History Main / RedSkiesCrossover

* ''Series/{{Buffy|The Vampire Slayer}}'' and ''Series/{{Angel}}'' both cameoed in each other's season premieres. ...kind of. A despondent Angel calls someone, then hangs up as soon as she answers. She doesn't identify herself, but it's Sarah Michelle Gellar on the other end. Buffy's side of the call is shown in "The Freshman".
** In ''Buffy''[='s=] last season, The First dispatches her people (The Bringers) across the globe to eradicate the entire Slayer line. Faith was cooling off in prison for a few years, but after an attempt on her life by a bribed inmate (a ''very'' rare Buffy/Angel crossover in the final years) she manages to break free. You wouldn't think it anything but a common jailhouse shanking, if not for the lingering shot of a Bringer knife.

* The [[TooSoon delayed]] and much hyped ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'', ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' and ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' three-part crossover ended up this. There were some shared characters, but the only thing that tied the stories together was that the main cast for each was trapped in their houses by a hurricane, and the leads of the three shows meet up in the very last minute of ''American Dad''[='=]s episode.

* ''Series/{{Buffy|The Vampire Slayer}}'' and ''Series/{{Angel}}'' both cameoed in each other's season premieres. ...kind of. A despondent Angel calls someone (she doesn't identify herself, but it's Sarah Michelle Gellar on the other end), then hangs up as soon as she answers. Buffy's side of the call is shown in "The Freshman".
** In ''Buffy''[='s=] last season, The First dispatches her people (The Bringers) across the globe to eradicate the entire Slayer line. Faith was cooling off in prison for a few years, but after an attempt on her life by a bribed inmate (a ''very'' rare Buffy/Angel crossover in the final years) she manages to break free. You wouldn't think it anything but than a common jailhouse shanking, if not for the lingering shot of a Bringer knife.

* Averted when the Casket of Ancient Winters was opened during ''ComicBook/TheSurturSaga'' in ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'', many other Marvel titles were smacked with impossible blizzards on top of what they are dealing with at the time. Usually, the characters had little or no knowledge of what exactly was going on in ''Thor'', but on the other hand, none of them were bannered as crossovers - it was just a GeniusBonus for people reading ''Thor'' and any of the other titles.

* All the original ''ComicBook/SecretWars'' crossovers simply consisted of a few panels of the character disappearing and reappearing from the miniseries, [[UnbuiltTrope because the pattern for how to tie a crossover series into a character's own book hadn't been set yet]].

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* The invasion of the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy alien Xorn]] in the ''Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'' was this. In any campaign other than the primary Global Guardians game, the "invasion" consisted of perhaps an afternoon of beating up alien warriors, or helping in a recovery effort ''after'' a primary battle. In the Global Guardians campaign, the characters were fighting the Xorn for weeks, invading their mother ship, and eventually successfully driving them off. As one player in the Denver Defenders campaign put it, "anyone else feel like a benchwarmer?"
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* ''Series/{{Buffy|The Vampire Slayer}}'' and ''Series/{{Angel}}'' both cameoed in each other's season premieres. ...kind of. A despondent Angel calls someone (she doesn't identify herself, but it's Sarah Michelle Gellar on the other end), then hangs up as soon as she answers. Buffy's side of the call is shown in "The Freshman". This was mostly due to Buffy doing a ChannelHop from The WB to UPN, but Angel remained on the WB.

** And then we get the big one, ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'', which runs through all five major series -- ''Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow'' and the brand new ''Series/{{Batwoman 2019}}'', drags in ''Series/BlackLightning2018'' (due to that show being filmed in Atlanta, only Jefferson will appear elsewhere during the crossover) and drags in just about every possible television series and movie it can possibly fit in, up to and including ''Series/Batman1966''.

** The CW proudly advertised a crossover between every show across the entire week as part of the "Invasion" Arc. ''[[Series/{{Supergirl2015}} Supergirl]]'' however, being set on a different Earth from the other shows, was an entirely normal episode with Barry Allen only appearing at the end to recruit her. She ''did'' go one to play a large role in the crossover, but her show was barely involved.

-->'''Earth-66 Dick Grayson:''' Holy Crimson Skies of Death!

** And then we get the big one, ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'', which runs through all five major series -- ''Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow'' and the brand new ''Series/{{Batwoman 2019}}'', drags in ''Series/BlackLightning2018'' (due to that show being filmed in Atlanta, only Jefferson will appear elsewhere during the crossover) and drags in just about every possible television series and movie it can possibly fit in, up to and including ''Series{Batman1966''.

** And then we get the big one, ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'', which runs through all five major series -- ''Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow'' and the brand new ''Series/{{Batwoman 2019}}'', drags in ''Series/BlackLightning2018'' (due to that show being filmed in Atlanta, only Jefferson will appear elsewhere during the crossover) and drags in just about every possible television series and movie it can possibly fit in, up to and including ''Series/{{Batman}}''.
-->''Earth-66!Dick Grayson'': Holy Crimson Skies of Death!

** And then we get the big one, ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'', which runs through all five major series -- ''Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow'' and the brand new ''Series/{{Batwoman 2019}}'', drags in ''Series/BlackLightning2018'' and drags in just about every possible television series it can possibly fit in, up to and including ''Series/{{Batman}}''.

* ''Series/{{Buffy|The Vampire Slayer}}'' and ''Series/{{Angel}}'' both cameoed in each other's season premieres. ...kind of. A despondent Angel calls someone (she doesn't identify herself, but it's Sarah Michelle Gellar on the other end), then hangs up as soon as she answers. Buffy's side of the call is shown in "The Freshman".

** It's especially blatant with the ''Alphas'' character. A perfectly normal doctor who never mentions the events of one show to the characters of another, viewers genuinely wondered if it was just actor re-use before we heard her name. Nothing would change if another character had been used; world-building is nice, but nothing was done with her beyond there being one minor character who occasionally popped up in other shows so we could say HeyItsThatGuy.

** The futuristic super science of Eureka is never pitted against the magic (or [[ShizoTech steampunk super science]]) of the Warehouse. When Warehouse agent Claudia shows up in Eureka, the plot has nothing to do with an artifact though she does take the device that instigated it as a souvenir. The Warehouse 13 and Eureka crossovers are more notable for a chunk of the actors from Eureka having [[YouLookFamiliar guest starred as characters of the week]] in season one of Warehouse 13.

** ''Alphas'' is about superhuman paranormal abilities. ''Warehouse 13'' has multiple agents with such powers, but they send a relatively minor, and perfectly normal character for the crossover.
** The futuristic super science of Eureka is never pitted against the magic of the Warehouse, and when Warehouse agent Claudia shows up in Eureka, the plot has nothing to do with an artifact.

* Creator/CartoonNetwork's 2007 ''Invaded'' event featured a group of aliens having encounters with the inhabitants of WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends, [[WesternAnimation/EdEddnEddy the cul-de-sac crew]], the student body of [[WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey Charles Darwin Middle School]], the campers of [[WesternAnimation/CampLazlo Camp Kidney]], and [[WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy Grim, Billy, and Mandy]], who, unsurprisingly, are the ones to ultimately defeat the aliens. The only real crossover moments came in the ''My Gym Partner's A Monkey'' installment, which had a newspaper article showing Ed, Edd & Eddy and alluding to the events of their episode, the same aliens that appeared in ''Camp Lazlo'' arriving in ''Grim Adventures'' to begin the invasion proper, and an alternate [[TheStinger credits scene]] for the ''Billy and Mandy'' episode showing kidnapped characters from the previous shows.

* The CW proudly advertised a crossover between every show in the ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' across the entire week as part of the "Invasion" Arc. ''[[Series/{{Supergirl2015}} Supergirl]]'' however, being set on a different Earth from the other shows, was an entirely normal episode with Barry Allen only appearing at the end to recruit her. She ''did'' go one to play a large role in the crossover, but her show was barely involved.

Since then, most Crisis Crossovers have had at least a few. For example, in ''Infinite Crisis'', a squad of blue cyborgs would rampage through a few panels and then fly off, leaving the characters (and the reader) wondering what the heck that was before going on with the story.

** In ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'', a mid-credits scene shows Scott in the Quantum Realm harvesting energy. Meanwhile, in his home dimension, [[spoiler:the Pym family suddenly disintegrates]] (thus rendering the whole movie a ShaggyDogStory). Those who have seen ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' would recognize what just happened.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]

->''"At any rate, we have here the current form of Marvel crossover taken to its logical extreme – an event where anything can qualify as a crossover, just as long as it ''isn’t'' in continuity. There’s pretty much nowhere further to go from there, unless you’re going to do a crossover called ''Shit Happens''."''

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* In the original ''Comicbook/{{Inferno}}'' crossover, one of the first that Creator/MarvelComics did involving all series in their universe, most crossover issues not directly connected to the [[Comicbook/XMen X-titles]] featured minor content at best, or at worst, totally contradictory writing to the actual central story. One of the more significant tie-ins not directly related to the main story was in ''Comicbook/TheAvengers'', as the team had just dissolved in #297. Issue #298 gave us an entire issue of Edwin Jarvis fighting off demonic creatures in Manhattan, and issues #299-300 dealt with a new team being formed to rescue Franklin Richards from N'astirh. It seems odd that once they got Franklin back, the new Avengers didn't do anything further to fight the demons, though their priority was to get Franklin home, and Reed and Sue were living on Long Island at the time (as they'd retired from the Comicbook/FantasticFour at the time), so it's at least possible that by the time the team got back to Manhattan, the X-Men and X-Factor had already wrapped things up. Oddly enough, Comicbook/{{Excalibur}}, despite having a main ''Inferno'' header on its tie-in issue covers (unlike ''Avengers'' which had a corner tab indicating its lesser tie-in status), didn't have any impact on the main story, and only served to strand the team in New York for a bit with Comicbook/CaptainBritain's [[AmplifierArtifact suit]] trashed.

[[folder:Film]]

[[folder:Web Original]]

* When [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] attempts to escape his review of ''Lunatik #1'', he is captured three months later just outside Molossia. It's not stated outright, but since Linkara takes part in [[WebVideo/{{Kickassia}} the Nostalgia Critic's invasion of the micronation]], that's why he was there.
* Many Blog/AskAPony blogs recognized the climax of ''Ask King Sombra'' by having their protagonists look to the north and see the pillar of light from the climax.

* Subverted during ''The ComicBook/{{OMAC}} Project'', a mini-CrisisCrossover that helped set the stage for ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. One of the key plot points for both crossovers -- WonderWoman killing Max Lord to break his mind control over Comicbook/{{Superman}} -- took place in WonderWoman's own title. Despite [[Creator/DCComics DC]] hyping the issue, most believed that it would merely be a Red Skies Crossover. Instead, the only reference to the event during the main MiniSeries was an incomplete {{flashback}}. Readers truly did need to read ''Wonder Woman'' to get the full story, which annoyed many fans. The Wonder Woman issue in question ''was'' included in the trade paperback collection of ''The O.M.A.C. Project'', as well as DC's ''Countdown to Infinite Crisis'' one-shot.

* ''ComicBook/CableAndDeadpool'' did a really small CrossOver with ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' that lasted one issue (they were conveniently out of the universe during most of it). It was so small that if you go back and read the trade you probably won't even realize it was part of ''House Of M''.

* At first the ''GreenLantern'' ''ComicBook/ZeroHour'' crossover issue seemed to be one, with the whole comic dealing with Kyle Rayner's recent tragedy and his first meeting with the Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott who gives him a primer about the Green Lantern legacy and about the Silver Age Green Lantern Hal Jordan, who at that time has recently gone crazy, has destroyed the whole Green Lantern Corps, and has disappeared. Alan then informs Kyle that he may be called in to help stop Hal the next time he shows up. It seemed that the only connection to the crossover was the last page where Comicbook/{{Superman}} and [[ComicBook/NewGods Metron]] arrive seeking his help. [[spoiler:But later on, it apparently can be regarded as a subversion of this trope when it is revealed near the end that Hal Jordan himself is the BigBad of the Crisis event, and since the Green Lantern issue is [[{{Foreshadowing}} the only comic in the crossover that has really brought him up]] before TheReveal.]]

* The [[TooSoon delayed]] and much hyped ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'', ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' and ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' three-part crossover ended up this. There were some shared characters, but the only thing that tied the stories together was that the main cast for each was trapped in their houses by a Hurricane. At the very end the three main characters meet, but it finishes soon after.

The name's taken from the original Crisis Crossover, ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''. Almost every comic in Franchise/TheDCU was involved, but in many cases, the "involvement" was just characters looking up and wondering why the skies were red.

* Since ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' and ''Manga/XxxHOLiC'' 's stories are somehow running parallel-ly, and occasionally [[CrisisCrossover interconnect]] with each other, it is no surprise that during both of the movies, there is a scene where the characters from ''TRC'' are talking to Yuuko via cute-little-magical-pet. However the scene only has relevance to the ''TRC'' movie plot. For people watching the ''[=XxxHOLiC=]'' movie, it's just an [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment irrelevant scene]].

* ''ComicBook/CableAndDeadpool'' did a really small CrossOver with ''ComicBook/HouseOfM'' that lasted one issue (they were conveniently out of the universe during most of it.) It was so small that if you go back and read the trade you probably won't even realize it was part of ''House Of M''.

* ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection'' took place while the Dominion War was in full swing on ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', but very deliberately kept the war offscreen and only referenced it in dialogue a few times — usually about how the war is straining the Federation's resources and ability to keep its allies together. Picard grumbles about the Enterprise being stuck on diplomatic duties, and villain Ru'afo references the war as being evidence that the Federation is old and dying; also, the Son'a are said to produce Ketracel White, a drug essential to Dominion soldiers. Screenwriter Michael Piller explained that he didn't want to alienate audience members who didn't watch the show. Another reason was that some countries still hadn't caught up to where ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' was in the US and Canada, so hence they kept references small to prevent major spoilers.

* ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' and ''ComicBook/TranformersUnicron'' has an interesting example. Neither book crosses with the other, though characters noting that TheStarsAreGoingOut across the universe. Events in both storylines separately contributing to this and both sides remain oblivious to each other.