March Madness Write Up Part II: Elite Eight

Thank You!

Thanks for tuning in, and playing in the first ever Time Warp March Madness Bracket! This is the Second in a series of articles that are designed to give you some insight into how your bracket will be scored. In case you missed the first write up, feel free to check it out here first! Remember, this is all for fun, if you see match up you disagree with, feel free to let us know! The bracket is set and the rulings are complete, but we would love to hear the case you can make for your favorite characters! And now, Our Elite Eight!

The Supers

  • Thor v Golden Gail
    • These heroines are both hiding secrets, and that will determine how the battle plays out. They have similar power levels and ties to thunder, but Golden Gail draws her rage from a place of angst, while Thor is trying to do as much good as she can with what time she has left. She can pull on this strength to gain the upper hand and save the day. Verily.
  • Captain Marvel v Flash
    • Captain Marvel levels her best energy blast at the red blur before her, fully sure that nothing could be left standing after such an assault. Flying low enough to inspect the smouldering remnants of the ground. Then before she could blink an eye, she is incapacitated, thrown into a crater of her own making, having suffered several million blows to the head in a fraction of a second. A second more to gather her senses, but she’s already been entombed by every stray piece of rock and metal. While this could very easily have gone the other way, Flash wins in the blink of an eye, by surprising his target.

The Mystics

  • Dr. Strange v  Scarlet Witch
    • Scarlet Witch has a magic bullet in this contest of magicians, but she wouldn’t dare use it. Uttering “No More Magic” would hurt her as much as it hurt the good Dr. Strange. Even if she did, the recent “Last Days of Magic” shows us that Dr. Strange is uniquely talented at holding on to every last bit of magic in the face of adversity. All that aside we have to vote in favor of Dr. Strange. It often seems that the Chaos Magic that Wanda taps into may be more powerful than the magics usually at Dr. Strange’s disposal, but Strange has a far greater control of them, and is used to taking on big threats head on, whereas the Scarlet Witch usually plays more of a support role. Dr. Strange takes the win.
  • Ghost Rider v Marko
    • Marko has pulled off some incredible wins since we were first introduced to the character, but for most of them he had solid backup from his wife Alana to Prince Robot IV, but in this battle, he’s flying solo. Ghost Rider won’t slow down for Marko’s pacifist ways, and will easily overpower the best dad in the galaxy.

The Fighters

  • Nightwing v Black Panther
    • This battle lasts hours, the two combatants locked in near perfect contention. Dick Grayson’s slight advantage in combat ability is neutered by King T’Challa’s brainpower and technological. We imagine a long drawn out battle, one of the fiercest either duelist can remember. Nightwing will quickly realize how efficient Panther’s Vibranium armor is, and will force panther into exerting himself. Wing-Dings knocked out of the air by Kimono Cards, punches blocked, kicks dodged, it’s over an hour before either fighter lands a head blow. Eventually however the King of Wakanda claws ahead to victory.
  • Hawkman v Lark
    • In a battle between two bird themed heroes, the one with the bigger wings tends to win, and this is no exception… having a bigger mace doesn’t hurt either. Though subtle and stealthy, Lark isn’t capable of dealing the damage it would take to put Hawkman down.

The Wildcards

  • Squirrel Girl v Boone
    • Boone Diaz is used to odd opponents. His time in the Ether has skewed his judgement to always looking for the most rational way to beat his opponent, so what conclusions will he draw when forced against Squirrel Girl? There has to be rational explanation for how one person can be so happy. Surely there’s a scientific reason as to why these squirrels are following her every beck and call. In fact, Boone Diaz will be rationalizing school girls powers long after he has been swarmed with squirrels, his exploring gear torn to pieces. She can’t actually be Unbeatable, can she?
  • Cap America v Zombie Jughead
    • Sam Wilson has a number of improvements over the original Captain America, and believe it or not, he’ll need most of them to take the win here. As a man of the people, he will let Zombie Jughead get in close before he realizes the threat his burger loving foe poses. Once Cap deflects the initial attack either with his shield or just his tactical armor, he will take to the skies, where Jughead can do no more harm.

Check Back Later this Week for Part III!

Author: Marcus Nordgren

Marcus Nordgren has been reading comics forever and writing about them since early 2017. It shows.