Super-Human Death Match

We all know how Spider-Man’s battle with the Green Goblin turned out, but how would he fare against Iron Man 2’s burly baddie Whiplash? Using Marvel.com’s official ratings of select characters and our own knowledge of their histories, we’ve created a series of Super-Human Death Matches to see what would happen if some of our favorite cinematic superheroes clashed with equally commanding evil-doers. In these specially-crafted battles, Hollywood endings won’t save the heroes; they’ll have to rely on their intelligence, strength, speed and skills without the safety of a test audience. May the fiercest fighter win!

Though Cage hasn’t appeared in a film yet (not for lack of trying – Marvel has long been developing a feature based on the urban hero), we hope to see him brawl his way to the big screen soon. In the meantime, think about what a battle between the muscle-bound bruiser and Daredevil’s dead-eyed nemesis Bullseye would be like. The skilled marksman has a slight advantage as long as he keeps his distance from Cage, but the Harlem-bred brute is both incredibly durable and a proficient and powerful fighter, which evens things out a bit. It all comes down to speed, then, and since neither is particularly quick, the victor is clearly Cage.

Norman Osborne proved to be a formidable foe for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man by striking the hero’s heart before delivering crushing blows to his body. I’m not so sure the same tactic would work against the significantly more stern-hearted Matt Murdock (unless Elektra Natchios shows up in skin-tight leather looking to make it a three-way). In a conventional bout, The Man Without Fear would energetically combat the crazed company man turned psychotic super-villain, but with advanced intellect, enhanced endurance and sophisticated gadgetry (including his vertical thrust “goblin glider” and variety of deadly pumpkin bombs), the Goblin would emerge victorious.

In what would surely be a devastating confrontation, Johnny Blaze’s Spirit of Vengeance and the disturbed Dr. Victor Von Doom would lay waste to all that stands in their warpath. Both are sturdy warriors that don’t go down easily and each possesses otherworldly powers. Blaze’s supernatural Hellfire is surely scorching, but Doom’s sorcery would likely extinguish the flame. That said, the battle would be decided on a blow-by-blow basis, and though Ghost Rider is nearly indestructible, Doom’s superior strength, speed and intellect would help him put the Brimstone Biker down for the count.

The cinematic version of Whiplash seems to be as deadly as the vengeful Russian villain from the greater Marvel Universe, but the common denominator between these two iterations of the character is their lethal nature in battle. His 25 ft. electromagnetic whips would effectively counter the wall-crawler’s long-range attack, forcing the web-slinger into hand-to-hand combat. Luckily, close range is an equally comfortable zone of conflict for Spider-Man and with greater speed, strength and fighting skills he would easily trounce Whiplash.

How do you defeat that which does not have form? This is the question that Bruce Banner will have to answer before engaging in battle with Flint Marko a.k.a. The Sandman. Both are more or less invulnerable, but that is where their similarities end. Hulk has no range: unless he’s face-to-face with an enemy, he’s got no game. On the other hand, Marko’s enhanced strength is nothing compared to the might of The Incredible Hulk, who is also smarter, faster and a more skilled warrior. What the Sandman does have going for him is an incredible amount of energy to throw at the Green Meanie. It’s a hard one to determine, as their fictional fight would likely go on and on, leaving bodies and debris strewn along the streets of New York City, so rather than over-thinking the outcome, we’re calling it a tie.