# The Ultimate Badass of All Media -- ROUND FOUR **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 23, 2009, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831 "2009-10-23T05:31:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/1 "2009-10-23T05:31:01Z")
[Round three](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=536624) is over. We’re down to the semifinals now. The winners of this round will go head-to-head to determine once and for all who is THE ULTIMATE BADASS OF ALL MEDIA! The rules are the same: vote for the bigger badass in each match up. I’ll tally the results on Sunday night. Explaining your decision is always entertaining, but never mandatory. Batman vs. The Terminator Gandalf the White vs. Brock Samson (Venture Brothers) ---
**Author:** ![cucuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7feea3/32.png) [@cucuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cucuy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/2 "2009-10-23T07:01:32Z")
**Batman** I’ll select the aged hero in _The Dark Knight Returns_ because he beat the crap out of a brainless mutant that could easily break Wayne in half; he used his experience from years of vigilantism crime-fighting as well as his muscles. He could easily outwit a cyborg. (Hell, he damn near beat Superman, but I suspect Supes was holding back.) **Gandalf** He came back from the Netherworld after beating the Balrog of Moria. Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/3 "2009-10-23T07:04:59Z")
Solid Snake ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/4 "2009-10-23T08:08:38Z")
Batman vs. **The Terminator** Gandalf the White vs. **Brock Samson (Venture Brothers)** ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/5 "2009-10-23T12:57:59Z")
**The Terminator** – Batman always eventually wins, granted, but how often does he win the first round against a seriously superior opponent? Even the mutant from The Dark Knight Returns beat the pudding out of him the first time–and there’ll be no Robin in the Bat-Tank to come and save him this time. Besides which, let’s face it–Bats is a great fighter but he’s not THAT much of a badass. **Brock Samson** – If he loses, it’s not going to be to a long-bearded ponce in a dress. They’d face off, and then it’d cut to commercial, and when it came back Brock would have Gandalf in a headlock with one arm and be snapping that wizard’s staff in half with the other. Also, Brock would be inexplicably naked and covered in blood. With wide, crazy eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/6 "2009-10-23T13:42:35Z")
The Terminator The Adam West Batman is so far from badass it really knocks him down a peg. The Terminator is a time traveling cyborg sent from the future to kill people. That’s badass. Brock It’s sort of unfair because his character is basically “lets make the biggest badass possible.” ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/7 "2009-10-23T13:48:49Z")
Batman vs. The Terminator Seriously? This stupid robot is still around? Batman gets bad-asser things in his breakfast cereal. He knocks over killer robots on the way to the REAL plot. Gandalf the White vs. [del]Brock Samson (Venture Brothers)[/del] Conan the Barbarian Conan. versus. a. wizard. ahahahaha. Never ever bet on a wizard against Conan. I don’t care what kind of supernatural advantages the White one has, it’s just going to make his end all the more gruesome. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/8 "2009-10-23T15:04:25Z")
Batman Gandalf the White Joe ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/9 "2009-10-23T15:31:54Z")
The case for Batman, in one blog post (from one issue): [http://www.the-isb.com/?p=368](http://www.the-isb.com/?p=368) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/10 "2009-10-23T16:03:14Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > The case for Batman, in one blog post (from one issue): > > [http://www.the-isb.com/?p=368](http://www.the-isb.com/?p=368) The mouseovers are great on that page. “FUN FACT: This is the pinnacle of Western Civilization”. I can’t read the word before “tower of Babel” in the last scan. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/11 "2009-10-23T16:13:43Z")
**Batman** Ordinary humans take out Terminators all the time. It’ll be a challenge but Bats can do it. **Brock Samson** Probably the only non-powered person who could take out Gandalf. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/12 "2009-10-23T16:15:29Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > The mouseovers are great on that page. “FUN FACT: This is the pinnacle of Western Civilization”. > > I can’t read the word before “tower of Babel” in the last scan. Anyone? I believe it is a “scrap-iron tower of Babel.” ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/13 "2009-10-23T17:42:10Z")
Bats and Brock. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@Red\_Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/14 "2009-10-23T17:50:15Z")
Batman & Brock ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/15 "2009-10-23T18:21:44Z")
Batman takes out the Terminator (he took down AMAZO, for G-d’s sake), but DAMN! Brock vs. Gandalf. How does a special forces guy last five seconds against a demigod-powerful wizard? OK, back to the nature of this discussion. Honestly, Gandalf isn’t what I think of as badass. He’s a powerful, heroic character, but Brock Samson is a pure badass. No other word will do. For the purposes of this discussion, I’m taking Brock. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/16 "2009-10-23T20:00:15Z")
**Terminator** and **Brock** ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/17 "2009-10-23T20:12:17Z")
Batman Gandalf the White ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/18 "2009-10-23T20:20:06Z")
Brock vs Batman in the final. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/19 "2009-10-25T16:05:53Z")
Batman Brock ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831/20 "2009-10-26T15:43:21Z")
Sorry for not posting the results last night. I couldn’t get on my computer. \*\*Batman 10 \*\*vs. The Terminator 4 Gandalf the White 3 vs. **Brock Samson (Venture Brothers) 10** (Plus one vote for Solid Snake and one vote for Conan who keep trying to claw their way back into the competition … .) The final round will begin in a few minutes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ultimate-badass-of-all-media-round-four/514831.md?page=2)