<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Crossovers occur when characters from one fictional property "visit" another fictional property.

Sci Fi works in different media have all seen crossovers. Movies have had Alien vs. Predator and Freddy vs. Jason. Comic books have seen Superman vs. Spider-Man. Novels such as Sherlock Holmes’ War of the Worlds by Manly W. Wellman (Warner Books, Paperback, 1975) had Sherlock Holmes against the martians from War of the Worlds. Games have united Marvel Super Heroes and Capcom characters (Spider-Man teaming with Mega-Man).

Crossovers occur in a number of ways. In a classic crossover, a story that begins in one TV Series (or Comic Book Series or Book Series) and ends in the other, both episodes featuring the casts and characters of both series.

If one company owns both of the properties, it can be a way to create an "event" and to introduce fans of one to the other. In such crossovers, characters from two different titles which exist in the same universe would encounter each other in one or the other's comic book, TV show, book, or movie. An example of this is when Captain Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation would appear in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Another example is when Batman or his arch nemesis the Joker shows up in a Superman comic story and encounters the Man of Steel.

If two different companies own them, it can be a cross-pollination, often more of a stunt. An example of that would be the Marvel Comics' Spider-Man meeting DC Comics' Superman, as in the picture above. If one or both sets of characters are in public domain, the legal situation is much simpler. So it was in the novel Sherlock Holmes meets Dracula: The Adventure of the Sanguinary Count by Loren D. Estleman (Doubleday & Company, 1978).

For information on specific crossovers, please click the Crossovers Category link at the bottom of this article.