Transformers Finally Meets GI Joe in 2026's Most Surprising Crossover
The Transformers are meeting another iconic 1980s franchise in a new comic that is sure to rank among 2026's most unexpectedly delightful crossovers. As reported on by CBR, the Transformers are meeting with G.I. Joe in Image Comics' GI Joe #20 by Joshua Williamson, Andrea Milana, and Lee Loughridge. The landmark crossover issue will release on March 18th, 2026, and will come with a set of 5 variant covers from Tom Reilly, Joshua Cassara, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Ben Oliver, Tonči Zonjić, Jorge Corona, and Mike Spicer.
Transformers and G.I. Joe's Comic Crossover Is Only the Herald of Things To Come
While fans eagerly await the meeting of Optimus Prime and Duke in the world of comics, the two franchises are also on a collision course elsewhere. It was previously announced that a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover show was in the works by the owner of both franchises, Hasbro. Though that project is expected to be animated, there is a possibility that the two franchises will meet in live-action. While the GI Joe live-action series of films has had a mixed to poor reception critically and at the box office, attaching it to a known money-maker like the Transformers film franchise could elevate both series.
Transformers and GI Joe Are a Match Made in Heaven
Of course, as unexpected as the set of crossovers are, they do make sense together. Transformers and G.I. Joe rank among the best and most beloved animated series to come out of the 1980s. Both franchises also share a similar premise, with a group of good guys fighting a perpetual war against a group of bad guys. Additionally, this latest slate of mashups is far from the first time the two series have met.
Most notably, Marvel Comics published a crossover between the two in 1987, Dreamwave Productions and Devil's Due produced two crossovers in 2003 and 2004, and IDW produced a big G.I. Joe x Transformers crossover in 2014. The latter's time with IDW proved to be a particularly fruitful period for crossovers, as the Transformers would end up meeting the Ghostbusters, the Terminator, the cast of Back to the Future, and most humorously, the cast of My Little Pony. The Transformers are known for their adaptability, and that has often carried over into the world of comics. With the latest set of crossovers between G.I. Joe and Transformers, however, the world's most famous robot franchise largely has room to be itself.
