15 Universes Beyond crossovers we want in Magic: The Gathering

There was a time when the idea of Magic: The Gathering crossing over with other franchises felt impossible. Magic just didn’t do that. When The Walking Dead showed up as a mechanically unique Secret Lair in 2020, it sparked more debate than excitement, raising somewhat controversial questions about what Magic even was.

Six years later, Universes Beyond has evolved into essentially half of everything Wizards of the Coast prints for Magic (more than half in 2026). These crossovers are no longer limited to Secret Lair experiments, either. The three best-selling sets ever are Final Fantasy, The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. But while those all fit relatively neatly into Magic's fantasy setting, the Universes Beyond has also crossed over into immersion-breaking franchises like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Spider-Man, with a multi-year Marvel partnership to bring even more superheroes to Magic. By the end of 2026, we’ll even have a Star Trek set.

Is anything off-the-table for Universes Beyond? It doesn’t seem like it. According to head designer Mark Rosewater, the “Arc Planning Team” was mapping out sets into the 2030s as of October 2025. “While running out of appropriate properties might happen one day, it’s not happening soon,” he wrote on his blog. That same month, the Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks reiterated as much in an earnings call, saying, “I think if you can conceive of a collaboration that we could do with Magic: The Gathering, we probably have inked a deal or are in conversations on a deal on that."

Well, Mr. Cocks, here are 15 potential Universes Beyond collaborations that Polygon writers have conceived of. How many of them might come to fruition?

15 Invincible

The Walking Dead was the franchise that started it all for Universes Beyond. Robert Kirkman is its creator, but he’s also the creator of Invincible, the dark superhero comic series that’s become one of Amazon’s best original series. Considering the fact that we’ve already gotten a Marvel-themed Secret Lair and June’s Marvel Super Heroes is positioned as 2026’s biggest set — not to mention Spider-Man and whatever future superhero collaborations that haven’t been announced — dipping into more superheroics can work mechanically for Magic.

Kirkman even confirmed to Polygon in March that he’d be up for another collaboration with Wizards of the Coast. Here’s to hoping it comes sooner rather than later, because I want to see Mark fight the Hulk ASAP. —Corey Plante

14 Harry Potter

I almost didn’t include this one because Wizards of the Coast has denied it so passionately (and a vocal contingent of fans would revolt over the socio-political implications), but the fact remains that Hasbro inked a “multi-year licensing partnership” with Warner Bros. Discovery in February for Harry Potter-themed merchandise, mainly pinned to the upcoming HBO series. "The Magic Multiverse has its own school of magic at Strixhaven with plenty of secrets still to explore," a post from the Wizards of the Coast community team reads. "Our Universes Beyond roadmap currently doesn't have us visiting any others."

That said, considering the fact that Strixhaven: School of Mages was a top-selling set in 2021 and early previews indicate Secrets of Strixhaven make it look like the best in-universe set in years, it’s clear that players love magical schools. As one of the biggest franchises in the world, Harry Potter would be an easy sell. Thematically, it’s a very good fit: wand equipment, tons of wizards, and specific spells like Expelliarmus or Avada Kedavra. The thought has me dreaming what colors each Hogwarts house might be. Slytherin is blue-black, Gryffindor is red-white, Hufflepuff is green-white, and Ravenclaw is blue-red? —CP

13 KPop Demon Hunters

According to its CEO, Hasbro was the first big toy company to petition Netflix for a licensing partnership related to KPop Demon Hunters. That deal was inked in October 2025. Just a few days later, Cocks said outright during an earnings call that KPop Demon Hunters would come to Secret Lair in some capacity.

If I’m being perfectly honest, I would be first in line for a KPop Demon Hunters deck with the HUNTR/X trio sharing the Commander slot. While the budding franchise still feels too small to support a full set, even a smaller one, a single Secret Lair Drop won’t quite do it justice. Here’s hoping we get a big Superdrop with separate Drops for HUNTR/X, the Saja Boys, their various weapons, some different demons, and one full of on-theme spells. —CP

12 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Magic principal designer Gavin Verhey is a huge RPG fan, and his enthusiasm for Final Fantasy is likely a major part of why that set’s design was so on point. Verhey actually told Dexerto outright in November 2025 that “Expedition 33 would be really fun to get to do.” Verhey added that gaming brands make for great collaborations with Magic since fans of both properties are already gamers.

As of right now, this one feels pretty unlikely, but if developer Sandfall Interactive and publisher Kepler Interactive get on board, Expedition 33 would make for a really interesting — and popular — Secret Lair at the very least. —CP

11 Shrek

As a trading card game, Magic has a lot of layers. You know what else has a lot of layers? Ogres…and onions. Secret Lair has already collaborated with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Princess Bride, and even The Office. Shrek feels not only plausible, but inevitable. But with six movies and counting in the franchise, there’s enough meat to it for at least a smaller full set.

Magic already has more than 130 ogres, but Shrek himself would obviously have to be mono green. Among the four in existence, one is a samurai, one is female, and one is a first responder. Oddly enough, Fiona’s ogre form would be fun as a Ghazbán Ogress reprint, so we might as well just have Shrek be Ghazbán Ogre. Control of both ogres shifts between players depending on certain conditions, which is a fun and odd sort of group hug mechanic fitting for two characters who always seem to be traveling on an adventure. Or you could always dream up mechanically unique green ogres for these two and make them overpowered. It doesn’t matter, because anything based on Shrek would be so much fun. —CP

10 Destiny

With Magic: The Gathering jumping into Destiny 2 already, it seems only fitting to get some love going the other way — especially given Wizards’ not-so-subtle hint on X where four cards were lined up to say, “Eyes up, Guardian.” and “Imprisoned on the Moon.” Destiny may be sci-fi set in the distant future, but it’s just as much about magic and mysticism.

Some Destiny factions and story moments lend themselves wonderfully to Magic colors: The Hive are black incarnate. The OG Vanguard of Zavala, Cayde-6, and Ikora feel like a Jeskai trio of green, red, and blue. And if all else fails, give me some equipment cards like Gjallarhorn or Thorn. And just imagine how powerful Mara Sov might be as a Legendary Commander that can warp reality. —Lloyd Coombes

9 Diablo

Demons and angels are well-trodden ground in Magic, but a Diablo crossover would probably push those archetypes somewhere a lot nastier. This is a universe where “Hell” isn’t just a place or a vibe. It’s body horror and gore amidst overwhelming odds. I’m imagining Commander decks themed around Heaven and Hell, big ol’ threats like Tyrael or Diablo himself, and more treasure tokens than you can shake a goblin at. Further translating that into Magic would probably mean leaning hard on sacrifice, corruption counters, and graveyard recursion.

Side note: As much as I love Diablo, I’d love a Path of Exile 2 crossover, too. If we’re opening the gates to ARPGs, we might as well go all the way in. —LC

8 Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat is such a weird hodgepodge of ideas and characters that an equally scattershot card game like Magic: The Gathering in 2026 is a strangely fitting new battleground for the warriors of Earthrealm and Outworld. There’s already been a Street Fighter Secret Lair, so why not Mortal Kombat, too?

Sure, you’d have to have a Fatality card in there, but the likes of Scorpion, Sub-Zero and more could lean on the Ninjutsu mechanic, while the mind control antics of Shang Tsung feel like an ideal candidate for blue.

Goro in Gruul (red-green) is too easy, and Shao Kahn in Jund (black-red-green) would need to be a fearsome force to match a Bant (green-white-blue) version of Raiden… —LC

7 DC Comics

How come Marvel gets to have all the fun? After the middling Spider-Man set, it would be fair to say there’s a lot riding on this summer’s Marvel Super Heroes, but should it go well I’d be keen to see the Justice League take on the Avengers.

Batman in Dimir (blue-black), Flash in mono red, Aquaman in (red-white-blue), Cyborg in Azorius (white-blue), Wonder Woman in Gruul (red-green), and Superman in all five colors? Make it happen, Wizards, even if just for a Secret Lair. Give us an official way for us to play a Marvel and DC face-off. —LC

6 Dark Souls

If there is any video game series that already feels like it exists somewhere in Magic’s multiverse, it’s FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series — and tangentially related games like Bloodborne and Elden Ring. There are crumbling kingdoms, gods long past their prime, and a world held together by a fading flame. Even gamers who aren’t Dark Souls fans would still enjoy the lore and vibes. And there’s enough meat for a full-sized Magic set.

What about Gwyn, Lord of Cinder as an overpowered white legendary that grows weaker over time? In fact, that could make a great theme for the set: powerful creatures that are cheaper to cast, but they pick up a blight counter every turn. It would be incredible to see other Souls bosses like King Allant, Darkeater Midir, and Artorias as Magic cards. This kind of set could also be very equipment-heavy with iconic weapons and pieces of armor from the series — maybe even trick weapons and prosthetic tools if it dabbled in Bloodborne or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. —Ryan Epps