The recent success of The Avengers has proven once and for all that superheroes rock!!! They make tons of money, can be extremely fun (intelligent even) and every blockbuster season is soaked to the brim with them. And as if the Avengers wasn’t enough, two of the most successful favorite American superheroes are joining the celebration this year: The Amazing Spider-Man reboots its webs this Independence Weekend, and later this month The Dark Knight Rises - for the third and last time.

So which superhero is the best? Which one deserves the title “Master of all Superheroes”? In honor of the 4th of July, we decided to create an All-American Superheroes Showdown and find out!

1/8 finals:

The Hulk vs. Hancock
Both of them are reluctant heroes – they don’t want the power, but it was entrusted upon them nevertheless. Although Hancock was popular and made a lot of money, The Hulk already had three different incarnations in the last decade alone – one in Ang Lee’s version starring Eric Bana, one starring Edward Norton and the final one starring Mark Ruffalo in the latest Avengers film. So at least until Hancock gets a sequel (which has been talked about for a long time), The Hulk wins.
Winner: The Hulk

Spider-Man vs. Catwoman
Powers drawn from animals are quite common in the area of superhero comics. In this specific case, Spider-Man has the ability to weave webs that allow him to fly (not exactly, but close enough) and Catwoman can fall from high places unharmed and has the quickness and agility of a cat. Even though cats are without a doubt far superior to spiders, in this case Spider-Man’s powers are much stronger, plus – Catwoman was a disastrous film, whereas Spider-Man spawned two sequels and is now being rebooted!
Winner: Spider-Man

Hellboy vs. Superman
Not exactly from human origins – Superman is, as we all know, an alien from the planet Krypton, whereas Hellboy is a demon resurrected from hell by Nazis and later raised by the American forces. This is a tough battle – Hellboy has almost unlimited powers, and the 2 films in the series are quite acclaimed. But after all, Superman IS Superman, and apart from being unhumanly super-strong, he can fly too. All 5 films of his franchise have made tons of money , which is probably why another one – Man of Steel – is scheduled to be released next summer.
Winner: Superman

Wonder Woman vs. Captain America
The ultimate All-American battle, stars and stripes and all. Wonder Woman is the last female representative in this showdown, but unfortunately she cannot compare to the strength of Captain America. Her most memorable appearance goes back to the 70s, while Captain America has had recent success in The Avengers and his own blockbuster just a year ago. I will take this opportunity to plead to the heads of Hollywood – there are not enough good super heroines (Marry in Hancock is a good start, but not enough!)
Winner: Captain America

Green Hornet vs. Batman
The Green Hornet and Batman (or The Dark Knight as he’s being referred to these days) are both extremely rich millionaires who decide to use their fortunes in order to become superheroes – each with his own intentions in mind. None of them have any actual superpowers – but apparently with enough money you can do almost anything. This fight is not really a fair one – Green Hornet only had one film, which wasn’t a huge success. Batman, on the other hand, is about to finish an extremely successful trilogy, and that’s without even mentioning the Tim Burton films and the TV shows.
Winner: Batman

Wolverine vs. Daredevil
Being able to take a physical disability/mutation and turn it into an advantage is a great thing – and that’s exactly what this duo does.  Daredevil is blind, but this enables him to develop a sense of sonar “sight” that makes him more aware of everything around him. Wolverine is a mutation with big steel claws that he uses as a weapon. As far as the battle goes, Daredevil was considered quite a flop, and although Wolverine the film did not gain such good reviews either, it still has a strong franchise (X-Men) behind him.
Winner: Wolverine

Iron Man vs. Green Lantern
Two seemingly ordinary people (as ordinary as you can get when you’re an engineering genius, in the case of Iron Man) become superheroes. One by creating a special suit that is capable of enhancing strength, flying, fighting and almost everything else, and another by acquiring an ancient and mystic artifact – the ring of power. Too bad Green Lantern was such a terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE film. Iron Man had one great film, one OK+ sequel and of course, the recent and very amusing Avengers appearance (Shawarma anyone?); not to mention the tons of money he earned in the box office.
Winner: Iron Man

Fantastic Four vs. Watchmen
A battle of two ensembles ensues here, and the odds seem evenly matched. Watchmen is based on a far more sophisticated material and gained more positive reviews, but was not a big box office success. The Fantastic Four, on the other hand, received poor reviews but made a lot of money – enough to promise them a sequel, which also made big bucks.
Winner: The (not so) Fantastic Four

1/4 finals:

The Hulk vs. Spider-Man
What good is it to blow up, become green and angry and super–powerful, if your rival is a slick skinny guy who can just dodge off and fly away on a thread of his web? The Hulk’s strength does not help him in this battle, add to that the fact that Spider-Man is one of the most successful film franchises ever (while The Hulk keeps getting rebooted after every appearance), he easily wins.
Winner: Spider-Man

Captain America vs. Superman
Another all-American battle, but Captain America, who has so easily beaten Wonder Woman, is no match for Superman, neither in strength nor in success. but perhaps a rematch should take place 2 years from now, after the new Man of Steel and Captain America 2 will be released.
Winner: Superman

Batman vs. Wolverine
Initially it seemed Wolverine would take this fight easily – after all, Batman has no real super powers, just a lot of money that enables him to buy stuff. But apparently there is no limit to what money can buy, and Batman’s suit, car and other gadgets make him almost invincible. Add to that the success of the recent trilogy which will come to its conclusion in 2 weeks,  and you’ve got a winner.
Winner: Batman

Iron Man vs. Fantastic Four
Four against one? Doesn’t seem fair, but when that one is Iron Man, the odds are in his favor once again. The super strength enabled by his suit, along with all the special weapons and ability to fly, can match all of the Fantastic Four at once. Not to mention his wittiness. And so with 2 extremely successful feature films, an appearance in The Avengers and a 3rd sequel due next year, the result is clear.
Winner: Iron Man

Semi finals:

Spider-Man vs. Superman
This is where the going gets tough. Superman has far greater strength, but Spider-Man is more quick and stealthy. Both can fly (or at least something close to it.) Superman is a bit more of a goody-two-shoes, whereas Spider-Man has darker sides. So it comes down to box office results, and here Spider-Man takes the lead – but we must remember that it’s because most of the Superman films are from the 80s (and the contemporary one was no match to Spider-Man). This situation can easily change next year.
Winner: Spider-Man

Batman vs. Iron Man
In another world this could have been the grand finale. Both contenders are extremely successful and popular. Both possess great powers that come from money, intelligence and skill (as opposed to magical artifacts and supernatural accidents.) Again it comes down to pure box office success: if we only take the last decade into consideration it will be extremely close, as both franchises are extremely profitable. However, Batman also had a very successful series of films in the 90s, and that is what tips the scale. This time Iron Man’s charm and wittiness doesn’t cut it.
Winner: Batman

Finals:

Spider-Man vs. Batman
With new films being released this month (Spider-Man on 7/3, Batman on 7/20) the battle is fiercer than ever. Who will emerge as this summer’s big winner? Who will be proclaimed the All-American Master of all Superheroes…? No definite answer can be made until after both films are released, but for now it seems that Batman will take the lead. Spider-Man is a reboot of a very profitable series, and there is no guarantee the new actors and director will meet the expactations. Batman, on the other hand, is the final film of the extremely popular trilogy, directed by mega-successful director, Christopher Nolan and almost every geek on Earth is waiting to see how it all ends.
Winner: Batman

Who do you think deserves the title of All-American Master of Superheroes? Comment on our Facebook page and let us know!

Technorati Tags: The Avengers, superheroes, Spider-Man, The Dark Night, The Hulk, Hancock, Ang Lee, Eric Bana, Edward Norton, Mark Ruffalo, Catwoman, Hellboy, Superman, Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Green Hornet, Batman, Tim Burton, Wolverine, Daredevil, X-men, Iron Man, Green Lantern, Fantastic Four, Watchmen, Christopher Nolan

Popularity: 1% [?]