The cinematic rivalry between comic book power houses Marvel and DC is perhaps one of the largest in the industry. It is no coincidence that DC’s largest comic book hero showdown in cinematic history (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) was closely followed by Marvel’s (Captain America: Civil War), in terms of scheduling. With the latter receiving a far more positive reaction, Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman has been a point of controversy.
It is therefore unsurprising that Marvel would take every opportunity they can to take digs at the film.
An issue of Spider-Man/Deadpool featured a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice parody poster for ‘Nighthawk v Hyperion: Yawn of Boredom’.
That was soon followed by a moment in Uncanny X-Men Annual #1 in which Domino killed two guards who were in the middle of telling a story with remarkable likeness to a major scene in Batman v Superman. That is of course, the infamous ‘Martha’ scene.
Marvel’s most recent dig at the film doesn’t hit as hard, but certainly gives the impression that this is becoming a habit of theirs. Batman v Superman was a disappointment, it has to be said, so Marvel could find satisfaction simply from their success and leave it at that. At this point, it seems as though they’re making the most of it:
The call out appeared in this week’s Old Man Logan #14. The issue kicks off a brand new arc that sees Dracula summoning the vampires of the Marvel Universe to his home in Transylvania.
Logan’s former sidekick, Jubilee, is one of those vampires, who was turned during the events of the “Curse of the Mutants” storyline in 2010-2011. Logan hears about Jubilee’s disappearance and ends up travelling to Transylvania, where he runs into the Howling Commandos – SHIELD’s supernatural task force, including the likes of Teen Abomination, Man-Thing, Hit-Monkey, and their leader Warwolf.
After the obligatory fight, Logan is told by the Howling Commandos that they’re searching for their Vampire by Night, their teammate who also disappeared having been summoned by Dracula. Agreeing to cooperate, they are then ambushed by Dracula himself. The issue ends with Dracula sinking his fangs into Logan’s neck on the final page.
The reference to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice appears in the text tease for the next issue of Old Man Logan, which reads, “NEXT: OLD MAN LOGAN VS DRACULA: DAWN OF JUSTICE”.
“Old Man Logan vs. Dracula” grabs enough attention on its own. The addition of “Dawn of Justice” shows Marvel just can’t resist. Three consecutive digs at Batman v Superman in recent months, we can only wonder how long this will go on before Marvel get bored. Perhaps they never will… though I imagine DC fans might.
Old Man Logan #14 is on sale now.