appears here following Sensational Spider-Man #0 (January, 1996), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). His next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and X-Men / Spider-Man #3 (March, 2009).
- Storm appears here following Uncanny X-Men #324 (September, 1995), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). Her next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and Uncanny X-Men #325 (October, 1995).
- Thanos appears here following Green Lantern / Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances #1 (January, 1995) and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). His next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and Spider-Man Team-Up #2 (March, 1996).
- Thor appears here following Mighty Thor #490 (September, 1995), a flashback in the second story of Thunderstrike (Vol. 2) #1 (January, 2011), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). His next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and the second story in UltraForce (Vol. 2) #2 (November, 1995).
- Wolverine appears here following Incredible Hulk #434 (October, 1995), "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 1 (1996), and Marvel Versus DC #2 (March, 1996). His next chronological appearances are in "DC Versus Marvel" Vol 1 4 (1996), and Savage Hulk #1 (January, 1996).

Trivia

Several characters of this issue make either silent cameos or have relatively brief appearances. This was the result of the lack of space for further fleshing out their roles and the decision to keep the core cast small. This is one of the rather controversial aspects of the crossover, as pointed out by various online sources.
While the series was ongoing, the two companies agreed to allow reader input for part of the main battles. The input was given in the form of mailed ballots and online votes. This has led to long-lasting accusations that the "battle" was actually a popularity contest and that several battle results make no sense. In other words, that the most popular character wins, rather than the most powerful or skilled character.
The most controversial aspect of this issue with readers was the victory of Wolverine over Lobo. While Wolverine is the most popular character among the two, Lobo is considered to be more powerful. Lobo has been depicted as immortal, practically invulnerable, with a Healing Factor of his own, and with strength comparable to Superman. How Wolverine managed to beat him is neither depicted on panel, nor explained.
Lobo, the opponent of Wolverine in this issue, is considered partly based on Wolverine. His co-creator Keith Giffen has stated that he intended the character to serve as "an indictment" of highly-violent heroes such as Wolverine and the Punisher. Lobo shares several aspects with them. To Giffen's stated surprise, Lobo grew into a popular character in his own right.

Links and References

References

Marvel Versus DC Vol 1 3

Appearing in "Round Three"

Synopsis for "Round Three"

Solicit Synopsis

Notes

Trivia

See Also

Recommended Reading

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References

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