History SoYouWantTo / WriteACrossover

* ''[[Franchise/MarvelUniverse Marvel]] vs [[Franchise/TheDCU DC]]'' has its moments, but is, in many ways, a textbook example of how ''not'' to do a crossover. Missteps included letting fan vote (i.e., popularity) determine who won several of the fights (infamously leading to ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} beating Lobo); seriously misjudging characters' respective [[PowerCreepPowerSeep power levels]] (ComicBook/{{Superman}} vs [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk The Hulk]]) and/or popularity (ComicBook/SpiderMan vs ... the clone ComicBook/{{Superboy}}?); having any fight they couldn't figure out how to write happen offscreen (Wolverine/Lobo), end inconclusively (Darkseid/Thanos), or be decided by outside factors (ComicBook/{{Batman}}[=/=]ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, ends due to a random sewer tidal wave); and downright bizarre disrespect of the characters (suggesting that ComicBook/WonderWoman could lift the hammer of [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]]? Cool. Suggesting that she'd ''need'' it to put up a good fight against ComicBook/{{Storm}}... and would lose anyway? Insane).

* CelebrityParadox - of a sort; a lot of crossovers hinge on the fact that several characters (who are, of course, portrayed by the same performer) look rather alike, which enables them to find links between them; for example, both [[Series/{{Castle}} Richard Castle]] and [[{{Series/Firefly}} Malcolm Reynolds]] are played by the same actor (Creator/NathanFillion) and, as the former lives in an earlier time period to another, it's easy to suggest some kind of distant familial relationship or ancestry exists between the two that could be used to fuel the story (for example, Reynolds going back in time and encountering his ancestor).

Official crossovers are tricky, because so many fictional properties are owned by a wide range of corporate media interests, often giving rise to tangled and[=/=]or complex issues of copyright in the process. On the most simple level, you rarely see certain properties come together officially because different corporations own them; for example, you rarely see Comicbook/SpiderMan and Franchise/{{Batman}} hanging out because one is owned by Marvel and the other Creator/DCComics, and the DC writers don't have the right to use Spider-Man in their stories (and vice versa of course). Of course, on certain occasions the two have and can be brought together, but it's usually very rare and depends on the interest and goodwill of all copyright owners. And that's when the issue of copyright is clear-cut; certain characters exist within a legal quagmire of copyright issues.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' actually took the rare step of coming up with a story mode and with a plot that explains ''how'' and ''why'' the characters are fighting each other, and even goes the extra mile of explaining why characters like Franchise/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/TheJoker, Liu Kang, and Raiden are having fist fights [[PowerCreepPowerSeep on equal footing]].

* ''[[Franchise/MarvelUniverse Marvel]] vs [[Franchise/TheDCU DC]]'' has its moments, but is, in many ways, a textbook example of how ''not'' to do a crossover. Missteps included letting fan vote (i.e., popularity) determine who won several of the fights (infamously leading to ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} beating Lobo); seriously misjudging characters' respective [[PowerCreepPowerSeep power levels]] (Franchise/{{Superman}} vs [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk The Hulk]]) and/or popularity (Franchise/SpiderMan vs ... the clone ComicBook/{{Superboy}}?); having any fight they couldn't figure out how to write happen offscreen (Wolverine/Lobo), end inconclusively (Darkseid/Thanos), or be decided by outside factors (Franchise/{{Batman}}[=/=]ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, ends due to a random sewer tidal wave); and downright bizarre disrespect of the characters (suggesting that Franchise/WonderWoman could lift the hammer of [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]]? Cool. Suggesting that she'd ''need'' it to put up a good fight against ComicBook/{{Storm}}... and would lose anyway? Insane).

Finally, if you plan to make some or all crossover aspects of your story a twist (i.e. hiding the inclusion of certain works until they make their grand debut), be sure your audience is willing to accept having those works sprung on them without warning. Depending on how your story starts and is promoted, your readers may have entered under various assumptions such as fewer or no crossovers being involved or a certain established tone -- and suddenly breaking those presumptions can not only lead to whiplash and WriterOnBoard accuastions if handled poorly, but also make the looming threat of the StoryBreakerTeamUp even more dire than a typical straight example. On the other hand, those who appreciate these extra guests will often see to it that you use them well if they're here to stay, so be sure they're handled just as well as any other work after the fact.

Assuming copyright permission -- or alternatively, you're writing an unofficial fanfiction without seeking it out -- certain inherent issues within the story become apparent. When you're bringing together characters from different properties, you have to consider that these characters often have different fanbases, frequently comprising people who are fans of one but not the other. This means you have to be careful when introducing and using both properties, because chances are good that you will be aiming at an audience of which a good part will have no idea who the other character / property is. Of course, this can depend on the genre that's being brought together -- if you're bringing together two mainstream superhero properties, then it's perhaps fair to say that most of your readers will have heard of and will be able to identify both Batman and Spider-Man (in general terms at least, even if they're not familiar with the complete backstory or full details of the other character) -- but if you're bringing together two different mediums or genres, you have to be wary of treating the characters as if everyone can identify them. This is especially the case if one property is more obscure than the other. You will need to ensure that you identify and characterise them clearly so that newcomers will at least be able to gain a sense of who they are. As a form of ParentalBonus, creating a DemographicDissonantCrossover is quite tricky to do successfully given that as the name implies, the characters are from both family-friendly works and mature works, which generally have non-overlapping demographics outside of the PeripheryDemographic.

* [[''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' actually took the rare step of coming up with a story mode and with a plot that explains ''how'' and ''why'' the characters are fighting each other, and even goes the extra mile of explaining why characters like Franchise/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/TheJoker, Liu Kang, and Raiden are having fist fights [[PowerCreepPowerSeep on equal footing]].

* The novel ''Planet X'' is an officially published (though almost certainty out of [[{{Canon}} continuity]]) crossover between the ComicBook/XMen and ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. (And, yes, it mentions [[Creator/PatrickStewart the uncanny resemblance between Xavier and Picard]]... despite being published ''before'' the movie was cast!).
** The novel [[AlternateContinuity contains references]] to comics that were published in which various groups of X-Men met characters from the Franchise/StarTrek universe, including the cast of the original show.
* The [[PoliceProcedural police procedurals]] ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' and ''Series/LawAndOrder'' crossed over so frequently that after ''Homicide'' ended, Det. JustForFun/JohnMunch actually became a character on ''[[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit Law & Order: SVU]].''
* [[FightingGame Fighting games]] in which characters from different franchises - or even [[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom different companies]] - fight each other are commonplace. But ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' actually took the rare step of coming up with a story mode and with a plot that explains ''how'' and ''why'' the characters are fighting each other, and even goes the extra mile of explaining why characters like Franchise/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/TheJoker, Liu Kang, and Raiden are having fist fights [[PowerCreepPowerSeep on equal footing]].

* ''Comicbook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', both in comic and {{film}} format, is a rare example of an officially published MassiveMultiplayerCrossover (it helps that most of the central characters are from works that are at least OlderThanRadio, if not older, and thus exist in the [[PublicDomainCharacter public domain]]; works which aren't tend to be alluded to in dialogue), wherein practically every detail is taken from another work in an attempt to put together a cohesive fictional universe for all (or at least as close to all as possible) of human storytelling. The comic is by Creator/AlanMoore and Kevin O'Neal and is well worth a look.

* Whilst ''Comicbook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' in comic form is widely agreed to belong in the 'Greats' category, most would put the movie based on same squarely in the 'Epic Fails' column. Not only does it water down and dilute the original, it's also in many ways quite a poorly-told story.

* ''WesternAnimation/CartoonAllStarsToTheRescue''. Despite its promise, it was quite {{anvilicious}} and somewhat hypocritical - the special warned against using drugs, though it seems to have been made ''on'' drugs.
* ''WebVideo/PoohsAdventures''. Take ''Cartoon All-Stars To The Rescue'', and make it even more insane and surreal. That's not even scratching the surface of this web-video phenomenon.

Assuming copyright permission -- or alternatively, you're writing an unofficial fanfiction without seeking it out -- certain inherent issues within the story become apparent. When you're bringing together characters from different properties, you have to consider that these characters often have different fanbases, frequently comprising people who are fans of one but not the other. This means you have to be careful when introducing and using both properties, because chances are good that you will be aiming at an audience of which a good part will have no idea who the other character / property is. Of course, this can depend on the genre that's being brought together -- if you're bringing together two mainstream superhero properties, then it's perhaps fair to say that most of your readers will have heard of and will be able to identify both Batman and Spider-Man (in general terms at least, even if they're not familiar with the complete backstory or full details of the other character) -- but if you're bringing together two different mediums or genres, you have to be wary of treating the characters as if everyone can identify them. This is especially the case if one property is more obscure than the other. You will need to ensure that you identify and characterise them clearly so that newcomers will at least be able to gain a sense of who they are.

* [[FightingGame Fighting games]] in which characters from different franchises - or even [[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom different companies]] - fight each other are commonplace. But ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' actually took the rare step of coming up with a story mode and with a plot that explains ''how'' and ''why'' the characters are fighting each other, and even goes the extra mile of explaining why characters like {{Superman}}, ComicBook/TheJoker, Liu Kang, and Raiden are having fist fights [[PowerCreepPowerSeep on equal footing]].

* ''[[Franchise/MarvelUniverse Marvel]] vs [[Franchise/TheDCU DC]]'' has its moments, but is, in many ways, a textbook example of how ''not'' to do a crossover. Missteps included letting fan vote (i.e., popularity) determine who won several of the fights (infamously leading to ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} beating Lobo); seriously misjudging characters' respective [[PowerCreepPowerSeep power levels]] (Franchise/{{Superman}} vs [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk The Hulk]]) and/or popularity (Franchise/SpiderMan vs ... the clone ComicBook/{{Superboy}}?); having any fight they couldn't figure out how to write happen offscreen (Wolverine/Lobo), end inconclusively (Darkseid/Thanos), or be decided by outside factors (Franchise/{{Batman}}[=/=]ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, ends due to a random sewer tidal wave); and downright bizarre disrespect of the characters (suggesting that Franchise/WonderWoman could lift the hammer of [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]]? Cool. Suggesting that she'd ''need'' it to put up a good fight against ComicBook/{{Storm}}... and would lose anyway? Insane).

!'''Necessary Tropes'''

!'''Pitfalls'''

!'''Potential Subversions'''

!'''Writers' Lounge'''

* StatusQuoIsGod- by the end everything will be as it started, since the crossover is not allowed to override the actual series. This doesn't apply in fanfiction unless the writer wants it to, though. ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' and its adaptation MiniSeries ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2020'' defied this a lot, having far-reaching implications on the properties it crossed over with (this was a crossover within the same universe, DC Comics).

!'''Departments'''

!'''Extra Credit'''

* ''WebVideo/PoohsAdventures''. Take ''Cartoon All-Stars To The Rescue'', and make it even more insane and surreal. That's not even scratching the surface of this web-video phenomenon.

* StatusQuoIsGod- by the end everything will be as it started, since the crossover is not allowed to override the actual series. This doesn't apply in fanfiction unless the writer wants it to, though.

Crossovers can be a really fun kind of fiction to write; there's something really appealing in imagining fictional characters from numerous different properties interact in one story; how would they interact? Would they gel or collide?

Crossovers can be a really fun kind of fiction to write; there's something really appealing in imagining fictional characters from numerous different properties interact in one story; how would they interact? Would they gel or collide?

What we're looking at here is a {{Crossover}}, which implies two or more fictional characters from different shows / media properties interacting within one show where normally they wouldn't. The different types of Crossover that you can choose from can be found on the CrossoverIndex, but for an official work, this generally involves two shows which are agreed or established to take place within the same fictional universe -- and which, naturally, the producers hold or can easily access the rights to. For unofficial fan-written crossovers, since the whole thing is unofficial anyway then the sky's the limit; you can bring together whoever you want.

Who are the fictional characters you are bringing together? What universes are they from? How are they coming together? A lot of these questions can be answered by looking at the CrossoverIndex, but there are basically two types of crossovers.

* DeconstructionCrossover - characters can pick apart each other's franchises, criticizing other characters, [[LampshadeHanging calling out weird or unpleasant elements of the others' world]], and clashing methods and styles. When done with actually legitimate criticisms, this can be quite insightful and clever.

* '''Two Characters Walk into a Bar''': A crossover which centres around two (or more) characters who just happen, for whatever reason, to cross paths over the course of their day-to-day lives. Often done on a smaller scale than the Overlapping Adventures, and usually the hallmark of shorter works of fanfiction. The typical example tends to involve a character from one franchise going into a bar at the end of their day and striking up a conversation with whoever they end up sitting next to, who turns out to be a character from another franchise. The focus is usually on CharacterDevelopment and Character Exploration, usually centred around VillainsOutShopping or HeroesGoneFishing; how do these two characters spark off each other? Naturally, it doesn't ''have'' to be a bar, but it's generally just some similar small, every day activity which throws these two together rather than a crisis as above (although the crisis might form the background to the story).

* The [[PoliceProcedural police procedurals]] ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' and ''Series/LawAndOrder'' crossed over so frequently that after Homocide ended, Det. JustForFun/JohnMunch actually became a character on ''[[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit Law & Order: SVU]].''

Depending on how often you're engaging in the crossover, ContinuityLockout can be a problem. As mentioned above, not everyone in the audience is going to be familiar with or even know both properties that are being crossed over, and not everyone in your audience for a particular series is going to enjoy or read crossovers. This means that not only do you have to be careful in using continuity in the crossover itself (so that the audience can reasonably follow what is going on without needing to be intimately familiar with everything in both properties), but if the crossover is part of a larger series you also need to be careful when referring back to it. For example, a plot element originally introduced on the show ''Series/{{Angel}}'' was transferred to the characters of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' via a crossover, where it ended up being vitally important in the final episode of the latter series. All very well, since both shows inhabited a SharedUniverse -- except that even with this being the case, not everyone who watched the latter also watched the former, meaning that as far as those who ''didn't'' watch both were concerned the crossover element ended up being a DeusExMachina. Of course, you can expect a certain percentage of the audience to watch both shows, but you cannot reasonably expect ''everyone'' to do so, and by using the crossover in this way you risk pissing off the people who don't -- which can be a problem if the audience for both shows has less overlap than you initially think.

* [[FightingGame Fighting games]] in which characters from different franchises - or even [[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom different companies]] - fight each other are commonplace. But ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' actually took the rare step of coming up with a story mode and with a plot that explains ''how'' and ''why'' the characters are fighting each other, and even goes the extra mile of explaining why characters like {{Superman}}, SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker, Liu Kang, and Raiden are having fist fights [[PowerCreepPowerSeep on equal footing]].

* ''WebOriginal/PoohsAdventures''. Take ''Cartoon All-Stars To The Rescue'', and make it even more insane and surreal. That's not even scratching the surface of this web-video phenomenon.

Official crossovers are tricky, because so many fictional properties are owned by a wide range of corporate media interests, often giving rise to tangled and[=/=]or complex issues of copyright in the process. On the most simple level, you rarely see certain properties come together officially because different corporations own them; for example, you rarely see Comicbook/SpiderMan and Franchise/{{Batman}} hanging out because one is owned by Marvel and the other Creator/DCComics, and the DC writers don't have the right to use SpiderMan in their stories (and vice versa of course). Of course, on certain occasions the two have and can be brought together, but it's usually very rare and depends on the interest and goodwill of all copyright owners. And that's when the issue of copyright is clear-cut; certain characters exist within a legal quagmire of copyright issues.

On the other hand, props should usually be limited to those held in common with the focus series and/or the neutral setting. i.e. [[TheLordOfTheRings Frodo Baggins]] and Music/MileyCyrus should not be handling [[Franchise/{{Digimon}} Digivices]] unless that series is ''also'' involved [[FusionFic in some way]].

Certain properties may also lend themselves more to being crossed over than others, which can affect the story being crafted. To take one example, ''Series/DoctorWho'' is a property that lends itself particularly well to being crossed over with others -- the TARDIS can literally land anywhere in time and space and do anything, enabling the writer to engage with a wide-range of genres, mediums, moods, and properties; all a writer really has to do to make a crossover is plonk the TARDIS down in a particular location and have the Doctor wander around until he meets the other characters. Other properties, however, may not have the luxury of this kind of freedom for writers, being tied to a particular genre, setting, theme, etc; it would take a lot more work to effect a successful crossover wherein characters from ''Series/TheWire'' found a starship and travelled the galaxy until they met the [[Franchise/StarTrek USS Enterprise]] because the shows are quite different in genre, tone, setting, etc. Successful crossovers are aware of these limitations and manage to effectively overcome them.

* The ''Series/{{Supergirl 2015}}'' first crossover with ''Series/TheFlash2014'', "Worlds Finest", left a lot to be desired. It was criticized because Barry Allen barely did anything that Kara or Winn couldn't and it seemed he was only added for the sake of making a crossover and attracting fans of ''The Flash'' to the series.

* ''WesternAnimation/CartoonAllStarsToTheRescue''. Despite its promise, it was quite {{anvilicious}} and somewhat hypocritical - the special warned against using drugs, though it seems to have been made ''on'' drugs.

If it's a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, there's some fun WorldBuilding to be had. ''VideoGame/SuperRobatWars'' created one whole new world and placed all the characters into it. Alternatively, you can say that all the stories took place in the same world from the start and create a world where they all have had impact, such as in ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen''. The latter method can be more limiting, but can also be easier to build off of. Just look at all the properties and explore what implications they have for the wider world, and put the pieces together.

* The novel ''Planet X'' is an officially published (though almost certainty out of [[{{Canon}} continuity]]) crossover between the ComicBook/{{X-Men}} and ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. (And, yes, it mentions [[Creator/PatrickStewart the uncanny resemblance between Xavier and Picard]]... despite being published ''before'' the movie was cast!).