Bam Smack Pow comic book tournament: Superhero fighters tier 1

The Bam Smack Pow comic book fighting tournament continues. The second set of fights were all about the supervillains. Unlike the superheroes bracket 9which produced some surprising results), most of the winners there made sense.

Shocking to no one, Doomsday destroyed Homelander in the voting (84%-16%), while En Sabah Nur won against Omni-Man (59%-41%). Voters believed in Black Adam more than Sentry (25%-75%). I was shocked that Thragg lost to Gorr the God Butcher (29%-71%). Loki took a major victory over Lobo (81%-19%). Sinestro took a beating against Thanos (95%-5%). Brainiac lost to Injustice Superman (24%-76%). Lastly, in the most dominant win so far, Darkseid defeated Anissa by a whopping 98%. 

But how will our superhero fighters bracket go? Let's find out!

How were the brackets created?

Think of this comic book tournament like sports tournaments. The hero in the Number 1 spot fights the person in the last, Number 2 fights second-to-last, etc. Just because you’re in last place doesn’t mean you’re the worst, as many other factors are considered, such as major victories, power sets, and popularity are considered.

If you're wondering why popularity is a reason for a specific ranking, it’s simple. A less-than-popular character doesn’t get the same exposure as others. That’s why Wonder Woman is always involved in a major storyline. Not only is she one of the strongest and best fighters in comics, she’s beloved. Now, take someone like Invincible. He grows into a great hero and one of the strongest in comics. But he hasn’t been around as long as most people on this list. That matters.

Perhaps the most important of all factors to consider is personality. A character is more than their powerset; Doctor Doom may be a genius but he's also extremely arrogant, which is why he continues to lose to Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four. There are also heroes and anti-heroes like John Constantine. Is he a better magician than Dr. Strange? Probably not, but he’s willing to fight dirty and use other people to win. That has to be considered.

Writer's note: Characters like Moon Knight, Deadpool, and Red Hood are in a different tournament.

1. Shang-Chi vs 16. Gambit

Shang-Chi is commonly known as one of the best fighters in Marvel Comics. He’s fought people with powers with a staff and won. Gambit has defeated beings all over the galaxy with uncanny agility and powerful mutant abilities. This isn’t as one-sided as you’d think.

2. Midnighter vs 15. Green Arrow

Midnighter’s implant allows him to predict how fights will go. Do you know who else has a similar ability? Prometheus... and the Green Arrow killed him. Midnighter is also super strong, fast, and invulnerable. But Oliver Queen has beaten people with those abilities too.

3. Wolverine vs 14. Black Canary

Wolverine’s healing factor and metal claws and bones are an advantage in this fight but don’t count Black Canary out. Besides her incredible fighting ability, her sonic scream is a strength against Logan’s enhanced hearing.

4. Batman vs 13. Nightcrawler

Batman should win this fight. Eventually, he’ll learn Nightcrawler’s teleportation pattern and capitalize. However, that isn’t Nightcrawler’s only ability. He’s more agile than anyone Batman’s fought and incredible with a sword.

5. Spider-Man vs 12.Gamora

The Most Dangerous Woman in the Galaxy vs the Amazing Spider-Man. Before you give this fight to Spidey, remember that Gamora has beaten Thanos. This isn't the easy fight people think it will be. I fully expect the voting to be close.

6. Captain America (Steve Rogers) vs 11. Daredevil

Captain America and Daredevil have fought before and it’s never an easy fight. This time, it isn’t comic book writers determining the winner. It’s up to you to pick if a Super Soldier is good enough to beat the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

7. Nightwing vs 10. Elektra

Neither Nightwing nor Elektra go into fights underestimating their opponents and they're both agile, skilled fighters with a high pain tolerance. The difference is Nightwing has gadgets and Elektra is ruthless. This will be the closest fight in this round. If it happened in the comics, it would be bloody.

8. Iron Fist vs 9. Cassandra Cain

The Iron Fist can break a mountain with a punch, but he has to land a hit on Cassandra Cain for it to be effective. Batman once said that Cassandra could kill him if she wanted to. That’s something to think about going into this fight. Danny Rand can’t look at her like a child. It will lead to him being knocked out before he knows what happened. On the other hand, Cassandra can't take him lightly either.

Who are you voting for? Are you rooting for the best fighters or your favorite characters? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Instagram and Twitter.