How To Write Marvel Fanfiction

Criss Cross Applesauce Spoons In The Pot

I just took melatonin and if this chapter is shit (more shit than usual) than I take no responsibility because I don't edit this damned thing, we die like men here, thank you very much. 

Okay, so crossovers.

Like, they're not suuuuper common in Marvel fanfiction, but the occasional DC character does tend to trip and fall into Marvel fanfic so, it's worth mentioning.

The first, and what should be the most obvious, thing here is that you should always disclose that your fic is a crossover. Even if DC characters are only mentioned in passing or whatever, you still gotta tag that shit. It's so weird to go into a Marvel fic and oh hey, there's Oliver Queen. Alrighty then. 

But seriously, writing a crossover is weird implications for your worldbuilding and I'm not saying you have to overthink it, but I'm saying someone has to and it's going to be me. 

The big problem with writing DC/Marvel crossovers is, well, you gotta pick a DC continuity to build from. The two most popular are the Arrowverse and the DCEU, and let's face it, both of those are dumpster fires right now and somehow both get ignore in most DC fanfiction. Except for Wonder Woman, she can stay.

It's fine if you build your own sort of DC universe to work with, with your own version of the Justice League, but it still has to make sense. You've gotta at least know the characters you're working with, and all their backstories. Don't make a crossover with DC characters if you don't know them or their universe. It's weird to just drop Selina Kyle into the MCU wild just because you like her and not think about the repercussions or implications of such a move. 

okay, update, I got knocked out cold and have no memory of writing this or what I meant for the rest of the chapter to be about, so here's to winging it, I guess

So uh, right. Writing a crossover, typically a Marvel/DC crossover, but this logic does also apply to writing an MCU/Sony franchise crossover is messy. Worlds of superheroes typically have their own rules and laws. In the MCU, you have the weird limbo where most of the Avengers are technically illegal war criminals post-Civil War. And even before that, there's heavy questioning of the legality of what the Avengers do, such as in Iron Man 2. Compare that to the X-Men, where mutants are hated and boycotted and lynched, it's a very different climate for people with superpowers. And then you look at the Fantastic Four, who generally don't have any problems with the government and are loved. And DC, well, it's just a mess depending on the continuity, but typically they're in the same situation as the Fantastic Four. 

So if you put DC heroes or the X-Men into the MCU, you have to understand the legal repercussions it would have on those superheroes. The Justice League would probably have to sign the Accords. The X-Men might not have as much pushback and hatred. Furthermore, you have to think about how SHIELD is going to interact with these groups. SHIELD wouldn't be a fan of a superhero group existing outside of their control, no matter who it is. 

Is it nitpicky to say you should spend hours mapping out the social and political climate of your crossover? Maybe. Okay, probably. But that doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want. Try and put at least a little bit of thought into it. 

And for fuck's sake, if a crossover adds nothing to the plot, don't make it a fucking crossover?

Like, any DC or Sony Marvel characters added should affect the plot or characters to be relevant. Name dropping characters from a different franchise isn't a cool easter egg, it's just going to confuse your readers. Make your choices matter, goddamnit.