Doctor Doom and Darth Vader
Despite their shared penchant for armor and dark arts, Doctor Victor Von Doom would see little of himself in Darth Vader. After all, Vader allowed himself to be Grand Moff Tarkin’s lackey, an unthinkable move for a man who once became a god and found it beneath him. For his part, Vader would be skeptical of Doom, as the Latverian dictator never learned to let go of his mother, something that the one-time Anakin Skywalker had to do when he returned to his sandy planet to reunite with Shmi, before giving himself to the dark side.
Yet, that thin line between recognition and repulsion could make for an exciting story. Doom, of course, would not underestimate the power of the dark side, and would do anything to take the power for himself. Vader would do the same, convinced that Doom’s reliance on technology represents a disturbing lack of faith. Worst of all, the two have very different experiences with young love, as the loss of Padmé pushed Vader all the way to the dark side while Doom sent his Latverian girlfriend Valeria (after whom the Richards’ daughter is named) to Hell in order to get enough power to destroy the Fantastic Four. That will give them a lot to yell at each other about when they’re trading electric blasts.
The Punisher and Cassian Andor
Ideally, Cassian Andor will never be seen again in any Star Wars tie-in media. No matter how much we enjoy the comics and video games and toys, Andor was too perfect to be used as grist for endless spinoffs. But… if Cassian had to show up in a Marvel crossover, he should be with someone who understands the weight of the world as well as he did. And no one in the Marvel Universe is more world-weary than Frank Castle, the Punisher.
Of course, the story would have to begin with the requisite gun fight, because Frank can’t meet any other hero without firing first, and Cassian has no problem shooting back. But eventually, the blasters and bazookas would stop and the two men could have a conversation like the broken people they are. Cassian could reminisce about his missing sister Kerri and the devastation wrought on his people. Frank would talk about his wife and children, how they may have been gone from his life even before that day in the park. And then, they would understand one another. Because in all of the Marvel Universe, only Frank has learned the lesson that Luthen Rael taught Cassian, that one must give up all chance at inner peace and make their mind a sunless place so that others can talk about hope.
Nick Fury Jr. and Mace Windu
Okay, we all see the obvious pairing here. George Lucas cast Samuel L. Jackson as Jedi Master Mace Windu after hearing the actor proclaim his love of Star Wars on a talk show. Jon Favreau cast Samuel L. Jackson as superspy Nick Fury after seeing Bryan Hitch’s rendition of the character in the alternate universe comic The Ultimates. Fury’s MCU portrayal became so popular that Marvel Comics revealed that the mainline Nick Fury, a crusty old World War II soldier kept eternally youthful through super-science, had a secret son who just so happened to look like SLJ. Within a few years, corporate synergy did what Hydra never could, and Nick Fury was put to pasture, replaced by his movie star son.
Yet, despite their physical similarities, Windu and Fury would have very little in common, and that’s where things get interesting. Mace Windu presented himself as the perfect Jedi master: cool, calm, collected, lopping off Jango heads with ease. And yet, he went out like a complete fool, missing the phantom menace of Darth Sidious. Secret Invasion notwithstanding, Nick Fury would never let such important intel slip, nor would he let himself be taken down so easily. Even if Marvel won’t let the two launch any f-bombs, the insults they would hurl at one another would shake two universes.