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2%%Image kept on page per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16638980590.66174400
3%%Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.
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5[[quoteright:300:[[ComicBook/ArchieMeetsThePunisher https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/archiepunisher_9911.jpg]]]]
6[[caption-width-right:300:And then everybody that survived [[EverybodyLaughsEnding had a hearty chuckle]]!]]
7
8->''"Angel Summoner... and BMX Bandit!''
9->''One can summon angels... the other rides a BMX!''
10->''They're a crime-fighting duo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-oh yeah!"''
11-->-- '''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'''
12
13Who doesn't love [[CrossOver character team-ups]]? Be it in comic books, cartoons, literature, TV or other media, putting two heroes (or villains!) together can make for exciting stories. However, care should go into this "matchmaking", since not every team up is thematically appropriate or compatible power-wise. If the creative teams go ahead with the team up anyway (the pull of WolverinePublicity and MoneyDearBoy are ''strong''), the result is a Story Breaker Team-Up.
14
15This can happen due to a few different (sometimes overlapping) factors. Firstly is premise. If the characters are from different ends of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, either one will have to tough it out as an "inserted" character in the other's verse (suffering the equivalent of morality whiplash) or they'll have to risk meeting in morality neutral ground and hope the GreyAndGrayMorality based story is of good quality.
16
17The above can get complicated if one hero (like ComicBook/ThePunisher above) routinely deals with his "RoguesGallery" by [[GottaKillThemAll killing them on sight]], while the other [[ThouShaltNotKill firmly refuses to kill]] or [[NonActionGuy doesn't even fight at all]] (like ComicBook/{{Archie|Comics}} above).[[note]]In [[ComicBook/ArchieMeetsThePunisher the crossover that provides the page image]], the Punisher makes a deal with the government that requires him to ''apprehend'' the suspect instead of killing him, and it's only because of Andrews' innocence that he allows his quarry to live.[[/note]] If the relative pacifist has favor, the militant hero will be [[InverseLawOfUtilityAndLethality severely]] [[NonLethalWarfare nerfed]]; whereas if the militant one is shown right, it may risk invalidating the other's morals or making them seem irrelevant.
18
19Similarly, another potential problem is their [[JustForFun/SuperWeight relative power]]. If one is vastly more powerful, the other will become TheLoad, so one or both character may have to undergo PowerCreepPowerSeep to avoid one being [[OvershadowedByAwesome made irrelevant]] while the other [[StoryBreakerPower becomes a god]]. This doesn't just happen when there's a wide difference on the scale of a character with the SuperpowerLottery and a {{Muggle|s}} teaming up; even a simple power like one way {{Telepathy}} can cripple a crossover. Imagine how ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress'' (or any other detective story) would go if Literature/HerculePoirot was teamed up with a Telepath.
20
21Another factor is the seriousness of the setting and the temperament of the character. Teaming up a highly GenreSavvy character, or competent person from a world where everything is LikeRealityUnlessNoted, with a {{Genre Blind|ness}} one in a cliche bound world won't end well, nor would the reverse be kind. In a similar vein, putting a stand up comedian in a show about international politics or similar won't usually go over well but oddly, [[StraightMan the reverse]] [[RuleOfFunny probably isn't the case]].
22
23Because of these issues, avoiding this trope may require that SupermanStaysOutOfGotham for no adequately explained reason.
24
25For a variation of the same basic challenge to writing a compelling narrative that doesn't necessarily involve a crossover, see OutsideContextProblem.
26
27For examples of crossovers that combine family-friendly works with mature works, see DemographicDissonantCrossover.
28
29See also WeirdCrossover
30
31----
32!!Examples:
33
34[[foldercontrol]]
35
36[[folder:Comic Books]]
37
38* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'':
39** Yes, the above ''ComicBook/ArchieMeetsThePunisher'' cover is real. But it's probably easy to guess that it was mostly PlayedForLaughs. If you were wondering, the plot involves the Punisher hunting [[CriminalDoppelganger a criminal with a marked resemblance to Archie]]... who happens to be hiding in Riverdale. The original pitch had Archie hiring The Punisher to avenge the murder of his parents. It didn't have the right tonal balance, to say the least.
40*** Averted by ''ComicBook/ArchieVsPredator''. None of the ''Archie'' cast know how to fight, and the Predator in question is quick to violently kill many of them. [[spoiler:He also managed to kill ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch.]]
41** Likewise, ''Eminem/Punisher''. [[https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/05/eminem-teams-with-marvels-punisher Yes,]] Music/{{Eminem}}.
42** Some of [[Characters/MarvelComicsFrankCastle the Punisher]]'s adventures in the mainstream Franchise/MarvelUniverse feature him loading his gun with rubber bullets out of respect for his temporary partner's sensibilities. Others take the conflict between his deadly force policy and theirs and make a plot point of it, such as the TV adaptation of ''Series/{{Daredevil|2015}}'' which made him an outright antagonist, albeit a [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-meaning]] one. And a few crossovers deal with it simply by picking a villain who's [[NighInvulnerability Nigh-Invulnerable]] so the Punisher's guns [[FiveRoundsRapid aren't up to the task anyway]].
43** Addressed during ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}'' when Punisher shows up to [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]]'s resistance movement. Cap gives him a chance and when he steps out of line, clocks him and tells him to leave.
44* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
45** A comic book actually featured a character from ''Series/GuidingLight'' who had become a superhero, team up with Spider-Man and ''ComicBook/IronMan'', inspired by an episode where she gained [[HowUnscientific superpowers from an accident involving Halloween decorations.]]
46** Addressed when [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Spider-Man]] teams up with the original cast of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. Spidey does all the heroing, while the comedians have the less spectacular (but still vital) task of keeping the audience from realizing anything's wrong.
47* ''Franchise/StarTrek'': James T. Kirk's ''Enterprise'' has been on both sides of this equation. In their brief team-up with the ComicBook/XMen, the latter's mutant powers were clearly no match for Federation technology (and, in the only one-on-one fight between the teams, Spock took out Wolverine effortlessly). When they crossed over with DC Comics instead, the ''Enterprise'' was helpless against a pack of [[ComicBook/GreenLantern hostile Red, Orange, and Yellow Lanterns]], and the crew had to receive power rings of their own to even compete.
48* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Whenever Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} is involved in a crossover, he often has to be weakened or somehow disabled for the plot to work. The best ones simply [[PlotTailoredToTheParty gave the guest stars something to do in the story that Superman could not do]], but this is not always done elegantly. Like [[https://web.archive.org/web/20060409001039/http://www.misterkitty.org/extras/stupidcovers/stupidcomics41.html the time he met the Quik Bunny]] or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_%26_Bugs_Bunny the entire DC verse crossover with the]] WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes.
49** ''ComicBook/SupermanBatman'' can be considered a case study in successfully teaming up very different heroes. Both are on equal grounds, and they face challenges each can contribute to solving, making a team far more effective than the sum of its parts. However, this trope was fully in force in their first crossover, where Batman's contribution consists of confirming that the only man on the cruise ship hiding a gun in his pocket is suspicious and having Superman throw Batman at the escaping helicopter because he was busy towing the disabled cruise ship back to port.
50** In ''ComicBook/SupermanAndSpiderMan'', Superman's second intercompany crossover with [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Spider-Man]], Spidey saves the day with his Spider-Sense (while Supes is busy holding a massive explosive gizmo together with his bare hands).
51[[/folder]]
52
53[[folder:Fan Works]]
54%%* Various ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' crossovers suffered from this trope, as the eponymous {{Humongous Mecha}}s from the latter series are much more powerful compared to the former.
55* This is a very common occurrence in ''Manga/DragonBall'' crossover fics; while the ''Dragon Ball'' universe is not the most powerful by any means, it is still a very powerful universe. As a result, many inexperienced fanfic writers would cross it over with fictional universes whose characters were ''significantly'' weaker. This was most common in the nineties, as the really well-known anime (''Anime/RanmaOneHalf'', ''Anime/SailorMoon'', ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'') were leagues beneath the power levels in the ''Manga/DragonBall'' universe, while universes that could compete with or even ''dominate'' ''Manga/DragonBall'' (''Anime/TenchiMuyo'', ''Manga/SaintSeiya'', Creator/MarvelComics) were unknown or underutilised. This has gotten even worse with the sequels introducing even more powerful characters, techniques, and transformations.
56* The ''Website/PrettyCureFanficFeatures'', due to crossing over a ''ton'' of stories on varying points of the Scale, tend to do this. If ''[[Fanfic/PrettyCurePerfumePreppy Perfume Preppy]]'' is in a feature with a bunch of casts from series that are as child-friendly as [[Anime/PrettyCure the source material]], no mention will be made of its various {{Family Unfriendly Death}}s and rather disgusting moments like [[spoiler:Ashley's cannibalistic mass murder spree]]. If ''[[Fanfic/PrettyCureHeavyMetal Heavy Metal]]'' is in there too, since it's even less child-friendly, the other fics in the pile will be made DarkerAndEdgier.
57** Other commonalities have to be made to make stories fit in, too. ''[[Fanfic/FutariWaPrettyCureBlueMoon Blue Moon]]'' features a two-Cure team who are part of a FiveManBand with their {{Secret Keeper}}s, and also a DarkMagicalGirl who plays a less major role: most other stories relegate all {{Muggles}} to the position of ThoseTwoGuys and make the DarkMagicalGirl super-important. Crossovers with ''Blue Moon'' thus remove Hoshi, Yukari and Mia entirely while playing up the role of [[spoiler:Emiru]].
58* ''FanFic/ADarkKnightOverSinCity'' has a mild example. Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}} and his rogues operate on a slightly different level than the ''ComicBook/SinCity'' characters. The [[AntiHero anti-heroes]] and villains in Sin City still serve important roles in the plot but when it comes to, say, explaining Scarecrow's weapons or Joker's toxin, they resort to BuffySpeak.
59* While on it, between 2003 and 2007 there were many crossovers between ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''Literature/HarryPotter''. While many of them were very well written, they were extremely prone to this trope, in both directions: If early seasons of BTVS were depicted, then a team of one physical fighter (Buffy), one slow (and then weak) witch (Willow) and two BadassNormal's (Giles/Xander) could not really make a difference against all Death Eaters, with their apparition, direct magic etc. By contrast, if BTVS was depicted post S7, then there was the simple fact that all Death Eaters combined could not match the power of Willow, not even taking hundreds of slayers, Giles, and rest into account.
60* While [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Shirou Emiya]] appears in ''Fanfic/JusticeSocietyOfJapan'', the fic is explicitly stated to take place before the fifth grail war, as the presence of Saber or Shirou mastering Unlimited Blade Works [[StoryBreakerPower would break the story's balance like a pinata]].
61* ''Fanfic/ToukenDanshiAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': Setting aside the fact the two crossed continuities are set ''3 centuries apart'' and feature completely different worldbuilding and cultures, the fic seems to forget ''VideoGame/ToukenRanbu'' swords' fighting style would be at a logical disadvantage to that of ''Literature/HarryPotter'''s spell-casting and constantly has the swords physically assault the wizards, while the wizards [[ForgotAboutHisPowers stand around doing nothing]].
62* In ''Fanfic/OpeningDangerousGates'', Lucy of ''Manga/FairyTail'' gains the ability to summon characters from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. The story establishes that even minor Bleach characters can solo all but the most top-tier Fairy Tail characters. To keep a balance, the story follows the Fairy Tail rule that a summoner is drained of magic proportional to the summoned being's strength and the summoned being returns to their world when the summoner's magic runs out. Also, just like Celestial Spirits, the Bleach characters cannot survive in Earthland indefinitely.
63* Oddly averted with crossovers between the anime universes of ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon]]'', ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'', and ''Anime/{{Bakugan}}'', which often ignore that canonically, the power levels of the three are very far apart.
64* Downplayed in ''Fanfic/TheMountainAndTheWolf'': While his available powers are far beyond what anyone in Westeros can muster (teleportation and Chaos magic, for starters) and there's only been two enemies the Wolf hasn't been able to curbstomp thus far ([[spoiler:the Night King and Drogon]], the former killed by someone else and the latter leaving him for dead), the fact that he only targets specific individuals (and though he doesn't know it, kills them around the same time that they died in the series canon) means he's not singlehandedly changing the course of history. [[AntiRoleModel The fact that his ideals are utterly insufferable]] to Daenerys and her court means there's little possibility of a teamup.
65* Also usually averted with ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' crossovers. Mario characters are usually just scaled to whatever power level is needed for the story. It helps that their limits aren't very well defined and tend to change from one game to the next.
66* In ''Fanfic/TheBridge'', despite there being a large difference in power between the strongest kaiju and the strongest Equestrians, measures were taken to avoid this. The Equestrians are still presented as very competent and having unique skill sets that complement the heroic kaiju's. And the situation the core group of kaiju are in require the Equestrians to get back to full strength. This was actively {{defied|Trope}} by the creator, as part of the inspiration for the fic was to do something different than a lot of other Godzilla crossovers that consisted of 'drop Godzilla into the other series and let him kill everything'.
67* ''Fanfic/TheDresdenFillies'' has the problem that, while [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] is a match for any non-alicorn, the foe he's up against -- Discord -- can ''only'' be taken out by the Elements of Harmony. Harry has to [[EscortMission bodyguard]] the main cast safely past his own rogue's gallery to that confrontation.
68* ''Fanfic/XCOMRWBYWithin'': Discussed in the author's note at the start of the story, which comments on the fact that bringing Team WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} into the world of ''VideoGame/XCOMLongWar'' with all their supernatural abilities at full strength would fall afoul of this trope to the point of [[InvincibleHero making the story boring to read]]... [[DefiedTrope So that's not going to happen in this story]], and the girls are BroughtDownToNormal as a consequence of being TrappedInAnotherWorld. [[spoiler:Temporarily.]]
69* ''Fanfic/KnightsOfTheOtherworld'' combined ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'' (superheroes fighting dangerous monsters from a mirror dimension) with ''Toys/EverAfterHigh'' (comedic SliceOfLife show about the school attended by the kids of famous FairyTale characters). As might be guessed, this meant that ''Ever After High'' was mostly used as a backdrop with the author's new characters being the only ones who got anything done.
70[[/folder]]
71
72[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
73* ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'': [[DeusExitMachina The movie keeps finding reasons not to have Superman around]]. First he's dead, then he's disoriented from being resurrected, then he's just goofing off with Lois and Martha. As soon as he ''does'' join the battle, though, the reasoning immediately becomes clear -- [[BigBad Steppenwolf]] is no match for Superman, despite being able to fight off every other member of the league simultaneously.
74** Mitigated a great deal in ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''. Superman does show up and kicks Steppenwolf's ass, but the Flash and Cyborg have paramount importance to stop the Unity, and Aquaman and Wonder Woman finish Steppenwolf off.
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:Literature]]
78* Occurs repeatedly in ''Literature/ISavedTooManyGirlsAndCausedTheApocalypse''. After getting sucked into multiple stories at the same time (starting with SummonEverymanHero and SpaceOpera), the protagonist frequently abuses resources from one story to solve problems in another (such as shooting the [[MaouTheDemonKing Demon King]] with a DisintegratorRay, and {{teleport|ation}}ing the [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield Sword in the Stone]] out of its resting place).
79* ''Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures'':
80** ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNewAdventuresAllConsumingFire All-Consuming Fire]]'' teams [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]] with Franchise/SherlockHolmes. Once they go to an alien planet, Holmes is portrayed as completely out of his depth, since his deductions depend on him having knowledge of the subject. Watson, who isn't all that different from a ''Doctor Who'' companion to start with, is absolutely fine.
81** Holmes and Watson return in the much later ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNewAdventuresHappyEndings Happy Endings]]'', with a relatively mundane mystery shoehorned into the plot to give them something to do.
82[[/folder]]
83
84[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
85* This issue comes up fairly often in crossovers between ''Franchise/ToeiTokusatsu'' series ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' and ''Franchise/KamenRider'', since Sentai teams fight [[MakeMyMonsterGrow giant monsters]] every episode with their HumongousMecha while Riders usually only fight human-sized foes.[[note]]The few Riders that do deal with bigger enemies, like [[Series/KamenRiderDenO Den-O]] and [[Series/KamenRiderKiva Kiva]], use special vehicles that don't quite qualify as mecha.[[/note]]
86** When Series/KamenRiderDecade crossed into the World of ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'', the MonsterOfTheWeek became an anomaly by stealing Diend's TransformationTrinket, making him more powerful but losing the ability to grow.
87** Series/KamenRiderGaim and Series/ResshaSentaiToQger's crossover did the opposite as ''Decade''/''Shinkenger'', having one of ''Gaim''[='s=] monsters grow (something they never did before or since) so the [=ToQgers=] could defeat it with their robot.
88** In ''Film/KamenRiderXSuperSentaiChouSuperHeroTaisen'', Series/KamenRiderExAid gets a PowerUp that makes him and his MiniMecha grow to gigantic size so he can help the Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger in battle.
89** Other times, the Rider gets to jump into the cockpit of the Sentai team's mecha and help out. In ''[[Film/KamenRiderXSuperSentaiSuperHeroTaisen Super Hero Taisen]]'', [[Series/TokumeiSentaiGobusters Yellow Buster]] gets injured and Series/KamenRiderFourze steps in to replace her, bringing his Astroswitches along. In ''[[Film/KamenRiderXSuperSentaiXSpaceSheriffSuperHeroTaisenZ Super Hero Taisen Z]]'', Series/KamenRiderWizard's BondCreature gets enlarged and combines with the [[Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger Kyoryugers]]' mecha. In ''[[Film/SuperHeroTaisenGPKamenRider3 Super Hero Taisen GP]]'', Series/KamenRiderDrive's CoolCar gets turned into a mecha and combines with the [[Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger Ninningers]]' robot for a one-time SuperMode.
90** ''Kamen Rider'' crossovers within the franchise itself aren't immune to this trope either.
91*** The annual crossover movies between the current Rider and his immediate predecessor usually take place in winter, around the time of the new Rider's first major powerup, while the old one will be coming in with all of their endgame powers and combat experience. Depending on the movie, the solution may be to keep the old Rider from being able to use their full powers until late in the movie, to present the new Rider as a SuperiorSuccessor whose first upgrade is on par with the old Rider's final form, or to give them both a powerup unique to the movie so that they're on par.
92*** ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'', which crosses over extensively with other Riders, opts to present the past Riders as all being vastly stronger and more skillful than Zi-O early on, but subjects most of them to depowering until he has enough time to grow to where he can match them (with the ''possible'' exception of Series/KamenRiderGaim, who was implied to have intentionally stepped back and allowed Zi-O to take care of the problem himself in order to learn a lesson -- and the fact that Zi-O truly ''learned'' that lesson had far more of an effect than joining him in battle would have).
93* Parodied on the first episode of ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'', with the superhero team of BMX Bandit and Angel Summoner. BMX Bandit can ride a BMX ''really'' well, while Angel Summoner can summon and control a horde of invincible celestial superbeings. For obvious reasons, BMX Bandit has a bit of an inferiority complex and feels he doesn't add much to the team.
94* The Creator/AdamWest ''Series/Batman1966'' show had a crossover with ''Series/TheGreenHornet'', despite the fact that the former is very silly and the latter is quite serious. This is proof that [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools tropes are not bad]] - it's considered one of the best TV crossovers ever made.
95* In ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'', the LegionOfDoom consists of a time-traveling speedster (Eobard Thawne) and two trained assassins (Malcolm Merlyn and Damian Darhk). Thawne has no problem treating the other two like lackeys, outright bragging that he could kill them faster than they could blink. They eventually join forces to coerce him into an actual partnership - with a little "help" from [[spoiler:the [[ClockRoaches Clock Roach]] hunting Thawne]].
96* The Muppets from ''Series/SesameStreet'' never broke character which created problems when Big Bird appeared on ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood''. Rogers wanted Creator/CarollSpinney to break character, but he refused so they compromised by only having Big Bird appear in the Land Of Make Believe segments and Spinney himself appear in the regular segments.
97* Done deliberately when ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' had its characters sucked into an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou''. The Winchesters deal with things much nastier than Mystery Inc's {{Scooby Doo Hoax}}es, so the former try to shield the latter from as much as possible and when Scooby and his friends ''do'' encounter gruesome murders and actual paranormal entities, they completely freak out.
98[[/folder]]
99
100[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
101* The players can cause this in any given table role-playing game, almost all of which begin with a team-up of brand new characters. The GM can deal with conflicting power levels by enforcing balance. The players may come to the table with different assumptions about what the genre's conventions are. They may play characters with vastly different ethical stances that simply can't reconcile. They may come with vastly different levels of knowledge of the rules of the game and different tolerances for bending those rules. They may be the only [[TheLoonie Loony]] in a group which quickly tires of their antics or the only [[TheRealMan Real Man]] when everyone else is in deep immersion gaming. Preventing these differences both in and out of character from becoming a Story Breaker Team-Up is important for making sure everyone has fun. The obvious example is from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', with its infamous trope-naming LawfulStupid, ChaoticStupid, and StupidEvil characters.
102* While it can be done, mixing the different character types from '' TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' or ''TabletopGame/WorldOfDarkness'' will also be... challenging.
103* This trope pretty well spelled the downfall of ''TabletopGame/AniMayhem''. When the game started off with shows like ''Anime/RanmaOneHalf'', ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'', and ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'', everything worked out pretty well; some characters were better at straight-up fights, while others had better skills and could be brought up to equal footing with equipment and enhancement effects. But then the second expansion added ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', and suddenly characters like [[Anime/DominionTankPolice Leona Ozaki]] couldn't do squat against the likes of Super Saiyan Goku.
104* Made possible in ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'' by the ''Daemon Hunter'' sourcebook, which included rules for playing as a Grey Knight -- a SuperSoldier with psychic powers, armour that, combined with his natural toughness, will stop pretty much every weapon the rest of the team might be carrying, and a gun that can blow any normal enemy into chunky salsa. Unless the rest of the team is composed entirely of high-level psychics and tech-priests, pretty much every combat situation the team gets into will either be instantly settled by the Grey Knight, or instantly fatal for everyone ''but'' the Grey Knight. The sourcebook itself recommends that a Grey Knight be used as a mere GuestStarPartyMember, or for a squad of them to be [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent played as a story interlude]].
105** Relatedly, crossing over ''Dark Heresy'' with its sibling gamelines such as ''TabletopGame/{{Deathwatch}}'' or ''TabletopGame/RogueTrader'' can lead to mixed parties of wildly different power levels, since fresh characters from those gamelines begin with more experience points and better equipment than ''Dark Heresy'' acolytes or ''TabletopGame/OnlyWar'' guardsmen. ''Deathwatch'' characters are also SuperSoldiers only a few steps removed from the Grey Knight above, leading to many of the same problems from the ''Daemon Hunter'' book.
106[[/folder]]
107
108[[folder:Video Games]]
109* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' has the [[Franchise/WinniethePooh 100 Acre Wood]] world, which is devoid of heartless and the worst conflict that arises is Pooh getting stuck in a hole in the wall. [[Franchise/KingdomHearts The franchise]] in general qualifies, bringing together characters from the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games and the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon (along with a few outside of canon). For the most part, the two have pretty separate audiences and fanbases, ''Final Fantasy'' going for teenagers and young adults while Disney aims for everyone else. ''Final Fantasy'' characters also run distinctly more toward the cynical end of the scale than most of the Disney franchises, which necessitated the ''Final Fantasy'' characters lighten up--though on the Disney end, that most of the Disney universes were facing a [[ApocalypseHow far darker, bleaker problem]] than their characters are used to (or, in cases like Winnie the Pooh and the WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians, cannot even comprehend) is a major element in the plot.
110* ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' solves this in one sense while being disadvantaged by it in another. The difference in powers between ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' and [[Franchise/TheDCU DCU]] characters is explained by mentioning that the universe merging directly affects the abilities of everyone involved, as well as spreading a HatePlague in order for LetsYouAndHimFight to ensue. However, DC's treatment of their intellectual properties meant that the ''Mortal Kombat'' side has to temporarily lose [[RatedMForMoney its extreme blood and gore]]... which, unfortunately for that series, is its entire selling point, period.
111** Also some DC characters, especially Superman, have their abilities weakened from the flux of magical energy while some characters, like Joker are supercharged by it. This is probably the only way Joker could beat Superman in a fair fight realistically.
112** It also helps that Superman is weak to the sorcery used by most ''Mortal Kombat'' characters and that the DC cast is holding back because most of the heroes don't like to kill others anyways while the more 'mortal' ''Mortal Kombat'' characters show no mercy. It gets averted hard when Joker reappears on ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11''- he can kill anyone he wants there.
113** Likewise, ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' solves the problem in a better way. The non-superpowered characters get ahold of special pills that make their bodies tough enough to go against the superpowered ones. Granted, this still doesn't explain some of the fights that occur ''before'' they come upon those pills. In ''Videogame/Injustice2'', story battles that pit Superman against less power characters like Batman usually justify it by stating [[WorfHadTheFlu he's in a weakened state]] usually involving Red Kryptonite.
114* To a minor extent, ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' and [[VideoGame/MetalGear Snake]]. An M-rated character battles heroes who are perfectly OK for the entire family? Wave goodbye to his realistic firearms. He gets to keep explosive arms, though. Ironically, VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} and [[VideoGame/Persona5 Joker]] get to keep their guns, though they still get heavily censored.
115* While Banpresto usually handles this trope quite well, ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' has had a few offenders in the past. What immediately comes to mind is ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsJudgment'', where the plot of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' is handled the exact same way despite the crossover drastically altering the circumstances. The most JustForFun/{{egregious}} case is [[spoiler:Mu La Flaga's HeroicSacrifice]], even though the various {{Super Robot|Genre}}s in the player's group could have ''easily'' [[spoiler:tanked the positron cannon]].
116** The first appearances of a series tend to stick closer to canon. Later ones get more wiggling room. Compare ''SEED'''s appearance in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsW'': [[spoiler:Mu lives. And so do a lot of other ''SEED'' characters]].
117** This becomes extremely obvious when the original work that the game is adapted from contains a plot-critical fight that the protagonists lose. Such as the Alliance invasion of Orb from ''SEED'' or the Mariemaia insurrection from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWingEndlessWaltz Endless Waltz]]''. The protagonist team would almost always fail to change the outcome of the battle no matter how overpowered they are. One of the best examples is the ''Endless Waltz'' finale in ''Z3''. Despite having robots like [[Anime/ShinMazinger Mazinger Z]], [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]], [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn Unicorn Gundam]], and [[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Evangelions]] on their side, the protagonists are still wiped out by Mariemaia Army's Serpents [[CutsceneIncompetence in a cutscene]].
118* The plot of ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' involves time being rewritten and past and present to be in the same place resulting in two Sonics, one modern, one classic. Problem is Sonic has gained a few powers and skills since the old days, resulting in modern Sonic easily outperforming his classic counterpart. The plot gets around this by having both Sonics have their own stages and bosses. Still, it can feel a little patronizing when Classic Sonic has bosses and stages that Modern Sonic could easily defeat, and Classic Sonic could not do anything if he went up against Modern Sonic's bosses. In fact, given that only the "Classic Era" has bosses from Classic games, Classic Sonic only has 1 boss fight and 1 rival fight (not counting the Time Eater since both Sonics fight that in their super forms) in the entire game, Death Egg Robot (3DS version has Big Arm instead) and Metal Sonic. The rest of the bosses and rivals are fought by Modern Sonic.
119* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsPhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' suffered from a bit of a balancing problem. The creator of Professor Layton [[WordOfGod admitted]] he basically took Phoenix Wright and made him better in every way to make the Professor. The only way for Phoenix to see any puzzle- or mystery-solving action in the game was for Professor Layton to be incapacitated for half the game.
120* ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur IV]]'' features {{Guest Fighter}}s from ''Franchise/StarWars'' -- specifically Yoda, Darth Vader, and [[VideoGame/StarWarsTheForceUnleashed Galen Marek]] (referred to as "The Apprentice"). The problems are obvious; if their lightsabers worked the way they should then every character in the game would be [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe sliced in half]] after the first hit. Instead, they're basically [[SetSwordsToStun glorified clubs]] used to whack the opponents until they're knocked out.
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124* The animations ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FywMOuMqNuI The Dark Knight Meets Superman]]'' and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeT1t0lQn5Q&feature=fvwrel The Dark Knight Meets Superman Part 2]]'' do this intentionally for parody. First Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} visits Gotham City during the events of ''Film/TheDarkKnight''. "Hey, bat-bro, I hope it's not a big deal, but while you were talking there, I went ahead and stopped crime. Like, all of it." Then this version of Batman stands in for Superman in Metropolis alongside the ComicBook/{{Justice League|of America}}. It doesn't go that well.
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128* ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'': InUniverse. Spot (Superdog) is a SupermanSubstitute with FlyingBrick powers who Peanut insists on playing in the grounded {{Xenofiction}} world of ''Pridelands''. Putting him in the place of a character slated to be sacrificed ruins the story, as there's no reason he can't just break his bindings and save everybody, which he does. Later, when they reach the scene that was a great battle in canon, Spot effortlessly fights off the bow-wielding warriors and ruins the tension.
129* It's a minor RunningGag in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' that Molly likes writing [[CrackFic crack]] crossover fanfics, such as ''Literature/TheBrothersKaramazov'' meet ''Literature/HaroldAndThePurpleCrayon'', [[Literature/GulliversTravels Gulliver]] versus [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} Mechagodzilla]], and Franchise/SherlockHolmes meets ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja''.
130* [[http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/09/05 This]] ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' comic.
131-->'''Green Lantern:''' What's the plan, Clark?\
132'''Superman:''' The plan is that I will solve everything, by myself, because I'm an invincible, immortal alien with unlimited power. If there's anything bad, I'll just pick it up and [[HurlItIntoTheSun throw it into the sun]].
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136* Shamus Young of ''Webcomic/DMOfTheRings'' fame approaches this topic when reviewing ''[[https://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=31743 Kai Leng]]'' from ''Mass Effect 3'', likening him to a ''D&D'' player who creates a character so tonally different from the rest of the party that they exist solely to divert all attention to themselves and make everyone else look like sidekicks.
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140* ''WebVideo/PoohsAdventures'' runs on this trope. The main character, Franchise/WinnieThePooh, crosses over with people like Batman, the ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'', the ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', and many others dipping into either a very high JustForFun/SuperWeight (even for a stuffed animal) or the [[DarkerAndEdgier darkest part of town]], or even both. Then there's the allies Pooh has, although not a lot of them could affect the plot, some ''do'' with just a few super powers.
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144* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'':
145** One episode had this trope inverted; Batman is transported to 1880s England, where he "teams up" with Franchise/SherlockHolmes and outclasses him in most ways. While Sherlock is no slouch (and discovers and reaches the villain's hideout before Batman), Batman fights better, can make {{Bat Deduction}}s with less information[[note]]although it does not help that being from the future, Batman is mostly running with ''more'' information -- this is best shown when they first meet, where Sherlock Holmes makes a near-perfect BatDeduction, providing a quick summary of Batman's backstory and only getting his nom-de-guerre slightly wrong, while Batman... has read enough history books to recognise Sherlock Holmes and provide recorded details.[[/note]] and can handle the clearly supernatural Gentleman Ghost while Holmes is made a victim.
146** And again with "The Super-Batman of Planet X!", where Batman is stranded on a strange, alien planet and teams up with the local near-identical Batman to foil crime. Then it turns out that thanks to the planet's atmosphere Batman becomes a FlyingBrick, much to the local Batman-X's chagrin. That is, until the [[KryptoniteIsEverywhere commonly occurring]] mineral ''[[WeaksauceWeakness Quartz]]'' renders him worse than powerless and allows Batman-X to save the day.
147** The show also has a crossover with ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' that manages to fix the story breaker. How, you ask? [[spoiler:RealityWarper Bat-Mite gives Batman, Robin, and the villains the ability to fight (since this is based off of the 60s cartoon, he can't even throw a punch). Then he gives it to Shaggy and Scooby, too. Ass-kicking ensues.]]
148%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewScoobyDooMovies'' in which Mystery, Inc. teamed with people like Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}, Series/TheAddamsFamily and Film/TheThreeStooges.
149* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' uses this effect intentionally in many of its sketches. As the series page puts it:
150-->Most sketches involve [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot "mashups"]], a collision of two pop-cultural items (one innocent, and the other "mature") degenerating into chaos, like [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario and Luigi]] travelling to [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Vice City]], WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead joining the WesternAnimation/{{Teen Titans|2003}}, the Scooby-Doo team encountering [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]], or ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'' doing their version of the movie ''Film/{{Se7en}}'' (Yes, all of these, even the last one, are actual sketches from the show).
151* [[WhatCouldHaveBeen If early concepts for]] ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie1986'' were used, it would be a cross-over with ''[[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers Transformers]]''.
152* It's difficult for ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' to have a genuine crossover with ''anything'' seeing as how they were only with ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' characters for twenty seconds in an episode of the latter. As the show is itself notorious for the use of the CutawayGag (eight times per episode usually!), a lack of them would stand out if they tried to really incorporate the theme of any other show. The fact that many of these gags already have other fictional characters in [[LawyerFriendlyCameo Lawyer Friendly Cameos]] also hurts it. This didn't stop them from having a [[Recap/FamilyGuyS13E1TheSimpsonsGuy crossover]] with ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
153* In the ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'' and ''Franchise/Ben10'' crossover ''Heroes United'', Rex and company are vastly outshined by Ben and the sheer quantity of powers he has at his disposal, which works for a while because for the first half of the episode he's an unwilling antagonist. He constantly has [[TheAce Rex]] on the backfoot when they fight despite the fact that Ben is holding back, and the fight only ends when he gives himself up willingly because he realizes he's no longer in his reality. When the Providence Defect Group tries to put him in a cell, Ben only stays to see how he can help and the second they inform him that he's their prisoner he turns into one of his aliens with intangibility powers and leaves the area. Then, in the latter half of the episode, Rex figures out that Ben isn't his enemy and they team up, only for Ben to obtain a new alien right at the start of the climax and having to spend a good portion of it figuring out what his new alien's powers are.
154* It's also very hard for ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' to have a genuine crossover with anything (except perhaps the other works of Creator/MikeJudge). It is arguably the most realistic animated show ever made and the inclusion of goofy looking cartoon characters would stick out like a sore thumb. The characters appeared for mere seconds in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. Even WordOfGod implied this was [[FakeCrossover just a gag]] and there's no way to have a genuine crossover with the show.
155* ''WesternAnimation/TheJimmyTimmyPowerHour'' [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this in the third installment. [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius Jimmy]]'s genius and [[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents Timmy]]'s access to magic means that facing their respective foes together is child's play. This leads them to literally CreateYourOwnVillain [[ChallengeSeeker so they can have a challenge]].
156* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': "Say Uncle" is a FakeCrossover with ''WesternAnimation/UncleGrandpa'', where Uncle Grandpa's use of ToonPhysics in his attempts to help Steven master his Gem powers drives the other Crystal Gems up the wall.
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