Superman's most surprising enemy comes from the Marvel Universe... Kingpin. In 1996, Marvel and DC made comic book history when they partnered together on a DC Versus Marvel crossover miniseries, that saw their two superhero universes collide. It wasn't the first time the two comic book publishers had worked together, but it was easily the most spectacular.
Most of the attention focused on the prize fights, as readers were invited to vote on who they thought would win these scraps. The X-Men's Storm proved too much for Wonder Woman, Robin tied up Jubilee before getting to first base with her, and Wolverine successfully shredded Lobo. But the really interesting stories were told in the background, with supervillains transported from one reality to another. As a result of this pan-universal chaos, Superman wound up dealing with an unexpected new threat - Wilson Fisk.
The Kingpin was one of the first people to be transported from one dimension to another, and he found himself stranded in Metropolis. He took advantage of this new universe to ditch his reputation as a criminal mastermind, and swiftly raised a small fortune - probably through nefarious means. Superman had probably done a good job of clearing out all Metropolis' low-level criminals, but he was somewhat distracted by the A-plot, so Kingpin would have had an easy time of it. And then, in a hilarious plot twist, Kingpin bought the Daily Planet. He promptly fired Perry White and hired another refugee from the Marvel Universe - J Jonah Jameson. Jameson, for his part, jumped at the chance to turn the Daily Planet into the next Daily Bugle, and promptly hired some familiar faces... including one Peter Parker.
The scene was set for what could easily have been one of the most entertaining team-ups in comic book history, with Peter Parker and Clark Kent working together against the Kingpin. Hilariously, the two were wary of exposing themselves to one another, and as a result both desperately avoided suiting up. Sadly, though, the promise of this team-up was never fulfilled. The DC Versus Marvel event rumbled on, largely forgetting these B- and C-level plots in favor of superhero fisticuffs.
In the end, Kingpin was deposed by Superboy and Spider-Man, with the Boy of Steel threatening Kingpin into selling the Planet once again. Then the universes separated, the various heroes and villains returning to their own realities, and the whole escapade was forgotten. But, for a little bit, Kingpin was one of Superman's biggest threats. It can only go down as one of the worst missed opportunities in comics.
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June 18, 2020 at 04:57AM
