ANNUAL PUNCH-UP: 2019 CHARACTER RANKINGS RECAP

Every battle featured on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths contributes to the Fight Club Rankings! Characters move up and down the ranks relative to other characters, and based on every win, loss, and draw.

Real-time updates appear at the bottom of every new featured fight, but we also take stock of the movers and shakers at the end of each year. You can flashback to see how things have changed from 2016, 2017, and 2018. You can also check out a full recap of 2019 Featured Fights to see the battles that shaped the year!

Season 2019 turned out to be a good year for villains. Marvel's Absolute Carnage gave reason to revisit the classic Maximum Carnage event, which made Shriek and Carnage the two biggest improvers of the year! The "House of X" also saw Mister Sinister and Nimrod make significant gains in a very Marvel centric year. Halloween tradition made Solomon Grundy the most improved DC character, up 250 ranks, while Anti-Monitor's television debut sponsored a 218 rank rise.

Other significant gainers in 2019 were: Dazzler, Nebula, Photon, She-Hulk, Super-Skrull, Scarecrow, Mysterio, Mary Marvel, Doctor Sivana, and Hellboy. In equal opposite, featured defeats saw massive drops for: Dagger, Terrax, Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator, and Eradicator. A loss for Thanos pushed The Mad Titan to the bottom of the Top 10, while Sabretooth settled at the lowest rank of #946.

We added thirty characters to the cumulative rankings in 2019, which is taking us ever closer to the outstanding figure of 1000 ranked characters! Will it happen in 2020? Check out the full list of updated ranks for characters who were featured this year, and stay tuned in the new year for more from Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: The Comic Book Fight Club!

#1 (--) Batman (Bruce Wayne)
#2 (--) Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
#3 (--) Iron Man (Tony Stark)
#4 (--) Wolverine (James "Logan" Howlett)
#5 (--) Superman (Kal-El)
#6 (--) Hulk (Bruce Banner)
#7 (--) Captain America (Steve Rogers)
#8 (--) Luke Cage
#9 (+1) Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards)
#10 (-1) Thanos
#11 (--) Thing (Benjamin Grimm)
#12 (+1) Daredevil (Matt Murdock)
#13 (+1) Human Torch (Johnny Storm)
#15 (--) Wonder Woman (Diana of Themyscira)
#20 (+10) Steel (John Henry Irons)
#23 (+11) Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)
#29 (-4) Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz)
#30 (-2) Thor (Odinson)
#31 (-2) The Flash (Wally West)
#35 (--) Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd)
#37 (+12) Black Panther (T'Challa)
#38 (+13) Black Canary (Dinah Lance)
#45 (+39) Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers)
#46 (+22) Captain Marvel Jr (Freddie Freeman)
#49 (+70) Captain Marvel (Billy Batson)
#50 (-5) Storm (Ororo Monroe)
#56 (-3) Rogue (Anna Marie)
#64 (+28) Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly)
#66 (-2) Morbius, The Living Vampire (Michael Morbius)
#72 (+36) Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)
#77 (-8) Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)
#95 (+133) Hellboy (Anung un Rama)
#100 (-3) Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce)
#106 (+94) Doppelganger
#107 (-1) Blade (Eric Brooks)
#124 (+242) Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane)
#125 (+202) Mary Marvel (Mary Batson)
#126 (-2) War Machine (James Rhodes)
#131 (-11) Green Lantern (Guy Gardner)
#135 (+246) Super-Skrull (Kl'rt)
#136 (+250) Solomon Grundy (Cyrus Gold)
#137 (+250) She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters)
#142 (+308) Shriek (Frances Barrison)
#155 (+270) Photon (Monica Rambeau)
#178 (+294) Dazzler (Alison Blaire)
#200 (-8) Overlord (Antonio Seghetti)
#278 (-6) Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brien)
#300 (-6) Alice (Elizabeth Kane)
#324 (new) Tyrant
#325 (new) Tawky Tawny
#326 (new) Sterling Morris
#327 (new) Omega (Michael Pointer)
#328 (new) Blue Marvel (Adam Brashear)
#329 (new) Shang-Chi
#330 (new) Beast Boy (Garfield Logan)
#333 (-1) Moon Knight (Marc Spector)
#335 (-195) Beta Ray Bill
#337 (+300) Carnage (Cletus Kasady)
#343 (-173) Gladiator (Kallark)
#347 (+156) Doctor Sivana (Thaddeus Sivana)
#348 (-6) Medusa (Medusalith Amaquelin)
#350 (+218) Anti-Monitor
#353 (+239) Nimrod
#354 (new) Uncle Marvel (Dudley H Dudley)
#355 (-47) Harry Leland
#383 (+207) Lobo
#384 (+280) Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex)
#390 (-31) Poison Ivy (Pamela Isley)
#400 (-20) Vision
#401 (+229) Mysterio (Quentin Beck)
#412 (-20) The Joker
#439 (new) Conan The Barbarian
#442 (-16) Crystal (Crystal Amaquelin)
#500 (-15) Scout (Kip Kidd)
#562 (new) Roaf
#563 (new) Trickster (James Jesse)
#564 (new) Lady Blaze
#565 (new) Ms. America (America Chavez)
#566 (new) Sersi
#567 (new) Hobgoblin (Jason Macendale)
#568 (new) Kole (Kole Weathers)
#570 (-149) Eradicator
#576 (+283) Nebula
#600 (-22) Scope
#678 (-17) Sasquatch (Walter Langkowski)
#700 (-16) Clayface (Basil Karlo)
#800 (-16) Mister Freeze (Victor Fries)
#855 (-14) Captain Britain (Brian Braddock)
#880 (-13) Black Manta (David Hyde)
#881 (new) Ganymede
#882 (new) Morg
#883 (new) Prowler (Hobie Brown)
#884 (new) King Kull
#885 (new) Ibac (Stinky Printwhistle)
#886 (new) Camazotz
#887 (new) Huo Li
#888 (new) Callisto
#889 (new) Selene Gallio
#890 (new) Black King (Sebastian Shaw)
#891 (new) Friedrich von Roehm
#892 (new) Sage
#893 (new) Swamp Thing (Alec Holland)
#894 (new) Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi)
#895 (-14) Demogoblin
#896 (-28) Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner)
#900 (-22) Mileena
#902 (-28) Enchantress (June Moone)
#909 (-305) Dagger (Tandy Bowen)
#910 (-45) Mister Atom
#911 (-214) Terrax
#915 (-29) Killer Frost (Louise Lincoln)
#935 (-40) The Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot)
#936 (-54) Cloak (Tyrone Johnson)
#937 (-30) Toad (Mortimer Toynbee)
#938 (-30) Thunderbolt Ross (Thaddeus Ross)
#939 (-30) Brick (Daniel Brickwell)
#940 (-30) Killer Croc (Waylon Jones)
#941 (-30) Lady Deathstrike (Yuriko Oyama)
#942 (-30) Dan Hibiki
#943 (-30) Lizard (Curt Connors)
#944 (-30) Zangief
#945 (-29) Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff)
#946 (-31) Sabretooth (Victor Creed)

ANTI-MONITOR versus SUPERMAN, DOCTOR LIGHT & SUPERGIRL

Beyond The Silent Night (DC)
Where: Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 When: October 1985 Why: Marv Wolfman & Robert Greenberger How: George Perez

The Story So Far...
Manifesting on a moon of the anti-matter universe of Qward: The Anti-Monitor channeled that dimension's energies into fulfilling its ultimate domination. Sensing his equivalent, The Monitor, in a positive universe, he then set his sights on inter-dimensional conquest that resulted in their mutual dormancy for eons.

This slumber was broken by the experimental hubris of scientist Kell Mossa, who inadvertently roused the Monitors while attempting to learn the secrets of the universe. This allowed Anti-Monitor to enact a plot to destroy all universes comprising positive matter. Thus begins the Crisis on Infinite Earths!

Scouring the multiverse, The Monitor assembles heroic powers to fight the threat of existential annihilation. With some worlds now saved, Mossa channels positive and negative matter to guide the heroes through the universal membrane -- to confront the verge of the Anti-Monitor's hidden fortress!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Anti-Monitor 7 (Omnipotent)
Intelligence: Anti-Monitor 6 (Genius)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach Speed)
Stamina: Anti-Monitor 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Doctor Light 7 (Unlimited)
Fighting: Superman 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Anti-Monitor 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Anti-Monitor 33 (Super)

When it comes to cosmic threats to the DC Universe it doesn't get much bigger than the Anti-Monitor! His aims threaten to unmake reality itself!

We saw The Flash take down his Anti-Matter Cannon in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8, but the only time we've actually recorded Anti-Monitor in battle was much later, when he returned as part of the Sinestro Corps in Green Lantern #25.

In that epic encounter, it took the combined efforts of the Guardians of the Universe, Green Lantern Corps, Earth's heroes, and one of the Anti-Monitor's own teammates, to destroy him! It bodes well that it was Superboy-Prime who struck the final destructive blow -- but we're getting way ahead of things!

Superman is the primary target in today's featured battle, but he isn't alone!

Japanese scientist Kimiyo Hoshi was studying the anti-matter phenomenon when she was struck with a beam of ionic energy passing through an unstable star in the Vega system. The cosmic force was enacted by The Monitor, who turned her into a new soldier for good - the photonic hero Doctor Light!

Kimiyo Hoshi shouldn't be confused with the villainous Arthur Light, even though her costume and powers bear some similarity. This Doctor Light is determined to the point of arrogance, unwilling to suffer fools as she applies her knowledge of science to mastery over energy and light-based powers.

Doctor Light can offer Superman powerful support against the awesomely destructive energies wielded by the Anti-Monitor. Her ability to move as light particles can also compliment one of their few advantages over the awesomely powerful anti-matter entity -- superior speed!

We've seen Superman keep pace with Barry Allen [Flash: Rebirth #3] and Wally West [Flash #209], and if he can use that speed in combat he could tactically wear Anti-Monitor down. Strength and durability alone probably won't cut it this time, but there will be extra muscle on its way once the fight begins.

When Supergirl enters the fray, she effectively doubles their power! We saw her go toe-to-toe with Captain Marvel in Crisis on Infinite Earths #6, and Martian Manhunter in Adventure Comics #450! She'll also revisit the conflict with Mary Marvel decades later in Final Crisis #6!

With both Superman and Supergirl fighting, it's conceivable the Anti-Monitor could be damaged sufficiently to be defeated. The extra hands mean he can be subdued and tag teamed, with Doctor Light weaving in and out, as well. Will that be the case? Only destiny can decide this one! Let's meet their fate...

The Tape: Superman, Doctor Light & Supergirl Ranking: Superman (#5)

What Went Down...
Penetrating the deepest sanctum of the great cosmic fortress: Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi and Superman stand in awe of a massive mechanical solar collector. While Doctor Light examines its advanced technology, Superman closes in to begin its ultimate destruction -- unaware of the figure lurking behind him in the shadows!

Pain racks his body like never before as Superman is engulfed by the Anti-Monitor's awesome power! Here, his incredible strength and invulnerability will count for nothing. He is a mortal opposing the powers of a virtual god!

Kal-El's cry of agony echoes through the fortress, heard from afar by the super-humanly sensitive ear of Supergirl. She abandons the battle outside and follows the sound, but its Doctor Light who comes to his aide first.

Anti-Monitor effortlessly backhands Superman across the chamber and through a nearby wall. When Doctor Light attempts to intervene, her point blank beams of energy do nothing to deter their target. Anti-Monitor shows her how it's done!

He renews his pursuit of Superman, looming over the Man of Steel as his giant clasped hands smash against the Kryptonian's face! Every strike is another blow delivered to the hopes of the multiverse!

The cosmic titan stands ominously over the bruised Superman with his face obscured in smoldering energy. He means to deliver a finishing blow, but didn't count on Supergirl smashing through the halls of his fortress!

Faster than a speeding bullet she flies directly at the Anti-Monitor to deliver a devastating left hook! She keeps him off balance, following with an all mighty right that sends him smashing through another stone wall!

The advantage is short lived. Anti-Monitor swings wildly, launching Supergirl across the fortress with a furious left!

The enraged Anti-Monitor fires a beam of energy that catches Supergirl's limp body before she can land. She's sent tumbling in the air like a rag doll!

Promising death, he turns his attentions back to the wounded Superman -- but again the Anti-Monitor will be denied! Supergirl doggedly digs her heels in and rips the stonework up like a proverbial rug -- staggering the cosmic monster and sending his hand blasts harmlessly off course as he loses footing!

The Girl of Steel darts across the rubble to pour on punches from a mounted position. The strength and fury of her devastating blows begins to crack the Anti-Monitor's life-shell armor. He retaliates with a wild blow to the face, but the damage is already done! Power pours from his destroyed body!

With his power quickly waning, the Anti-Monitor must seize his opportunity to destroy his enemies and the worlds they come from.

As his body burns with leaking energy, the heroes huddle together, and Supergirl recruits Doctor Light to flee with her injured cousin while she plots a final desperate stand. She throws herself at the burning figure like a torpedo!

The trajectory takes the warring figures on a collision course with the solar collector machine - destroying it! Supergirl refuses to stop, still smashing her fists into the Anti-Monitor as they both burn within the machine's core!

Horrified, Doctor Light feels compelled to help the brave heroine -- but Supergirl desperately orders her to go. A momentary lapse that gives Anti-Monitor the chance he needs to lock his arm around her and unleash his raw power!

Superman can only watch in horror as untold cosmic energies completely consume Supergirl's body and a solid beam blasts right through her!

Anti-Monitor makes a desperate escape, running for a nearby ship as his body begins to fail him. He lives to fight another day. Supergirl will not.

Superman cradles his cousin's broken and bloodied body as her indomitable will at last begins to fade. She tells the Man of Steel not to cry. His example taught her to be brave - and she was. She dies knowing Anti-Monitor's machines were destroyed and the lives across multiple worlds were saved. 

The Hammer...
Supergirl's act of supreme sacrifice succeeds only in delaying the Anti-Monitor, who fled on the brink of destruction, but will return in the next issue fully healed, and wearing a newly formed shell that is his iconic armored design.

The battle and its result provides the first in a one-two punch of iconic deaths that set the stakes of Crisis on Infinite Earths apart from other events of the era. It was immediately followed with the death of Barry Allen, whose grim fate was prophesied in a much earlier issue.

In spite of a premise that could've easily incorporated their quick resurrection into a newly formed DC Universe; the deaths of both Supergirl and The Flash were granted an immediate and sustained sense of consequence. Dead was dead. At least for a while.

The Flash was at least permitted to have existed within this new universe's secret history, but his death quickly became a crucial part of the modern canon. Barry Allen was part of a slightly re-tooled Justice League origin, and would be paid frequent homage through the legacy of his successor, the former Kid Flash: Wally West. This new Flash struggled to understand the details of his mentor's death, but continued to honor it. No such luck for Supergirl, though...

The initial conception for Superman in the post-Crisis DCU was one of a mythic 'Last Son of Krypton'. Kal-El's world had become abundant with derivative survivors from his dead home planet. The reboot was an opportunity to restore his status as a one-of-a-kind icon, completely excising Supergirl from his reality.

Of course, it didn't take long for the merits of a Girl of Steel to be reconsidered.

It would still take until 2004 for Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El to be reinstated into the modern post-Crisis canon, but a facsimile was created in her stead fairly quickly: a compromised version conjured from a character minted just a couple of years before the Crisis rebooted history.

Matrix was a shape-shifting "protoplasmic" lifeform engineered in a pocket universe by a heroic alternate Lex Luthor. When she was thrust into regular adventures in the new DCU, she was entangled with a Luthor who had been masquerading as his own son. Her disguise was much simpler, inventing a Supergirl for a universe that had only known Superman.

The new Supergirl proved an adequate replacement, but inherently susceptible to high levels of continual convolution. Efforts to separate her from Kryptonian history, while still patching together familiar Supergirl tropes, just made things increasingly messy. Eventually she would have to go.

The argument for keeping Superman alone in the universe is a tempting one, but over time I've come to see more merits in a DC Universe with Supergirl in it.

The modern age has become increasingly fixated with darker impulses that challenge the fundamental core of Superman as a character. Supergirl, like other derivations of Superman, offer the perfect vessels for exploring alternative perspectives of Superman's experience, without interrupting or corrupting his status as an icon of truth, justice, hope, and aspirational American ideals.

Supergirl expands the DCU and Superman's world with her own adventures and canon, while also offering the opportunity to explore a Kryptonian who is younger, more impulsive, less experienced, and at the same time more versed in Superman's lost home world, and its traditions. These details, and an innate feminine perspective, have continued to make Supergirl an interesting character in multiple mediums. I can't help but think of the current TV series - a shining example of the value of the character, and the enjoyment she can provide.

Supergirl's death fighting Anti-Monitor was a pretty epic, bad ass way for the Silver Age version of the character to go out. I love seeing her refuse to back down - again and again. Does the headband somehow make it even more bad ass? I think so. I've got a real soft spot for it. It's a little eighties aerobics, but I dig it. It's a shame it had to die, but I'm glad it wasn't permanent.

That about wraps it for 2019. It's been a long year with some great fights and I'm bushed! Make sure you check out the 2019 Feature Fight Recap to revisit and vote for the best battles of the year. This battle technically kicks off Season 2020, so make sure you stick around for more Secret Wars on Infinite Earths!

If you'd like to check out Crisis on Infinite Earths for yourself, you can get yourself a deal and support the site by checking out the Amazon purchase link provided. If you don't see it, you may need to adjust your settings.

You can find more featured fights from the DCU and Crisis by following links throughout this post, or by diving into the Secret Archive! You'll be able to monitor a complete index of battles ordered by universe, series, and issue number!

You can also get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day by subscribing to Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook. Make sure to like & share your faves! Happy holidays!

Winner: Anti-Monitor
#350 (+240) Anti-Monitor [+1 kill]
#5 (--) Superman
#71 (-2) Supergirl
#894 (new) Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi)

ANNUAL PUNCH-UP: 2019 FEATURE FIGHT RECAP

It's been another full year of Secret Wars on Infinite Earths and boy what a year it was! 2019 produced one of the most eclectic lineups of featured fights we've ever seen. There were the usual cinematic and multimedia influences, along with exciting brand resurgence in comics, and some key milestone and classic issues, as well!

You can now help decide which battles were the best of the year. All you have to do is revisit your favourite fights by clicking the recap links below! The battles with the most hits will soon feature in our Annual Top 20 Cover To Cover spotlight. You can vote for as many battles as you like, as many times as you like! The most popular aren't necessarily the ones you'd expect, so dive in and enjoy the fights that were Season 2019!

#1 Hulk versus Champion of the Universe (Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7)
#2 Flash versus Kid Flash (The Flash TV Special #1)
#3 Doctor Light versus Green Lantern (Green Lantern #36)
#4 Cosmic Powers versus Tyrant (Silver Surfer #82)
#5 Ms Marvel versus Prowler (Ms Marvel #6)
#6 Marvel Family versus Monster Society of Evil (Convergence Shazam #1)
#7 Eradicator versus Steel (Superman: The Man of Steel #24)
#8 Ms Marvel versus Super-Skrull (Marvel Team-Up #62)
#9 Ms Marvel versus The Collective (New Avengers #17)
#10 Thor versus Conan The Barbarian (What If? #39)
#11 Lobo versus Superman (Adventures of Superman #464)
#12 Captain Marvel versus Captain Sivana (DC Comics Presents Annual #3)
#13 Justice League versus Captain Marvel (Underworld Unleashed #3)
#14 Hellboy versus Camazotz (Hellboy in Mexico)
#15 Avengers versus Thanos (Free Comic Book Day Civil War II #1)
#16 Spider-Man versus Mysterio (Amazing Spider-Man #13)
#17 Daredevil versus Mysterio (Daredevil #7)
#18 Spider-Man versus Mysterio (Spider-Man #65)
#19 Huo Li versus Shang-Chi (Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu One-Shot)
#20 Hellfire Club versus X-Men (Uncanny X-Men #209)
#21 Carnage Family versus Spider-Man, Cloak & Dagger (Web of Spider-Man #101)
#22 Batman versus Red Hood (Batman: The Killing Joke)
#23 Avengers versus Nebula (Avengers #315)
#24 Hobgoblin versus Moon Knight (Marc Spector: Moon Knight #32)
#25 Solomon Grundy versus Poison Ivy (Solomon Grundy #3)
#26 Blade versus Morbius (Fear #24)
#27 Swamp Thing versus Scarecrow (Swamp Thing #19)
#28 Spider-Man versus Demogoblin (Amazing Spider-Man #378)
#29 Sabretooth versus Mister Sinister (Uncanny X-Men #221)
#30 Penguin versus Green Arrow (Justice League of America #135)
#31 Demogoblin versus Carnage Family (Spider-Man #35)
#32 Marvel Family versus Earth-One Heroes (Crisis on Infinite Earths #6)

You can find even more superhero smackdown by checking the Secret Archive for a full index of every battle featured on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths! You can also flashback to the 2018 Feature Fight Recap and stay tuned to the main page for more updates as Season 2020 gets under way!

MARVEL FAMILY versus EARTH-ONE HEROES

3 Earths! 3 Deaths! (DC)
Where: Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 When: September 1985 Why: Marv Wolfman How: George Perez

The Story So Far...
When Psycho-Pirate is imbued with enhanced powers by the Anti-Monitor, his emotion-manipulating influence can now span three entire worlds!

While Earth-X, Earth-Four, and Earth-S are besieged by a destructive wave of anti-matter -- the Psycho-Pirate turns heroes into agents of their world's own demise!

On Earth-S, the Marvel Family are stoked into a blind rage that convinces them the red skies of impending doom have been created by their former allies from Earth-One! It's up to Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and the Teen Titans to fend off this world's mightiest mortals long enough to save it!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Captain Marvel 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Captain Marvel 5 (Professor)
Speed: Captain Marvel 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Captain Marvel 6 (Generator)
Agility: Black Canary 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Wonder Woman 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Supergirl 5 (Lasers)
Total: Captain Marvel 30 (Super)

The Marvel Family are: Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr, and Uncle Dudley.

The Marvel Family are the magically powered heroes of Earth-S. Led by Captain Marvel, they draw their might from a pantheon of gods & legends by speaking a magic word that will summon the transformative lightning of Shazam!

We've seen the Marvel Family fight together against the dastardly Doctor Sivana in DC Comics Presents Annual #3, and again against his Monster Society of Evil in the modern-classic Earth-S flashback of Convergence Shazam #1.

The heroes of Earth-One are: Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Changeling, Kole Weathers, and Black Canary.

The impromptu gathering boasts members of the Justice League of America and Teen Titans, but they'll still have their work cut out for them against an assembly as powerful as The Marvel Family!

Wonder Woman can match the Marvels blow for blow, but her Fight Club record hasn't been flattering. She was part of the JLA halted by Captain Marvel's lightning while entering Hell in Underworld Unleashed #3, and defeated by Mary Marvel in a reprisal of today's encounter in Final Crisis #3. Lightning was also a feature of her defeat by Storm during the crossover of Marvel versus DC #3.

Supergirl shares most of the same powers of her famous cousin, but she had similar issues when fighting the dark Mary Marvel in Final Crisis #6. Their tie was only broken by the intervention of Captain Marvel Jr, who's fighting by his adopted sister's side this time!

Captain Marvel has had many run-ins with Supergirl's famous cousin, where the magic lightning has been revealed to be a potent weapon against Kryptonians, if dodged at super-human speed! The best example is Kingdom Come #4, which also reveals the potential to turn the transformational bolt against its caller!

Black Canary and her ear-piercing canary cry will be an X-factor in the battle, as will the animal-based metamorphosis of Changeling, (aka; Beast Boy), and the crystal-generating powers of Kole Weathers.

Kole predominantly offers strong defensive capabilities, while Changeling can add a degree of muscle to Wonder Woman & Supergirl via large animal transformations. With the addition of Black Canary's targeted audio disorienting, the group could seize an upset against their magic match-up! Let's see...

The Tape: Earth-One Heroes Ranking: Wonder Woman (#16)

What Went Down...
Black Canary only has seconds to react as a giant green elephant announces its impending arrival through the brick wall at her back! The animal is Changeling: shape-shifting Teen Titan who's been hurled violently by an unseen assailant!

Supergirl hovers over the young hero as he reverts to human form, skidding through the city rubble that litters the street. She checks on his well being, but is quickly set upon by the powerhouse responsible for attacking: Captain Marvel!

Earth's mightiest mortal blazes a trail across the battlefield like a human missile, mistakenly under the impression Supergirl and her Earth-One comrades have taken to evil! He charges her -- only to be caught with an aerial uppercut!

Fearing for her life, the young heroine attempts to reason with the rampaging Marvel. She appeals to his better nature, insisting his mind has been influenced by an unseen force. Squatting amongst the wreckage of the city -- Captain Marvel rejects her pleas as unacceptable lies!

Firmly believing Supergirl has unleashed the anti-matter cloud consuming his world, Captain Marvel ignores her shared experience and desire for help -- clenching both fists to pound the ground with the strength of Hercules!

The shockwave of Captain Marvel's blows topples a nearby building over Supergirl's head, but she doesn't join the bird-shaped Changeling in flying retreat. Instead, the girl of steel redoubles her efforts to fly through the building and collide with Captain Marvel to end his uncontrolled rage!

On the ground below, Black Canary theorizes the emotional manipulations of Psycho-Pirate must be responsible for Captain Marvel's uncharacteristic rage.

Before she can act on her theory, the street-level hero is struck by the awesome vision of a giant crystal barrier! Kole Weathers wields it to prevent the city's denizens from rushing into the anti-matter field. As she does, the mysterious Harbinger appears at her side to enact a ritual she cannot comprehend.

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman attempts to tame a befuddled Mary Marvel by holding her in the lasso of truth. Mary resists, tugging at the golden rope while taken by the same emotion-warping madness as Captain Marvel!

The rage is shared by Captain Marvel Jr, who rockets through the air to catch Wonder Woman by surprise and rescue his sister!

Fate turns once more as Black Canary suddenly sends a sonic shriek emanating through Mary and Marvel Jr's ears!

The Marvels clutch their ears in agony, begging for a reprieve as the focused canary cry rattles them to their very core!

With Uncle Dudley caught in the coiled snake form of Changeling, Wonder Woman declares the Marvel Family "on ice". The victory pales in significance as Harbinger communes with the universe in an event of cosmic significance.

The Hammer...
It was a close call, but Black Canary comes through with the sonic cry that allows Supergirl, Changeling, and Wonder Woman to wrap the Marvel Family up! A hard fought win with great significance!

Supergirl and Captain Marvel stare in awe as the cloud of Psycho-Pirate's influence lifts, and the anti-matter void threatening Earth-S disappears! Against overwhelming odds -- the world is saved!

This was the moment that effectively assured the Marvel Family would continue their adventures into the new, composite DC Universe that would emerge from the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Not that it was an entirely smooth transition!

The wholesome qualities that defined classic Captain Marvel made him one of the first targets for harsher modern sensibilities, and the evil New Gods who represented their darkest extremes in-story.

In Legends #1: Captain Marvel was tricked into believing he'd used his magic lightning to kill a villain called Macro-Man. Now more tied to his youthful alter-ego, Captain Marvel was effectively retired by Billy Batson's loss of faith in himself, and his mighty magical powers.

Of course, Billy naturally gets wise before the end of the DCU defining mini-series, becoming a founding member of the new Justice League alongside Black Canary. With any luck, we'll get the chance to look further at the battles found in Legends, and the subsequent series that led to Justice League International.

In the mean time, we can technically close the book on a year of featured fights for Season 2019! Today's battle was inspired by the upcoming television version of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which will feature a cavalcade of live-action cameos and callbacks across episodes of Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, and Arrow.

You can dive deeper into the original Crisis on Infinite Earths by following the tag link, or by exploring the Secret Archive for a full index of entries in order of publisher, series, and issue number!

Hold the fate of the multiverse in the palm of your hand by checking out collected editions of Crisis on Infinite Earths! By using the Amazon purchase links provided you can get yourself, or a loved one, the perfect holiday gift -- and support the site at no extra cost to you!

Stay tuned for more fabulous fisticuffs and the chance to vote for the best featured fights of 2019! Thanks to everyone who's finding Secret Wars on Infinite Earths and helping spread the word by liking & sharing daily links via Twitter and Facebook!

Winners: Black Canary, Supergirl, Changeling & Wonder Woman
#15 (+1) Wonder Woman
#38 (+16) Black Canary
#70 (+41) Supergirl
#330 (new) Changeling (Garfield Logan)
#567 (new) Kole [+1 assist]
#46 (-3) Captain Marvel Jr
#49 (-2) Captain Marvel
#125 (-13) Mary Marvel
#353 (-27) Uncle Dudley

DEMOGOBLIN versus CARNAGE, SHRIEK & DOPPELGANGER

Team Venom: Maximum Carnage, Chapter Four (Marvel)
Where: Spider-Man #35 When: June 1993
Why: David Michelinie How: Tom Lyle

The Story So Far...
The escape of Carnage & Shriek from the Ravencroft Institute has turned Manhattan into a killing field!

The best efforts of Spider-Man, Cloak, and Dagger ended with the apparent death of the latter heroine, and brutal physical and mental injuries for the surviving pair. Even the arrival of Venom from across the country couldn't slow the murderous rampage of Carnage, Shriek, and Doppelganger through Central Park!

The first line of defense may have failed, but an unlikely predator has caught the scent of these sinful killers. Having already waylaid an injured Spider-Man; the deadly Demogoblin has picked up the trail of Doppelganger and intends to reclaim his former ally while claiming the lives of his sinful companions!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Carnage 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Draw 2 (Average)
Speed: Doppelganger 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Demogoblin 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Doppelganger 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Draw 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Shriek 5 (Lasers)
Total: Demogoblin 24 (Champion)

Demogoblin owes most of his modus operandi to time spent possessing Jason Macendale, but he's more than a mere clone of the mercenary Hobgoblin! His ultimate motivation is a quest to cleanse the world of sinners to redeem himself.

His twisted perspective has led Demogoblin to target heroes like Spider-Man and Moon Knight, but his goals make him a potential threat to villains, as well!

The serial killer Cletus Kasady was bathed in sin long before he received the alien symbiote that turned him into Carnage! His escape from the Ravencroft Institute alone was a bloodbath, but he took a particular shine to fellow inmate Shriek, who helped spread the murder and mayhem across Manhattan.

Shriek picked up the six-armed Doppelganger shortly after her escape, and together they sent Spider-Man flying off a building in Spider-Man Unlimited #1! This led to a subsequent battle in Web of Spider-Man #101, where Shriek seemingly ended the life of the heroine Dagger!

Demogoblin clearly has his work cut out for him if he's to take on this trio, but there are a few mitigating circumstances to consider. For one: it was his dark magic that kept Doppelganger alive beyond the Infinity War that first spawned him. That could mean a potential ally, if the bond Doppelganger has formed with Shriek isn't greater than that with his lapsed former-partner.

Carnage's symbiote is vulnerable to fire, but earlier in '93, Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #6 raised doubts about the effects of hellfire. Venom was similarly unfazed by Demogoblin's flame in Venom: The Enemy Within #3. That might be okay though, because in Amazing Spider-Man #378 he revealed a new pumpkin bomb capable of engulfing an opponent in darkness and despair!

Carnage and Shriek may be remorseless killers, but behind their murderous impulses lies a wealth of inner turmoil and troubled pasts. If Demogoblin could unlock that, he may have the keys to scoring an upset. Let's see if he did...

The Tape: Carnage Family Ranking: Doppelganger (#105)

What Went Down...
Drawn by the psychic link he shares with Doppelganger -- Demogoblin discovers Carnage and his adopted family of killers contemplating new victims by the Waterfront. The smell of sulfur betrays the demon as he hovers above and targets them for purification. Shriek attacks!

A focused blast of sonic energy collides with Demogoblin's body, but the blow fails to even knock him from his flaming glider! Sound and fury signifying nothing!

The demon returns fire - hurling an exploding pumpkin bomb! Shriek only narrowly avoids detonation when Doppelganger fails to heed her cries for help!

The bug-eyed Doppelganger remains motionless as he watches the battle between former and current caregivers with divided loyalty. The mindless creature cannot decide which one to help. Carnage has no such ambivalence!

He mounts an unattended trunk to close the gap with Demogoblin and throws his arm into the air -- sending it extending like deadly red taffy!

Long, thin tendrils stab at Demogoblin and his flaming goblin glider, but fail to cause any significant damage. The grinning demon speaks of hellfire and burning sinners to bone & ash, but his heat doesn't send the symbiote running.

In fact, Carnage is delighted by the macabre picture Demogoblin paints with his words. The vision of torture and death isn't so different from Carnage's dreams of dismemberment. So he offers Demogoblin assistance in his quest against sinners!

Considering the possibility to expedite his mission, Demogoblin accepts the offer of an alliance -- even as Carnage confides in Shriek he knows the demon will turn on them eventually. A worry for another day as he relishes the lethal potential of their newest comrade.

The Hammer...
Chapter 4 keeps the danger building as Demogoblin makes his surprise decision to join Carnage and his surrogate family! This is essentially the end of Act I for the thirteen part maxi-series, not that traditional structure is much of a priority.

The abruptness of Demogoblin's acceptance makes it a bit of a dubious turn for the sin-obsessed demon, but at least there's some acknowledgment that he should be expected to turn on them eventually, if the opportunity presents.

Demogoblin's willingness to forge unlikely alliances in the pursuit of other sinners actually became a bit of a consistent trait. At his own peril he pursued a partnership with Blade in Ghost Rider #40. He later took command of a cursed horde of goblins in Venom: The Enemy Within #3. It might make sense that he's a natural collaborator, given his start possessing a human host.

Well conceived or not: I quite enjoy that Demogoblin gets in on the act here -- especially with the added context of the previous chapter, and his existing ties to Doppelganger. Keeping the six-armed creature torn between loyalties was a nice bit of nuance for a character that doesn't necessarily demand much.

A steady accumulation of strange bedfellows is at the heart of the frenzied fun of Maximum Carnage. The two halves of Spider-Man #35 remain focused on developing early battle lines between the more expected players, starting with the bad guys in today's featured fight, and the heroes in the second half.

There are many more unlikely characters to become involved later in the saga!

I wasn't planning to return to Maximum Carnage quite so soon, but I've had this issue on my desk for a while now, and felt compelled to dive right in after learning the sad news of the passing of artist Tom Lyle.

I'd specifically been looking forward to talking about Lyle and his artistic collaborators in this issue. The select panels scanned for this entry don't really do justice to the finished product. This is arguably a comic best read in print, and maybe even the original issue, over reprinted trades.

The visual standards for Maximum Carnage had already been set very high with Ron Lim, Alex Saviuk, and Mark Bagley penciling previous chapters in their respective series. In 1993, Spider-Man #35 immediately felt special.

Some of the credit has to go to inker Scott Hanna, and colorists Kevin Tinsley & Ericka Moran. The finish on this issue is rich and clean, giving it a premium feel with a balance of tight lines over thin pencils, and inky embellishments on layouts and borders. The colours are superb, and one of the best reason to seek out this and other back issues from the same creative team!

Lyle's work has great sense of anatomy and really makes the most of it in surprising panels. Some of those "premium" moments are subtle, like a panel of Peter Parker helping Eddie Brock onto a couch with the damaged symbiote dripping off him. When Venom's recovered, Lyle draws him firm and clean, with a thin tongue and tight, straight teeth. Not for everyone, but I like it.

The issue really announces itself with a big first page splash! Carnage is coming right at the reader [above], ripping his way through a building with his hands in trademarked axe and scythe formations. Shriek and Doppelganger are lurking in the waterfront background, with Doppelganger holding a couple of victims under his arms while he sticks to a wall. A nice subversion of a classic Spidey pose.

I didn't have any personal experiences with Tom Lyle, but I knew him as a fan of his work on Spider-Man. I'm grateful for that and sad to hear of his passing.

As noted, I think it's well worth seeking this one out in back issue, but if you'd like to experience Tom Lyle's Spider-Man in context, you can find it collected with the rest of Maximum Carnage.

You can also contribute to a GoFundMe to help Tom's wife Sue cover costs incurred by the difficult ordeal of his passing.

Discover more wonderful work in comics by following links throughout this post or exploring the Secret Archive. Like and share via Twitter and Facebook to keep the work alive.

Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#142 (+36) Shriek
#337 (+44) Carnage (Cletus Kasady)
#892 (--) Demogoblin
#105 (--) Doppelganger [no stat]

PENGUIN versus GREEN ARROW

"Crisis in Eternity!" (DC)
Where: Justice League of America #135 When: October 1976 Why: E. Nelson Bridwell & Martin Pasko How: Dick Dillin & Frank McLaughlin

The Story So Far...
King Kull, ancient Lord of Beast-Men, has devised a means to penetrate the fabric of space and time to invade The Rock of Eternity! Trapping the gods within in a state of molecular slow-motion, he begins his revenge on the humanity that supplanted him -- but not unopposed!

The fleet of foot god of speed, Mercury, escaped The Rock of Eternity moments before King Kull's attack, allowing him to traverse the multiverse to recruit the Justice League of Earth-One, the Justice Society of Earth-Two, and the Squadron of Justice of Earth-S!

King Kull has recruited his own small army of allies to bedevil the heroes of three worlds. Acting under the orders the Atlantean Queen Clea; Penguin and Ibac work to construct a machine that will restore her reign -- only to be set upon by the two-man force of Green Arrow and Spy Smasher!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Green Arrow 2 (Average)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Green Arrow 2 (Average)
Stamina: Green Arrow 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Green Arrow 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Green Arrow 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Green Arrow 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Green Arrow 24 (Champion)

Once upon a time The Penguin was considered one of the premier opponents for Batman, but over the years he's been better identified as a businessman, and mastermind, who pulls the strings from behind a façade of legitimacy.

Though dapper of dress and stout of frame - Penguin has proven himself plenty street wise! Ruthless aggression and an arsenal of weapons concealed in trick umbrellas more than makes up for his limits as a hand-to-hand combatant!

We saw Penguin's always reliable machine-gun-brolly in action when he took on the scarlet speedster in Flash #210. Hopelessly outmatched, he was also relying on local muscle from Keystone City to help bridge the divide. In today's featured fight, it's slightly more even as he crosses umbrella gimmicks with trick arrows!

Green Arrow appears to have a lot of conventional advantages over Penguin in the combat arena. His superior athleticism, and training in the martial arts and archery are an easy path to victory. He's relied on these skills to overcome seemingly superior foes, such as the super-humanly strong Brick [in Green Arrow #45 & #60], and Black Hand in Green Lantern: Rebirth #1.

If Penguin can plant his feet and turn the fight into an old fashioned shootout, he should be able to pin the archer down and dictate the fight on his terms. He also technically has the super-powered Ibac in tow, but he'll have his hands full with Spy Smasher. This is strictly mano-a-mano. Let's see what happened...

The Tape: Green Arrow Ranking: Green Arrow (#34)

What Went Down...
The villainous Ibac completes construction of a mysterious machine under The Penguin's watchful monocle when suddenly another arrives by air!

From the craft steps the heroic twosome of Green Arrow and Spy Smasher! Ibac recognizes the latter, prompting the villains to split-up to take on their respective foes individually!

Remembering Green Arrow from a previous encounter with the Justice League, Penguin opens up with the barrel side of his rainbow coloured bumbershoot!

The weapon discharges a colourful burst of offensive fireworks, but the flames are quickly snuffed when Green Arrow slings off a CO₂ arrow!

The Penguin switches tactics, attempting to fight aerosol with parasol when his umbrella begins spewing a cloud of noxious gas!

The green fumes spell certain doom, but GA has another trick in his quiver, producing a fan-tipped arrow that blows the smoke right back at The Penguin!

The backfired attack engulfs Penguin in his own gas, sending the squat super-villain into a gentle slumber.

The Hammer...
Short, sharp, and straight to the point!

The Penguin did his best to upset the emerald archer, but this time he simply wasn't well enough equipped to deal with Green Arrow's legendary marksmanship, and bag of trick arrows!

The victory helps ensure the Justice League thwarts the grand designs of Queen Clea and her band of unlikely accomplices. The scheme to regain control of her underwater domain is itself part of an even bigger plot hatched & overseen by the watchful eye of King Kull. His mission: destroy humanity on three worlds!

Kull's revenge is part of the once-annual tradition of crossovers between the Justice League on Earth-One, and the Justice Society of Earth-Two. Per the villain's origins, this time the 'Crisis on Multiple Earths' runs three-ways, to include Earth-S: home of the wicked Ibac, and his arch-nemesis Captain Marvel!

There's no shortage of action in this, or adjoining issues. Truth be told, the clash between Green Arrow and The Penguin is a pretty small slice. Sometimes it's those little, easily overlooked battles that can be the most fun to dig up.

Comparisons between Green Arrow and Batman run deep into their earliest days in print. It would be generous to say that Green Arrow was merely influenced by The Dark Knight. Replete with his own equivalent kid sidekick and Arrowcar, the wealthy bowman borrowed liberally from his counterpart in the Golden Age.

The pair have grown much more distinct over the decades, but flirtations with their past similarity still occur from time to time. We saw trouble in Gotham spill over into Star City when Red Hood had memorable off-brand run-ins with Brick [Green Arrow #70], Green Arrow [Green Arrow #71], and Mia Dearden - the then-new Speedy [Green Arrow #72].

GA arguably doubled-down on gimmicked gadgets to a far greater degree, making the match-up with Penguin an interesting twist on his usual battles with Batman. Possessing an arsenal of trick umbrellas made to fire similar gimmick weapons, he's a natural foe for Green Arrow. In fact, this is a rematch of sorts!

In the earlier Justice League of America #61, Penguin briefly assumed the identity of Green Arrow, magically trading places with a similarly disguised Batman! It was all part of a convoluted plot to retire Green Arrow and jail the Justice League. It all unraveled when the out-of-costume Oliver Queen got the drop on his unsuspecting imposter, kayoing him in the street with a blunt arrow.

On that day, Penguin was canny enough to upset the green-garbed Batman, but he never even saw it coming when the real deal hit him from behind with an arrow! Today's clash wasn't exactly the rematch of the century, but it was a mite more interesting a test of their respective weaponry.

I got a kick out of the small skirmish, and it was a nice opportunity to talk about two heroes making waves in the domain of live-action. Stephen Amell is set to retire the role of Oliver Queen when Arrow wraps at the end of this year. Meanwhile Colin Farrell has emerged as the unlikely actor to play The Penguin when The Batman arrives in theatres, 2021. Fair enough!

If you'd like to get the full story surrounding today's battle, you can find the entire issue collected in Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 4! Use the Amazon purchase link provided and you'll not only get yourself a great deal -- you'll help support Secret Wars on Infinite Earths at no additional cost!

We'll return to more of the crossover clashes found in this issue at some point in the future. You'll be able to find those and so much more superhero smackdown in the Secret Archive: a complete index of every featured fight in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Be sure to follow links throughout this post to connect with more from the characters featured. Or simply follow The Comic Book Fight Club on Twitter and Facebook for daily links to battles inspired by topics of the day!

Winner: Green Arrow
#23 (+11) Green Arrow
#932 (-11) The Penguin