Marvel Trolls Batman V Superman In Spider-Man/Deadpool

While Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is celebrating the release of its ultimate cut this week, Marvel Comics is having a little fun at the film’s expense in the pages of Spider-Man/Deadpool #6. The one-shot fill-in issue is by Scott Aukerman of Comedy Bang! Bang! and artist Reilly Brown, and is a broad stroke, fourth-wall breaking spoof of modern superhero movies.

The issue opens with a mysterious new villain, the Salmon Stuntman, letting Deadpool know that a studio is making a film based on Deadpool’s life. Deadpool seeks out Spider-Man for help, figuring the web-slinger has been a Hollywood sellout for years, then heads to the studio. What follows is a string of jokes and references. Here’s a panel of Spidey lamenting how gloomy superhero films have gotten, with them focusing more on heroes fighting each other, and Deadpool sticking up for his movie’s hard R.

Once they’re at the studio, the comic starts making jokes about Fox’s Deadpool movie and the relationship between the studio and Marvel itself. There’s a panel of Wolverine and Storm confused by why the other Marvel heroes ignore them, and another of a studio producer deciding to randomly team Deadpool up with Colossus.

Spider-Man and Deadpool eventually stop the Salmon Stuntman’s nefarious plan to replace all practical movie effects with digital ones. The fight involves stops by the sets of The Walking Dead, Jurassic World, and others. The stuntman is eventually revealed to be Donald Dryans, the actor hired to play Deadpool in the movie. He wanted to get the real Deadpool out of the picture so he couldn’t ruin Dryans’ “serious” movie with his fourth wall-breaking shenanigans. With Dryans arrested and the movie without a star, Spider-Man makes an impassioned plea for the studio to stick to the spirit of the character, and even suggests a very specific actor to play Deadpool. Can you guess who it is?

In the end, the executive decides against listening to Spider-Man and instead makes a movie called Nighthawk v Hyperion: Yawn of Boredom. Nighthawk and Hyperion are Marvel characters originally created as stand-ins for Batman and Superman, respectively, making them the perfect choices for what is obviously a Dawn of Justice parody. Deadpool feels like he’s missed his shot, but Spider-Man knows that Hollywood has a habit of rebooting things over and over again.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #6 is on sale now.