Welcome to Contest of Champions (CoC) Podcast, Episode #3! CoC is an interactive player vs. player game where your favorite Marvel characters go head to head to answer the eternal question of “who can beat whom in a fight?”
Join Jeff Jackson and Ian Johnson every week as they welcome two team managers who have a stable of five characters each ready to blast, zap, snikt, thwip, and smash their way to be the last one standing! It’s a little bit fan fiction, a little bit debate, a little bit role playing, and a whole bunch of fun! It’s an interactive adventure for the managers, and for the Comicattack.net community.
This week, we’re joined by our friend from Tales From the Water Cooler, Infinite Speech!
First, we want to remind you, if you are a comic artist, and you would like to provide a sketch or drawing of the characters battling this week, please send a link to your sketch to jeff@comicattack.net. We would love to spotlight your stuff!
Next, on this episode we shared our weekly Fights of the Week! Jeff laughed out loud at the end result of the Shatterstar vs. Cerberus fight in X-Factor #224, Tom went back in time and liked the end of the Cable & Deadpool series with Deadpool taking on dinosaurs and all kinds of other crazy things, Infinite Speech loved the Hulk vs. Wolverine fight from Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine #3, Andy was into some chick training with a sword in Fables #108, and Ian dug the aftermath of Oya vs. the Hellfire Club in Generation Hope #10.
Most importantly, here’s the show:
Episode #3
(You can click the link to listen to the podcast or right click “save link as” to download it.)
This week, we have the Mutant Master of Magnetism tangling with the Master of the Mystic Arts! You can click on the images to find out the characters’ power sets and history.
Magneto
Managed by Andy Liegl
vs.
Dr. Strange
Managed by Tom McNeely
at Central Park, NYC
Here are the rules for the managers, check ’em out.
Here’s how CoC works for you folks at home:
1. Listen to the podcast.
2. Come back here to Comicattack.net to this very post. Share your opinion, comment below, and help sway the public opinion. Even comments provided by the Comicattack.net fans will be considered by Jeff & Ian in their decisions.
3. VOTE on the poll below! You have until Sunday night, August 28 at 9:00pm EST to vote. That’s when we record the show. Votes at the time of recording will be the only ones that will count.
4. E-mail us at jeff@comicattack.net or leave us a voicemail at 706 761-0115 with your questions, comments, or rationales. You may make it on the show!
5. Listen to the next episode to see who wins! The winner will be announced at the beginning of the show.
6. One small disclaimer: This is all subjective. Have fun with it and if your favorite character doesn’t win, laugh it off and keep on listening!
Don’t forget to leave us an iTunes Review by clicking here. Follow us on Twitter @CoCComicattack, or Like us on Facebook. To listen to previous episodes and battles, visit this link.
Next week: Dan Briand will take on Andy Liegl.
CoC Standings
Eli Anthony 1-0
Beta Ray Bill
Dr. Doom
Red Hulk
Invisible Woman
Prince of Orphans
Environment Switch Card: 1, Double Team Card: 1
Dan Briand 0-1
Thor
Black Bolt
Skaar
Annihilus
Protector (Noh-Varr)
Environment Switch Card: 1, Double Team Card: 1
Andy Liegl 0-0
Ms. Marvel
Magneto
Volstagg
Exodus
Hercules
Environment Switch Card: 1, Double Team Card: 1
Tom McNeely 0-0
Gladiator
Dr. Strange
Thor Girl
Quasar
Wonder Man
Environment Switch Card: 1, Double Team Card: 1
This week’s music is brought to you by Pete Yorn, Strange Condition.
Jeff Jackson
jeff@comicattack.net
Great back and forth guys and you give us a lot to consider though I’m not entirely swayed one way or the other so far. Just going to hit on a couple of points you guys mentioned in the podcast…
The spider powered New Yorkers would be a problem for both Strange and Magneto. Not because they would be be formidable fighters but because they would be a distraction and a nuisance. Though, where Strange may feel compelled to be gentle about getting them out of the way I don’t think Magneto would tolerate them as nicely and may use a bit of force to get them out of the way. Not killing them but a hard enough hit would have them thinking twice about jumping in the middle of the fight.
In regards to Strange’s former title it allowed him access to certain magical spells and entrance in and out of certain realms without question. Kind of like a magical VIP card. Without it I don’t think he’d have access to the Cytorakk bands as they were a perk of having the Sorcerer Supreme title. And if all the bands do is hold you then that still wouldn’t stop Mags. He doesn’t need to move about to use his powers.
I’ll also add that I don’t think Magneto’s shield could stop a magic attack from happening inside of it. Blocking a blast or something similar I can see but if something materializes inside then that’s a different story.
I’m not convinced that Magneto could keep Strange’s attacks at bay while simultaniously lifting a battleship out of Port and smashing it down into Central Park. Magneto still needs a hefty amount of concentration to accomplish this task.
Unless Magneto can do all of this at the speed of thought, I’m pretty sure that Strange is at least powerful enough and fast enough to avoid a friggin’ Battleship being hurled at him.
Let’s not talk about the whole “human shield” aspect of this fight.. I’m reserving a few words for discussion in the next Podcast, lol.
It’s a tough battle. I’m still unsure which way I’d vote, but as far as the Podcast debate is concerned, I think Andy is overestimating Magneto’s power and underestimating Strange’s current power level.
The whole bullet from space thing is an invalid argument. As someone mentioned, Magneto was able to find it because of unknown ferous elements that the bullet possessed. Pinpointing Strange’s location in the Park via “this method” is highly unlikely. Strange wouldn’t be the only “calm pulse” in the park. If Magneto is using Homo-sapiens as human shields and knocking them out via various forms of attacks.. those KO’d Bystanders’ heart rates would be “calm” (they’d be unconscious.). I could even argue that Strange could cast a sleeping spell on everyone in the park, therefore he could hide in plain site if his heart rate was just as calm.
@Gid- Agreed on the Spider Island people. As for the force field, Strange could materialize something inside it, but Mags could in response shrink it down or just briefly turn it off to escape whatever that materialized thing is. Then once free of it, turn the field back on.
Good call about the cytorakk bands. It’s proof of just one thing Strange lost the ability to use when he lost the eye and the SS title.
@Dan- the battleship was used as recent evidence to show how large an object Magneto can lift with ease. The image above selected for this fight displays that as well. Just look at all those tanks and stuff! Now imagine them being cars and debris in the park. If Magneto were to lift all that stuff like in this picture over central park, and threaten strange to surrender or he’d drop it, the fight is over. Consequently if Magneto were to just drop it anyway, Strange would not be able to avoid all that mass crashing down on him. A single battleship? Perhaps. But ALL that stuff? No way!
If you think I’m underestimating Strange’s current power level, I challenge you to read the Dark Reign issue I referenced as well as Strange’s most recent appearances in T Bolts and Fear Itself the Deep. You will find that current continuity defends my argument.
To discredit the bullet action is ridiculous (seriously, think of how big/deep space is and how long that bullet was traveling), but overall irrelevant to this brawl. It’s pretty clear Magneto has an arsenal of metallic objects at his disposal to use here.
As for making everyone in the park fall asleep- I think you’re overestimating Strange’s current power level. If he were able to do that he’d have done so in recent issues. That’s A LOT of people.
It’s a park. How many people could there be left in a Park when 2 superbeings suddenly materialize and scare the shit out them. I picture Terminator-Like time-displacement appearances by the characters in the park followed by whoever is in eye-shot getting the f out of dodge when shit starts flying all over the place.
Spider-Island might change this reaction slightly, but I don’t think it’s a hug factor in a fight. In comics, when characters duke it out.. people tend to split real quick. How else do you explain 50 years of The Hulk (apparently) never killing a single innocent bystanders with all of the destruction he’s caused, even in metropolitan areas.
And ok, I’m potentially overestimating Dr.Strange a bit, but I never liked him as a character. Snappy dresser or Fashion disaster? I dunno, but I guess I just have something against Doctors in general, lol.
Actually, Strange’s most recent reference is FI: The Deep #2. After looking it through one more time, it’s obvious he strains to stay in the fight. He’s combating spirits- things that are supposed to be his forte, and yet he struggles to deliver the necessary punches to vanquish them.
And that’s with a team helping him out (Namor, Savage She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, Loa).
So I really don’t see how all Strange needs is “parlor tricks” to take Mags down, when parlor tricks require all his energy to create.
Also, if Magneto really wanted to, he could disrupt the earth and make the opposite end of Central Park a sink hole with Strange at the bottom of it.
http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/1496/magcontrolsearth2gf.jpg
Speech, Strange cast the Crimson Bands in New Avengers #2 (listed as “The Crytorryk Bands of Containment. From the scrolls of Crytorryk-Sar”) to capture the possessed Iron Fist, so he still has access to the spell (or one like it, since it’s spelled “Crytorryk” instead of “Cyttorak”). Bendis is putting a caption on every spell Strange casts in his appearances in New Avengers, and that details the spells he can use, as well as the frequency. There are several examples of him casting spells in rapid fire, as well as teleporting, astral projection and manipulation, and interdimensional travel. In that same issue, he heals himself and then Hellstorm in successive panels after being stabbed by Wolverine, while Wolverine and Spider-Man are pressing him to hurry up. He then goes directly back out to battle without showing fatigue.
I still don’t see why a simple spell of narcolepsy wouldn’t just incapacitate Magneto from the get-go!
Didn’t get a chance to listen or vote on last weeks fight. Just started listening to this weeks podcast and my favorite moment so far….Ian – Havok? Really? Over Cyclops? Gid – OH HELL YEAH!……LOL……loved it. I hate me some Sucklops…..back to the show. =)
You must be mistaking me for somebody else Shen. I would never pick Havok over Cyclops! I think it was Andy who said that…..
As far as I’m concerned the Spider-Island civilians wouldn’t be a factor at all. Strange can go astral and Magneto can build his globe construct that he surrounds himself in.
Level field.
I agree that the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak are a Sorceror Supreme spell and Strange hasn’t shown this ability since having that title. If it was a average spell, we’d have seen Dr. Doom use it in the past. We haven’t. If Strange had the bands, its fight over. He’d go astral and cast the bands….Magneto is subdued.
As far as Magneto goes, he won’t be able to pinpoint Strange while strange is astral. There is nothing there for Magneto to seek out. Strange is a ghost. Now I do think Magneto can easily pull metal from outside the park, under the park and bring it into the park/enviroment very, VERY easily. And he won’t need to be in “bullet from space” concentration to do so either.
But what can he do with it, once its there? He can’t hit Strange. He won’t need it to subdue the Spider-Island “jackasses” as Andy called them…lol because they can’t touch him anyway.
Magneto is a one trick pony here…..and Strange (while weakened) can still cast many, many spells to defeat Magneto. Just read any Bendis Avengers book with Strange/VooDoo…..
Magic > Magnetism
Dr. Strange +1 Good fight fellas.
Sorry Cape. Thought it was you.
About Strange’s astral form, his body is still sitting somewhere, and its completely unprotected while Strange is in astral form elsewhere. I doubt that Strange will go astral on Magneto here, leaving his body at the mercy of anyone to chance upon it, including Magneto.
I’m still not sure about this one, but I don’t think its a clear cut win for either guy.
Listened to the podcast again, and a thought about Magneto’s force field protecting him from someone teleporting inside it. His force field has stopped someone from teleporting inside before. It was a mutant, named Hub. When she tried to teleport through one of Magneto’s force fields, she just bounced off and materialized just outside of the field, as if she had run into it on foot.
This came up during a past CoC match where Magneto was defeated (robbed!) by Exodus and Skaar. Anyway, I just thought I’d share.
Wow! Great podcast debate! I could still go either way. The whole magic element makes it almost impossible to use any sort of logic and reasoning. Still…
Dr. Strange is a master sorcerer, and just because he no longer has the power level of the Sorcerer Supreme, doesn’t mean he is completely inept. Strange still has a variety of both offensive and defensive spells at his disposal. I am still not convinced that Magneto’s magnetism shield (which is science based) can in fact stop Strange’s spell casting. Magic by definition is not bound by natural or physical laws. I also disagree that Fear Itself:The Deep shows Strange as weak. Both issues show Dr. Strange altering/changing spells from there originally purpose to suit the situation at hand, which shows the adaptability and creativity of Strange’s spell casting, even without the Sorcerer Supreme title. Dr. Strange could easily cast/adapt a spell to hide himself from Magneto’s magnetic field detection ability, giving himself time to mount an offense.
What I still struggle with though is Dr. Strange’s ability to deliver a KO punch to Magneto. While I don’t believe Magneto’s force field can block magical attacks, Magneto draws his power from the Earth’s electromagnetic field, granting him both superior strength and durability. I haven’t recently seen Dr. Strange cast a strong enough offensive spell to knock Magneto on his ass. And considering that Xavier can manipulate Magneto psyche, I don’t see Strange succeeding in f’ing with Magneto’s head. Also, if quick enough, Magneto could use his Organic Iron Manipulation ability to prevent any spell casting by either controlling Strange’s body, or by blocking the blood flow to Dr. Strange’s head rendering him dim-witted or unconscious.
I’m going to have to wait till the end to vote on this one. Can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks!
One of my subscription customers just came in and said he listened to our debate…and voted AGAINST me!
WTF!!!
: )
@Schitd’k- First of all- thanks for participating! These last two fights you’ve had great things to say, so looking forward to your regular participation.
I referenced the Deep, specifically #2, because Strange is exhausted/struggling when casting his spells. Twice in that issue to be exact. Sure he pulls it off (with team help), but parlor tricks? I think not!
EXCELLENT point on the blood flow. I was keeping that one in my back pocket for later, but Mags could totally do that.
To elaborate on his Organic Iron Manipulation ability (which I highlight in a link above in the comments), Mags could disrupt the Earth in Central Park, preventing Strange from ever getting his footing and chant a spell (have you ever tried talking during an eathquake- it’s damn tough). What’s that you say? Strange takes to the sky to avoid the moving terrain? Perfect! Now Mags see’s him and cuts the flow of blood to his brain OR as you point out, locks his jaw, preventing him from talking.
SMACK!
Defeat at the hands of Skaar isn’t anything to be ashamed of Eli. As you know all too well 😉
Hey Tom was that when Iron Fist met the Ancient One and came back pissed and ready to fight Strange in his new white costume?
Can’t Strange go astral with his physical form as well? Thats what I was referring to. Not just his essence going astral. I’m pretty sure he can go Kitty Pride/Vision intangible…… if not, I still have to give it to Strange……magic is a tough nut to crack. And only a few in this tourney can give him a fight IMO.
Speech, that was the same story line. I think Iron Fist got the white costume maybe an issue or two later? I’m on the road this week, so I can’t reference the issues directly. If I remember right, Cage got possessed by the eye, and then it jumped into Iron Fist, which is when Strange cast the bands to bind him while Hellstorm and Voodoo cast attack spells. This was immediately after Strange healed both himself and Hellstorm after they were ambushed by Agomotto.
Shower Head Punching
Still having trouble with this one. Anyone got anything else to sway me one way or another?
I’m in the same boat Eli… and the votes results aren’t helping. Currently tied at 7 on either side.
I want to touch on the prospect of Magneto’s shields using a reference from this week, X-Men Legacy #254.
Mags is in a firefight with a bunch of alien weirdos, and he doesn’t even use his magnetic shield. Instead he picks up random metal lying around and is able to, and with ease, block every single shot coming at him with the debris.
I count 11 blasts in all in a single panel that he deflects, while simultaneously mocking the attackers.
If he can deflect gun blasts this easily with random metal and without having to physically see every shot, he could subsequently do something similar to a magical energy attack.
I didn’t get to vote in time for this one, but here’s a few things. Doc most definitely does NOT need the title of SS to pull off any spells, including the bands of Cyttorak. They have been used before by peeps like Baron Mordo who isn’t the SS, so there’s the proof on that one. Next, I think Magneto is definitely straining to do a lot of things nowadays that he used to do with the flick of a wrist. He’s getting older too and been through a lot. It wasn’t too terrible long a go he needed the High Evoilutionary to build him a suit because his powers weren’t doing squat IIRC. And finally, in that issue of FI: The Deep #2 that was referenced, all those other peeps “helping” Doc, were getting owned, and yes, after some straining, he put them down by using a spell. These were creatures imbued with powerful mystical mojo (like the hammer wielding “Chosen”), so, that should put it in perspective a little more. Again, sorry I missed this one guys. 🙁
Disagree with you Billy. Magneto, most recently, is swinging battle ships and space ships with ease. The suit the High Evolutionary gave him was when he was depowered after M-Day. But since then, he’s been given his powers back to their full extent. The dude is crazy powerful right now.
I can’t speak much for Strange other than I stand by the fact that whether or not his power level is low, his confidence certainly is, and against a full-powered and experienced Magneto, at this moment in Marvel continuity, he would lose.