The arena sat empty. Otherworldly wind blew coldly through the buildings and courts of the odd buildings that filled it. Shadows fell everywhere and nowhere, as the light seemed to come from all sides at once. However, it was gloomy, forever twilight and the buildings that inhabited it stood tall and lonely, like the corpses of a fallen empire…

Ezio Auditore da Firenze stood atop St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Rome had been quiet after the events in Valencia, and things were finally settling down. Ezio hoped things would continue this way. He had lived a good life and fought hard for the Assassins. It was time to retire. He had a target tonight, however. A simple job that had him scanning the city from the rooftops, searching for his mark; a slight man, fleet of foot. He’d lost him only moments ago and would surely find him soon… “Ezio” a voice said behind him.
Ezio whirled around to see his target. Odd that he would present himself so, but one shouldn’t complain about such a gift. Before Ezio had a chance to react, the man flung himself forward, knocking both from the rooftop to the ground below. Ezio reached for purchase, but found nothing. Nothing even where something should be… The world spun and the ground hit with a thud. Leaping to his feet Ezio looked around to find himself in a strange city… filled with twilight.

Ra’s al Ghul rose from his Lazarus Pit, dripping wet and rejuvenated. He dressed quickly, for he had much to do in preparation for his next meeting with Batman. Arriving in his laboratory, Ra’s immediately sat down to continue work. He was working on a delightful new concoction, one that would hopefully assist in his swaying of the great Detective. How a man could be so intellectually adept and yet, at the same time, so naive was far beyond al Ghul. This new formula, however, this could do wonders…
The potion was a simple hallucinogenic that would have Batman see whatever R’as wished; specifically, the world as it soon would be. Overpopulated. Rife with filth and vermin. Polluted far beyond any hope of redemption… It would change their battle for the better and, best of all, it was ready. All that remained were a few basic recipes for other items that could prove useful. Ra’s began pouring components quickly, muscle memory taking over, when something suddenly went wrong. An expected orange hue became purple… then white, blindingly so. He turned away and covered his eyes to protect them from the flare and when he opened them, he found himself elsewhere… but his mind felt clear. Surely this was no mental effect. He was truly somewhere altogether strange…

“Welcome, combatants,” a thunderous voice echoed, “and welcome to my arena. You are here because you are both master assassins and the heads of your respective orders. I see the surprise on your faces… yes, there are two of you here. Two of you came, but only will survive. Please, satiate my curiosity and kill or incapacitate the other! Kill, assassins… or be killed.”

Who do you think will come out on top? Leave your comments below or at our Facebook page!

Check back next week for the full fight!

Legolas silently observed. He had quickly moved to higher ground upon finding himself in the arena. His elf eyes had easily detected the strangely-garbed human, clambering over the rubble; yet he sensed that he was not evil. And so the elf waited cautiously, his steel-tipped arrow remained held loosely in the elven longbow.

Hawkeye flitted from rooftop to whatever remained of rooftops in the ruins of the abandoned city. He had also moved to higher ground in hopes of seeing his opponent and quickly taking him out, but no such luck. The archer had notched a blunted electrical arrow to his bow – he had no desire to kill this stranger, but the charge on one of these arrows was enough to take down 10 men. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, an arrow whizzed past his head. Clint instantly dropped to a crouch, bow cocked and aimed directly at the trajectory of the offending arrow. A voice called out to him.

“I could have hit you, but I wish to know who you are. ”

“I’m called Hawkeye. I’m an Avenger,” Clint called back.

“And I am Legolas, son of Thranduil, of the Woodland Realm. I have no quarrel with you, Avenger. Surrender and let’s be done with this foolishness.”

“No offense, buddy, but I have no reason to trust you,” Clint replied. As he spoke, he locked on to the elf – almost impossibly far away – and drew his bowstring taut. “Why don’t you surrender to me instead?” he loosed the arrow.

Legolas had not expected a man to be capable of such power and accuracy from such a distance, and it cost him. The electrical trick-arrow struck home squarely in his narrow elf chest, shocking him. He collapsed to the ground. Had he been a mere man, that may have been the end of it. However, elves are a sturdier stock, and by the time Hawkeye came leaping to the rooftop to retrieve his arrow, Legolas was nowhere to be found.

“Damn… ” he muttered. This would not be over quickly.

The electrical bolt had hurt, but Legolas continued to move. Although his feet normally left few traces, his body was not used to the effects of electrical current, and Hawkeye managed to pursue him. A game of cat-and-mouse developed, with Hawkeye’s trick-arrows ensnaring and slowing down the swifter and more durable elf, but Legolas tirelessly continued.

The hours grew long as the fight went on, until Clint bordered on exhaustion. He knelt momentarily in an alley, catching his breath, as he suddenly felt screaming pain pierce through each of his calves. Legolas’ arrows tore through the muscles and into the dirt of the ground below. Hawkeye cried out in pain, reaching back to draw an arrow. Another arrow pierced the hand in motion.

“I’m sorry to do this to you, Hawkeye – but you left me no choice. You must yield.” Clint heard the sound of the bowstring being pulled taut behind him. His bow slipped from his hand, but before even hitting the ground it vanished, along with the Avenger himself. All that remained were the expended elf arrows lying bloodied on the ground

Legolas whirled, prepared for anything, but suddenly the ruins around him faded to black. The familiar voice boomed from nowhere, and everywhere at once.

“Excellent job, archer of the Elves. You’ve done your race proud! But now I’m afraid I must make you wait, for an even bigger challenge lies ahead of you… “

The Outcome

Victory – Legolas. Although matched evenly in terms of archery and skill, Legolas can outpace the human Hawkeye.

Lion-O leapt through the glowing portal to follow the strange, blonde man, but when he came through the other side, the stranger was gone without a trace… along with Cheetara. What’s more, this land was unfamiliar… Lion-O was no longer in Third Earth. The sky was a strange, pinkish hue, and even the pull of gravity felt different.

It had been but a moment ago that he had been hunting down the blonde brute. He had appeared without warning, capturing the ThunderCats in bizarre traps, one by one in the Cat’s Lair, before picking up Cheetara and fleeing towards the Forest of Silence.

Lion-O noticed a castle in the distance. He began running towards it, clutching the sword of omens in his fist. “If only I had been there…” he thought to himself. Lion-O had been out on a walk in the forest when the attack occurred. If he had not been returning to the Lair as He-Man left, he may not have even seen the direction he fled. He may not have heard Cheetara’s plea for help.

He-Man had been out on a walk as well, this day, when something caught his keen eye. A strange, feline-looking man was charging toward Castle Greyskull, sword in hand. He-Man urgently charged out to intercept him.

Illustration by MiKO

As He-Man approached him, he called out. “Ho there, Cat Man. I cannot allow you to approach Castle Grayskull so armed. Are you friend or foe? You look like you could be a spawn of Beastman..”

To Lion-O’s ears, the words sounded senseless and threatening. “You may have gotten the drop on the other ThunderCats, but not I! If I find that you have harmed Cheetara, I will destroy you. HOOOOOO!” as he cried out, the Sword of Omens extended to its full length. Lion-O swung the sword, sending out blasts of energy towards his opponent, and He-Man barely had time to draw forth his Power Sword to deflect the volley. He-Man charged forth, and the duel began. The two mighty swords rang as they clashed together, time and time again.

Such a display of swordsmanship is seldom seen – where He-Man overpowered with brute strength, Lion-O dodged and outmaneuvered. As easily as the Sword of Omens blasted energy at He-Man, the Power Sword just as easily dispelled it. For hours they fought, but He-Man is tireless, and invulnerable. Each swing of his sword had the power to shatter stone, and eventually he wore down his opponent. As Lion-O collapsed, He-Man sheathed his sword, and held out his hand.

“You fought nobly, and well. I seek no enmity from you.”

Lion-O looked up at He-Man in confusion. “Who is this man, who would kidnap a ThunderCat, and then holds out his hand in peace? Something is amiss… ” he thought to himself. He held up the sword of omens, reverted to its normal length, to his eyes and spoke the phrase “Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight!”. As he looked up at He-Man, he saw clearly the hex placed upon him by Mumm-Ra. Looking further, he saw a strange man with a yellow skull face, holding Cheetara.

“I have been a fool,” Lion-O said, and He-Man looked in surprise, suddenly understanding. The Eye of Thundera had removed the hex. “We have been tricked into fighting one another by a creature known as Mumm-Ra. I see another at his side, a man with a yellow skull for a face.”

“Skeletor.” He-Man replied. He pulled Lion-O to his feet. “I know not this Mumm-Ra, but where Skeletor is, trouble is sure to follow. Let us fight them together, friend!”

The Outcome

Victory – He-Man. These two are matched in skill, and their swords counter-balance each other. However, He-Man is the most powerful man in the universe, and eventually he will over-power Lion-O.

Bonus Round – Who has the more flambouyant outfit?

He-Man’s blonde bob, combined with furry boots and panties and a belted chest-piece, vs Lion-O’s red, flowing mane combined with blue singlet with bared midriff and booties.

I’m gonna have to give this to Lion-O. But both are trumped by Prince Adam’s outfit.

Dr. Manhattan stood at his laboratory computer. He also stood across the laboratory pondering the results from the latest experiment. He was trying to figure out what exactly the latest test results could mean. The feeling was very similar to when Veidt used the tachyons to cloud his vision of the future, but at the same time… different. This current set of experiments, once concluded, should put his mind at ease, but thus far the results were baffling. Omnipotence was not all it was cracked up to be.

Suddenly Manhattan sensed he was not alone. He turned and found a thin, pale man cloaked in a dark robe standing in the doorway and watching him. “I was wondering when you’d finally arrive,” said Manhattan, “After I rebuffed the last, I was sure I’d meet another of you. Fascinating. The forces of the universe… Or at least , the forces of the LIVING in the universe. Your female friend was Death, I presume, considering what she wanted. And you… who might you be?”

“I am Dream, of the Endless,” spoke Morpheus quietly, ” And your time has come. My sister will return shortly and you will go with her.”

“Dream! Interesting. Not exactly a force I would assume was necessary for life, but I’m sure you would disagree with me. At any rate, I won’t be going with your sister. You both are forces that… transcend the physical. I am the physical. I control every atom in creation. I could change the entire Universe to lead if I so chose. We’re not so different, you and I.”

“You are living. Therefore, you are in our jurisdiction. And you will be dying tomorrow.”

Manhattan turned, all his forms but one disappearing. “I will not.” he said, and with a thought, Dream was dissolved into a pile of sand. He turned back to his work.

Moments later, Manhattan felt a tickle in his nose. With a thought, he dismissed the mote of sand that was causing it. He turned again and saw exactly what he expected. Morpheus stood once more in the doorway. With a scowl, Manhattan spoke, “I told you. I’m every bit as powerful and omnipotent as you. I won’t be dying.”

Morpheus only stood quietly. With a wave his hand, a new form appeared. Janey Slater. “I… Janey?” Manhattan stuttered.

“Jon… it’s time, honey. You’ve got to let go and accept that you’re human… like you were. Please Jon… come with me. We can be together again…”

Manhattan moved towards Janey slowly… how tempting it was to leave all of this behind. Ignorance truly was bliss. Perhaps it would be easier to just die. Whatever might await beyond. Manhattan raised a blue hand to Janey’s cheek… and she collapsed into dust. Manhattan closed his eyes and sighed. This was going to be difficult. Another thought and Morpheus was once again a pile of sand. It was time to leave.

The Martian landscape spread out before him. Maybe he could hide out for a little while before Morpheus found him again. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case, as Morpheus reappeared within seconds. “I will be rid of you!” screamed Manhattan.

This time he encased Dream in a cube of lead. That should stop him for a little while. No sooner had Manhattan had that thought than the lead began to ripple and boil. It slipped away from Morpheus’ body slowly, revealing The Endless beneath, unscathed. With a cry of rage, Manhattan blasted him away again and transported himself to another place, another time.

This went on for what seemed like eons, the two titans battling through the time stream. Doctor Manhattan trying some new trick to destroy Dream; turning his body to gold, the air around him to acid. Even going back to the beginning to try and find him at his birth. All to no avail. It seemed that this would go on for eternity. Unless…

With a final epiphany Manhattan realized what he had to do. It was drastic, to be sure… but it was the only way. And in time, all things would flourish again.

“I can’t defeat you, dream lord,” admitted Manhattan, “You have all the power of this universe at your hands. You can’t destroy me, but neither can I destroy you.”

“Go with my sister, then. Accept Death as the inevitability that it is.”

“I won’t… I may not be able to stop you, but I can still defeat you,” said Manhattan. He closed his eyes and began to focus. He began to feel the earth beneath him shift and draw up inside him. The air around him did the same. Soon the entire planet they sat upon was compressed into Manhattan’s body. Morpheus floated in front of Manhattan momentarily and smiled, before disappearing. Manhattan was unconcerned. The universe was a large place, but the Endless couldn’t live outside of creation. This was the only way.

More and more began to be drawn to Manhattan, faster and faster. Planets, entire stars at first and then even more. Solar systems, galaxies, nebulae. Black holes, quasars, pulsars. Planets with life were drawn in just like those barren and lifeless. It hurt Manhattan, but it was all for the best. To start again would be glorious. A world without the Endless… where the living were their own masters. A world without Death or Dream, or whoever else there may be. A world without Jon Osterman.

Soon there was nothing left. All of creation was contained within Manhattan. He began to compress himself, drawing it all into a tiny, super dense, super energetic point. Manhattan smiled and finally felt whole and complete. He was the Alpha and Omega. With this final, glorious revelation, he let go and gave birth to the Universe.

Morpheus walked over to Dr. Manhattan’s body in his laboratory. The power of the livings minds never ceased to amaze him. He truly believed all that had happened in his dream and that he had recreated the Universe and the power of that belief had wholly incapacitated him. Tomorrow, Death would come by to take him away, so he could truly be at peace and perhaps even see Janey again. Morpheus felt an odd bit of melancholy this time, though. Jon Osterman was a remarkable being and he felt sad that he had to do this him. But as all things dream, so must all things die. Morpheus sat down beside the glowing, blue body and waited. He would keep vigil over the greatest and wisest human he had so far met until his sister came to take him over. He owed him at least that much.

Victory – Morpheus

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A green ray of light beamed out from the Borg cube, waving over the hull of the massive battle-station, scanning and searching for weaknesses.

“Sir, they don’t appear to be attacking us,” an officer announced to the looming figure of Darth Vader behind him.

“Well I should think not. They are severely out-matched…” Grand Moff Tarkin strode into the room. “Still, their announcement made their intentions quite clear. I suppose we should take care of them. Send out a TIE squadron.”

A swarm of TIE fighters screamed around the Cube, blaster cannons flashing bright red. However, almost immediately the bolts begin hitting an invisible barrier. The Borg have adapted.

“Resistance is futile… Surrender your vessel.” A beam of green light arced forth from the ship, wiping away the fighters like so many insects. The cube begins moving ominously closer to the Death Star’s main hanger bay.

“Sir.. the TIE squadron is gone. The vessel appears to have some sort of energy field,” the officer stammered.

“Enough of this. Focus all forward turbo lasers and ion cannons on that ship. I want it out of my sight.” Tarkin snapped.

At his command, a barrage of lasers blasted the advancing cube. As quickly as the battle began, it was over. The Borg had no time to adapt to the heavy fire, and by the time the firing stopped, their was very little to prove that it had ever been there at all. But the Borg were not so easily defeated…

It was several hours before the reports started coming in about strange disappearances and malfunctioning machinery. Another several before the officers realized what had happened. The Borg worked like an infection. Having realized that they stood no chance against the far bigger station, and having discovered their lack of shielding, they transported hundreds of drones to various strategic places on board the Death Star.

The Imperials put up a fight, to be sure. Wave upon wave of Stormtroopers blasted away at the drones, but the Borg quickly adapted. Their personal shielding soon easily absorbed the blaster fire, and their own weapons had little trouble penetrating the white plastoid armor of the troopers. Countless Imperials were assimilated, and deck by deck the Borg built their own hive. The more Stormtroopers they assimilated, the more quickly they spread. After assimilating an unfortunate astromech droid, they quickly took complete control of the computer system. The ranking Imperial officers could do nothing but watch in horror.

After a day had passed, Darth Vader pondered his own encounters with the strange cybernetic creatures. To be sure, he had quickly taken down an impressive number of them on his own. His lightsaber sliced through them with ease – at first. However, as with all things, eventually the Borg adapted, and to his surprise, the familiar red blade encountered a force field. Fortunately, a lightsaber is but one of a Sith Lord’s weapons. Using the Force, Vader tossed aside the drones like rag dolls. But he is not a fool. The Force is powerful, but he could not re-take the enormous battle station on his own.

As Vader’s personal TIE fighter jettisoned from the doomed station, the Borg hive altered the Death Star’s course to follow the tracking beacon they had placed on his ship. There was another whole universe filled with imperfection on the other side of that worm hole. They would bring order to chaos. Resistance is futile.

Victory – Borg

The wormhole deposits the Sith Lord atop Orthanc. Saruman is facing away, looking out over Isengard, seemingly oblivious to Vader’s presence. He is muttering softly under his breath. Vader moves slowly towards him… “This will be easier than I could have hoped…” he thinks to himself.

Suddenly, Saruman raises his staff. A bolt of lightning arcs down from the sky towards his opponent, who barely has time to raise a shield with the Force to protect himself. Saruman spins, smiling triumphantly.

“You thought you could catch me by surprise? You’re more naive than I would have imagined!” he shouts to his foe, “I hope you’ve got more fight in you than wits.”

Saruman moves towards Vader, raising his staff. A blast of energy knocks him backwards towards the edge of the tower.

Darth Vader felt nothing. How could this old man channel such a strong blast of the Force while giving no trace of it? It must be the staff that his master needs… he was channeling some other force through it. He had to get it away from him. Outstretching his hands behind him, Vader uses the Force to balance himself and prevent himself from tipping over the edge of the sheer tower. Regaining his composure, he steps forward and raises his hand to grip Saruman in a Force Choke. Saruman is lifted off the ground, sputtering in surprise. Vader attempts to pull the staff from his grip, but Saruman’s magic and focus keeps it tightly in his grasp. He would have to distract him first, then get the staff away.

He was powerful, that much was certain. Whatever sorcery this black mage was using to hold Saruman in place was powerful indeed. Saruman’s mind races as he pushes his magic to the limit to prevent his windpipe from collapsing and ending this duel prematurely. Saruman would not be defeated like this, least of all while he still held his staff. Luckily, the force that was holding him and crushing around his throat left his hands and arms free. Saruman raises his staff, sending another blast toward his black-cloaked foe. While not as effective as the first, it serves its purpose and Saruman drops to the ground. This would be a challenge.

Vader is growing weary of the old man and resolves to end this quickly. Forget the staff, he thinks, he can’t very well hold it with no arms. He draws his lightsaber and charges toward the wizard with inhuman speed. Saruman too, however, is quicker than he looks. Vader watches with astonishment as the old man dodges and deflects swing after swing of his lightsaber with energy from his staff.

Saruman is growing tired. He can’t keep avoiding Vader’s swings indefinitely, and from the looks of it, his opponent was not slowing down.

“Your power is impressive. My master could use the aid of someone like you,” Saruman says, “Your skills would be valuable… and your rewards immeasurable.”

The blows kept coming, relentlessly.

“Whoever you serve now is nothing compared to my master. Join him and you could have anything that you desire. With him, my power is far more than it ever was before… to resist him is futile,” Saruman continues, working magic into every word.

Finally there is a lapse in the swings. Only a moment, but more than enough. Saruman channels all his force into a blast and sends the lightsaber skittering across the tower, capitalizing on his foes momentary hesitation. Slamming his staff into the ground, a bolt of lightning strikes the lightsaber, melting it to a useless pile of metal and crystal.

“No!” cries Vader.

He spins, ready to deliver a blast of the Force to send the old man over the edge. When he turns, however, there is nothing there but open space.

Saruman watches Vader’s confusion with pride for a moment before slamming his staff in to the back of his skull. Vader falls to the ground, unconscious. He had hoped to begin studying the strange visitor immediately, but the fight was more draining than he had imagined it would be. There would be plenty of time for that later, however. This new stranger would not be returning to his homeland, but would make a fine addition to Sauron’s legions.

Victory – Saruman

There’s been some good discussion back and forth about this matchup, and I have to say that it’s among the toughest I’ve had to decide. Both contestants are physically impressive, good hand-to-hand fighters and cunning warriors.

The Scenario

After much deliberation, I’ve determined that the fight will take place in a small clearing in the jungle. To eliminate the jungle is to take away one of Tarzan’s biggest weapons. However, Tarzan is not able to call upon his jungle friends. He must fight on his own, armed with his knife and the resources of the jungle.

Conan is armed with his two-handed sword. The sword is not magical or enchanted. Both contestants are aware of the other and start on opposite sides of the clearing.

The Fight

The two hunters circle each other cautiously, each sizing up his opponent. Conan moves first, smoothly swinging his sword at Tarzan, who narrowly dodges the blade. Tarzan, surprised by the speed of the larger man, quickly melts backward into the foliage of the surrounding jungle.

Conan charges forward to follow, but the jungle man has already disappeared among the trees. Conan begins chopping a swath through the trees, searching for his opponent. Tarzan observes the barbarian from the treetops, poised and ready to strike.

Just as Conan passes below him, Tarzan leaps down from his perch and sinks his knife into the bulk of the barbarian. Conan thrashes back, knocking down the jungle man. He quickly grabs him on the ground and begins throttling him with his fists. Tarzan grabs the wrists of his opponent, rolls back, and kicks the man backward.

By the time Conan is back on his feet, Tarzan has once again disappeared into the foliage. His sword is gone. He stands his ground and watches the trees for any sign of movement… when out of nowhere, Tarzan swings through on a vine and lands a kick to his jaw. Conan goes down, but this time Tarzan leaps on his back, wraps a vine around, and leaps back. He has formed a primitive noose from the vines, and it tightens around the barbarian’s neck until he passes out.

The Outcome

It’s true that the setting of the fight plays a major part in this fight. Had it taken place in the desert, it’s possible that Conan could have beaten Tarzan. However, in this scenario, Tarzan was able to take advantage of his tactical advantage, and was able to bring down the larger man.

Each of these characters are (arguably) the best hunters in their respective galaxies. Now, while I’m sure that some of you will be quick to point out that Fett’s only real screen-time involved being beaten by a blind guy into the Sarlaac pit, for this particular match we’re going to take into account the Extended universes of each contestant, and that means that Fett escaped the Sarlaac pit and continued being the most feared and successful bounty hunter in the galaxy.

The Scenario

Now that I’ve cleared that up, each contestant gets their full arsenal, but no prep-time. They start off a fair distance away from each other and neither knows where the other is to begin. The fight is taking place in an evacuated city. The Predator is a high-level, and both contestants are at their prime.

The Fight

The Predator stalks Fett, cloaked in invisibility. Lining up the shot, he raises his shoulder-cannon and prepares to fire.

At the last moment, just as the cannon fires, Fett blasts into the air, jetpack burning. The bounty hunter heard the Predator approaching, and using the tracking systems built into his helmet, Fett has no trouble locking onto his alien adversary, and opens fire with his blaster.

The Predator drops its cloak, the element of surprise lost. It dodges Fett’s blasts narrowly and returns fire with his shoulder-cannon. Fett, still airborne, has little trouble avoiding the clumsy blasts. He lands and tosses a concussive grenade toward the Predator. The Predator turns to flee, but is knocked flat by the blast.

Fett lands atop the fallen Predator and finishes him off, execution-style.

The Outcome

Despite the skills of the Predator and his many weapons, Boba Fett has a greater advantage with his flight and many ranged weapons. In the end, the Predator proves no greater adversary than any other of Fett’s many conquests.

This is a big one, fanboys and fangirls. Obviously, coming from vastly different universes, there are a few rules that have to be set in place for the match. The biggest one is that this fight is between the most recent GAME incarnations of each character. Not the books, not the comics. Also, since the weapons are different in each game, for this match, Gordon and Master Chief pick up their weapons on the battlefield, and they are generic weapons, not from either particular game. A pistol, shotgun, sniper rifle, RPG and SMG are provided for each combatant, and in addition, Gordon gets his crowbar and the regular Gravity Gun, and Master Chief gets 3 plasma grenades.

The Scenario

The fight takes place on an unknown planet with similar gravity and atmosphere to earth. The terrain is an abandoned city, and there are no additional health packs available.

The Fight

Gordon and Master Chief begin on opposite ends of the city, and begin travelling through towards the center, gathering weapons along the way. A huge empty city center provides the arena for the fight, with mounds of rubble littering the ground. Master Chief witnesses a small human in an grey suit walking towards the center of the square, holding an orange glowing device unlike anything he’s seen. Unintimidated, he arms himself with the shotgun and barrels towards him, opening fire once in range. Gordon reacts quickly, ducking for cover, but not before recieving a hit from the shotgun. Gordon switches to the shotgun as well, returning fire while strafing from barricade to barricade. The shots that hit take down the Chief’s shields, which regenerate quickly. Master Chief, not phased by the attacks of his smaller opponent, throws a plasma grenade, succeeding in drawing Gordon out. Gordon switches to the gravity gun and grabs a large piece of debris to use as a shield and begins approaching his huge opponent. Master Chief takes advantage of Gordon’s temporary blindness and charges him, punching right through the rubble, to Gordon’s surprise. Gordon quickly switches to his trusty crowbar, whacking futilely at the heavy MJOLNIR armor. Master Chief knocks the crowbar aside and picks Gordon up, preparing to finish the job. However, Gordon grabs a plasma grenade off Master Chief’s thigh and activates it, sticking it to him. In his moment of surprise, Master Chief drops Gordon as the grenade detonates, killing him. Gordon is injured by the blast, but survives. Gordon Freeman wins.

The Outcome

A very close battle, and one that could easily go either way. However, in this particular matchup, Gordon Freeman is the winner.

This fight precludes the outcome that Tony Stark seduces Samus, thus forgoing the fight altogether. Both Stark and Samus have several variations on their suits, so obviously which one they fight in has a big impact on the outcome of this matchup. While both are seasoned fighters, Iron Man may have an advantage with his genius-level intellect and strategic planning.

The Scenario

The two armor-clad heroes will fight on Earth, in the Nevada desert. Iron man is in his Extremis suit, with all the upgrades, and Samus is in her enhanced original Power Suit.

The Fight

The fight begins on the ground. The two armored heroes face off, each analyzing the other with their enhanced vision, gathering information and determining how to attack. After Tony reminds Samus that as a Superhuman, she has a duty to register, she wordlessly begins blasting Iron Man with her standard power beam, keeping her distance. The beams bounce harmlessly off Tony’s energy shield. Iron man responds to this attack by blasting at Samus with repulsors. While she is able to dodge some of the blasts, the others that struck home similarly bounce off her own shields. Iron man takes to the skies, flying above his opponent as she begins to charge a more powerful blast. Samus space jumps into the air after Iron Man and releases the blast, followed by a barrage of missiles. The blast hits Iron Man, causing him to momentarily lose balance.

He quickly recovers and faces Samus, blasting her with a powerful uni-beam attack and knocking her back down to the ground. She looks back up, still undamaged. Iron Man swoops down and lands on top of Samus, punching her repeatedly and finishing with a close-range blast from his repulsors. Samus’s shields are failing, but she is not defeated yet. She whips out her grapple beam, attaching it to a surprised Iron Man, draining energy from his shields. Tony quickly kicks away from Samus, activating his rocket boots to escape the grapple. Samus begins to charge another powerful Power beam attack, taking aim at the fleeing armored Avenger.

Suddenly, a massive beam of energy punches through the atmosphere from a highly advanced Stark Enterprises weapon satellite that Tony had connected to and locked on to Samus, obliterating her shields and armor. Tony wins.

The Outcome

While both characters are fairly evenly matched so far as firepower and abilities go, Tony has the advantage of being able to control other machines, providing him with an unexpected last-resort, providing him the win.