History Main / DeconstructionCrossover

* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' can dwell into this, often showing how certain characters would fare against opponents operating by rules of a work different in tone or even completely different genre altogether. Certain tactics, abilities or even personality traits can work to their disadvantage or be exploited by their opponents.
** One of recurring deconstructions in later seasons occured towards the concept of "the overdog" - a character who is such a dominant force in their story, no one can match them. In ''Death Battle'' such characters more often than not turn out to be a NormalFishInATinyPond and someone on their level may as well be an OutsideContextProblem, especially if that opponnent is TaughtByExperience themselves. [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Michael Myers]] never faced another slasher, while [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]] got toe to toe with [[Film/FreddyVsJason Freddy Krueger]], [[ComicBook/FreddyVsJasonVsAsh Ash Williams]], [[ComicBook/JasonVsLeatherface Leatherface]] and even [[ComicBook/FridayThe13thJasonVsJasonX himself]], so he is much more in his element. In their respective multiverses no one can match [[WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty Rick Sanchez's intellect]] or [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Unicron's power]], but that means they're not used facing their equal or better, while both [[Franchise/DoctorWho the Doctor]] and ComicBook/{{Galactus}} have a long history of doing exactly that and coming on top

[[caption-width-right:350:Doesn't matter [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons which kid]] you [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy beat]]--there's no way you're a good father.\\

Basically, when you throw many characters belonging to a specific genre (or sometimes a distinct division of this genre -- e.g., the works of a certain author) into a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, for the purpose of exploring and [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructing]] -- and sometimes [[{{Reconstruction}} reconstructing]] -- said genre from a modern viewpoint (which may or may not be DarkerAndEdgier). It could use the actual characters and settings from said works, [[DoppelgangerCrossover or it could limit itself to using]] [[{{Expy}} Expies]] if said work isn't quite in the public domain (less common online, because [[UsefulNotes/FairUse copyrights matter somewhat less when no money changes hands]]).

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Doesn’t matter [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons which kid]] you [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy beat]] - there’s no way you’re a good father.\\

* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'': It starts with the idea "everything ever produced for Creator/DCComics was canon". All of it, ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}, Creator/VertigoComics, the [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks experimental comics of]] TheSeventies, one shot characters from anthology comics, the WesternAnimation/SuperFriends Cartoon, all of it. Then, it took all the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks contemporary trends in comics]], morally questionable storylines, badass [[NinetiesAntiHero Nineties Anti Heroes]], heroes and villains being [[AntiHeroSubstitute replaced]] with DarkerAndEdgier [[LegacyCharacter Legacy Characters]], and extrapolated them to their logical extremes. Then it took the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] generation of superheroes, and brought their powers to logical extremes, added biblical themes, and gave it to us in a photo-realistic "painted" style to make it more realistic, and disturbing. It certainly counts.

* ''ComicBook/{{Twilight}}'', by Creator/HowardChaykin, did this with Creator/DCComics' [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] science fiction characters. No relation to ''Twilight of the Superheroes''. Or [[Literature/TheTwilightSaga that book with sparkling vampires.]]

* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' is probably the {{Trope Maker|s}} on the film side of things. It did this with {{Toon}}s, UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation, and WesternAnimation in general:

[[caption-width-right:350:[[https://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/comic-if-bart-simpson-and-chris-griffin-went-to-couples-therapy/ Comic]] by [[https://www.filmsforaction.org/author/panic-volkushka/ Panic Volkushka]]]]

* ''Webcomic/CheshireCrossing''. Three girls believed to be insane are all sent to a new place. A 'boarding school'. But the three girls are [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Alice Liddell]], [[Literature/PeterPan Wendy Darling]], and [[Film/TheWizardOfOz Dorothy Gale]]. And the 'teacher' is Film/MaryPoppins. Has to be read, because it's definitely better than it sounds.

* ''Webcomic/CheshireCrossing''. Three girls believed to be insane are all sent to a new place. A 'boarding school'. But the three girls are [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Alice Liddell]], [[Literature/PeterPan Wendy Darling]], and [[Film/TheWizardOfOz Dorothy Gale]]. And the 'teacher' is Film/MaryPoppins. Has to be read, because it's definitely better than it sounds.

** [[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy Ed]]'s CharlesAtlasSuperpower may be in full force here, but it has its limits in comparison to the real superheroes--when he, [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls Blossom, Bubbles]], and [[WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot Jenny]] try to break a wall, he ends up bleeding.

* ''Anime/ReCreators'' throws together expies of typical protagonists of popular 2010s anime, manga, and games, then watches them clash due to their respective worlds' differences. And that's not even getting to the main villain, who [[spoiler: is a fan character that lived through her own author's [[OutlivedItsCreator death]]..]].

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' does this with every comic, mythological or historical figure Creator/NeilGaiman could work into the story.

* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' does this with fairy-tales and nursery rhymes.

* ''WesternAnimation/ArthurChristmas'' draws from multiple contrasting pop-culture interpretations of the character of SantaClaus. Is he St Nicholas? Or an impossibly old man with a team of reindeer and a sleigh? A jolly fat man who enjoys pies and sherry? Or is he a modern, business-minded CEO who applies advanced {{Magitek}} to the problem of [[HowCanSantaDeliverAllThoseToys visiting every child in a single night]]? [[MathematiciansAnswer Yes.]] Yes, all of those people either have been, or are vying to become, the LegacyCharacter of Santa, they all disagree how best to do the job... [[BigScrewedUpFamily and they're all related.]]

* ''Film/MurderByDeath'' did this with MysteryFiction in general, using {{Exp|y}}ies of the most famous characters of Creator/AgathaChristie and Creator/DashiellHammett in particular.

* The novel [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverlock Silverlock]] contains characters and settings from Beowulf, Don Quixote, and countless others.
* Creator/JonathanSwift wrote the satirical tract [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Tale_of_a_Tub A Tale of a Tub]] in 1694. It does this with {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s of different sects of Christianity, deconstructing what Swift saw as the "flaws" in each.

* As previously stated, ''Literature/WhoCensoredRogerRabbit'' by Creator/GaryWolf.

* ''Series/{{Alf}}'' features the titular alien watching ''Series/GilligansIsland'' in one episode and wishing for a more exciting life like the castaways. After falling asleep trying to fill a lagoon he made, he dreams he’s on the island with them, complete with some of the original actors returning. It’s a lot less happy. The Howells and Ginger have left for the other side of the island, the remaining castaways are very disfunctional after being stuck with each other for years, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking they can’t eat Mary Ann’s coconut cream pies due to high blood sugar (and being sick of them)]]. In a case of irony, they are pining for Alf’s (relatively) [[MundaneLuxury normal life of balanced meals, changing clothes, and not hitting each other with hats.]]
* ''Series/OnceUponATime,'' for fairy tales in general and the {{Disneyfi|cation}}ed versions in particular, all while mashing up different stories together, such as [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Prince Charming]] was really [[Literature/ThePrinceAndThePauper the pauper to the prince]]. Many of the episodes are from the POV of the Evil Queen from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." It actually does the term "modern take" literally, as the Dark Curse caused [[FisherKingdom almost everyone to lose their memories of who they were]] and [[FakeMemories have memories that would closely match real life]].

-->'''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Char Aznable]]:''' Your way will never bring true peace.
-->'''[[Manga/GetterRobo Ryoma Nagare]]:''' [[ColonyDrop And dropping a rock]] [[ShutUpHannibal on Earth will]]?
** The first ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ'' is probably the most deconstructionistic entry in the franchise. The fused world is portrayed as a chaos-ravaged, postapocalyptic hell where the protagonists are the one and only good option while the many villainous factions from all the different works dominate the Earth Sphere through sheer superior numbers. The protagonists, in turn, [[LetsYouAndHimFight break down and attack each other]] rather than deal with their shared enemies, partially due to the villains' manipulations, but also due to genuine ideological differences aggravated by the robot pilots' combative personalities. The multiversal plot shows characters reacting to different versions of themselves, such as Classic Ryoma witnessing Armageddon Ryoma and being horrified by his much more violent nature or classic Kouji being surprised at the power of the Mazinkaiser. And at the end of the game, it's revealed that [[spoiler: the corner of the multiverse the game is set is has been trapped in a ViciousCycle of warfare due humanity's inability to stop fighting and in particular the protagonists' inability to actually end their conflicts.]]

* ''Webcomic/CaptainSNES'' fits into this category fairly well. Not only are many of the villains aware that they are merely video game characters (which is, in at least one case, [[GoMadFromTheRevelation why they became villains to begin with]]), but characters who travel from one video game world to another are not always prepared for the different rules. (The [[http://www.captainsnes.com/2002/10/26/219-the-ways-of-the-mushroom/ comic]] where [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger Magus]] writes of his experiences learning from [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] seems a good illustration of this.)
* [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/sire/list?title_no=109141 Sire]] is a comic about the descendants of literary characters reliving their "Sire"s story and having to take cues and morals from the original work so as not to earn a tragic ending. Rare as the characters are aware of the trope and use the deconstruction as a means to survive.

* ''WebVideo/ThereWillBeBrawl'' straddles the line of this and a a DarkerAndEdgier {{Parody}} of Creator/{{Nintendo}} [[VideoGames games]]. It uses a pre-existing Massive Multiplayer Crossover established by the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' franchise, and then constructs a world based around the end result of innocent and not-so-innocent characters fighting a purposeless war against each other for years.
* The ''WebAnimation/FinalFightingFantasy'' series does a good job at this. For the various ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' characters, it starts off as what looks like a simple poorly written fan fic, but quickly [[GrowingTheBeard grows the beard]] and becomes quite epic. It turns out that the [[InfinityPlusOneSword legendary weapons]] of the games were created by the ancients as a way of manipulating the game's protagonists into defeating the forces of evil, and thus restoring balance. However, after evil was defeated, the good guys can't stay around any longer, because they would tip the balance too far towards the light, so, the weapons transport them to another world, where they all meet each other, and (because of the influence the weapons have on their mind) convince them that the characters from the other games are evil. Thus they're forced into a fight to the death. The different characters named "Cid" that appear in every game is actually the same guy, manipulating things from behind the scenes. Unfortunately, ''Final Fighting Fantasy'' has [[DeadFic been left unfinished]].
* ''Webcomic/CheshireCrossing''. Three girls believed to be insane are all sent to a new place. A 'boarding school'. But the three girls are [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Alice Liddell]], [[Literature/PeterPan Wendy Darling]], and [[Film/TheWizardOfOz Dorothy Gale]]. And the 'teacher' is Film/MaryPoppins. Has to be read, because it's definitely better than it sounds.
* Marvel DC After Hours, a SpinOff of ''WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC'' does this. Season 1 questions the validity of Franchise/{{Superman}}, Season 2 deals with what the heroes would be like if they all went through what Franchise/{{Batman}} did, and Season 3 revolves around the concept of the ContinuityReboot, and what it would be like to go through one. By the end, it is always {{reconstruct|ion}}ed.
* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' can dwell into this, often showing how certain characters would fare against opponents operating by rules of a work different in tone or even completely different genre altogether. Certain tactics, abilities or even personality traits can work to their disadvantage or be exploited by their opponents.
* ''Winnie The Pooh meets The Toxic Avenger'' is a deconstruction of the ''WebVideo/PoohsAdventures'' series, showcasing the difficulties of featuring so many characters in a world not suited for them. [[WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy Grim]] is killed by the author after he [[StoryBreakerPower tries to change the story]] (mocking the idea of so many powerful characters just sitting on the sidelines), Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls learn how to swear due to being in a world with a higher age rating, and the constant interference causes [[Film/TheToxicAvenger Toxie]] to go insane and try to kill everyone.

* Most of the humor in ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' comes from this. For example, there's WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead joining the WesternAnimation/TeenTitans, and ''Creator/{{MTV}} Exposed'' on {{Franchise/Barbie}} and Franchise/{{Bratz}}. Of course this is used mostly for [[DeconstructiveParody comedic purposes]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': The Monarch is a deconstruction all the Campy Supervillains of TheSixties, Brock Sampson was something of a deconstruction of every ActionHero ever made, and the titular brothers themselves are a deconstruction of ''Literature/TheHardyBoys'' and ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest''. They also turned the gang from ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' into a [[UsefulNotes/CharlesManson Manson Family]]-type collection of [[TheSixties 60s]] and [[TheSeventies 70s]] era [[SerialKiller Serial Killers]]. They also have a rather interesting take on Comicbook/FantasticFour. Strangely enough, [[ExpyCoexistence many of the characters they're based on are either shown or mentioned to exist as well]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TurtlesForever'' has the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles from [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the 1987 cartoon]], the Turtles from [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 the 2003 cartoon]] and the Turtles from [[Comicbook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage the Mirage comics]] meet. To clarify how well this actually works as a deconstructive crossover, the antics and personalities of the '80s Turtles--somewhat exaggerated but still grounded in the source material--annoy, confound, and irritate the 2003 turtles to no end. Even Michelangelo, eventually. Then they meet the original Mirage turtles (as written in issue 1), and even the 2003 guys seem like plushies by comparison [[note]]The Mirage Turtles explicitly say they've been trained by Splinter to kill Shredder to avenge Hamato Yoshi, something that neither the '80s nor 2003 Splinters did.[[/note]]. Yet, in the end, all versions of the Turtles are deemed just as valid as the others. Complaints have been made that the 1987 Turtles seem more cowardly. [[FridgeBrilliance Of course they are]]; they're in a different world where they are not the main characters, the fourth wall is more rigidly in place, and the BigBad is both ruthless and competent. They lost their PlotArmor and they ''[[MediumAwareness know]]'' it.
** The [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 2012 cartoon]] likewise has its own take on how such a deconstructive crossover plays out, when the 2012 turtles meet the 1987 ones in a few episodes across the final two seasons. The antics and personalities of the '80s turtles (more grounded in the source material than ''Turtles Forever'') annoy and baffle the 2012 turtles except for Michelangelo (who is just as immature as his counterpart), although they eventually come to respect them. Moreover, the '80s turtles' creative, slapstick tactics prove completely useless against the 2012 Bebop and Rocksteady, who are vastly more dangerous than the original bumbling '80s Bebop and Rocksteady, to the point that the 2012 turtles had to give them proper ninja training in order to stand a chance.

* ''ComicBook/{{Twilight}}'', by Creator/HowardChaykin, did this with Creator/DCComics' [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] science fiction characters. No relation to ''Twilight of the Superheroes''. Or [[Literature/{{Twilight}} that book with sparkling vampires.]]

** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ'' goes one step further by actually having some characters show in multiple versions of their animated continuities, in order to contrast the differences between them. For example, Classic Ryoma witnesses Armageddon Ryoma and is horrified by his much more violent nature.

* ''Comicbook/TheSandman'' does this with every comics, mythological or historical figure Creator/NeilGaiman could work into the story.
* ''Comicbook/KingdomCome'': It starts with the idea "everything ever produced for Creator/DCComics was canon". All of it, ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}, Creator/VertigoComics, the [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks experimental comics of]] TheSeventies, one shot characters from anthology comics, the WesternAnimation/SuperFriends Cartoon, all of it. Then, it took all the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks contemporary trends in comics]], morally questionable storylines, badass [[NinetiesAntiHero Nineties Anti Heroes]], heroes and villains being [[AntiHeroSubstitute replaced]] with DarkerAndEdgier [[LegacyCharacter Legacy Characters]], and extrapolated them to their logical extremes. Then it took the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] generation of superheroes, and brought their powers to logical extremes, added biblical themes, and gave it to us in a photo-realistic "painted" style to make it more realistic, and disturbing. It certainly counts.