Category Archives: Versus

Rather than focusing on a fight between two factions, this week I want to take a look at costume design. Specifically, what makes a good patriotic super-hero outfit? Our competitors are:

Captain America has had a number of subtle but important costume changes over the last decade or so after remaining essentially static for forty years prior, but the essentials are still there. I chose this specific version because I think it retains all the classic elements while still having a few modern touches to make it relevant.

Similarly, Captain Britain has had a number of incarnations, but this is the one that for me is the most iconic.

So what makes a patriotic super hero uniform work?

First, it has to have the nation's colors in it. Both meet that criteria with red, white, and blue in abundance.

Second, it ought to have some bit of national iconography on it, which both do, from the big stars and stripes on Captain America to the Union Jack on Captain Britain.

Third, ideally you'll get some sense of the flag's design reflected in the costume. Again, the stars and stripes layout works on the one and the x-shaped pattern for the other.

Finally, obviously, it needs to look cool. I think both of these gentlemen have nailed that as well.

So we come down to specifics, namely specific things I don't like. I have never been a fan of Captain America's silly head wings, and giant thigh boots on men just look dorky to me. I actually prefer Captain Britain's headgear to Captain America's, but the former's lack of a belt seems weird.

At the end of the day, the deciding factor for me is Captain America's shield. I think the character design needs to reflect something about how that country sees itself. These are patriotic super heroes, meaning they ought to represent the very best of the idealized version of their nations. And for the United States, that's the idea that we are the world's protector, that we act in defense and not in aggression (yes, I know, but this is comic books, people, not reality). The shield is a great way of getting that point across.

Unfortunately Captain Britain doesn't have anything like that. I don't know exactly what it would be, but a helmet isn't it.

So while I think I actually prefer Captain Britain's overall look, I'm going to say that Captain America better sums up the patriotic version of his country.

What about you, what do you think?

Let me clear what this versus is NOT -- it is not "Who would you want as a girlfriend" or "Who is hotter" comparison. This is no different than a regular Versus matching Superman against Batman or whatnot. Any "Rawr, catfight!" comments will be deleted without warning.

So the scenario here is, who would win in a straight-up fight between these two awesome heroines?

At one level, this is a classic battle between science and magic. Would Leia's blaster and Empire-level tech trump Hermione's extremely flexible wand and encyclopedic arcane knowledge?

On another level, any fight is about the individuals involved. Both of these women are battle-hardened veterans, used to close combat and the violence of a fight. Leia's led troops, brought down Imperial Stormtroopers, raced through dense forest on highly questionable speeders, and resisted interrogation by one of the most powerful forces in the galaxy. This is one tough cookie.

But Hermione has also resisted assault from the most powerful force in her world. She's gone toe-to-toe with Death Eaters and worse, and held up better than some of the supposedly dedicated warriors around her. And all while she was just a kid! She's also whip-smart, much more so than Leia.

So who do you think would come out the victor in a contest between these two?

The marriage of magic and super heroes has never quite worked for me. Even when I read Golden Age comics featuring the likes of Marvo the Magician, something about seeing a beturbaned wand-wielder uttering mystical phrases alongside someone in tights and a cape seemed off somehow.

Having said that, I think the two best examples of magical super heroes from the major publishers are DC's Dr. Fate and Marvel's Dr. Strange. On the one hand you have one of the most awesome helmets ever seen in comics, and on the other you have a killer Seventies mustache and the biggest cape this side of Thor. Fate embodies Order, while Strange is left to protect the Earth however he can, messy though it might get.

It all got me wondering what would happen in a clash between these two mystic titans, so I turn it over to you:

Our Versus today features two of the deadliest leather-clad females in the Marvel and DC universes:

Black Widow is a highly trained, extremely deadly assassin. She can fight alongside the Marvel Universe's most powerful heroes in the Avengers and is much, much more than just a gun and some wrist bracelets.

Catwoman, on the other hand, is largely a petty thief, much more interested in avoiding conflict than engaging in it. However, she too fights alongside (and against!) arguably the most deadly member of the DC Universe in Batman.

Both are nimble, agile, and quick. Both have deadly weapons and savage wits at their disposal. The Black Widow is arguably a superior strategist, but Catwoman is fantastic in a tactical situation where rapid reactions are vital.

I think this one is pretty close. But overall I'd probably go with the Black Widow since she's trained to be a killer, whereas Catwoman is primarily a thief.

But what say you, HeroMachine Nation?

This week we're going to change up Versus a bit, and instead of asking who would win in a fight, I'm wondering which costume you like better. The guy on the left is Henry Cavill from the upcoming "Man of Steel" film, while the fellow on the right is Brandon Routh from the 2006 release "Superman Returns". Which do you like better?

In terms of the actors themselves, I prefer Cavill. Routh's small chin and big eyes always made me feel like I was watching Anime Superman, while Cavill's got a more square-jawed, somewhat rugged look to him.

The outfit reinforces that for me. The low-rider Speedo is gone, along with the scalloped neckline and cape that attaches at the shoulder. The Cavill version with its "modern" hexagon pattern, military style piping, squared-off neck, and forward-attaching cape are all more rugged and strong. This is a Superman who'll be just fine punching you into orbit if need be. Routh looks more like he'd want to take a long walk on the beach with you. Which is sort of what he did with Lex at the end of that movie, now that I think about it ...

So for me, I go Cavill all the way, but what would you say?

If you haven't heard, they're remaking "Robocop", the classic Eighties movie about a policeman cyborg with pouty lips and a literal chrome dome. Why, except for the robot parts and the penchant for violence, they could be talking about me!

Anyway, it got me thinking about the old character, and combined with the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" stuff at Dragon*Con, I came up with this concept for a versus:

Now, Data's not inherently a warrior, but he can hold his own, while Robocop's not exactly an intellectual. I'm not saying he's dumb or anything, but they just hustled him out of Home Depot for hitting on a toaster oven.

We'll set aside the technological advantage Data would have from his century with the phasers and the transporters. We'll give them both Robocop-era weaponry, then set them down in the rocky desert, all Gorn-style. Who would win?

Our Versus poll today comes from Facebook commenter James Wickenden, and pits the two most iconic comic book movie characters against each other. Both are multi-billionaire inventor/crusaders who employ clever technological goodies in their fight against crime. So which would win in a head-to-head battle?

It's clear that the Iron Man armor employs a superior battery of weapons and defensive capabilities. It's essentially a one-man army corps. Batman's tech in the movies is effective, but lacks the raw firepower Stark Enterprises brings to bear. So from the standpoint of raw power, I give the edge to Iron Man.

Whenever we have a poll involving Batman, the conversation inevitably turns to "Will he have time to prepare", with the assumption being that if the answer is "yes", the result is "Batman wins". But the movie Batman doesn't seem to have the same supernatural ability as the comic book version -- he gets outthought and outfought by Bane up until the bitter end, while movie Stark seems to always be the one who's one step ahead of the game.

The caveat to that is that in the "Avengers" movie, Tony had to rely on Hawkeye's tactical abilities to swing the tide of combat. I think movie Batman would be at least equal to movie Hawkeye, so in combat tactical ability, I'd go with Bats.

For me, the tiebreaker comes down to the fact that Batman's girlfriend get killed, while Iron Man manages to hang on to Pepper Pots through three movies now. That's pretty good. So I'd vote for movie Iron Man if it were me, but I'm curious as to which way you'd go, and why. So please comment and tell us your thinking!

With thanks to James Wickenden on the HeroMachine Facebook page for the suggestion, this week's Versus matches up the two men who are (arguably) the greatest sidekicks ever to graduate into full-blown super-herodom. I give you Bucky Barnes (aka "The Winter Soldier") versus Dick Grayson (aka "Robin", "Nightwing", and "Batman"):

I love that both of these men started out as sidekicks to major super hero stars, and that neither has any inherent super powers. They're just two highly trained, extremely capable, hardened warriors with plenty of high-tech gadgets to back them up. Also, it's DC versus Marvel, which is always a bonus!

So lay it out for us: Who do you think would win this matchup, and why?