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5 Epic Kids’ Book Character Crossover Rivalries
It would be nice if we lived in a world where all of our heroes got along and agreed on everything. But now, more than ever, that is not the case—just look at the upcoming superhero movie slate: Superman is fighting Batman; Captain America is taking on Iron Man! Has the world gone mad?? The one thing we can count on is that, despite their differences, we know our favorite heroes always want to do what’s best for the world. It’s why we love them.
With Batman v Superman opening this weekend, we wanted to imagine what would happen if our favorite kids’ book characters had their own crossover rivalries. Here are 5 character competitions that make it hard for us to pick a side.
Alice v Dorothy (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Other Stories, by Lewis Carroll & The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
Alice and Dorothy are both well-known for being transported to strange magical worlds, so perhaps their face-off could take place in a third mysterious and dream-like world, more bizarre than any of us can even imagine. Alice’s penchant for exploring and her curious nature will rub pragmatic Dorothy the wrong way, because really, who has time for tea parties when there is a yellow brick road to follow? Dorothy and the Scarecrow can duke it out with Alice and the Mad Hatter, while the Cowardly Lion and the White Rabbit watch from the sidelines and bond over a shared fear of being late.
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Harriet M. Welsch v Nancy Drew (Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh and The Nancy Drew Starter Set, by Carolyn Keene)
Nancy and Harriet are two of the most observant young ladies to ever grace the world of literature, though they utilize their skillsets for very different purposes. While both are curious and precocious, Nancy uses her ability to get to the bottom of a good mystery, while Harriet uses hers to make wry and sometimes unkind observations about everyone around her. If the two were to unite, Harriet’s keen observations about the people she sees on her spy route could prove critical to Nancy’s ability to solve the case of the crying bridge (or whatever maybe haunted structure she’s currently investigating), but Nancy will think Harriet is a gossip, and Harriet will think Nancy is a stick in the mud. The winner here is a toss-up, as they’re both tough cookies, but whatever happens, don’t expect to see these two bonding over tomato sandwiches any time soon.
Percy Jackson v Nick Slate (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, by Rick Riordan and The Accelerati Trilogy, by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman)
In Percy Jackson’s world, the ancient Greek gods are real, and their supernatural mayhem causes tons of problems for him and the people of Earth. But Nick Slate of The Accelerati Trilogy can’t blame his problems on some errant deities—rather, they’re the result of the incredible mind of Nikola Tesla, who has left some inventions behind that might be too dangerous for the world at large. So, which posse is more dangerous: rogue gods or killer inventions? A crossover rivalry between Nick and Percy pair would see the powers of our favorite legendary gods pitted against those of our favorite scientific minds. Plus, you just know that Tesla was a demigod—probably a son of Hephaestus.
Encyclopedia Brown v Timmy Failure (Encyclopedia Brown Box Set, by Donald J. Sobol and the Timmy Failure series, by Stephan Pastis)
If there’s one thing a super-smart, by-the-books detective hates more than anything, it’s the bumbling gumshoe who somehow lucks into solving all of his cases through coincidence and happenstance. So you know Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown, who can solve his father’s cases in a matter of minutes at the dinner table with one single question, scoffs at the colossal incompetence displayed by Timmy Failure’s detective agency (although Timmy’s polar bear business partner, Total, gives him a huge advantage in this battle).
Rivalry: Waldo v the Cheshire Cat (Where’s Waldo?, by Martin Handford and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Other Stories, by Lewis Carroll)
Despite their eye-catching wardrobe and smile, respectively, Waldo and the Cheshire Cat are two of the hardest beings on Earth to find, when they want to stay hidden. So what happens when they end up dueling in an epic hide-off? The Cheshire cat has the power to disappear at will, which would seem to give him an edge, but I wouldn’t discount Waldo; after all, this isn’t his first rodeo, and he’s probably got a few tricks up his striped sleeve.
What children’s book characters would you most like to see duke it out?