Most classic comic book characters exist in either the DC universe or the Marvel universe, but which comic universe does futuristic lawman Judge Dredd belong to? Judge Dredd is one of the most iconic antiheroes in comic book history. His stories take place in the sprawling metropolis of Mega-City One in a dystopian future where police officers have absolute power of judge, jury, and executioner. From the source material to its adaptations, Judge Dredd has always been used to satirize the ethics of policing and the prevalence of police brutality, which marks a stark contrast with usually family-friendly superhero comics.
The DC Comics universe is the home of such iconic superheroes as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and the Flash. The Marvel Comics universe is the home of Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, and the Hulk. As a brutish law enforcement officer who kills without remorse and has no concern for due process, Judge Dredd has very little in common with good-hearted DC and Marvel heroes like Superman and the Avengers. Does he exist in either of their universes or does he have a universe of his own?
Judge Dredd Originally Wasn’t Involved In DC Or Marvel Comics
In his original comic book run, Judge Dredd had nothing to do with either the DC or Marvel universes. He debuted in the British weekly anthology series 2000 AD, which told slyly satirical stories about violent antiheroes. Judge Dredd exists within the 2000 AD universe alongside other titles like Sláine, Rogue Trooper, Nikolai Dante, Strontium Dog, ABC Warriors, and Nemesis the Warlock. He was still a part of this continuity when he was played by Sylvester Stallone in the 1995 movie adaptation, which was simply titled Judge Dredd.
DC Published Alternate Versions Of Judge Dredd In The 1990s
DC Comics ended up publishing its own Judge Dredd comics from 1994 to 1996, the timeframe in which the film adaptation got made. DC created its own version of Dredd and its own versions of the supporting characters. For example, Chief Judge Fargo, who was traditionally depicted as unwaveringly good and principled, is evil in DC’s Judge Dredd canon. The DC series lasted for 18 issues. Most of them were written by Andrew Helfer, but the final issue was penned by Gordon Rennie, who previously wrote Judge Dredd stories for 2000 AD.
While that DC series had no connection to the wider DC universe, there was a comic that brought Judge Dredd into the DC universe. Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgement on Gotham was a crossover storyline that saw undead monster Judge Death using interdimensional travel to go to the DC universe and attack Gotham City. This led Batman to use the same technology to travel to Judge Dredd’s universe for a team-up. The 2012 Judge Dredd reboot movie starring Karl Urban, with the shortened title Dredd, had no connections to the DC universe, but it would be great to see a movie adaptation of that Batman crossover at some point in the future.
