Batman is someone that has a great supporting cast. That includes his infamous rouges gallery, the family he has set himself around and the extensive list of allies. He has one of the most deranged villains in the DC universe in The Joker. And has one of, if not the best, allies in Superman. Batman seems to be that one person that is well traveled. The building blocks of his character put him on these paths. And a lot of those paths venture outside of the DC Universe. Batman has a large list of crossovers with other characters that exist outside of the DC print. That list just continues to grow. Batman seems to be that one IP that other franchises want to merge with. The thing is, when Batman does crossover with other IPs, it just makes sense. Once Batman is dropped into that crossover, he smoothly transitions. But why is that?
Over the several decades Batman has existed, he has stepped into other franchises, or other franchises have stepped into his world. Aliens, supernatural beings, intergalactic warriors, and mutants have all crossed paths with Batman. One of his most notable ones was his clash with Predator. When a few Predators came to Earth, they called Gotham their hunting grounds. With some stories having the Predators hunt down mobsters, they quickly set their sights on Batman. Since both are harden warriors, their fight was a perfect match. Given that the Predator species follows an honor code, only hunting the most deserving, it made sense they went for Batman. Since Batman is the world’s greatest detective, he was quick to deduce this honor code they have. But Batman’s history goes beyond that. He has fought the Predator’s most worthy prey, the Xenomorphs. Batman has joined another dark knight to take on threats. That dark knight being Spawn. Their first crossover left behind impressions so much, they rather recently had another crossover. Batman’s crossover with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was so well received on the comic book side, that it received an animated film adaption. He lent his detective skills to other detectives in Scooby Doo and the gang. Another mega popular superhero he has offered help to is none other than Spider-Man. In more recent comic books, he has fought the King of the Monsters, Godzilla, in a giant Mech Suit. Judge Dreed himself even put Gotham in his crosshairs, putting him on a collision course with Batman. At time of writing, in just a few months Batman and Deadpool will collide. The Dark Knight has fight against and alongside others, these are just more notable ones. Regardless of the character though, it seems to make sense for Batman to cross paths with the character. Then seeing them together on the panel or on screen looks natural. What makes it so?
Batman is just an uber popular character. That attracts attention from other franchises since that type of popularity could enhance Batman’s and their character’s status. It not only benefits both sides but it excites fans. Deeper than that though, the reason why so many other franchises come to Batman for crossovers is that Batman is a well-rounded character. He has his mark in a lot of different areas. He’s a fighter, detective, mechanic, engineer, a vigilante, tormented soul, knows about the supernatural/occult, understands all fields of science, fights aliens and mythical beings, and has an honor code of his own. That opens him up to tons of different opportunities. More specifically, opens up the door for him to enter other worlds or for other worlds to enter his. Each character that Batman has come a cross, they have tapped at least one side of his character. They really highlight and stress that side. Spawn connected with the tormented soul, supernatural, vigilantism. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tapped the vigilantism and fighter side of Batman. Predator targeted the fighter and even the honorable man. Even Godzilla forced Batman to push his limits of engineering and mechanics. Batman’s versatility as a character is what makes him the hot destination for other franchises. And it’s this versality that makes him a natural fit inside these intercompany stories. It makes him inviting. It makes it so that his inclusion in these crossovers doesn’t come off as odd. More importantly, Batman’s flexibility prevents him and the character he is crossing over with from compromise who they are. Batman doesn’t have to change or alter his character much at all. He just has to rely on at least one of his many traits. That makes it easy to approach him, write the story and make it sensible. And fun for anyone who is involved in the story. Seeing how many stories with all different types of characters does Batman a justice in a way. It shows audiences the different aspects of his character. And how well-honed he is in those parts of himself. At the same time, it gives these other characters some spotlight too. While these characters force Batman to lean on his one his traits, he does the same for those characters. Sides of their personalities are clearly displayed just by being in rhythm to one of Batman’s qualities. It’s a win for both sides.
For being a street level vigilante, Batman collides with all different types of characters. The ones he clashes with on a daily basis are obvious. But the ones that exist outside of his universe are the ones that get some special type of attention from fans and creators. Although some crossovers may be a little out there, once someone sits down with the though, it makes sense. The reason is because Batman is much more than a vigilante. He’s a lot more and he is highly adept at being them. That makes him approachable and sensible for crossovers.
