Deadpool/Batman #1, the first inter-company comic crossover between Marvel and DC in several decades, will be released in just a matter of days. And yet, there are already spoilers for it out there. I have, mostly, managed to avoid these spoilers, outside of a headline that was accidentally served up to me while I was searching for something from this article.
Panels and pages from the highly-anticipated crossover issue have already made their way online, seemingly from at least one comic retailer who was able to take pictures of their physical copies in store. Even if a fan hasn’t clicked on an article about these spoilers, they’ve probably had to dodge the photos in some form or fashion on social media. That’s because, unsurprisingly, some fans have taken the spoilers as an excuse to freely talk about the book as if it’s already out, sharing their vocal opinions on certain character team-ups or smaller details without the full context, and without any sort of extra warning.
Like I said, this is unsurprising. It feels like it happens with media all of the time, to the point of “leaked” post-credits scenes for Marvel movies becoming a joke in and of themselves. But the fact that it happens all the time doesn’t make it any less aggrivating… especially in this context.
Stop Doing This!
Think back to your happiest Christmas as a kid: one that was special not just because of the epic presents you got, but because of the experience of opening those presents alongside your loved ones. Now, imagine how differently that Christmas would have gone if, a few days or even a few hours before you gathered around the Christmas tree, a random stranger approached you and told you what was inside of every wrapped present. You would probably have a fleeting sense of excitement, which would evolve into disappointment once you realized that the surprise had been taken away from you. It would then impact how you and your loved ones go about the day.
That’s what modern spoiler culture feels like to me, across movies, television, and comics. Whether we even want it to or not, it is robbing us of the experience of getting to genuinely enjoy something for the first time, and it is also robbing the art of the full context that it was made to be enjoyed in. That is the case for any piece of art, but it’s especially frustrating for a work that is as big of a deal as this Batman and Deadpool crossover.
It can not be overstated how much of a logistical miracle Deadpool/Batman #1 (and its DC equivalent, November’s Batman/Deadpool #1) are. In the tapestry of comic history, it has been rare for the two companies to be publicly cordial with each other, much less be on good enough terms to co-publish something of this magnitude. And the amount of work that goes into making any comic, but especially an anthology filled with multiple characters and creative teams and layers of editorial oversight, is massive. Given how much the comics industry has evolved amid the COVID-19 pandemic and distribution changes and shifts in readers’ habits, it’s disheartening that fans are so quick to spoil things (for themselves, and others) and to judge a body of work before it’s even officially here.
You can have your own qualms about which characters are paired together in Deadpool/Batman #1, but you can’t deny that this is a big deal… one that has seemed nearly impossible for most of the Internet age. The fact that that collaboration is not only possible, but has gotten to the point of producing four one-shots (two mystery ones are already confirmed for 2026), still boggles my mind. It’s not quite a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but its pretty close… and I personally want my experience of reading those one-shots for the first time to feel like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as well. Is that too much to ask for?
Deadpool/Batman #1 will be available wherever comics are sold on Wednesday, September 17th. Check back with The Mary Sue then for our actual coverage of the book.
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