COLOSSUS versus CHAMPION OF THE UNIVERSE

And They Shall Call Him... Champion! (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7 When: 1982
Why: Tom DeFalco How: Ron Wilson

The Story So Far...
The Fantastic Four's Thing has earned a reputation as one of the universe's greatest fighters, having battled some of the most powerful beings of multiple galaxies! Enter: Proja - Promoter Supreme!

Charged with signing worthy opponents to challenge The Champion of the Universe; Proja sees big box office potential in a main event match between Thing and his client!

Madison Square Garden is the only arena in the world that could stage the once in a lifetime title bout, but you can't have a main event without an undercard! The Champ welcomes the challenge of some of Earth's most powerful defenders, but his pugilistic code swiftly eliminates Thor and Hulk from defending their planet.

Sasquatch did his best to test The Champ's ring awareness with brains and brawn, but with the Alpha Flight strongman knocked out it's now time for Colossus to test the mettle of the alien boxer!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Champion 7 (Omnipotent)
Intelligence: Draw 2 (Average)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Champion 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: Champion 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Draw 1 (None)
Total: Champion of the Universe 29 (Metahuman)

Champion of the Universe seemed evasive in the opening bouts, disqualifying Thor and dodging Hulk with a pair of technicalities, but finally established some much needed credibility when he knocked out Sasquatch!

This time The Champ welcomes the challenge of one of Sasquatch's old sparring partners -- Colossus: the mighty mutant with skin of organic steel!

Like other opponents Colossus poses a simple question of strength, stamina, and tenacity. The spirit is almost certainly willing, but despite his status as an X-Men powerhouse, he has a bit of a patchy record against other heavyweights.

Colossus famously came off second best in the barroom brawl with Juggernaut in Uncanny X-Men #183, got kayoed by a precision blast from Nimrod in Uncanny #194, and met a similar fate fighting a tech-assisted Apocalypse in #295.

He's still considered a relatively young man, finding his way in the world at the time of this battle, which takes place in the same year he was turned against his teammates to unsuccessfully fight Dracula in X-Men Annual #6, and dumped down the side of a butte by DC's Deathstroke during the Teen Titans crossover!

Despite all this, Colossus is not without his triumphs. In X-Men #113 he defied the magnetic influence of Magneto with hard hitting results, and years later will crush Breakworld warrior Ord in Astonishing X-Men #5.

This bout also takes place after his well known stand against Shi'ar Imperial Praetor Gladiator, who also outclassed him in strength and durability. Could that have been the perfect preparation to cause an intergalactic upset? Let's find out!

The Tape: Champion of the Universe Ranking: Champion of the Universe (#118)

What Went Down...

While opportunistic men attempt to capitalize on shrinking odds against the planet Earth -- one of its youngest bright sparks has already stepped into the ring!

The Champion welcomes the gleaming Colossus to the bright lights of Madison Square Garden with a haymaking left that sends him flying across the ring!

The metal mutant is only stopped when he slams into an adjacent turnbuckle!

Trapped in the corner, he has nowhere to go as The Champion closes in to deliver an unrelenting barrage of high-impact body blows!

Spittle escaping his mouth is the only sign of the agony radiating through his body as Colossus stoically absorbs every punch with stubborn determination!

Despite his valiant refusal to succumb to the pain, Colossus has no response for the merciless sequence of blows that rock his body!

The referee has little choice but to call for the bell.

Colossus drops silently to his knees as The Champions' punches cease. His slumped body unable to carry itself from the ring, he awaits a stretcher as the remaining challengers watch-on, impressed with his steely resolve.

The Hammer...

Any doubt about Champion of the Universe's legitimacy melts away as he annihilates Colossus in a single page of pulse pounding action!

It was a particularly brutal bout, leaving little opportunity for Colossus to strike. Was there something in particular about the young mutant that set The Champ off, or did his prior bout with Sasquatch simply remind him not to take Earth's mightiest mortals lightly?

If this were an X-Men Annual, perhaps it would be Colossus who made the final stand, but we're in the pages of Marvel Two-In-One, where The Thing will inevitably be the star to face the final challenge, and make the bravest challenge.

It's a suitable distinction between the two characters and their similar arcs, paid homage by Thing as Colossus is stretchered out after the match, and he remarks to the only other remaining competitor: "The kid did 'imself proud! Lasted almost a full round! Hope he ain't hurt too bad!"

We tend to think of Colossus as the unbreakable X-Man always there to face down the strongest obstacles, but in those early days he was still a young man, mildly unsure of himself, and coming in to his powers.

DeFalco's script makes a note of the "armored youth", emphasizing the distinction, and providing something of a companion piece to the similarly overwhelming odds of his ill fated showdown with the cosmic Gladiator during the Dark Phoenix saga. A legendary battle that's been on my To Do list for too long!

Colossus is an interesting study and I'm eager to look at more of his combat history, but we're also building up our casefile for The Champion, who now enters the Top 100 ranks with today's win!

It's a result that's beginning to reflect his status within the cosmic pugilistic ranks of the Marvel Universe -- but I wonder how far he will go. His next opponent is the suddenly topical Avenger standing with Thing [above] - Wonder Man. Then we'll move on to the main event that made this issue famous!

If you'd like to hasten the process, sponsor another character spotlight, or just encourage our ever expanding project -- you can become a supporter on Patreon! As a thank you you'll receive additional updates, materials, customizable article typs, and my eternal gratitude.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has always been free and features more than 650 battles and has ranked over 1,000 characters! You can find them all by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights ordered by publisher, series, and issue number.

You can get daily links to superhero smackdown inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing on Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to like, fave, and share posts, and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday!

Winner: Champion of the Universe
#72 (+46) Champion of the Universe
#437 (-2) Colossus

QUICKSILVER versus PROFESSOR X

Mortal Coils (Marvel)
Where: Uncanny X-Men #306 When: November 1993

Why: Scott Lobdell How: John Romita Jr

The Story So Far...
The funeral of Illyana Rasputin is interrupted with the return to Earth and Xavier's School by Magneto! The former New Mutants teacher has again taken up arms against homo-sapiens, declaring his intent to lead an army of Acolytes against humanity, with a final invitation for any loyal mutant to join he and his cause!

The escalation inevitably triggers world powers to initiate their Magneto Protocols to bar the Master of Magnetism from Earth itself, but it can only delay the inevitable as Magneto reaches a new apex in power and fervor, arming his Avalon space satellite with Shi'ar weapons stolen during his time with the X-Men.

Knowing the stakes are too high to allow his old friend to pursue a deadly manifesto unchallenged; Charles Xavier steels himself for a final confrontation between his X-Men and the mad revolutionary, recruiting Magneto's son -- Pietro Maximoff, Quicksilver -- for a final sparring session in the Danger Room. Preparation for a war that will decide the fate of all of humanity!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Quicksilver 2 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Professor X 5 (Professor)
Speed: Quicksilver 6 (Mach Speed)
Stamina: Quicksilver 6 (Generator)
Agility: Quicksilver 2 (Average)
Fighting: Quicksilver 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Professor X 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Quicksilver 22 (Champion)

Quicksilver's super-human speed means he dominates any physical struggle with Professor X, but does the master telepath's command of the mind mean he need never lay a finger on even one as stubborn as the son of Magneto?

On the subject of the speed of thought: BBC Science Focus Magazine reports that some well-insulated nerves in the brain are estimated to transfer information at 120 metres per second, with awareness of sensory stimuli gained in as little reaction time as 50 milliseconds -- or faster.

Quicksilver was never quite as fast as The Flash, but according to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #10 (published in 1986), Pietro Maximoff's top speed is 175mph -- a number that's only been increased as he's gone through various different phases in the decades since.

For a mind as acutely trained as Charles Xavier's, it's conceivable that his speed of thought, and reaction time, would be equal to or higher than most human peaks, but the same could be said of Quicksilver, whose movements must be governed by drastically heightened perception and mental processing.

Speed is Quicksilver's greatest weapon, but his temperament is often swift to anger, and his impulsiveness has led him to rush into a string of defeats.

Black Bolt proved the speed of an awesome sound could catch up with him in Vision and Scarlet Witch #10, while simple anticipation allowed Apocalypse to put a fist in his path in Uncanny X-Men #295, and DC's Robin, a rope-towing batarang, in Unlimited Access #3.

Most damning of all was an early encounter with the X-Men, when Jean Grey used the power of her mind to pluck a young Quicksilver off his feet and give him a good shaking. Professor X isn't known for using telekinesis, but it makes a case for psychic interference mitigating the speedster.

The Professor also isn't typically considered a field combatant, but in today's sparring session he's in war-mode, preparing for an epic confrontation with Magneto! The only way to draw any real conclusions is to see what happened!

The Tape: Quicksilver Ranking: Professor X (#418)

What Went Down...

In an instant the metal floor of The Danger Room falls away and reality is remade around two waiting combatants. The Shi'ar technology casts the pair into a void of space, where Charles Xavier can float equal with his weightless opponent.

The Professor reaches out with his formidable mind to communicate with Pietro Maximoff telepathically, but finds the psychic blur of a man as swift as Quicksilver!

Pietro passes through sensations of awe at the experience, reluctance to fight, and respect for Xavier's self-test in rapid succession. He throws a devastating punch -- sending Professor X reeling through space!

Xavier reaches out to catch an asteroid and pulls his body to a stop.

Beast announces a one minute warning from the control room, and Professor X vows to reveal a few tricks that will turn the tide of battle. His enjoyment of the combat simulation leaves Beast and Bishop a little unsettled.

Quicksilver arrives to encourage Xavier to admit to his weaknesses, but is himself caught by surprise when The Professor seizes upon his arrogance to blind him with a handful of space rock!

Xavier throws himself at Quicksilver with a diving tackle and accuses Pietro of making the same mistakes as Magneto: seeing only an opponent's weaknesses instead of their strengths!

Quicksilver breaks the hold and trades punches with Xavier, slamming the training gauntlet into The Professor's back, while absorbing a body blow.

The speedster reminds an increasingly motivated Xavier that he need not adopt Magneto's callous tactics, or abandon his moral core, to defeat the Master of Magnetism.

Professor X reflects on Magneto's past with the X-Men and his School for Gifted Youngsters. He supposes its time he tries his friend-turned-enemy's way.

Beast announces time is up on the training exercise as gravity returns to normal and the hi-tech metal walls of the Danger Room return to view.

The Hammer...

As you may have surmised from the cover: Uncanny X-Men #306 is essentially a spotlight issue for Archangel. It was released the month after the fateful final battle of X-Men #25, which means we already knew the outcome of the Fatal Attractions main event, which today's sparring session was preparing for.

Magneto and the Fatal Attractions crossover struck suddenly, which didn't leave a lot of time for exploring the depth of each characters' reactions.

Doubling back to Xavier's pre-fight preparations gives us further insight into the underlying philosophical push & pull of Magneto having tried things Xavier's way in the past [see also; New Mutants vs Hellfire Club] -- now urging him to walk (or wheel) a mile in his shoes.

Knowing exactly how far Professor X will have gone to defeat Magneto gives his training with Quicksilver an extra sense of foreboding.

Lobdell punctuates the Professor's script with uncharacteristic terseness, while the deep set eyes of John Romita Jr's pencils made Xavier's every grim and spiteful stare from beneath his brow stay with me all these years. Everything is a little bit off. From Xavier kitted up in the Danger Room, to his bitter resolve and dirty tactics. This is not the Professor who dreams of peaceful coexistence between fellow men. By hook or by crook, he readies for war.

This combative addendum is particularly interesting when viewed through the prism of Onslaught: the 1996 follow-up that adapted Xavier's decision -- to psychically obliterate Magneto -- into a malicious new persona that threatened the entire Marvel Universe.

As much as the act of sterilizing Magneto itself; this sparring session feels as if it reveals the philosophical feathering that allowed the deadly hybrid entity of Onslaught to grow within Xavier's psyche. The malice he buried, later personified and expelled, bearing a likeness of the man whose lingering mind he stole.

It's also a nice moment for Quicksilver.

He cannot wholeheartedly represent Xavier's dream, but he provides a proxy for the Professor's own integrity. Their sparring is as much combat of the body as it is the mind -- and who better to provide a sounding board than Magneto's son?

I always thought Pietro was brushed aside a little too easily in X-Men #25. He could've been a central figure in the dramatic peak of Magneto's antagonism, but I also sometimes forget how adequately their relationship was addressed. How many times does a son really need to be skewered by his father? We get it.

Of course, they did have subsequent meetings, when Quicksilver returned to his father's gravitational pull under circumstances I would describe as 'conventional', at least to other mediums.

Their regrouping was underscored by the unspoken hint of resignation that comes from returning a character to the simplicity of their circumstances some forty years prior. Ultimately, Quicksilver's separation from his roots was integral to his development. A character who ran a strange slalom through Avengers, Fantastic Four, Inhumans, and X-Factor, becoming a more interesting hero for it.

A tad arrogant, but at his most heroic, Quicksilver is perhaps at a definitive peak at this moment, sternly preparing Xavier for the ultimate battle with his father, in a series that began with the mutant speedster on the other side of the fight.

Plus: that blue & yellow X uniform with the zero-gravity training gauntlets looks pretty freaking cool. I know he ditched similar accessories in a funny costuming gag in X-Factor, but this one hits.

I don't mean to over inflate the significance of today's battle. It's ultimately a five page post-script to a far better known, and more consequential battle, but it has been on my mind all these many years, and I'm pleased to be talking about it with you, and making it part of our record.

Good comics aren't just about the big, staged set pieces everybody already knows about. It's these interesting little character pieces and asides that are the real glue that bind these books together, and make them interesting to read.

This result won't help Quicksilver get off the bottom of our rankings, but it's another interesting piece of his journey. I'm sure we'll find our way to talking more about that, and the Archangel conflict that's the real thrust of this issue.

If you'd like to help make that possible I'd be thrilled if you'd consider becoming a supporter on Patreon. Along with the heartiest of thanks for helping me exist, patrons will receive additional updates, tangents, and options for customizable sponsored content, including featured fights, Top 10 Spotlights, and more.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 650 battles and ranked more than 1,000 characters! Find 'em all by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index in order of publisher, series, and issue number. Or, just follow links throughout each post to discover more from your favourite topics!

You can get daily links to superhero smackdown inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing on Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to like, fave, and share posts, and keep your eyes peeled for the week's top trending battles every Sunday!

Winner: Inconclusive (Time Limit Draw)
#415 (+3) Professor X
#1024 (--) Quicksilver

BATMAN versus RIDDLER

Who Riddled The Riddler? (DC)
Where: Batman #490 When: March 1993
Why: Doug Moench How: Jim Aparo

The Story So Far...
A note written in cut-out letters signals the return of The Riddler and his latest deadly puzzle: "What crowns just one but beats a dozen? Bim bam boom. Some percussion."

Commissioner Gordon summons a weak and weary Batman to crack the code, but the grim detective will be beaten to the solution by a man who has vowed to study his every move -- and break him!

With the midnight deadline fast approaching; Batman races to the belfry atop Gotham City Hall where The Riddler awaits -- but a brief encounter with another shadowy figure has changed The Riddler's game. Will Batman be ready?

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Batman 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Batman 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Batman 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Batman 29 (Metahuman)

Batman rarely has much to fear from a physical confrontation with Riddler. The puzzle-fiend's obsession with brain teasers lives in the mind -- but we're opening the Edward Nygma file with a very unusual case: Who Riddled The Riddler?

The answer is important: Bane was one step ahead of solving The Riddler's latest clue, and used his advantage over The Dark Knight to forcibly dart Riddler with a forty-eight hour dose of the powerful super-steroid called Venom!

Suddenly the slight, and sometimes meek, Riddler is developing some serious muscle, and even without years of combat training - it's enough to tear the stitching of his jacket and level the playing field with an unsuspecting Batman!

Preparation is a key component of Batman's uncanny ability to overcome superior opponents, but even he can be surprised. We saw The Joker make a getaway when cosmic unlikelihood caused distraction in Crisis on Infinite Earths #2, and outright defeat came when Alpha Lantern Kraken conspired during Final Crisis #2.

Not all surprises have to be cosmic in nature, but these dramatic unlikelihoods are comparable to the sudden muscle developed by Riddler. Made all the worse by Batman's recent bout with unexplained extreme fatigue and lingering anxiety!

Challenging Batman on the battlefield of the mind is one way to secure a victory, and although we give the intelligence edge to a broadly studied Batman in The Tape -- Riddler also earns a 5 for his expertise with complex strategy and concept analysis. With superior physical strength he becomes a formidable threat!

We all know the Venom super-steroid will eventually help Bane break Batman's back sometime after he mangled Killer Croc, but will the sudden boost delivered to Riddler result in victory? Let's solve the riddle by finding out!

The Tape: Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...

A hulking shadow retreats to the darkness of a Gotham City belfry as the bell tolls midnight and Riddler is shaken from his bewilderment.

His bomb has begun its countdown -- much shorter than the deadline imposed by the chemical agent now coursing through his veins. He knows he must flee the coming explosion, but The Batman arrives to strike as suddenly as the dart that pumped Riddler full of venom!

Batman swings into the bell tower with 9 seconds on the clock, driving his feet into Riddler's waiting ribs.

It's a blow that would ordinarily put Riddler down for the count, but as his muscles begin to bulge through a question-marked green jacket, The Riddler feels no pain!

A straight punch to the face catches Batman completely unprepared!

His shock that Riddler is still standing is quickly replaced by bewildered analysis of incredible newfound speed and strength.

The Batman knows something is amiss, but with the seconds ticking away he must focus his efforts on dodging another lunging punch from The Riddler, whose confidence has suddenly skyrocketed.

Sidestepping the attempted blow, Batman counter-strikes with a well placed chop to the back of Riddler's neck. It does nothing!

Observing Riddler's "manic" aggression and enhanced skills, Batman detects the obvious presence of a drug. He can only suspect the involvement of his most recent arch-adversary - Bane.

The Bat ducks another stiff right-hand, leaving Riddler's fist to slam into the cold, hard stone of the bell tower.

The puzzler compels Batman to succumb to his blows, citing the deadly explosion that will come in just 5 seconds! The Dark Knight responds silently with another chop to the side of the head.

Batman considers the possibility that he may also be suffering weakness, but will have no time to further test the theory.

With 4 seconds on the clock -- Riddler desperately charges head-long towards the Dark Knight Detective in a desperate bid to clear the way!

Riddler leaps the belfry railing for the safety of the night, while Batman scrambles to use the information he learned during the fight to stall the swinging bell -- and halt the connected timer that will trigger the bomb!

With 1 second to spare, he fires his grappling hook around the striking mechanism and pulls it back from the bell. With his strength quickly fading, he tosses a batarang that shatters the detonator and ends the desperate struggle - for now.

The Hammer...

It can be surprising, after all this time, that we're still finding major characters to add to the fight club rankings. At the time of this writing we recently logged Black Knight, Blue Beetle, and Omega Red -- colourful characters you might've expected to factor in ahead of some of our more obscure entries.

The Riddler is certainly among the upper echelon of Batman rogues and recognizable DC Comics villains, but I'm not so sure he elicits the same degree of expectation as some of those more combative characters.

History shows that there are many Riddler confrontations for us to consider, but when I think of Batman's perpetually puzzling sparring partner - I don't think of a contest of fists, but rather a challenge of minds. Not exactly our usual domain.

My favourite incarnation of The Riddler is really quite meek. The quivering wreck of The Long Halloween comes to mind: with green blazer, bowler hat, and a constantly buzzing brain that seeks stimulation from challenging The Batman, or solving mysteries, as in that story, and the popular early 2010s incarnation.

Despite the concept lending itself to this physically unimpressive interpretation, earlier versions of the tights-wearing comic book villain could often be drawn quite muscular. In subverting his modern modus operandi with a dose of the Venom super-steroid, today's featured issue brings back the bulk, and puts him back in the classic question-marked tights for a titanic rematch.

Of course, despite the subversion, Batman #490 broadly serves as something of a return to form for what I'd call the definitive Riddler. It begins by resetting the villain from an even stranger early nineties tangent, which involved occult human sacrifice, costume zombies, and worshipping the demon Barbathos.

Though somewhat memorable, each of these excursions into experimentation were understood as temporary story-driven deviations, always returning to a more intuitive, iconic version of the character. I say this as writer/director Matt Reeves ignites enthusiasm for a very different interpretation in The Batman.

This new big screen vision eschews comic book reference to draw inspiration from elsewhere, notably the real-world "Zodiac" serial killer, and David Fincher's film based on related events, as well as some of his other works.

At a glance, this take has unfortunate ties with clichéd mid-2000s fan-fiction that took the blunt cues of Christopher Nolan, and imagined a Saw-inspired Johnny Depp portrayal, because this brand of grimy sadism has somehow become the poor man's version of "realism", preferable to a more forthcoming work of fiction.

As you can probably tell - I don't have a great deal of enthusiasm for this.

I'm bored with misery-sodden superhero adaptations, and an over abundance of pop culture bleakly glorifying the murderers and scumbags. A reset, or at least abundant available alternatives, feel overdue by more than a decade, but that's opening the door to a gauntlet of problems suffered by cinema, and pop culture as a whole. I should keep my grumbling a bit more focused.

The raincoated serial killer with a Harrods bag on his head has backstory that reminds me of the Hush storyline, but its wielded in all too typical fashion to make the world smaller, and a little less interesting. Antithetical to the comic book approach that birthed the shared universes movies are constantly chasing.

With many thousands of significant characters swirling around comics -- and room for many more -- my desire for film adaptation is always to see an iconic aggregate of what's on the page, maintaining all that makes a character distinct from any other that might soon join them in cinematic canon. On-model consistency that, admittedly, has become less reliable in comics, as well.

The majority of my irritation lies in the details, presentation, and weakly wielded references that appear preoccupied with other things, and much less interested in what's being adapted. Great creators make balancing broader awareness look easy, marrying external reference and inspiration with innate understanding and care for what its applied to. Yes, Riddler could kill, but he isn't a copycat killer.

He also isn't finished when our featured fight concludes! Which means we'll be able to come back for a rematch to discuss more about a Riddler enhanced with physical strength, and the unique place in time the issue takes place, between Death of Superman and Knightfall.

If you'd like to find more from the comic origins of your favourite characters you can follow links throughout this post, or dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 650 battles and ranked in excess of 1,000 characters! If you'd like to help me continue creating more entries consider becoming a patron on Patreon. As a thank you you'll unlock extra updates, content, and options to sponsor your favourite topics in future articles.

Get more 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!

Winner: Inconclusive
#1 (--) Batman
#481 (new) The Riddler

DUCHESS versus BLUE BEETLE

Battle Lines (DC)
Where: Suicide Squad #13 When: May 1988
Why: John Ostrander How: Luke McDonnell

The Story So Far...
A covert operation in the Soviet Union makes enemies of The Suicide Squad when they're discovered attempting to liberate a famous author imprisoned as a dissident.

The arrest of Thomas Tresser, aka; Nemesis, becomes a world headline when the Soviet government attempts to bait the Squad into a return mission by publicly accusing him of an unprovoked attempted kidnap.

Its bait field-leader Rick Flag is all too happy to take -- igniting internal conflict with Task Force X head Amanda Waller! Faced with the prospect of exposure and a further international incident, she has no choice but to advise the President to commission the Justice League International to stop the rogue invaders!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Lashina 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Blue Beetle 5 (Professor)
Speed: Lashina 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Lashina 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Blue Beetle 2 (Average)
Fighting: Lashina 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Blue Beetle 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Lashina 27 (Metahuman)

The inevitable faceoff between Justice League International and the Suicide Squad goes off not with a bang, but rather a series of precision key matchups.

Duchess gets the fight started when she recognizes JLI's Mister Miracle. She does this because she is in fact Lashina: former field leader of Darkseid's loyal Female Furies. She was betrayed by one of her teammates while on mission to capture Mister Miracle, leaving her stranded on Earth, and in the care of Task Force X.

As Duchess she doesn't have access to her trademark steel whips, instead relying on high-powered customized weaponry like the cannon used against Major Force in a later battle. She also possesses natural attributes of super-strength and durability as a New God raised on Apokolips under Granny Goodness.

These attributes put her in a class above Blue Beetle, but you can never entirely count the resourceful hero!

Ted Kord is the second Blue Beetle, carrying on the legacy of Dan Garrett by using a natural acumen for science and inventing. With the resources of his father's company, Kord Industries, he created The Bug airship, and an arsenal of non-lethal weaponry, including his trademark compressed air gun, and bug drones.

On the surface it looks like Blue Beetle is fighting way above of his weight class, but like Batman or Green Arrow, he's a non-powered hero capable of causing an upset. JLI are some of his sillier days, but will he do it? Let's find out...

The Tape: Duchess Ranking: Duchess (#194)

What Went Down...
Duchess points a finger of confused, accusing recognition at Mister Miracle when Blue Beetle approaches to pacify the situation with a stern warning: "You take on one member of the JLI and you take on them all."

The erstwhile Lashina is all too happy to accept the challenge, but finds Blue Beetle more capable than he first appears. While unsuccessfully petitioning Mister Miracle for help -- he handles the situation with with an improvised arm drag.

Booster Gold finds great amusement in his friends' 'great touch with the ladies' and earns the ire of the slighted New God in the process.

In a fury she rips a door from a nearby prison cell and launches it at the chuckling hero. His futuristic power suit takes care of it though, protecting him from the steel bars while reducing them to tiny pieces of broken and bent steel.

The attack proves to be the inciting blow.

Batman coldly orders his team to pick a foe and watch out for shrapnel. They all peel off with a fight partner, but Blue Beetle's opponent has already chosen him. 

Duchess charges furiously, but the Beetle nimbly vaults over her and insists he doesn't like hitting women. "... And I'm not sure hitting you would do any good!"

He resorts to his gun, holding it to Duchess' head as the melee erupts all around them.

The super-humanly strong Duchess manages to keep Beetle off his feet with a single extended arm, but the pistol packing hero regains his footing and squares off with his target.

He unleashes the full force of his patented non-lethal arsenal -- a high-powered burst of compressed air finds it mark with Duchess' imposing torso, but fails to have any effect on the powerful New God!

A quick switch in tactics unleashes Beetle's secondary dazzle light at point blank range!

The blistering white flash succeeds in temporarily blinding Duchess.

With his opponent staggered and fuming mad -- Blue Beetle closes in to strike with a "patented" karate chop to the neck.

Robbed of her sight -- the New God doesn't even realise her mortal opponent has struck!

Blue Beetle clutches his wrist with sounds of agony suggesting the blow did far more to hurt him than its intended victim!

Duchess quickly turns the tables, grabbing Beetle by the leg to lift him off his feet. He bumps his head on the ceiling before crashing down onto his keister -- still in the grip of a very angry Duchess!

It's only the diplomatic intervention of Martian Manhunter that saves the Beetle from being squashed! He lets out a relieved sigh at the news a truce has been brokered between team leaders, ending the conflict - for now.

The Hammer...

For all intents and purposes it looked as if Duchess was about to take control and finish the fight, but we'll never know for certain. Blue Beetle survives an inconclusive result, with a little help from his friend Booster Gold early on.

The conflict is part of a hotly anticipated confrontation between the Justice League and Suicide Squad: Two teams that were positioned as pillars of the post-Crisis DCU coming out of the reconstruction phase of Legends.

The internationally minded League and their black-ops counterparts were steeped in global political intrigue, but behind their differing approaches to diplomacy with Russia, and other world actors, lies a good old fashioned conflict over morality, superhero ethics, and a general disdain for each others methods.

By nature of The League's operations, Batman was drawn a little closer to the light, but his role as a tactician keeps him to a privileged periphery, exposing him to as few people as possible, while he gathers intelligence, and maintains the mystique of an urban myth bubbling up from Gotham City's shadowy underbelly.

It was from the shadows that the inter-team conflict was set-up when Batman went undercover in Bell Reve Prison to investigate the rumored existence of the villain-based squad. His infiltration ultimately laid bare Amanda Waller and Task Force X personnel, giving us a taste of things to come when The Squad was sent to stop him, and he duked it out with Rick Flag and others.

Batman was already eager to get closer to the situation involving his former ally Thomas Tresser when President Reagan approached the UN sanctioned league, but once it's clear the rogue "American villains" they're working to intercept are the Suicide Squad he's even more motivated to throw them to the dogs.

Face-to-face in a Soviet gulag, the two teams break off into pairs, giving us a rematch between Batman and Rick Flag, and the first fight to breakout from the ensuing skirmish - which is also our featured fight for today.

I would be remiss to overlook our featured players, but what you see is mostly what you get. If you know anything about the JLI era, it's probably Blue Beetle's role as cackling comedy relief. It's evident in his obvious mismatch against the raging Duchess, but I do appreciate that he and his arsenal are still shown to be fairly credible in a fight. There's levity, but this isn't wholesale mockery.

Even so, fans of contemporary DC Entertainment, or the upcoming Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League video game, might not find what they're looking for in this iconic battle between the brands. For one thing: this is a mostly bloodless affair, lacking the apparent contempt DC has developed for its own iconic properties. I can't help but think positioning the heroes as figures for contempt while the players control villains is horribly tone deaf on multiple levels, but I digress...

The original match-up contains the battle within a pleasingly straight-forward single issue, while Justice League International #13 offers an enhancement tie-in that sets up the specifics of the collision with optional relevance. That said, there's also a lot of intrigue accumulated from the details of previous issues of Suicide Squad and JLI, informing a nuanced conflict steeped in concepts and character motivations.

Four of the combatants don't even actually engage in violence! Martian Manhunter and Vixen revisit their recent history together and resolve their opposition with a meaningful embrace, while Captain Atom and Nightshade keep their romantic ties on the down low by faking a mock struggle somewhere off to the side. Tickling is quickly nixed by the squirming Nightshade, but that's all the analysis we have.

You might expect a fight-monger like myself to deride this kind of thing, but I'd take a good story with intuitive use of characters over a lazy fight any day of the week. I actually quite like these characters and don't want to see them murdered in the name of fleeting thrills, or some psychopath's idea of "realism".

This remains a fantastic period of DC Comics with surprisingly enduring relevance and better balance of the things that make superhero comics enjoyable than a lot of more recent examples, or adaptations that are built on this foundation.

I will almost certainly be returning for more individual match-ups, but if you'd like to get ahead of the reading you can find JLI #13 and Suicide Squad #13 both collected in Justice League International Book One: Born Again or Suicide Squad Vol. 2: The Nightshade Odyssey. Use Amazon purchase links provided below and you'll not only get yourself a good deal -- you'll help support the site at no cost!

You can find more related materials to these characters and stories by following links throughout this post, or by infiltrating the Secret Archive for a complete index of every featured fight in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 650 battles and ranked in excess of 1,000 characters! If you'd like to help me continue creating more entries consider becoming a patron on Patreon. As a thank you you'll unlock extra updates, content, and options to sponsor your favourite topics in future articles.

Get more 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!

Winner: Inconclusive
#162 (+32) Lashina
#480 (new) Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)
#650 (+237) Booster Gold [+1 assist]

MOON KNIGHT versus BLACK KNIGHT

Death & Texas! Chapter 9: Moon Knight vs Black Knight (Marvel)
Where: West Coast Avengers Annual #2 When: 1987 Why: Steve Englehart, Mark Gruenwald & Tom DeFalco How: Al Milgrom

The Story So Far...
A day of baseball under the Houston Astrodome becomes a game of life & death when the second contest between coasts ends with The Silver Surfer smashing through the ceiling -- and the sudden deaths of the East Coast Avengers!

A cosmic bolt sent by The Grandmaster appears responsible, but in the realm of the dead, the deceased Elder apologetically informs them it was only as a means of summoning them to thwart The Collector's mad scheme for immortality.

The Avengers could yet be returned to life, but first they must subdue their West Coast counterparts, who, under the guidance of The Collector, have joined them in the afterlife by taking a poison elixir. It's a seven-a-side contest between two teams of Avengers, but what are the true stakes of their clash?

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Moon Knight 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Black Knight 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Moon Knight 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Moon Knight 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Moon Knight 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Moon Knight 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Draw 2 (Projectile)
Total: Moon Knight 24 (Champion)

Why does this feel familiar? Under the gaze of The Grandmaster we have two teams of Avengers facing off! Perfectly matched with seven on each side, they split up into one-on-one contests between West Coast and East Coast rivals.

Here we observe a study in contrast! Moon Knight shines bright in Khonshu's lunar light for the West Coast, while Black Knight stands darkly under the curse of the Ebony Blade from the East. They're hard fighting heroes with superficial similarities, but the differences run much deeper than cosmetics!

Marc Spector was a freelance mercenary before he was left for dead in the Egyptian desert and became the "Fist of Khonshu". He's highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, wielding a small array of handheld and throwing weapons, some even designed by his fellow West Coast Avenger of the time: Hawkeye.

Dane Whitman was a physicist when he inherited his uncle's castle, and discovered his true identity as the villainous Black Knight. Taking up the Ebony Blade, Dane chose to use its cursed legacy to infiltrate the Masters of Evil and work to defeat them from within.

Black Knight quickly became something of a master swordsman, able to use his cursed blade with considerable skill and precision -- but a magic sword won't intimidate Moon Knight!

Moon Knight's comics debut was stalking The Werewolf, and his adventures have continued to feature supernatural enemies such as Demogoblin, who blurred the lines of his life as a mercenary and occultist in Marc Spector: Moon Knight #32.

MK also tidily handled the villain Taskmaster by using extreme shock & awe tactics in Moon Knight (Vol.5) #6. Taskmaster wields a variety of weapons & styles mimicking The Avengers, including Black Knight's sword style -- but it proved a non-factor in his unusual exchange with Moon Knight.

Today's fight could really go either way. Moon Knight is a faster, more agile and proficient fighter, outfitted with useful projectile weaponry. Black Knight is a savvy swordsman with strong defense and close-quarters preference. Each believes they're fighting to save the others' life. Let's see what that brings out in them...

The Tape: Moon Knight Ranking: Moon Knight (#351)

What Went Down...

Black Knight confronts his opponents with intense determination. He doesn't know why Moon Knight is there. He isn't privy to impending membership with the West Coast team. He only knows he must win their battle to defend everyone's lives.

Brandishing the Ebony Blade wielded by his ancestors; Black Knight demonstrates the risk of its bloodthirsty curse by effortlessly slicing through nearby rock.

Moon Knight jokes that his opponent's elaborate explanations will 'talk him to death' before the sword strikes. A taunt that prompts Black Knight to action!

Again the dark metal makes light work of rock as Black Knight's weapon chases its target across the battlefield. Moon Knight keeps a step ahead of the mighty swing, vaulting over an arching protrusion that rises out of the barren landscape.

Even in evasion the "Fist of Khonshu" recognises a kindred spirit with the swordsman, and the risk of his sword's accursed ties with "the nightside".

Though sympathetic, Moon Knight seeks a quick end, making a nimble landing while reaching for a pouch at his back filled with throwing spikes!

His aim with the Hawkeye-designed projectiles is true -- but Black Knight blocks their path with a deft swing of his sword.

Moon Knight keeps up the offensive -- looking to test Black Knight with the fast follow-up of an expertly thrown boomerang.

Once again Black Knight counters with his enchanted sword -- cutting the boomerang out of the air!

Concerned Khonshu has failed to enchant his own weapons - and fearing the "crazed" advantage of the Ebony Blade; Moon Knight digs deep into his bag of tricks and unleashes all of them in a single all-out offensive!

Winged darts are met with the black steel of the Ebony Blade, but a snaring bolo passes beneath the zigzagging sword and wraps tightly around Black Knight's knees. He falls!

Moon Knight seizes his opportunity -- brandishing an ornate axe as he launches himself at the grounded knight!

The cursed sword is once again there to defend the Black Knight, blocking the golden axe with room to spare. He boasts about the weapon's supremacy, but Moon Knight vows to persevere: "I won't quit trying--!"

Black Knight uses his opponent's determination against him, releasing the block and swinging his legs up so the falling axe cuts through the binding bolo cord.

Free to move -- Black Knight quickly returns to his feet and cuts the head from the Egyptian axe while knocking it out of his opponent's hands!

Moon Knight dashes backward, retreating deep into the enveloping folds of his white cape as he farewells his final weapon -- but refuses to yield!

Tempting the curse of the Ebony Blade -- Moon Knight lunges toward his opponent with sword drawn!

The black steel pierces through Moon Knight's cape as the hero's words suddenly choke in his throat. The deed appears done, but all is not as it seems...

Beneath the veil of his flowing cloak -- Moon Knight positioned his body askew to avoid impalement and trap the sword firmly under arm.

Locking the stunned swordsman at close quarters, Moon Knight swings a golden ankh from beneath his cape -- and delivers a knock out blow!

The Hammer...

The battle of the knights produced some dangerous gambits, but in the end it was Moon Knight whose daring won the day! His victory levels the scores for the West Coast Avengers at 3 all, but the final result doesn't really matter yet...

The only purpose served by this rumble between Avengers is to demand the attention of Death herself, so The Grandmaster can steal her power -- and use it to start a new game by completely rebooting the universe with his own rules!

It was a feat achieved by Grandmaster's willful submission at the end of The Contest of Champions, which earned the resurrection of his co-conspirator, The Collector, and ultimately allowed him to personally observe Death within her natural environment, gaining the privileged knowledge to ensnare and defeat her.

West Coast Avengers Annual #2 therefore becomes one long con: a prelude to the real sport of Avengers Annual #16, and a formal contest that will pit The Avengers against Grandmaster's "Legion of Unliving" for the fate of the universe.

That high-stakes battle sees Avengers face an all-star line-up of heroes & villains who were considered dead in 1987. An all together delicious scenario that pits Black Knight against his predecessor, and Moon Knight against Green Goblin -- who hadn't yet been deemed living in a retcon to his famous glider impalement!

Those will all be fantastic battles to spotlight sometime in the future, and once they are, you'll be able to find them in the Secret Archive. For now we must dwell further upon today's featured fighters and their apparent extremes.

Were these characters really ready to kill each other? As committed as they might be to their respective efforts to save the Avengers' lives -- I don't think so.

Although Black Knight speaks of his Ebony Blade's curse as though he were ready to take a life: he expresses stunned disbelief when the apparent killing blow is finally rendered -- without his deliberate involvement.

He also seems to have forgotten that they're both already dead. A fact Moon Knight is far more prescient of, having experienced his own dance between life & death in the desert, when he was claimed by the Egyptian lunar deity Khonshu.

Although this might inspire Moon Knight to cavalier efforts with his axe -- even he manages to conclude the battle without a lethal strike.

Moon Knight wields his weapons with respect and recognition for Black Knight's obvious fighting prowess, using them tactically to apply pressure without genuine murderous intent. These men remain heroes, after all, and their reluctance to kill -- even an opponent who is already dead -- seems self-evident.

Moon Knight is leveraging his relative obscurity as a recent submission to the West Coast Avengers, leaving Black Knight to interpret his measures as genuine hostility. He believes him a "madman": an interpretation that might ring true to modern readers, but is coming long before writers had fixated on characterizing Marc Spector as a man prone to mental instability.

Although this Moon Knight is a far cry from later interpretations, there is an interesting consistency between his tactics here, and the extreme measures used in later iterations. Risking laceration in the afterlife is a little less wanton than crashing a plane and taking arrows to the body, but such were the mid-2000s.

We really have the "Event" comics of that era, such as Civil War, to "thank" for the now ubiquitous circus of death that befouls most modern comics.

Today's feature reminds us that death has been a part of superhero comics for a very long time, but it also clarifies that the notion of heroes haphazardly killing each other with any impression of permanence is a much more recent cliché. One that seems long overdue retirement as a flimsy, self-defeating cry for attention.

Of course, this is not the forum that's going to completely deny the innate appeal of seeing which hero comes out on top from a good battle. A premise that the team of writers behind these twin '87 Annuals exploit to fast and furious appeal in their unofficial sequel(s) to the less star studded Contest of Champions.

I notice I've been on a bit of an Al Milgrom kick lately, and dare I say it -- today's fight is actually one of his weaker efforts in the West Coast book. His layouts are a little repetitive here, owing in part to the detailed minutiae driving the battle between Knights. It's good and clear, but I look forward to exploring some of the other Avengers in-fighting that produces more varied results.

To see more of that type of thing you can follow links throughout this post, or explore more than 650 featured fights, ranking over 1,000 characters, in the previously mentioned Secret Archive.

You can also check out the issue in its entirety in Avengers West Coast Epic Collection: Tales to Astonish or Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions. Use the Amazon purchase links provided to do any of your shopping and you'll not only score a good deal -- you'll help support the site!

If you'd like to help me create more entries consider contributing to the Patreon. As a thank you you'll unlock options for sponsored content and additional updates such as Secret Wars on Infinite Earths Series 1 Trading Cards!

Get more 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!

Winner: Moon Knight
#122 (+229) Moon Knight
#968 (new) Black Knight