Movies

Fox/Warner merger could mean comic book crossover craziness

“Holy haberdashery, Batman! What’s that Wolverine doing on our back lot!”

Or so Robin might exclaim should 21st Century Fox succeed in its quest to buy Time Warner.

Fanboys, however, are likely to wind up even more confused than Robin. That’s because, when it comes to movie franchises and comic books, some of their favorite superheroes would reside in alternative universes.

Never mind that the reboot of “The Fantastic Four” promises to be one of Fox’s biggest films next year. Its comic-book production will remain with Marvel rather than join Time Warner-owned DC Comics.

Same with the “X-Men,” whose movie rights were bought during one of Marvel’s many financial crises. In neither case did Fox’s deal with Marvel extend to comic books.

On the brighter side, fanboys could one day witness movie mashups previously unimaginable.

Think DC’s “Superman” can take out Marvel-created but Fox-owned “Silver Surfer”?

That’s a lot for fanboys, and regulators, to process.