It won't be long before the DC and Marvel's next crossover will happen, but we got a major clue just a few years ago.

In case you missed it, both next for DC and Marvel.

DC and Marvel's Shared Amalgam Universe is the Key to New Crossover

In case you aren't familiar, the Amalgam Universe is a world created during the 1996 crossover event DC vs. Marvel/Marvel vs. DC. In this series, both universes are represented by cosmic entities known as the Brothers, who become aware of one another and proceed to fight using their greatest champions. However, at the height of the battle, the two worlds are merged by the Spectre and the Living Tribunal to stop the Brothers from destroying one another, and create a brand-new world, the Amalgam Universe.

This new world is occupied by fusions of Marvel and DC characters such as Dark Claw and Super-Soldier. DC Comics and Marvel Comics even created a t imprint called Amalgam Comics and released dozens of books that gave fans an in-depth look into this strange new world. Despite the actions of Doctor Strangefate, who wanted to keep the Amalgam Universe together, the worlds were eventually separated by a hero known as Acces. However, the Amalgam Universe did live on as a pocket dimension under Access' safekeeping.

...one DC hero actually visited the Amalgam Universe not too long ago

Because of the shared nature of the Amalgam Universe and Access, Marvel Comics and DC Comics have rarely acknowledged this event, especially once their crossovers fizzled out in the early 2000s. But one DC hero actually visited the Amalgam Universe not too long ago. In Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 by Mark Waid, Dan Jurgens, and Norm Rapmund, the Flash runs all over the recently expanded multiverse and creates a chart of all the worlds he encounters. The most curious world is Earth-1996, a world of “mysterious ‘amalgamated' heroes” that Flash believes requires investigation.

DC and Marvel's Shared World is the Perfect Way to Bring Them Together

If They're Crossing Over, Why Not Go As Big As Possible?

Marvel vs DC

I know the Big Two don't need to have convoluted reasons for bringing their characters together and that it could be something as simple as having Spider-Man come to Gotham or Flash accidentally phase into the Marvel Universe. But what I find fascinating is that the Amalgam Universe canonically exists in both publishers' multiverses. In the DCU, it's Earth-1996, but in the Marvel Universe, it's designated Earth-9602. But due to the fact that both companies share the Amalgam Universe, it has to be the same world, meaning the Amalgam Universe acts as a ‘bridge’ of sorts between Marvel and DC.

Let’s be real for a second. Amalgam Comics is one of the coolest things Marvel and DC ever did. It was incredibly creative and it was a major hit with the fans, so much so that people are still talking about it, even though Marvel and DC stopped collaborating over 20 years ago. Now hype is at an all-time high over the prospect of the Big Two interacting once again. So why not capitalize on that and bring DC and Marvel’s worlds together again with their greatest intercompany creation?

Amalgam Comics is one of the coolest things Marvel and DC ever did.

Maybe I'm just holding out hope because I really liked Amalgam Comics. But I just don't think that DC Comics snuck a reference to the Amalgam Universe with no greater plan in mind. Could it just be an Easter egg? Probably. But efforts like crossovers take a while to make happen and the companies could have been discussing this as far back as 2022, just in time for one publisher to highlight one of their most infamous crossovers with their biggest rival and lay the groundwork for a new DC/Marvel venture.

Marvel and DC's Return to the Amalgam Universe Has Great Potential

Who Knows How That World Has Changed in Nearly 30 Years?

Amalgam Age Heroes Marvel and DC

Yes, there are a lot of things a new Marvel and DC crossover could explore. But both worlds have changed so much since the mid-'90s. Now would be the perfect time for both companies to use the Amalgam Universe as the linchpin of their new crossover so that fans could see what a modern take on Amalgam Comics would be like. While everyone's taking bets on how this crossover will shake out, I'm putting my money on DC and Marvel reuniting with the Amalgam Universe.