THE CONTEST: HAWKMAN versus PEREGRINE
It had to happen! The Grandmaster has watched the Secret Wars on
Infinite Earths for many years and now he comes with a challenge: I must
select 12 heroes & villains from the DC Universe to do battle
against his Champions of the Marvel Universe! Grandmaster's team
competed in the first Contest of Champions and set an allowance of 5000pts based on fixed Fight Club Rankings. Each battle will be decided by you in fantasy fight polls held on Twitter, Facebook and Patreon!
Tale of the Tape...
Intelligence: Hawkman 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Hawkman 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Peregrine 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Hawkman 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Hawkman 2 (Projectiles)
Total: Hawkman 25 (Champion)
Conservative choices over the last couple of battles have cost me the lead. Now The Grandmaster is a win clear with only half The Contest to go! We've both been conserving points, but after the last round I've decided to throw caution to the wind to try to secure a much-needed victory.
Le Peregrine is the character to beat: Alain Racine is a freelancing hero who's worked with Silver Sable and The Avengers while defending France from peril. He wears a winged suit that allows him to fly at incredible speeds, and is also highly proficient in the art of savate. He combines this French style of kickboxing with aerial derring-do for a unique brand of offense.
Le Peregrine is another international hero who was introduced through the original Contest of Champions. He's presently unranked, which means he'll be the fourth fighter on The Grandmaster's team that costs 0pts! His unusual fighting style gave Angel a lot of trouble in the original Contest, but I'm spending big to buy a true master of the airways!
Currently ranked #34: Hawkman is a winged warrior whose brutal fighting style and use of weapons has seen him get the best of Superman in Superman/Batman #4, fight Doctor Fate to a draw in All-Star Squadron #4, clobber Solomon Grundy (with friends) in Hawkman #33, and literally disarm the Matter Master in Hawkman #23!
Hawkman lacks the finesse of Peregrine's martial arts, but his raw warrior spirit transcends a more precise approach. His Nth metal harness also greatly enhances his strength, durability, and ability to recover from punishment. His use of weapons such as heavy medieval nets and a fixed mace also equip him with plenty of methods for pinning Peregrine down.
Hawkman isn't invincible and has been beaten by a canny strategist & fighter like Deathstroke, but with a far more storied career, which includes memberships with both the Justice Society and Justice League, I think Hawkman's a shoo-in to beat the Frenchman.
The Verdict (Updated July 9th)...
I came into this one looking for a decisive win to keep the scores even heading into the second half of competition. Boy did I get one! Hawkman utterly annihilated Le Peregrine in one of the most one-sided results we've seen so far!
Chris A Field cut right to the heart of the matter: "I've actually heard of Hawkman, so he wins it easy." There's no denying the starpower of Hawkman drove voting up after a dismal turnout for the previous round and gave him a significant recognition advantage.
Jason Meunier agreed with the same outcome, but found a more nuanced comparison between the two characters. For him, it was a matter of experience with their respective arsenals: "Hawkman’s gear tends toward [medieval] weapons (mace, spear), while Peregrine goes more modern (darts, gas grenades. I say Hawkman’s experience and broader combat skills give him the edge."
It was difficult to find advocates for Le Peregrine, but Joseph Day came through to wave the flag for the French longshot: "We all know who's gonna win, so I'm voting for the underdog."
He also went on to make a compelling case on the basis of Le Peregrine's first appearance and mastery of unarmed martial arts: "Peregrine is a master of savate, the French version of kickboxing. He surprised the Angel using this skill, so I figure that Hawkman could be equally bested if they don't practice a similar sport on Thanagar." We looked at Peregrine vs Angel during the week!
Facebook polls continue to be non-functional, so it was up to Twitter to deliver a crushing 91.4% majority! Special thanks to longtime friend of the site Hawkworld for getting the word out, and everyone who took time to vote, comment, or share!
This means Round 6 goes to Secret Wars on Infinite Earths!
We'll be back for Round 7 later this month! Keep your eyes on The Contest for the latest battles and past results. Hit up Twitter, Facebook, and Patreon for regular updates and new voting polls. You can also let me know what you think about the result in the comments or on social media!
Winner: Hawkman
The Grandmaster: - 3
Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: - 3
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