If you’re a comics nerd you are well aware that there are two superhero comicverses. They are the the cosmologies of Marvel (Spider-Man, the Avengers, the X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy and so on) and DC (Superman, Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa etc).
If you are not a comics nerd then you probably don’t think about it very often, let alone have screaming internet fights over who would win in a fight between the Hulk and the Flash or make fan art of the DC Captain Marvel making out with the Marvel one. But it’s generally acknowledged that the two realms of existence do not overlap.
That is, UNTIL NOW (dun dun DUUUUUUUNNNNNN.
In a new edition of Marvel’s Tony Stark: Iron Man comic the titular character expresses his disdain for metaphysics – which in our universe means questioning the very nature of identity and reality, and in comics tends to mean magic and swirly patterns to get characters out of dangerous plot holes – with the following bit of self-talk:
“I see a problem I blast it or buy it or give it robotic shoes. Metaphysics? That’s my kryptonite.”
Kryptonite, as you’re likely aware, is a fictitious mineral which robs Superman of his powers, despite being ample upon his home planet of Krypton where it was presumably giving everyone who lived there space-cancer. How did they even survive long enough to blow up?
Anyway, it’s from the DC universe and therefore suggests that Iron Man is across the lore of DC. Will Shazam lament the absence of vibranium in some future comic?
And more importantly, does this DC and Marvel co-existing mean that we are moving towards some sort of pop culture singularity? Is… is this a sign that everything is moving toward its end?
Mind you, on the current trajectory we assume that Disney will own all intellectual property on the planet by 2025 and the world will finally get to see the Justice Avengers teaming up to take on The Simpsons and Bluey before we finally vanish into a cartoon mouse-shaped black hole.
It is our destiny.