11 Major Judge Dredd Crossover, Ranked

Summary

• Judge Dredd has had crossovers with A-list superheroes, B-movies, and Funko Universe for diverse adventures.
• Mars Attacks Judge Dredd battle is portrayed in a fun and thrilling manner, showcasing epic alien invasion.
• Predator vs. Judge Dredd delivers a perfect blend of action, brutality, and efficiency in an epic grudge match.

Like many of the best comic book characters, Judge Dredd has a long history of crossovers with other characters, ranging from A-list superheroes to entering the world of B-movies. Created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra for the British comic magazine 2000 AD, Judge Dredd has been a comic book icon since the 1970s. The hardened street Judge of Mega-City One, Dredd is known for his tough, no-nonsense persona, commitment to the rule of law and unparalleled efficiency in his job.

In keeping with typical comic book tradition, Judge Dredd’s crossovers range in style, tone and concept, from punk rock-style action stories to kid-friendly reimaginings. These stories prove Dredd an unlikely versatile character, with his constant stoicism able to provide either comedic juxtaposition or a tough and imposing persona. The antihero continues to be a fan-favorite through his ongoing adventures in 2000 AD, but some of his best tales stem from these crossovers.

11 Judge Dredd Entered The Funko Universe

John Layman, Francesco Gaston, Troy Little & Rob Schwartz

After the meteoric rise of Funko Pop, it was only a matter of time before Mega-City One’s lawman got the treatment. However, it went beyond simply becoming a pop, as the Judge joined a long line of franchises to get their own Funko-style comic books in 2017’s Judge Dredd Funko Universe. Here, the antihero takes on some of his best recurring villains, such as the Angel Gang and Dark Judges.

Judge Dredd Funko Universe casts the hard-boiled cop in a series of kid-friendly adventures, beginning with a confrontation with Buffalo Burt Blaylock, the most wanted mutant in the city. From there, he takes on a zombie outbreak caused by the arrival of the Dark Judges, a killer mutant plant and a dog in a tree. For children, the one-shot is a perfect window into the world of Mega-City One.

10 Mars Attacks Judge Dredd Is Sci-Fi Fun

Al Ewing, John McCrea & Greg Staples

Mars Attacks Judge Dredd from 2013 follows the clash of the Martian forces of the cult classic B-movie, Mars Attacks. The story begins with the infiltration of Mega-City One’s criminals, leading Dredd to a Martian as he responds to a call. Initially dismissing the alien as a Mutant, he later realizes the city is facing an alien invasion when Judge Anderson probes the mind of one of the victims of the invaders.

Mars Attacks Judge Dredd follows Dredd and Anderson taking on the Martian menace, who have infiltrated the planet and use bombs to render Earth technology ineffective. Facing a full-blown alien invasion, the two cops prove their grit against the Martians, with Anderson’s psychic abilities proving key to the planet’s defense. The comic is B-movie fun, and shows how Mars Attacks works better in comics than it ever did on the big screen, seamlessly incorporating it into the world of 2000 AD.

9 Predator vs. Judge Dredd vs. Aliens Fit Mega-City One To A Tee

John Layman, Chris Mooneyman & Glenn Fabry

All the core elements of the respective franchises are put to great use, and readers get to see the
AvP
sequel they deserve.

In a 2016-17 crossover between Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing, the Judge Dredd, Predator and Alien franchises all converged in an epic sci-fi action story set in Mega-City One. The story begins with the arrival of a Predator on Earth on the outskirts of the city, where it’s captured by animal-human hybrids created by a genocidal scientist, Dr Reinstot. With access to the Yautja’s trophies, he reverse-engineers a Xenomorph alien, using the captive hunter as the first host — in the process creating an Alien-Predator hybrid.

Predator vs. Judge Dredd vs. Aliens follows an uneasy alliance between the Judges and a small group of Predators, dispatched to rescue their missing comrade. The story captures the body horror of Alien, the hard-boiled action of Judge Dredd and the unrivaled skill of the Predators to form the perfect three-way crossover. All the core elements of the respective franchises are put to great use, and readers get to see the AvP sequel they deserve.

8 Lobo/Judge Dredd: Psycho Bikers vs. The Mutants From Hell Captured The Tone Of Both Antiheroes

Alan Grant, John Wagner, Val Semeiks & John Dell

Throughout the DC Universe, no character is as perfect a match for the grime and violence of Mega-City One as the Main Man, Lobo. In the 1996 graphic novel Psycho Bikers vs. The Mutants From Hell, Lobo pursues a being, Morf, to Dredd’s city, where his target’s older brother, Mad Murph, is planning a heist of the President of Belgium’s ring. When DC’s bounty hunter antihero attracts the attention of the Judge, it turns into an all-out brawl.

Judge Dredd’s crossover with Lobo provided him with his most mismatched team-up, pairing the by-the-book cop with DC’s most chaotic bounty hunter. Considering the overlap of creators who have worked on both characters, namely Alan Grant, it’s no surprise the Main Man fit into Mega-City One perfectly, matching its cyberpunk dystopian violence.

7 Batman/Judge Dredd: Die Laughing Threw Joker Into The Mix

Alan Grant, John Wagner & Glenn Fabry

The fourth and final of the Batman and Judge Dredd crossovers of the 1990s, Die Laughing from 1999 follows the arrival of an eerie Joker duplicate in Mega-City One. There, he begins his work to free the Dark Judges, forcing the Caped Crusader to team up with Dredd once more. The story sees Joker free the ghoulish Judges, and head towards a Megasphere to prey on the lives of 10,000 cultists.

Die Laughing provides readers with an almost psychedelic, grimdark story, one that delves into the darkness of Mega-City One. The unique painted art by Glenn Fabry brings out the terror of the story, with the Dark Judges being drawn at their most terrifying in this tale of death.

6 The “Trinity” Crossover United Every Version Of Dredd

Ken Niemand & Richard Elson

In a short story told in the pages of 2000 AD, three incarnations of Judge Dredd meet up: Sylvester Stallone, Karl Urban and the comic book version. After following a perp through an inter-dimensional portal, the comic version of Dredd meets his cinematic counterparts, with whom he teams up to fight a gang of criminals.

“Trinity” does a great job of juxtaposing the different versions of Dredd, with the 2000 AD version left stunned at Stallone removing his helmet and Urban almost executing an unarmed perp. In this sense, this 2021 story reminds readers that the comic book version is the best of both worlds, with parting advice for his counterparts.

5 Batman Met Judge Dredd In Judgement On Gotham

Alan Grant, John Wagner & Simon Bisley

As the first of four crossovers between Batman and Judge Dredd, 1991’s Judgement on Gotham follows the Caped Crusader as he fends off an incursion from Judge Death in Gotham. The hero then finds dimension-jumping tech on Death’s host body, which he uses to cross into Mega-City One. There he comes face-to-face with Mean Machine and Judge Dredd — the latter of whom wants to arrest Batman for vigilantism. After setting aside their differences, they team up to take on their respective villains.

Judgement On Gotham made for a great first team-up between Batman and Judge Dredd, with masterful art from Simon Bisley elevating the story. Not only is the book a great first impression for the two heroes, it shows how complimentary their rogues’ galleries are, and the great juxtaposition between their different moral codes.

4 Batman/Dredd: Vendetta in Gotham Continued Judge Dredd & Batman’s Alliance

Alan Grant, John Wagner, Cam Kennedy & Mike Mignola

Vendetta In Gotham
stands out for several reasons, not least of which is the unparalleled fight between the two, which lasts for almost twenty pages.

The second meeting between Batman and Judge Dredd was released in 1993. Vendetta In Gotham begins with the Dark Knight rounding up a group of crooks. Shortly after, Judge Dredd emerges from the shadows on his bike, and takes on Batman in a car chase, which escalates into a fist fight. After duking it out in one of their most epic brawls, the cop reveals he traveled back in time to save the DC hero from death, producing a newspaper that attests to his demise. After this, the two prevent a bombing orchestrated by Scarface and his gang.

Vendetta In Gotham stands out for several reasons, not least of which is the unparalleled fight between the two, which lasts for almost twenty pages. Due to this, the comic features the longest fight between the two protagonists to date, and one of the longest brawls in comic history. Readers also get to see Scarface take center stage as the story’s villain, blending the ironic dark comedy of his character with a fun, action-packed gangster story.

3 Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus Pitted Dredd Against Xenomorphs

John Wagner, Andy Diggle, Henry Flint & Greg Staples

Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus follows the Mega-City One lawman as he fends off an attempt by a mutant pirate, Mr Bones, to ruin the city by unleashing a horde of Xenomorphs. As the aliens’ numbers grow, Dredd and the other Judges become outmatched, and are forced to shoot their way out of the alien hive.

Published in 2000 AD from 2002 to 2003, Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus feels like the perfect mash-up of its two respective franchises, effectively casting Dredd in the role of Ripley. When he and another Judge get impregnated by Facehuggers, the lawman goes all out to finish off the creatures once and for all, with the clock ticking down to his own chest burst.

2 Batman/Judge Dredd: The Ultimate Riddle Is A Battle Royale

Alan Grant, John Wagner, Carl Critchlow & Dermot Power

Reluctant to accept Dredd’s methods, Batman is torn between working with the grimdark cop and maintaining a no-kill rule in the fight, forcing a clash between the two.

Batman and Judge Dredd meet for the third time in this 1995 one-shot, where they are captured by a mysterious villain, who places them alongside a range of other warriors. Much like in War World, the captives are forced into a battle royale, with Gotham and Mega-City One’s respective heroes teaming up to level the odds. Reluctant to accept Dredd’s methods, Batman is torn between working with the grimdark cop and maintaining a no-kill rule in the fight, forcing a clash between the two.

The Ultimate Riddle stands out as the best crossover between Batman and Judge Dredd for a number of reasons, beginning with its almost non-stop action. The battle royale setting, as well as the use of Riddler as a compelling, scary villain puts it above the rest. When factoring in the issue’s cavalcade of brilliant, ’90s-inspired threats, the issue stands out as one of the best adventures in the annals of both Judge Dredd and Batman history.

1 Predator vs. Judge Dredd Was The Perfect Story

John Wagner, Enrique Alcatena & Brian Bolland

In his long comic book history, Judge Dredd has never found a better match than when a Predator arrived in Mega-City One in this 1997 crossover. Searching for the ultimate challenge, a dying Yautja stalks the streets of the city before discovering the Judges, immediately honing in on their skills and brutal efficiency. The alien hunter quickly realizes that the best of these is Dredd himself, and corners the Judge into a fight.

The grudge match between Predator and Judge Dredd made for one of the best crossover stories in comics history, with neither character taking the spotlight from the other. With the psychic Judge Schaffer, a descendant of the first Predator film’s Dutch, Dredd discovers that his opponent is dying, and readers are shown that the fixation on the Judge is an honor. After tearing its way through various Judges, the Yautja finally has the fight of its life in an epic one-on-one battle with Judge Dredd, which stands out as one of the greatest fights of any ’90s comic.