The nice thing about superhero comics is that it allows writers and artists to create alternate versions of Marvel and DC characters and make them stand out when compared to their normal versions. Here’s a few of the best ones.
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Comics featuring alternate versions of Marvel and DC characters
Batman: Earth One
You know how Batman almost always seems to be the most skilled individual in nearly every area that involves the human body or mind? Well, the opposite is true for Batman: Earth One. The Earth One line of graphic novels reimagines superheroes for the modern day and across three volumes, Bruce Wayne is a man willing to do whatever it takes to bring criminals to justice. Unfortunately for him, he isn’t as skilled as the normal version of Batman that we all know and love.
From chasing criminals across rooftops and falling down a few stories to stepping on evidence at a crime scene and even punching Commissioner Gordon by accident, this Dark Knight isn’t the best at his job, but that’s what makes his stories compelling. He’s a truly ordinary guy (even though he definitely has money) who manages to get things done because of his willpower.
Jurassic League
It’s a little uncommon to see animal versions of superheroes, but they still exist. In this case, one version of the Justice League and their villains are made up of dinosaur versions of the iconic characters and they’re called the Jurassic League. Superman is a brachiosaurus, Wonder Woman is a triceratops, Batman is an allosaurus, etc.
Of course, the origins of these characters stay consistent with their human counterparts, except for the fact that these do-gooders are reptilians. Superman was raised by a couple of humans, Batman’s parents were ripped apart by an evil dinosaur, etc. The members of the Jurassic League must join forces with one another to stop the terrible plan Darkseid has for their prehistoric homeworld.
Injustice
The Joker became who he is because of “one bad day” and the Clown Prince of Crime is already an extreme threat in the DC Universe. So what would happen if someone like Superman, who’s probably the most pure-hearted character in all of fiction, experienced a truly terrible day? The answer is Injustice.
The Injustice games are set five years after the Joker orchestrated a terrible event to break the Big Blue Boy Scout since he got bored of playing with Batman. Clark Kent was tricked into killing his pregnant wife Lois, whose heart was connected to a nuke. Once Lois was dead, the nuke detonated and killed millions of people in Metropolis. From there, an enraged Superman killed the Joker and became a tyrant, with Batman leading a resistance group and multiple DC heroes and villains choosing to support either faction.
From there, Superman has no qualms about killing whoever is in his way and the Injustice comics chronicle his brutal five-year reign until the events of the first Injustice game.
Spider-Man 2099
While Peter Parker always has an upbeat attitude and cracks jokes while on the job, the same can’t be said for the more severe Miguel O’Hara. Created by writer Peter David, Miguel comes from the dystopian year of 2099 and works as a scientist for Alchemax. He ends up becoming Spider-Man after an accident occurs at his workplace, but doesn’t have the exact same powers as Peter does. For example, Miguel has talons that can be used to cling to surfaces as well as night vision and fangs that can inject people with venom to paralyze them.
These days, future Spidey’s putting his abilities to good use by stopping various bad guys in the future like Scorpion 2099 and Venom 2099 and occasionally teaming up with other webhead variants to stop multiversal threats. Initially, Miguel believed that his powers made him a monster, but he still continued to act like a hero. He even worked with Captain America to save the world and was deemed worthy to wield Mjolnir. Yeah, THAT Mjolnir, the same hammer that Thor wields.
Agent Venom
Usually, Eddie Brock is the guy you’re thinking of when you envision Venom. However, Brock isn’t the only human the symbiote has attached itself to after Spider-Man got it off of him. One of those hosts is Flash Thompson, a disabled American soldier and former bully of Peter Parker. After Venom was removed from the Scorpion (its previous host and a Spidey bad guy), Thompson was given the chance to serve his country once more as Agent Venom.
Initially, Flash couldn’t be bonded with Venom for more than two days, otherwise it was believed the alien would completely control him. However, through their adventures, the human and the symbiote developed a good relationship where they respected and trusted one another. From joining the Guardians of the Galaxy and finding the planet inhabiting other symbiotes to working with Ghost Rider, X-23, and Red Hulk to stop Hell from spreading on Earth, these two have been through a lot.
Hulk: The End
Another Peter David creation, Hulk: The End shows the final adventure of the Green Goliath in the far future. This version of the Hulk is adamant that he doesn’t need anyone in his life, not his friends, not his enemies, and not even his alter ego Bruce Banner. Nearly all humans have died from a war fought long ago and the only survivor is an elderly Hulk, who roams the desolate wasteland while trying to keep puny Banner locked in the prison that is his mind.
Once Bruce realizes that there’s nothing left for him on Earth, he tries to end his life, but the Hulk makes that task difficult. Eventually, Bruce is able to die while the Hulk is in control of his body and The Strongest One There Is realizes too late that he’s truly alone now since Bruce isn’t accompanying him any longer. It’s a dark tale that shows what happens when you hold onto your anger and believe you have no need for other people in your life.
