COLOSSUS & X-MEN versus OMEGA RED

Red Death (Marvel)
Where: X-Men Adventures #4 When: May 1994
Why: Ralph Macchio How: John Hebert

The Story So Far...
At a snow-covered base near the Black Sea, somewhere in the Caucasus region between Ukraine and Georgia, a sudden power surge disrupts a signal relay, which in turn causes critical failure of complex computer circuitry designed to contain a living weapon!

With this subtle act of electrical sabotage a sleeper is awoken: Omega Red is unleashed upon a former Soviet Union to be a tool of military hardliners committed to restoring their empire.

Omega Red's violent path of conquest takes him towards a small farming region once home to Russian expatriate and mutant Piotr Rasputin. Having sought the aid of the X-Men - but only found Jubilee - Colossus accepts a desperate flight to his homeland in the hopes of rescuing his beloved family!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Colossus 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Omega Red 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Wolverine 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Rogue 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Storm 5 (Lasers)
Total: Wolverine 26 (Metahuman)

The X-Men are: Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, and Jubilee, with Colossus.

Fans of the animated series will know Colossus wasn't a full-fledged member, but an acquaintance of the X-Men, who befriended him after a case of mistaken identity in Series 1 episode "The Unstoppable Juggernaut", which was also adapted as X-Men Adventures (Vol.1) #8.

Otherwise he's the hulking hunk of Russian organic-steel you know and love, and although he initially only has Jubilee to rely on, a note left at the mansion quickly gets the attentions of the other X-Men - particularly one who knows what they're up against!

Arkady Rossovich was a murdering scumbag even before he developed a mutant "death factor" that protected him from execution for his crimes.

The disgraced Spetsnaz GRU agent fled to Europe, but was soon reclaimed by the KGB, to be submitted to the Cold War era Soviet Super-Soldier program. Mutant healing abilities would allow Soviet scientists to implant cybernetic enhancements, as well as retractable, prehensile tendrils made of carbonadium: a Soviet alternative to the more costly and difficult adamantium metal.

Carbonadium is radioactive, but Omega Red could resist lethal poisoning with his mutant ability to absorb life force from other humans. He also possesses super-human strength, stamina, durability, and can emit "death factor" pheromone spores capable of weakening, or killing, anyone in his close proximity.

Colossus out muscles Omega Red, having stood toe-to-toe with the likes of the Juggernaut, Apocalypse, and Ord. He'll be a good compliment once Wolverine is on the scene, bringing past knowledge of Omega Red from his days with Team X, and razor-sharp adamantium claws that've cut plenty of cyborgs down to size!

Wolvie's healing factor is also useful when resisting Omega Red's life-draining, but it's unclear if he can inflict enough damage to negate a stale-mate similar to Wolverine (Vol.3) #50. We've also seen both Colossus and Wolverine taken out of the fight by having their energy absorbed in Uncanny X-Men #194.

Who did they willingly turn their essence over to? The power-absorbing Rogue, of course! She too could resist Omega Red's life-draining if she can get her hands on him and take his power. Making it all the easier for her and the rest of the team to put a serious hurt on! Will it happen that way? Let's find out!

The Tape: X-Men Ranking: Wolverine (#5)

What Went Down...

Having learned of the imprisonment of Colossus' parents from his sister Illyana -- the mighty metal mutant, and Jubilee, follow her to a Stalin era gulag reopened under the commission of Omega Red!

Jubilee channels X-Men leader Cyclops to consider a strategic option, but Colossus has no patience for looking at "angles" while his blood boils at the raw sight of injustice.

He quite literally "steels" himself, activating the natural-given skin that allows him to fearlessly charge towards the gulag -- welcoming the oppressors to fire at will!

The soldiers' bullets ricochet harmlessly off Colossus' metallic hide and even an artillery shell fired from a tank cannot stop the righteous Russian!

He runs all the way to the heavy machine, and tackles it head-on, turning the weapon against its masters by tossing the tank straight through the gulag gates!

Jubilee begrudgingly joins the charge, blasting plasma fireworks at any incoming soldiers as she storms the gate. "Okay -- looks like we'll save the subtlety for another day! Thanks for listening, Petey! You dork!"

Colossus does not respond, or join Jubilee in her dash. Instead, he is transfixed by the horrifying presence that has cast its shadow behind him -- Omega Red, with one of his coils of death wrapped around the young Illyana Rasputin.

The second coil snakes around Colossus' body, lifting him off his feet as his strength is slowly drained and he fights against the tendril's crushing squeeze.

It seems Colossus is alone to face his fate, but salvation arrives not a minute too soon. The X-Men are here -- and Wolverine has come to settle an old score!

Omega Red immediately drops Colossus and turns his attention to the voice from his past -- sending his wrist-tendrils looping around the charging Wolverine!

They tighten before the X-Man can reach his target and make good on threats.

Wolverine struggles to resist, but machismo gives way to a fading spirit as the coil begins its deadly draining of life energy. Omega Red taunts.

"Perhaps I shall have your corpse stuffed -- mounted in Red Square... A symbol of my triumph over... Eh? That shadow! What can it be?"

Wolverine is no more alone than Colossus! Rogue arrives overhead with a tank in hand to bring it slamming down on Omega Red's body!

The X-Men regroup under the scornful eye of field leader Storm. She worries for the recklessness of Rogue and Jubilee, while Wolverine clues Colossus and the team into his long history with the "Soviets' Super-man".

At that moment, Omega Red pushes the tank off his body!

Colossus and Wolverine race to meet him, but once again Omega Red's long reach holds the mighty Russian at bay and snatches Wolverine into the air!

The X-Man desperately tries to rake his claws across Omega Red's eyes, but his futile efforts aren't for nothing!

With his tendrils occupied, Omega Red is wide open to the flying figure of Rogue!

She drives her shoulder into his back like a battering ram, and he drops his weakened prey to instead wrap both deadly coils around her!

To the Soviet Super-Soldier's shock -- Rogue is completely unfazed by the life-draining attack! Her own mutant power to absorb life force appears to completely cancel out Omega Red's deadly ability!

Unaffected, Rogue is able to shrug the binding cables off with her super-human strength, but before she can resume the attack -- Darkstar arrives in the sky!

Omega Red orders his flying comrade to take care of Rogue, but Darkstar does not share his violent vision for Russia's future.

Having observed Storm's apparent command of the weather, she implores the X-Woman to summon the deepest cold if she's able and direct it at Red.

Rogue obliges Storm with a full nelson to hold Omega Red in place while the weather goddess directs the arctic winds to blast a bitter cold directly at him!

The villain can only shout broken dreams of glory as his body temperature begins to cool and he's returned to the icy frozen state that held him before saboteurs ended his suspended animation. The terror on the Caucasus is ended.

The Hammer...

The intervention of Darkstar not only handed Storm the means to end Omega Red's rampage, but also ensures his collaborators in the attempted coup will be brought to justice by modern Russia.

You may've noticed a colouring error [above] that makes it seem as if Storm is shouting to herself. The center panel is obviously intended to be a close-up of Darkstar, who I always wished could've had a more active role in the story, but is reserved for a final act twist.

Everyone has a bit more to do in the animated episode, which spreads the action over two separate battles, allowing Darkstar to get involved much sooner and witness everyone's abilities, to more intuitively suggest an outcome to Storm.

If you thought it was a little off that Rogue's powers would cancel out Omega Red's without any contact to her skin -- you won't be surprised to find that she actually does succumb to the life-draining coil in the animated version. Granted, this only raises further questions about how the tendrils actually work.

In this instance I'm not sure the source material is entirely helpful at clearing anything up. The exact details of Omega Red's abilities generally feel a little slippery in the mainline comics, as well.

The Cold War inspired villain had immediate appeal on the strength of a bombastic Jim Lee design, but a hodgepodge of oh-so nineties invulnerabilities and death-dealing powers have arguably made the character unwieldy in a narrative context, leading to inconsistent conclusions throughout the years.

Putting him back on ice was a clean way to wrap up a robust done-in-one story, but the way it comes about feels a little bit dubious. Maybe if Iceman were on the team it would be an easier sell, but even that speaks to the difficulty of leaving Omega Red in play.

There are a lot of interesting differences between the November 1993 broadcast episode and its X-Men Adventures comic book adaptation.

Despite the episode name appearing on the cover, the comic story is titled "Red Death", wielding that most taboo of words as far as Saturday morning cartoons of the era were concerned. An otherwise trivial difference -- especially for a series that dealt with death in its very first plotline! This one's for you, Morph!

More substantial is Omega Red's release from suspended animation: an act of sabotage in the comic, while in the animated series, anonymous hands confidently manipulate the controls. A deliberate escalation contextualized by scenes of tanks and storm troopers invading a city already under siege.

The comic version also flirts more specifically with the geo-politics of the story, establishing a slightly more deliberate locale than the ambiguous Russia of the cartoon. We still don't quite know which "sovereign nation" Colossus and the Rasputin family come from, but the comic-given geography of a "small city in the Caucasus" of the former USSR seems to imply it's probably Georgia, or Armenia.

Despite the narrative-driven change to Colossus' Siberian comic book upbringing; trifling with the specifics of Communist politics probably wasn't high on anyone's agenda. The Cold War had ended a few years prior, and Rocky IV was almost a full decade behind us. American comic books will always love a good Russian villain, but most people were probably hoping to just move on from the looming threat of mutually assured atomic destruction.

That might be the reason Omega Red is ultimately depicted as hostile to almost everybody -- including the Soviet Generals he's supposed to be serving!

This version of Arkady Rossovich is harder than hardline. He intends to install himself as the iron ruler of a new empire. An expressed delusion of grandeur that seems to be a catalyst for the reserved Darkstar to finally reveal her true allegiance, and act against her military superiors. Russians aren't all evil, buddy!

All in all, both the comic and cartoon do a good job of cramming a whole lot of stuff into a pretty succinct story. There are things I like about both versions. The Series 2 episode was always a memorable favourite, but I think the twenty-two page comic does a good job of amending some of its pacing issues.

Marvel's Ralph Macchio [not THAT one] always did a good job on the various Adventures titles, and the intensity of John Hebert's pencils really helped push back against the innate second-class status of a book adapting a cartoon. His work, with its straining tendons and broad muscle, feels right at home with the look of the show, and contemporary X-artists like Lee, Andy Kubert, and maybe even Leinil Yu, while also being very identifiable.

Macchio later took the series into original stories in Adventures of the X-Men, and bridged the animated shared universe with Marvel Adventures. Continuations well worth your time, especially while you're eagerly anticipating the upcoming revival of X-Men '97 on Disney Plus -- which recently added definitive Wolverine voice actor Cal Dodd!

Dive deeper into your favourite characters by following links throughout this post, and discover more from the multiverse by exploring the Secret Archive for a complete index in order of publisher, series, and issue. You can also catch up on the 2021 Rankings Recap and Top 20 Fights of Season 2021!

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Winners: Storm & Rogue (w/ X-Men & Darkstar)
#34 (+4) Storm
#46 (+26) Rogue
#446 (+5) Darkstar [+1 assist]
#5 (--) Wolverine [+1 assist]
#435 (--) Colosssus [+1 assist]
#369 (+23) Jubilee [+1 assist]
#361 (+9) Magik (Illyana Rasputin) [+1 assist]
#967 (new) Omega Red

HAWKEYE & SANDMAN versus DOCTOR OCTOPUS & MADAME MENACE

Even an Octopus Needs Arms (Marvel)
Where: Solo Avengers #17 When: April 1989 Why: Tom DeFalco & Ralph Macchio How: Al Milgrom & Don Heck

The Story So Far...
An anonymous tip to Avengers HQ brings Hawkeye to a late night rendezvous in a Los Angeles waterfront warehouse.

From the shadows of the rafters overhead he spies the trappings of an illegal hi-tech arms deal, but fails to notice the hulking presence lurking up behind him! Lucky for him it's just the one who called it in -- The Sandman! 

Unsure of his status as a reserve Avenger, Sandman summoned fellow ex-con Hawkeye in the hopes he could get a helping hand taking down Madame Menace while on mission for Silver Sable. Hawkeye's none too happy to do the job of a mercenary, but with a high-profile buyer entering the picture these Avengers must assemble to thwart the exchange!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Sandman 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Doctor Octopus 5 (Professor)
Speed: Hawkeye 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Sandman 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Sandman 7 (Unlimited)
Fighting: Hawkeye 4 (Trained)
Energy: Hawkeye 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Sandman 26 (Metahuman)

Hawkeye and Sandman might seem like an unlikely team-up, but in 1989 the Spider-Man villain had put petty crime behind him to work as a member of Silver Sable's altruistic mercenary group, The Wild Pack, while also earning reservist status with The Avengers. Quite a turnaround!

William Baker's ability to shift his body from a state of rock-hard compressed sand, to a trail of fine granules, makes him a powerful and versatile ally -- but it's also his past affiliations with the Sinister Six and Frightful Four that gives him unique intelligence insights into the criminal fraternity.

Sandman is certainly no stranger to Doctor Octopus: the "Master Planner" who recruited him into the original lineup of the Sinister Six.

Doc Ock can usually count on outsmarting or manipulating a heavy like Sandman, but the focused power behind his electronic octo-arms, which've been known to smack around the Hulk, won't do him much good punching through fine sand!

The brilliant mind of Otto Octavius is certainly ingenious enough to devise other means of disrupting Sandman's unique physical composition. We saw his arsenal of machines reach an apex in Amazing Spider-Man #600, but that was after a total loss of mobility. Traditionally he seems to travel light, which is one reason he's out shopping for weapons designed by the equally brilliant Madame Menace.

Menace, aka; Sunset Bain, is a genius with special acumen for advanced machine engineering. As founder of Baintronics Incorporated, she was a rival and former flame for Tony Stark, who also used her unique electro-magnet tech and sonic disrupter cannon in pursuit of Machine Man and Jocasta.

Hawkeye might not be able to match today's opponents in invention, but he does have a quiver of trick arrows packed with his own high frequency sonic emitters, and various other useful devices for disrupting the designs of evil-doers.

We haven't profiled Hawkeye as much as we should, but we've seen him draw his bow against the likes of USAgent in Invaders #0, The Destroyer in Thor (Vol.2) #1, Hulk in Avengers (Vol.2) #4, and even Galactus in What If...? #70!

He and Sandman have teamed up prior to today's battle, but it's anyone's guess if they'll be able to stay on the same page long enough to beat a duo as dastardly as Doctor Octopus and Madame Menace! Let's get into it!

The Tape: Sandman & Hawkeye Ranking: Hawkeye (#156)

What Went Down...

Signaled with a single beam of light: a helicopter touches down on the docks to produce a sturdy figure hidden beneath a hat and trench coat.

The mysteryman strides into the waterfront warehouse carrying a briefcase filled with payment for a shipment of Madame Menace's finest state-of-the-art arms -- even though he's secretly packing four deadly hi-tech arms beneath his coat.

Watching from the rafters overhead, Sandman informs Hawkeye that he's only been ordered by Silver Sable to take out the seller -- which lights a fire under the Avenger, who draws his bow and gets to work firing on buyer & seller both!

Henchmen representing both parties point their pistols skyward and send a volley of bullets and energy blasts in the heroes' direction!

Hawkeye quickly drops clear of the fray and lets Sandman harmlessly absorb their blasts. Sandman extends his torso to send himself streaming toward the lower levels like a massive rock-hard piledriver!

The impact of a compressed column of sand making touchdown topples Madame Menace's masked minions with a mighty tremor!

The unexpected appearance of an old ally is enough to raise the ire of Otto Octavius, who rips away his trench coat disguise to reveal the telescopic arms of Doctor Octopus!

Hawkeye rides a zip line straight through a pack of heavily armed mooks, giving them the broadside of the bottom of his boots as he touches down and runs through a brief mental recap of Avengers files on Doc Ock.

The archer tries his luck with a double shot at the buyer, but Doctor Octopus has arms to spare -- catching one arrow with a mechanical claw, while blocking an exploding variety with two of his other arms crossed over.

Meanwhile, Sandman finds himself under assault from high-tech sonic disruptors that fire from a caterpillar cannon tank, and a handgun wielded by its driver.

The blasts punch right through his chest, but Sandman fans his particles even more broadly to wash his attackers away with a tidal wave of sand!

As quickly as he dissipates Sandman pulls his particles back together, forming a tightly compressed, gigantic hammer-fist that smashes through the cannon barrel to sheer its gunhead off and leave twisted metal in its wake!

Hawkeye calls for a few "pailfulls of yourself" from his powerful ally, but Sandman is sticking strictly to Silver Sable's orders. He's just here for the seller and that means the archer is on his own, desperately leaping clear of Doc Ock's tentacles!

Madame Menace is more willing to get involved, joining her minions to surround Sandman with advanced turning fork guns that send a powerful high pitched frequency resonating through his particles -- and the ears of all who hear it!

A recent bout of hearing loss gives Hawkeye an unexpected edge. He deactivates the hearing aids in his cowl and holds his nerve long enough to draw his bow and shoot the sonic weapons out of enemy hands!

The distraction gives Doc Ock the opening he needs to sneak up on Hawkeye with his long reaching tentacles!

The archer is helpless as he's yanked into the air by the telescopic metal limbs, but this time his cries for assistance won't fall on deaf ears!

Sandman pulls himself together and steps up to repay his Avengers ally for the earlier save. He hoists the tank over his head and dares Doctor Octopus to use his extra arms to play a little catch!

Doc Ock has no choice but to drop the archer and take evasive action, raising himself as the massive machine flies dangerously past to crash through the warehouse wall!

Madame Menace calls the operation untenable and invites Doctor Octopus to reconvene at another time. The buyer agrees, joining her in a hasty exit through the damaged wall -- but Sandman isn't letting them off the hook that easy!

Madame Menace gets airborne with a jet pack and summons some more hi-tech support, this time in the form of a massive flying mechanical hand that smashes through Sandman's body right as he's about to capture her!

Sandman will pull himself back together, but the delay is enough to give Madame Menace free passage to the night sky.

Hawkeye hopes to prevent the same exit for Doctor Octopus, who scrambles to his descending helicopter on extended octo-arms.

With a daring leap from the warehouse roof -- the archer catches the end of one of Doc Ock's arms, but it's a futile effort. Already latched on to the helicopter with two of his arms, the Doctor uses his free tentacle to swat Hawkeye loose.

The blow sends Hawkeye into a plunging freefall, but Sandman has his back once again, launching into a geyser of sand that catches the Avenger and brings him safely back down to the docks.

The Hammer...

Sandman and Hawkeye may have managed to drive Madame Menace and Doctor Octopus into a hasty retreat, but both sides got their licks in right to the finish, leaving us with no conclusive winners.

Of course, Sandman lays the blame for failing to complete his mission on Hawkeye, who he insists is also working for Silver Sable. A fun little callback to prior team-ups in Solo Avengers #3, and #6-7, in terms the Avenger strenuously objects to.

Truth be told, it might not have been such a bad idea for Hawkeye to join up with The Wild Pack eventually. He would've lent a little extra star-power to the group when they got their own series in 1992, freshening up his own circumstances after Solo Avengers had become Avengers Spotlight, and run its course with other characters in '91.

Solo Avengers had basically functioned as a Hawkeye version of Marvel Team-Up, but by having two feature stories you also got some other interesting Avengers tangents, starring Black Widow, Falcon, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, and more.

Hawk' has a fun, bantering dynamic with Sandman, whose good-natured belief he shares a bond of brotherhood with his fellow ex-con provides just the right amount of common ground, with odd couple friction.

For Hawkeye, his early days on the wrong side of the law are a long and distant memory, and while he'd probably rather not have Sandman palling around, he just can't turn his back on the Avengers reservist, who could clearly benefit from a little guidance in his venture into heroic redemption. Or at least his intel.

Sandman has a long and tenured heart of gold, but he'll inevitably slip back into causing trouble for Spider-Man and friends on the wrong side of the law.

He and Hawkeye never quite stoke up a lasting relationship, but they did eventually collaborate again when Hawkeye recruited him for a two-issue team-up with his band of former-villains in Thunderbolts #40. Another example of utilizing Sandman for information, and a nice nod to shared history from writer Fabian Nicieza, even if he couldn't make it a permanent fixture.

Longtime readers know these are the interesting little connections I enjoy. Asides that make a series like Solo Avengers a whole lot of fun by taking full advantage of a chance to spotlight an unusual team-up, irregular foes, or in this case: both.

Today's feature fight has been on my desk for a long time, and the convergence of the live-action Disney+ series, Hawkeye, with the theatrical release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, has made it the perfect time to finally take a look!

I've really been wanting to expand the Doc Ock file for quite some time. Although I enjoyed the experimental development of Amazing Spider-Man #600 - what we really need to examine is more of the classics! This was a good start, but hopefully we'll find time to explore Otto Octavius with a bit more focus.

I also wouldn't mind coming back to Madame Menace. She isn't one of the first Marvel Comics combatants you might think of, but she's had some interesting exploits over the years. This is her rankings debut, but if you'd like to find future entries, or more from any characters featured, follow links throughout this post.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 650 battles and ranked more than 1000 characters! You can discover them all by exploring the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue!

Help make the continued growth of the project possible by becoming a supporter on Patreon. As a thank you you'll unlock access to additional updates, polls, and customizable feature articles at the higher levels.

Get free daily links to superhero smackdown inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing on Twitter and Facebook. Don't forget to like, fave, and share posts, and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday!

Winners: Inconclusive (Draw)
#156 (--) Hawkeye
#428 (+3) Sandman
#479 (new) Madame Menace
#967 (+5) Doctor Octopus

BLACK PANTHER & DAREDEVIL versus KLAW & ERIK KILLMONGER

Of Kings... And Bright, Shiny Things... (Marvel)
Where: Over The Edge #6 When: April 1996
Why: Ralph Macchio How: Robert Brown

The Story So Far...
Notorious super-criminal Ulysses Klaw has been taken into custody pending the result of an extradition hearing for his role in the murder of Wakandan King T'Chaka.

Representing the interests of King T'Challa is presiding attorney Foggy Nelson, but even the watchful vigilance of his daring (and believed deceased) partner Matt Murdock cannot prevent Klaw staging an explosive escape from the court room!

Klaw has found an ally in Killmonger, who has returned from the grave to haunt Black Panther and claim the Wakanda throne for himself. Conspiring to infiltrate the Wakandan Embassy; Killmonger helps Klaw and his mercenaries kill their guards and leave T'Challa strapped to a bomb, but Black Panther has already found an ally of his own: the man without fear -- Daredevil!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Klaw 4 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Black Panther 5 (Professor)
Speed: Black Panther 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Klaw 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Daredevil 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Killmonger 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Klaw 5 (Lasers)
Total: Killmonger 28 (Metahuman)

Black Panther and Daredevil are old acquaintances, but only one of the villains they're facing together is known to both of them.

Klaw debuted as Black Panther's arch-nemesis in Fantastic Four #53, where he succumbed to his own inventions when The Panther avenged the assassination of his father, King T'Chaka. The event transformed Ulysses Klaw into a being made of living sound, which DD met and defeated in Daredevil #237!

You might think a man controlling sound would be a problem for Daredevil and his radar senses, but there were really no issues in their previous spontaneous encounter. Which makes Erik Killmonger the wild card!

The man called Killmonger was once N'Jadaka: A Wakandan who was exiled to New York after his father's death. In Harlem he honed his brilliant mind and a hatred for the Black Panther. Upon returning to Wakanda, Killmonger began a traitorous path that brought him into direct conflict with King T'Challa.

Killmonger was ultimately defeated by T'Challa in a fatal struggle, but The Mandarin helped facilitate his first resurrection. This return was seemingly brief, but Killmonger secretly conspired to survive, returning these many years later to forge an unlikely alliance with Klaw to catch Black Panther in a trap!

Killmonger is Black Panther's equal in a great many ways, possessing a similarly keen intellect and acumen for engineering, a lust for battle that transcends his extensive training, and phenomenal natural strength later enhanced with many of the same herbs and treatments guarded by the Black Panther.

In Fantastic Four #52 we saw Black Panther use skill and technique to mititgate The Thing's strength, while in Tales of Suspense #98 he matched the hand-to-hand prowess of Captain America. However, in Killmonger he finds an opponent that possesses aspects of both -- with a passionate hatred fuelling him!

In theory, Killmonger and Klaw have the edge against both heroes. It's unclear if Klaw understands the innate vulnerability of Daredevil's radar senses. If he can figure that out, and resist conflict with his reluctant ally, it could be over!

The Tape: Klaw & Killmonger Ranking: Daredevil (#9)

What Went Down...
A high frequency blast bursts the eardrums of two guards stationed to watch King T'Challa's personal catamaran. Killmonger and Klaw are now free to board, but not before the aspiring conqueror admonishes his junior co-conspirator, a Wakandan student named N'Banu, for questioning his ruthlessness.

Better teachers present themselves as Black Panther and Daredevil vault over a stack of packing crates and launch themselves onto the Lower West Side dock!

The Panther leads with his fist cracking against the jaw of one of Klaw's mercenaries, while his boot catches another with a devastating kick to the body.

One of the soldiers manages to get a single shot off, but Daredevil contorts himself around it, delivering a flying kick to another mercenary, while smacking still another on the back of the head with his trusty billy club!

Killmonger grabs N'Banu and orders Klaw & his men to swiftly deal with the heroes -- or risk being left behind. He uses his sonic tuning device to conjure a towering monster forged from pure sound.

True to his reputation as a man without fear: Daredevil fly kicks a mercenary and faces down the huge creature with stone cold confidence. He urges Black Panther to go after Killmonger -- a wish the Wakandan King is glad to grant.

The Panther prowls his docked vessel while Erik Killmonger struggles to start its engines. It is all the time T'Challa needs to seize upon his prey and pounce!

The Black Panther smashes through a window and topples Killmonger with his momentum, but the conqueror is able to roll with the attack and use his leg to turn the diving assault against the attacker!

Outside: Daredevil uses his extending club to vault into a flying kick against the large, toothy monster conjured by Klaw's sound device. The villain attempts to conjure more, but Daredevil banters while making their defeat look easy!

On the boat: Black Panther reveals he learned of Killmonger's resurrection from his own covert agents and saw that he received fake plans for the catamaran and its starting procedures. A gambit driven home with a vicious lunging punch!

Remarkably, Killmonger weathers the blow and answers with the rising of his own indignant rage! He hooks his arm under the King's legs, driving the back of his head through the boat's wooden deck! An act of physical punctuation as he challenges T'Challa for all his inherited wealth and power.

Black Panther is buoyed by the righteousness of his loyal subject's love. It is a respect he earned through the acts of a worthy king -- even as he acts as a warrior, pressing the floor to aid in thrusting his feet into Killmonger's face!He put his whole body into the kick, but still Killmonger fights!

Embracing Black Panther and the violence accused of him: Killmonger literally wraps his powerful arms around T'Challa's waist and squeezes. A bear hug intended to shatter the spine of Wakanda's virile monarch!

T'Challa grimaces for a moment and then slams his hands together around Killmonger's head. He strikes again - hitting his nose. Then buries a jumping knee deep into Killmonger's gut. The blows at last rob him of air and power.

Killmonger collapses into unconsciousness -- but the toll of battle has sapped Black Panther of his strength as well.

He secures a protective vibranium pendant from Killmonger's neck, but is too exhausted to deliver it to Daredevil. Despite DD's best efforts, T'Challa senses he too has begun to feel the toll of battle with the sound-wielding Klaw. In an act of redemption, N'Banu offers to carry it for his once and future ruler.

Daredevil and Klaw both see the boy making his approach, but it's Klaw that understands the sound-absorbing properties of Killmonger's pendant. He charges his sonic converter and blasts, catching both N'Banu and Daredevil as the man without fear desperately dives to protect the boy!

For a moment their fate is unclear, but the vibranium talisman was successful in protecting them both. N'Banu explains its purpose, allowing Daredevil to deliver a knock-out uppercut to Klaw with total impunity!

While Daredevil pummels his sound-casting foe, Black Panther fails to notice Killmonger rising from the shadows behind him. He has recovered and will fight until dead to claim the Wakandan throne as his own!

A twist of fate unfolds to answer Killmonger's wish. Daredevil's punches resonate through the boat and its contents, tipping an already unstable mast to breaking point. The massive column snaps -- collapsing onto Killmonger!

The Black Panther's flag drifts gently from above, coming to rest over Erik Killmonger's broken body. The resurrected villain now returned to death.

The Hammer...
What happens when Marvel Comics removes Tom DeFalco as Editor-in-Chief, and divides EIC responsibilities between a handful of different brand-based offices and imprints? One of the coolest forgotten series of the mid-nineties, apparently!

Over The Edge was a ten issue curio conceived by Bobbie Chase and the "Marvel Edge" office in 1995.

The series led with another Daredevil story for its first issue, but featured a rotating cast of characters under the auspices of Marvel Edge.

DD was a flagship, but the hodgepodge imprint also featured surviving Midnight Sons series starring Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange, Hulk, and the launch of a third volume for The Punisher, who is perhaps the character I most associate with Marvel Edge. To clarify: this was Punisher's infamous ponytail period.

Marvel Edge dipped its toe into a vaguely mature slant of the Marvel Universe, with obvious focus on its urban heroes. Punisher connected the core series through a crossover event also called Over The Edge, which sent him on a crazed tour in pursuit of Nick Fury. A pair of Double Edge specials tied into the event, but the Over The Edge series itself remained separate, giving it a hidden gem, anthology appeal with slightly weightier significance than the average issue of Marvel Comics Presents.

Sadly, Marvel Edge didn't even last a full year before the Onslaught event and Heroes Reborn precipitated an editorial reorganizing. It did seem to have a lasting legacy, though. It's really impossible to look back upon its weird collection of characters & series without seeing an obvious forerunner to the enduring Marvel Knights imprint -- which launched just two years later.

Marvel Knights had its own massively successful Daredevil flagship (by Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada), and also touted mature series starring all of the major Marvel Edge characters within the first few years. Even Incredible Hulk received a Marvel Knights arc in 2004, despite always seeming slightly out of place.

Marvel Knights differentiated itself in a few ways, most notably launching with one of Marvel Edge's guests in a Black Panther on-going series.

Under seasoned writer Christopher Priest; the critically acclaimed run helped establish the definitive modern iconography for Black Panther and his world.

Marvel Knights was fittingly also where Erik Killmonger made his next appearance, remaining dead for three years in real time, after today's featured battle with Black Panther & Daredevil.

That might sound like a while, but it's really nothing. It had taken 14 years for Over The Edge to dig the character up after he'd fought Black Panther and Iron Man in 1982. Killmonger had originally died in 1975's Jungle Action #17 before that, but in Iron Man Annual #5 he was briefly reanimated by The Mandarin.

Usually I'd bristle at a character who's haphazardly resurrected, but Over the Edge #6 attempts to address the issue by retconning his previous demise as the expiration of a "simalicrum". A slightly pointless exercise, given his apparent death at the end of the battle, but standard practice for a comic book return.

Christopher Priest would further reevaluate Killmonger's recurring mortality with his third revival, making cheating death an integral part of Killmonger's legend, and the mythology of Wakandan tradition. It actually works quite well, elevating previous appearances by emphasizing a grip on life, rather than the expectation he will always meet an ironic end. South Park's Kenny, he is not.

Reintroducing Killmonger to nineties readers is just one of the cool things Over The Edge #6 managed to achieve. It also provided a follow-up to Daredevil's previously discussed battle with Klaw in Daredevil #237.

I hadn't been entirely satisfied that Klaw's sound-based attacks were properly explored against Daredevil's radar senses, but it seems Ralph Macchio largely took his cues from that previous encounter.

DD does show greater signs of weathering from this fight, but that stems more from the physical toll of facing Klaw's relentless creations, rather than their unique ability to interfere with, or capitalize upon, his heightened senses.

As in the previous battle: Klaw's solid sound body and constructs simply seem to give Daredevil a more vivid target to interact with. Which is actually fair enough, if you presume Klaw is ignorant to how uniquely suited he is to otherwise do Daredevil harm. Potential that may yet be explored in at least one more battle! I'm sure we'll take a look at that one some time in the future.

In the mean time: I must express sadness at this week's news of the passing of Chadwick Boseman.

The youthful 43 year old actor became instantly beloved to Marvel movie fans for his portrayal of T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War and 2018's Black Panther. I would argue his career transcended the comic book role with memorable performances in 42 and Da 5 Bloods, where he was an intriguing screen presence who seemed to just be getting started.

The revelation that he was receiving treatment for Stage III colon cancer while filming the majority of his Black Panther appearances has shocked and humbled us all. If you would like to make a charitable donation in his memory, you can find the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, where he visited sick kids.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured more than 650 battles and ranked more than 950 characters! You can find them all in the Secret Archive indexed in order of publisher, series, and issue number. You can also discover much more by following links included throughout posts.

You can find more and support the site by following on Twitter and Facebook for daily links to battles inspired by the topics of the day. Or become involved on Patreon for extra updates, polls, and my personal gratitude.

Winners: Daredevil & Black Panther
#7 (+2) Daredevil
#33 (+5) Black Panther
#593 (new) N'Banu
#928 (new) Killmonger
#970 (-28) Klaw

JUGGERNAUT versus DR. STRANGE & HULK

Of Monsters And Magicians (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Adventures #14 When: May 1998
Why: Ralph Macchio How: Andy Kuhn

The Story So Far...
Cain Marko is best known to the world as the unstoppable Juggernaut -- but when his powers begin to fade, he finds himself in danger of losing his super-strong identity!

Juggernaut's only friend in the world is Black Tom Cassidy, and the Irish super-criminal has heard a rumor that just might help his shrinking friend!

The Crimson Gem of Cyttorak that first gave Marko his magical might is said to be in the hands of a magician living in Greenwich Village. When the pair strong arm his aid Wong, they gain entry into the Sanctum Sanctorum, and an audience with Earth's Sorcerer Supreme himself: Dr. Stephen Strange!

Strange is indeed in possession of the artefact that can recharge the Juggernaut, but little does the villain realize, there is another guest in the Sanctum whose phenomenal strength could match even his. He appears to be meek Dr. Bruce Banner, but when you make him mad, he becomes a Hulk!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Dr. Strange 5 (Professor)
Speed: Hulk 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Juggernaut 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Dr. Strange 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Hulk 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Dr. Strange 6 (Mass Destruction)


Throughout November we've been looking at the exploits of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, but sometimes the key to being a good leader is knowing when to delegate! Good thing Dr. Strange has a very wide talent pool of secret allies to pull from!

Today's villain is a behemoth we're coming to know well on The Comic Book Fight Club! Juggernaut is a magically unstoppable powerhouse whose mystic strength has toppled Colossus [Uncanny X-Men #183], Captain Britain [Excalibur #3], Captain Marvel Jr [Unlimited Access #3], and as featured just a few weeks ago -- Dr. Strange, who lost his life in the reality of What If...? #24!

You could forgive the Doc for looking for a little assistance when tangling with a foe as powerful as this! Fortunately for him, his Sanctum Sanctorum attracts a wide array of friends and foes, luring this time the frail form of Dr. Bruce Banner, better known to the world as the incredible Hulk!

Hulk's unnatural super-human strength is biological in nature. Altered by the science of gamma radiation, Hulk is the raging monster that lurks within the mind and body of scientist Banner. He's one of the most powerful figures in the Marvel Universe, owning featured victories over Silver Surfer [Incredible Hulk #95], The Sentry [World War Hulk #5], The Avengers [Avengers #4], Thor [Avengers #5] and Red Hulk [Hulk #6]!

Popular conceit is that Hulk's strength increases the madder he gets - and nothing makes him madder than an opponent he can't beat! Some feel that implies limitless strength, but here on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths, we have always subscribed to the belief that Hulk's mortal body has a limit to the power it can produce, or contain. That's okay, though!

Unstoppable, though he may be, Juggernaut can at least be temporarily defeated! We've seen the likes of Nimrod [Uncanny X-Men #194], Superman [DC versus Marvel #1], Spider-man & Wonder Woman [Unlimited Access #1], and The Avengers [Thunderbolts #150] put him on his tin canned keister!

As evenly matched opponents go - Juggernaut and Hulk are a couple of the greats. Any fight could go either man's way! Let's not forget that Hulk has Dr. Strange in his corner, though -- and there's one special detail in this encounter that undoubtedly gives the heroes an edge!

Juggernaut has come to the Sanctum Sanctorum because his magical strength has been dwindling. He's literally wasting away -- needing to make fresh contact with the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak to recharge his powers! When the fight breaks out, he has done that, inadvertently spilling into the dimension of Cyttorak himself, but

It isn't a standard necessity for the character. Just one of those uncommon afflictions that introduces a little vulnerability. When the fight begins he has been recharged - and spilled into the dimension of Cyttorak, himself. However a shred of doubt about his power remains, and that's all Hulk and Dr. Strange should need! Let's check it out...

The Tape: Hulk Ranking: Hulk (#6)

What Went Down...
With Wong held hostage by Black Tom Cassidy, the unstoppable Juggernaut penetrates the inner chambers of The Sanctum Sanctorum. Responding to the shrinking villain's plea, Dr. Strange produces the crimson Gem of Cyttorak -- only to be swatted aside as Juggernaut greedily snatches it away!

Unassuming scientist Bruce Banner watches from the threshold as a beam of red energy escapes the gem above an unconscious Sorcerer Supreme. Seeing the emaciated Juggernaut for the villain he is - Banner dives into the fray!

The tackle sends Banner and Juggernaut plunging into a portal emitting from the ruby. Black Tom contemplates the error of their plan as his associate disappears into the void of another dimension!

Inside the other realm, Juggernaut's body swells as it bathes in the raw magic of Cyttorak! He revels in a power like he's never felt before! Standing large and super-charged, he fails to notice the ghostly presence looming behind him!

A blast of mystic energy gets the Juggernaut's attention! It seems Dr. Strange's unconscious state was not a result of physical harm -- but rather, a plan to open the interdimensional doorway and entrap the Juggernaut with his astral form!

The Juggernaut starts charging toward his ectoplasmic foe, but strange claps his hands together and fires a beam at the at his feet. The spell causes the very ground to rise up around the Juggernaut -- but his unstoppable strength is too great to be held for long!

Strange attempts a more direct approach, conjuring a gigantic medieval pincer -- but Juggernaut catches its pointed ends, and shatters the weapon with his phenomenal power! As he stalks toward the astral spectre, Strange realizes the powers Juggernaut receives from this realm could place him in mortal danger!

Seeing the man who helped him in peril, Bruce Banner gives in to his inner anxiety and rage. In an explosion of muscle and anger, he shatters the calm bestowed by the mystic and unleashes the incredible Hulk!

Believing the Hulk to be summoned by Strange's magic, Juggernaut accepts the challenge. A chance to prove who the strongest in the world really is!

The two behemoths collide -- the unstoppable force meeting the immovable monster! A green hook chin checks the Juggernaut. He fires back with an unstoppable uppercut! Hulk drives both fists down atop his foe. Juggernaut fires back with a left cross of his own. Hulk throws another punch back his way. Two evenly matched powerhouses locked in a call-and-reply conversation of combat!

Seeing no end in sight: Dr. Strange plants a suggestion in the simple mind of the Hulk, urging him to direct his blows in the direction of a distant temple. An almighty blow sends Juggernaut flying in the intended direction.

At the foot of the enormous idol is another gleaming gem of Cyttorak! Seeing a chance to boost his powers to even greater heights: Juggernaut reaches out for the ruby. At first, it has the intended effect - flooding his massive body with rippling waves of energy! Triumph turns to horror as Juggernaut is consumed by the unending raw power! He shrieks for help as his body bursts with light and he disappears!

In Juggernaut's place appears the visage of the entity Cyttorak! He chastises Earth's Sorcerer Supreme for trespassing upon his realm, but also expresses a begrudging gratitude for his prior role in dispensing with Mindless Ones. For that, Cyttorak agrees to return Stephen Strange and Bruce Banner to Earth.

Juggernaut, however, will not be so fortunate. He must be punished for meddling with primal forces beyond him!

The Hammer...
After careful deliberation: Hulk & Dr. Strange will share the victory, with an invaluable assist from Cyttorak! Hard times for Juggernaut, who quite clearly picks up another defeat.

Fans of The Comic Book Fight Club will be excited to know the result means Hulk rises from #6 in the rankings, to #4! He super-leaps new #5 Wolverine, and pushes Superman out of the Top 5, down to #6! Scroll to the bottom of this entry for the full character rankings update.

Despite its impact on our ranks, not all fans will be rushing enthusiastically to quote this particular example of the Hulk defeating the unstoppable Juggernaut.

Marvel Adventures, for those who may not know, was a consolidated out-of-canon series spinning out of the various comics inspired by Marvel's cartoons.

Throughout the early to mid nineties; X-Men, Spider-man, Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Hulk all graced the small screen in starring animated series. The quality of the animation varied, but for the most part, they were excellent, faithful introductions to the wonderful world of Marvel Comics.

Many episodes adapted famous stories from classic comics. On rare occasions, the cartoons even crossed over with one another! Dr. Strange was one such hero to go between series, appearing in a Spider-man episode in '96, before making his way into the second series of Incredible Hulk, in '97.

The whole phenomenon first closed the loop on itself in 1992, when Marvel published issue #1 of X-Men Adventures. Throughout its four year run, the series would adapt episodes of the cartoon to comics. It sounds a little silly, but it was a 90s commerce solution to an influx of cartoon viewers becoming comics readers. The barrier to entry was low, and familiarity bred the cool kids who skipped out-of-continuity stories, delving deeper into the on-going canon!

Convoluted production issues on the third series of animated X-Men saw episodes shuffled to meet deadlines, censorship and run time. Volume 3 of X-Men Adventures adapted The Phoenix storylines central to the cartoon, but left many stories unrepresented. Instead, a subsequent launch of Adventures of the X-Men began a new era of telling original stories only partially inspired by the world of the cartoons. Marvel Adventures continued this with a revolving cast of cartoon inspired heroes and villains, often in combination.

Considering the state of Marvel Comics from '96 to '98, these simplified and iconic versions of characters had a real place on racks. In Adventures, fans could get fun, done-in-one stories away from convoluted events like Ben Reilly as Spider-man, the Heroes Reborn reboot universe, and so on. I may have been enjoying those stories at the time, but I certainly appreciated these alternatives.

If classic heroes and villains weren't selling point enough - there was the wholly unique art style of Andy Kuhn! You may know him these days from series like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or Firebreather. In the mid to late nineties, his big, bold, exaggerated art style gave Marvel's characters a unique contemporary look, and helped define the identity of Adventures branded comics!

Of course, being so identified with the Adventures ghetto probably didn't do him a lot of favours in the dismissive eyes of regular Marvel readers. He's found his way into books like Secret Avengers in recent years, but in my opinion, Kuhn remains significantly underrated! An artist I'd love to see more of.

We may get to more Kuhn in the future, but for now, we conclude a month of celebrating Doctor Strange! The Sorcerer Supreme has been the subject of our November battles, and is in theatres now!

If you read this week's spoilerific Hero of the Week spotlight, you know the Doctor Strange movie has an intriguing surprise cameo. That's going to fuel our final feature fight - next week! It's a forgotten classic, so you won't want to miss it! If you have, be sure to dive into character tag links or the Issue Index Archive! You'll find hundreds of features if you do!

Winners: Hulk and Doctor Strange (w/ Cyttorak)
#4 (+2) Hulk
#22 (+10) Dr. Strange
#43 (--) Juggernaut
#504 (new) Cyttorak