*NOTE:I don't own Deadliest Warrior, Marvel, or DC. If only I did… This story is a work of complete fiction, and none of the characters are real, except the three Deadliest Warrior hosts. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future matches, give me a shout. I take every suggestion I receive into consideration.
All words spoken by the almighty Narrator (AKA David Wenham) are in ITALICS.
Deadliest Villain: Gorilla Grodd vs. Juggernaut
As the show begins, we see a massive African lowland gorilla, wearing a strange device on his head. He's beating his chest, screeching and hooting.
Gorilla Grodd: the super-intelligent simian whose massive intellect has served him well in battles with many a hero.
We see Gorilla Grodd fighting in hand-to-hand combat with the Flash.
We now see an enormous man wearing a red costume. On his head, he wears a red sphere-shaped headgear that covers everything but his eyes and mouth.
Juggernaut: the unstoppable force of mass that almost brought the X-Men to their knees.
We see Juggernaut plowing through a building in a city as the X-Men try to stop him.
WHO…IS…DEADLIEST?
We now see a montage of various weapons being tested.
To find out, our world-class fighters are testing the villains' most lethal weapons. Using 21st-century science, we'll see what would happen if the two villains went toe-to-toe—no rules, no safety, no mercy. Supervillain vs. Supervillain. Marvel vs. DC. It's a duel to the death, to decide who is…
THE DEADLIEST VILLAIN!
The title sequence ends, and we find ourselves in the fight club.
Welcome to the fight club, a high-tech battle zone located in a realm that warps time and space itself. Here, we've assembled scientists, trauma doctors, and computer and combat experts, and equipped them with some of the deadliest weapons ever used in comic book history. It's all to create a simulated true-to-life battle between two legendary supervillains—Gorilla Grodd,über-intelligent ape whose telekinetic powers brought many superheroes to their knees, versus Juggernaut, the immovable object of the Marvel universe capable of mowing down anything in his path.
Gorilla Grodd Stats
Real Name: Grodd
Ht: 6'6"
Wt: 600 lbs
Gear: 144 lbs
Armor: None
Superpowers: Genius-level I.Q., psionic abilities
Juggernaut Stats
Real Name: Cain Marko
Ht: 6'10"
Wt: 900 lbs
Gear: 45 lbs
Armor: Indestructible armor, force fields
Superpowers: Superhuman strength & durability, virtually unstoppable momentum
Lead scientist Geoff Desmoulin will rig the dummies and equipment used to track the weapons being tested.
"Today, for the first time, Deadliest Hero turns into Deadliest Villain," explains Geoff. "We've got these two despicable individuals coming together for the first time, utilizing their strength, intellect, and whatever else they can in order to take the other down. I have a feeling that this one isn't gonna be pretty."
Los Angeles E.R. doctor Armand Dorian will analyze the damage done by each deadly weapon.
"I'm gonna tell you if these weapons will cause death based on the injuries that I see caused to these targets," says Dr. Dorian.
Computer whiz Max Geiger will input the data into the simulation program that will determine the winner between the two villains.
"These two massive villains have never met before due to their being from opposite comic book universes," says the computer programmer, "but today, we're going to condense time and space itself inside this computer to determine who would kill the other in a one-on-one fight.
The camera shows an all-too-familiar man wearing an all-red body suit, accentuated with yellow lightning bolts on his temples and a yellow lightning bolt-in-circle pattern on his chest. He's wielding a long sniper rifle.
Wielding weapons for Gorilla Grodd: longtime archrival, the Flash.
"Grodd is one of the most persistent guys I've ever fought," says Flash. "He's a tough mama-jama, no doubt about it, and I know he's more than tough enough to take out that oversized can of beans, Juggernaut."
We now see a gorilla, about the same size as Grodd. He focuses his mind before launching a blast of mental energy from a psychokinetic device at a target.
Also wielding Grodd's weapons: fellow super-intelligent gorilla and head of Gorilla City Security, Solovar.
"Grodd is a bloodthirsty, hardened criminal," growls Solovar. "I know that he will not be defeated by the likes of a human—mutant or otherwise."
Originally, Grodd was nothing more than a normal gorilla, living peacefully with his troop in the Congo. But when an alien spacecraft crashed in their territory, a benevolent extraterrestrial granted the gorillas the power of speech and telekinesis. When humans threatened to discover the ape's jungle city, Grodd overthrew the alien and became leader, and proceeded to kill many humans. Afterwards, Grodd was exiled from Gorilla City, and sought revenge on all primates—gorilla and human.
"Grodd is what you humans would call a 'sociopath'," Solovar explains. "His strength lies in his superiority complex, and that is why he is among the most despicable individuals in the DC Universe."
But our Juggernaut experts believe that Gorilla Grodd is biting off more than he can chew.
We see a muscular man wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and holding what appears to be a sniper rifle.
Representing Juggernaut: fellow member of the Brotherhood, Avalanche.
"Juggernaut is the epitome of unstoppable," Avalanche brags. "He isn't gonna let some stupid monkey take him down."
We now see a bald man in a motorized wheelchair. He's wielding a sniper rifle as he points it at the camera.
Also representing Juggernaut: his stepbrother and leader of rival faction the X-Men, "Professor X" Charles Xavier.
"Indeed, Cain was one of the most tenacious enemies my students have ever had to defeat," Charles states. "He is an almost unstoppable individual."
Cain Marko's early life was fraught with misfortune. But when he and Charles enrolled in the army and were stationed in Korea, Cain found a hidden temple dedicated to an ancient entity known as Cyttorak. After touching a mystic ruby, Marko was endowed with the powers of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, making him a "human juggernaut", hence his name. After the temple collapsed with him inside, he was presumed dead. He survived, however, and sought revenge on his stepbrother and anyone associated with him.
"Juggernaut was the most powerful villain Xavier's students ever faced," Avalanche boasts. "Nobody can get past his armor and unstoppable mass."
But how would this unstoppable tank of a man fare against a super-intelligent adversary bent on eliminating humanity itself?
"Up front, I'm giving it all to Juggernaut," Desmoulin predicts. "He's impervious to close-combat attacks, and for long distances, he's got superior firepower to take down Grodd."
"I have to give my initial edge to Gorilla Grodd," says Geiger. "Juggernaut is impervious to all physical attacks, but when it comes to mental assault, Grodd has the advantage in that category. I think if he has the right tools, Grodd just might take this battle."
Both villains have lethal melee fighting skills, but when it comes to long-range, Grodd favors a deadly accurate sniper rifle.
We see Grodd shooting an enemy ape from afar with a long-barreled sniper rifle.
The NTW-20: death from a 39-inch barrel.
Everyone is now seen outside, on the barren, sandy firing range. The Flash is holding the NTW-20 as he begins to explain its workings to the Deadliest Warrior hosts:
"Guys, I have here the NTW-20 sniper rifle. This is a South African weapon, and it has been used by Grodd in the past to do away with some of his enemies in Gorilla City."
"How does a rifle like this work?" Max asks.
"These are the bullets it uses," says Flash as he pulls out a few good-sized bullets. "standard 20mm caliber shells, and it's good for about 4,000 feet."
"That's not too shabby…" Geoff says, nodding.
A plywood wall with a window is now seen on the firing range, and behind it, a gel torso is being set up by a group of men.
To test the NTW-20, our team heads outside, where they have set up a test of accuracy for the rifle.
"Okay, Flash—we're gonna see how accurate that rifle really is," Geoff starts to explain. "We're gonna be standing 4,000 feet down from this target, and we want you to hit the guy as accurately as you can. Your target will be dead-center, right between the eyes. Think you can handle it?"
"Piece of cake," Flash says, smirking.
A few minutes later, Geoff, Max and Dr. Dorian are standing behind a Plexiglas barrier as a seated Flash takes aim with the NTW-20.
"Ready, Flash?" Desmoulin asks.
"Oh yeah!" Flash says.
"Three, two, one—FIRE!"
On Geoff's word, Flash fires a bullet from the rifle. A split-second later, a bloody hole appears between the gel torso's eyes, and pieces of gel, blood and brain fly everywhere.
"Whoo!" Geoff whoops.
Dr. Dorian and the team head to the target to assess the gruesome damage done.
"No need for medical knowledge here," says Dorian as he examines the bullet wound. "This is an instant kill. You can see bits of this guy's brain spilling out where you shot him. This is a quick, efficient sniper weapon."
Grodd's sniper rifle is undeniably powerful, but Juggernaut's team believes that he has something that combines longer range and accuracy to form a killing combination.
"Yeah, the NTW-20 was good, but it's only good by about three-fourths of a mile," Avalanche grumbles. "We've got something that can literally hit shit from a mile away."
We see Juggernaut bulls-eyeing a target from a building window from a very long distance.
The Barrett M82: a recoil-operated rifle guaranteed to bulls-eye a target from over a mile away.
Avalanche and the team are now on the firing range, and Avalanche starts explaining the benefits of the M82:
"Alrighty, fellas—this is the M82 sniper rifle. It's American-made, and has a much longer barrel than the NTW-20. It's got a rotating barrel, and it's recoil-operated."
"So what's the range on this rifle?" Max asks.
"About a mile, mile and a half," Avalanche replies.
"Can you back that up with a shot from that distance?" Geoff asks.
"No problem," Avalanche admits.
The exact same window-and-gel-torso test used for the NTW-20 is set up for Avalanche, except the team is now at a distance of 5,280 feet from the target to test the sniper rifle.
Can Avalanche accurately take out the target from a mile away?
"Are you ready?" asks Desmoulin from behind the glass barrier.
"Ready!" Avalanche shouts back.
"Three, two, one—FIRE!"
Avalanche fires a shot from the rifle, and about a second later, we see a long-range camera shot of a piece of bloody gel, bone and brain matter dislodge from the gel torso's head.
"Holy shit!" Desmoulin exclaims.
The M82 hits its target dead-center, but is it enough to kill?
The team is now back at the site of impact as Dr. Dorian assesses the damage.
"No question about it, this guy's dead," the doctor tells us. "When you see brain matter, you're done."
"I'm more impressed with the accuracy of that weapon from so far away," Max says. "A mile away is a hell of a distance to accurately hit something."
Despite the M82's impressive range, our Grodd experts aren't buying it.
"Please—you shot at half a man who wasn't moving," Flash says, shaking his head. "In real life, Grodd would never let you even make this shot—he'd take you down before you even got to him."
"Not if Juggernaut sees his hairy ass first, buddy," Avalanche retorts.
But despite the opposing team's disagreement on which rifle is better, for our experts, it's no contest.
"NTW-20 vs. M82?" Desmoulin asks his two comrades. "I have to go with the longer-range weapon. The NTW-20 was good for about 4,000 feet, but the M82 can accurately blow a guy's head off from a mile away. So edge, M82."
"I agree," says Max. "Edge, M82."
For long-range sniper weapons, the edge goes to Juggernaut's Barrett M82 sniper rifle. With the sniper rifles tested, our teams turn their attention to closer-range firearms. And for Grodd, this weapon is as timeless as it is effective.
We see Grodd mowing down a group of soldiers with a shower of bullets from a very familiar assault rifle.
The AK-47 Assault Rifle: a Russian weapon guaranteed to cut the enemy to ribbons.
The Flash, Solovar and the Deadliest Warrior guys are now outside again. Flash is holding an AK in his hands and begins to explain how it works:
"This is the quintessential "bad guy's weapon"—the tried-and-true AK-47. This is one of Grodd's most-used firearms—it's pretty quick to reload, it doesn't misfire too often, and it can fire off about 600 rounds per minute."
"We've tested the AK before, and there's no question that it's lethal and long-reaching," says Desmoulin. "But what I want to see is this thing get past Juggernaut's armor. Think you can handle it?"
"Bring it on, dude," says the Flash.
The team is seen outside again, setting up a foam torso wearing a red helmet and armor similar to Juggernaut's. Flash stands about twenty feet away from the torso with the AK.
Will the AK-47 be able to penetrate Juggernaut's armor?
"Flash, are you ready?" Geoff asks from a distance.
"Ready!" Flash shouts back.
"Three, two, one—FIRE!"
On Geoff's signal, Flash fires a spray of bullets from the AK. The vast majority of them are deflected by the armor, but a few well-placed shots make their way into the eyeholes and mouth slot of the foam torso's helmet. After Flash unloads all the bullets in the gun, a stream of blood is seen dripping through the holes onto the armor itself. Geoff and Max whoop as the bullets hit the poor, unfortunate foam target.
The AK found its way through the cracks in Juggernaut's helmet, proving its effectiveness. But is it enough to kill?
"Well, this is an effective weapon, no question," Geoff admits.
"No question," Dr. Dorian agrees. "If you can get those bullets in these holes like this, or if Grodd can get Juggernaut's helmet off, he's dead meat."
Despite the AK's power, Team Juggernaut isn't worried.
"Puh…Juggernaut's been shot at before," says Avalanche. "It didn't stop him then, and it's not gonna stop him now."
"Hey, the proof is in the pudding," says Flash, gesturing toward the torso. "Dead Juggernaut, right there."
"Hey, even if this weapon hits Juggernaut in the eyes or the mouth, he's gonna keep on comin' at'cha," Avalanche retorts. "Two words, dude—'unstoppable momentum'."
And Juggernaut has his own powerful weapon that his team believes can outshoot the AK.
We now see Juggernaut firing a volley of bullets from a pump-action shotgun.
The Benelli M4 shotgun: an Italian-made weapon guaranteed to butcher an opponent from up to 40 yards away.
Xavier, Max and Geoff are outside on the firing range as Avalanche starts to explain the benefits of the Benelli over the AK:
"Gentlemen, this is the Benelli M4. It is a gas-powered semi-automatic gun, accurate to a range of about 100 feet. The U.S. Army uses these, and since many of the Brotherhood have confiscated weapons from the U.S. government, this weapon could indeed be accessible to Juggernaut."
"Well, to see how this thing stacks up against the AK-47, we need to put it to the test," says Desmoulin. "Are you up to the challenge?"
"I'll see what I can do," says the wheelchair-bound hero, nodding.
The team is now seen setting up a group of four gel torsos set against white backdrops, at increasing intervals of distance.
Charles' target is a series of gel torsos, with the same mass and consistency as human flesh and bone.
"Alright, Professor, you've got six bullets to take out four targets!" Geoff shouts. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, I am!" the Professor replies.
"Three, two, one—FIRE!"
On Geoff's word, Charles pumps the shotgun and fires at the gel torso closest to him, completely annihilating the torso's head. He pumps the gun again, and fires at the next closest torso, producing similar results. He fires the gun at the third target, not hitting the face, but causing a massive wound in the chest. He fires at the last target, but it's too far out for him to hit. Undeterred, Charles fires his last two bullets at the first target he hit, hitting the chest with the first and blowing the head completely off with his last bullet. Geoff and Max whoop and cheer at the damage done.
The carnage caused by the Benelli is staggering.
Dr. Dorian steps in to assess the damage. "Okay, for this first guy, there's no need for analysis—you've blown the head clean off. This is an instant kill. The second guy you shot in the head as well—this is also a kill. The third guy, you shot him in the chest, right in the side of the heart. He's down and out in about five seconds. It doesn't look like you could shoot far enough to hit that last guy, but three out of four kills isn't bad at all."
"Well, this gun isn't built for hitting far," Xavier admits. "It's built for consistent, accurate shots with deadly results."
AK-47 or Benelli M4—which weapon will take the edge?
"In the case of AK vs. Benelli, I have to go with the weapon that can put more bullets in its targets in a faster amount of time," Max explains. "So I'm giving my edge to the AK."
"The more bullets Grodd can fire, the better chance he has of hitting Juggernaut in one of the few vulnerable places he has," says Geoff. "So edge, AK."
For long-range weapons, Gorilla Grodd gets the edge for the AK-47. But the testing is far from over—our experts still need to review the villains' signature superpowers. And for Grodd, this was the very power imbued to him by the visiting alien those many years ago.
We see a montage of Grodd blasting enemies away with psionic blasts, controlling enemies' minds with hypnotic powers, and slamming enemies around with telekinesis.
Grodd's Telekinetic powers: capable of controlling minds, moving objects, or producing deadly blasts.
Solovar and the Deadliest Warrior team are watching a film that shows Grodd using his mental powers.
"Grodd was endowed with the most power in his telepathic abilities than any gorilla affected by the Great Landing," Solovar explains.
"Now, why was that?" Desmoulin curiously asks.
"No one knows for sure," admits Solovar, "but he has used these powers to his advantage many times in the past, and has even thwarted the police force in Gorilla City numerous times."
Solovar is now standing in front of a ballistics gel torso as the Deadliest Warrior team looks on a few feet away. Solovar is wearing a futuristic-looking device on his head.
To produce effects similar to Grodd's own powers, Solovar wears a psychokinetic device that will amplify his brainwaves.
"Solovar, are you ready?" Geoff asks.
Solovar hoots and screeches as a response.
"Three, two, one—ZAP IT!"
Solovar focuses his mind, and a few seconds later, a blast of reddish-purple energy flies out of a small opening in the front of the device. It hits the gel torso in the head, producing a massive hole where the face used to be.
"YEAH!" Geoff shouts.
"Holy moly…" Max adds.
The results of the test speak for themselves.
"I think it goes without saying that Grodd doesn't have to match strength with Juggernaut to kill him," Geiger admits.
"Plus, Juggernaut's only protected from physical assault," Desmoulin adds. "He can't defend against mental attacks."
"If Grodd can get past or remove Juggernaut's helmet, that's game over," Max says.
Despite the power of the telekinesis, our Juggernaut experts aren't worried.
Cain also sometimes wears a metal cap under his helmet to protect him from mental assault," Xavier admits. "He's often been one step ahead of us whenever we fought him."
When it comes to matching wits, Juggernaut prefers brute force over brainpower any day.
We see a montage of Juggernaut grappling with several heroes, punching several more heroes, and picking some up and throwing them like toys.
Juggernaut's Super strength: unmatchable power from an unstoppable force of mass.
Xavier, Avalanche and the Deadliest Warrior team are now standing in front of a monitor, which is playing various clips of Juggernaut utilizing his incredible strength.
"Upon discovering the temple of Cyttorak, Cain was endowed with not only irresistible mass, but incredible strength," Xavier tells the DW hosts.
"Juggernaut weighs about 900 pounds, and he can lift almost ten thousand times his own weight," Avalanche says. "There have been instances of him picking buildings up out of the ground and throwing them as projectiles."
"I…don't think we have anything strong enough to lift a building, but we'll see what we can do," Geoff confesses.
The team is now outside, and a large black weight marked "5,000 lbs" is seen half-buried in the dirt. Avalanche is seen in front of it, and Geoff fits him with a pair of metallic gauntlets hooked up to a computer.
The target will be a 5,000-pound weight that Avalanche will try to destroy. Avalanche isn't nearly as strong as Juggernaut, so he wears a pair of robotic gloves that will enhance his strength.
"Avalanche, are you ready?" Geoff asks.
"I'm ready!" replies Avalanche.
"Three, two, one—THROW IT!"
On "go", Avalanche struggles to lift the weight with the robotic gloves. He picks it up, and throws it a distance of about twenty-five feet.
"Impressive…" Desmoulin admits.
"Sure is," adds Geiger. "Just imagine that weight was a 40-ton building, coming straight at Grodd. If he can't use his telepathy to move it, he is a dead gorilla."
Despite the show of strength, Team Grodd isn't that impressed.
"Yeah, you lifted something and used it as a throwing tool," says the Flash. "Oldest trick in the book, man—I'm disappointed."
"Perhaps you need another demonstration," says Xavier before turning back to his fellow Juggernaut expert. "Avalanche?"
Avalanche punches the weight with his still-robotically-cloaked fist, leaving a big spider web-pattern of cracks in the iron weight.
Telekinesis or super strength: which power will give our villains a killing edge?
"In the case of Psionic Powers vs. Super Strength, it's Super Strength, all the way," Geoff tells Max and Dr. Dorian. "A projectile the size of a building coming straight at you—the odds of surviving something like that are pretty low."
"Sorry, dude—Grodd's telekinetic powers have my edge," Max replies. "He can hit from a longer range with them, and they have the added bonus of being able to infiltrate Juggernaut's helmet and armor and cause massive damage."
"I agree with Max," Dr. Dorian adds. "Anything that can get inside armor gets my vote. Sorry, Geoff—edge goes to Grodd in this one."
In the category of mid-range weapons, the edge goes to Gorilla Grodd for his telepathic powers. But telepathy isn't Grodd's only weapon of choice—in close, he has a pair of deadly weapons that are au naturale.
We see Grodd punching a hunter in the face, leaving blood trickling down the man's cheeks.
Grodd's own Fists: the ultimate equalizers.
The team is now inside, and Solovar is telling the Deadliest Warrior guys about the close-combat weapon of choice for Grodd and most other gorillas:
"Hand-to-hand combat is how most of us gorillas solve simple spats. You humans would call it "fisticuffs", I believe."
"Well, flat-fisted punches aren't that powerful unless they're backed up by something," Geoff says, recalling some previous tests from Deadliest Warrior.
"Yes, but humans do not weigh 600 pounds," Solovar points out.
"Good point," admits Desmoulin.
A side of beef is now seen hanging from the ceiling, and Solovar is standing in front of it. Geoff is also strapping a device to each of Solovar's hands.
To test how powerful a gorilla's punches really are, our team sets up a target for Solovar to take aim at. A sensor attached to Solovar's hands will measure the impact of each hit.
"Are you ready, Solovar?" Desmoulin asks.
Solovar hoots and screeches in response.
"Three, two, one—PUNCH HIM OUT!"
Solovar begins punching the meat with his massive fists. The side of beef takes a massive amount of damage, and after ten seconds of punching, the meat looks vastly different.
"Nice…" Max says, staring at the damage done.
"According to these readings, Solovar, you hit that beef with about 135 pounds of pressure per square inch," explains Geoff.
Solovar's punches are over twice as powerful as a professional boxer's. But while the gorilla's fists are undeniably lethal, our Juggernaut experts believe the armor-clad villain has something better.
"I'll admit—Grodd can do a number with just his bare hands," Avalanche confesses. "But Juggernaut has some added power behind his punches."
We see Juggernaut punching out a man with a pair of red brass knuckles.
Brass knuckles: a custom-made piece of hardware that can shatter a man's jaw.
Avalanche and the Deadliest Warrior team are now standing in front of a table as Avalanche begins to analyze the massive red weapon:
"These brass knuckles were custom-made for Juggernaut. We call 'em "brass knuckles", but they're not exactly made of brass—they're titanium, painted red to match Juggernaut's suit."
"What I'm seeing here is a good tool to break somebody's jaw with, not to kill," Geiger admits. "Convince me."
"With pleasure," Avalanche growls.
Avalanche, wearing Juggernaut's knuckles on both hands, is now standing in front of a set of cow ribs suspended from both the ceiling, but also attacked to the floor with strong rope to steady the ribs.
To test the knuckles, our team sets up a target for Avalanche to annihilate—a set of cow ribs, stabilized to absorb impact.
"Are you ready, Avalanche?" Geoff asks.
"Oh yeah!" Avalanche shouts.
"Three, two, one—CRACK SOME RIBS!"
On Geoff's word, Avalanche begins smashing the ribs with the knuckles. The first punch only cracks two ribs, but the second punch puts a distinct spider-web pattern of cracks on one of the ribs. By the time the third punch hits, at least two ribs are broken. Avalanche continues wailing away on the ribs for a few more seconds, and when he stops, several ribs are chipped or cracked, and many are completely broken in half.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Desmoulin shouts approvingly.
It took several strikes to crack the ribs, but the punching power is more than double that of Grodd's bare-fisted punches.
As the damage is assessed, Avalanche clutches his fists in pain.
"Ooh, mama—that has got to hurt," says Max as he walks up to Avalanche.
"Pain is an illusion," hisses Avalanche as he looks at his knuckles. "An illusion that really, really hurts!"
But which close-range punching weapon gets the edge?
"I don't like the fact that it took the brass knuckles several punches to get through that bone," admits Geoff. "However, unlike the gorilla fists, it's an actual weapon, and it has the potential to hit harder than Grodd's fists."
"Plus," Max begins, "there's the fact that Juggernaut's bigger than Grodd, and a punch from him is likely to pack more power than a flat-fisted punch from Grodd. Edge, Juggernaut.
For close-range weapons, the edge goes to Juggernaut's brass knuckles. But there's still one more category to test—the category of special weapons. And Grodd has a horrifying ace in the hole to use against his enemies.
We see Grodd throwing the switch on a large contraption. The camera cuts to a group of people walking around outside, and a second later, they have all turned into gorillas.
The E-ray: capable of regressing a human to gorilla form—or worse.
The Flash, Solovar and the Deadliest Warrior team are now outside on the firing range, and the same massive contraption is seen beside them.
"Whoa-ho-ho," says Geoff as he stares in awe at the giant machine. "What is this?
"This could well be the most evil thing Grodd has brought upon the face of this earth," explains Solovar. "This, my human friend, is the E-ray. It is capable of de-evolving a human being into a simian of the user's choice."
"This has got to be one of the most frightening weapons we've ever had on this show," confesses Max. "I don't even think we can test something of this magnitude."
Solovar is now seen with a small, stun-gun-like device. Geoff helps him aim it as Max and Dr. Dorian lead a ninja onto an area of the firing range.
Due to the dangers of testing the massive E-ray, Geoff and Solovar have condensed the E-ray's powers into a portable form—a small, handheld version of it.
"Solovar, are you ready?" Geoff asks.
Again, Solovar grunts and hoots.
"Three, two, one—MAKE A MONKEY OUT OF HIM!"
On Geoff's signal, Solovar fires the portable E-ray at the ninja. As it hits the ninja, he convulses in pain, and within seconds, his costume falls around him as he begins to shrink. Hair grows all over his body, and his bones shift and rearrange themselves. When the transformation is complete, a small chimpanzee sits where the ninja was before. Geoff, Max and Dr. Dorian all stare in awe at what has just transpired.
"Wow…" Geoff simply states.
The E-ray completely incapacitates the trained ninja.
"I think, uh…I think you've proved yourself, man," Max laughs. "This will incapacitate a charging Juggernaut, no question."
"I'm a little scared of this weapon, dude…" Geoff admits.
"You can now see why Grodd is one of the most wanted individuals in both Gorilla City and almost every one of your human cities," Solovar states. He takes the portable E-ray, flips a switch on it, and fires it at the ninja-chimp again. Within a few seconds, the ninja is back to his normal self.
Despite the E-ray's frightening potential, our Juggernaut experts believe that the unstoppable villain has something that can stop it.
We now see Juggernaut throwing up a wall of light, blocking an oncoming missile blast from a military base.
Juggernaut's Force fields: a tool for blocking oncoming assaults.
Xavier and the guys are now outside again, and Xavier shows the team a small remote control.
"One of Cain's major assets is his ability to create impenetrable force fields," Xavier explains. "Said force fields can block up to 400,000 pounds of impact. That's more than enough to halt an approaching tank."
"As if that unstoppable armor isn't enough…" Geiger observes, rolling his eyes.
The team now stands behind a protective barrier outside as Xavier prepares to demonstrate a homemade force field generator. About 100 yards away, an army tank is waiting.
To simulate Juggernaut's force fields, the Professor wields a device that will produce similar results.
"Professor, are you ready?" Geoff asks.
"Yes, sir!" Charles replies.
"Three, two, one—FIRE UP THE TANK!"
On Geoff's signal, the tank begins rolling toward Charles. When the tank gets about thirty yards away, he presses a button on the remote, and a large, transparent force field appears around the vicinity of Charles' wheelchair. The tank keeps coming, but when it makes contact with the force field, it stops dead in its tracks. The tank treads continue rolling and throwing up dirt, but it's no use. The tank is shut off, and the damage is assessed.
The force field proves its potential to be a game-changer.
"Well, it looks like this force field did its job," Desmoulin admits.
"Grodd's gonna have a pretty hard time inflicting damage if he can't get through this thing," Geiger says.
"Indeed—a force field can even stop Grodd's mental assaults, as well as that despicable E-ray," states Xavier.
The force fields are impressive, but for our experts, it's a unanimous decision.
"I've gotta go with Grodd's E-ray, Geoff tells Max. "It has longer reach, and Juggernaut may not be able to see it in time to throw up a force field."
"No question about it," agrees Geiger. "E-ray, hands down."
For special weapons, the edge goes to Gorilla Grodd for the E-ray.
A montage of a few of the weapons that have been tested in the show is seen.
With the testing now complete, Max now loads all the data that has been gathered into a state-of-the-art computer program developed by Slitherine Studios that will determine the winner.
Long-range sniper weapons edge: Juggernaut's Barrett M82
Long-range weapons edge: Gorilla Grodd's AK-47
Mid-range weapons edge: Gorilla Grodd's Telepathic Powers
Close-range weapons edge: Juggernaut's Brass Knuckles
Special weapons edge: Gorilla Grodd's E-Ray
To keep the fight from being won by a single lucky shot, Max will simulate it one thousand times. It will be a battle of opposites: brains…
We see Gorilla Grodd dodging an assault of punches from an attacker before punching them himself.
Versus brawn.
We see Juggernaut picking up an average-sized man and throwing him like a rag doll.
Irresistible force…
We see Grodd hypnotizing a group of people with his telepathic powers.
Versus immovable object.
We see Juggernaut pushing back an advancing army tank.
"Well, we've got just about all the information we need," says Max to Geoff and Dr. Dorian, who are leaning on the table beside him. "Let's fire it up and see what happens."
"I'd love to see the results," Desmoulin admits.
"Let's lock and load, then," says Max. He presses a button on the computer, and the screen goes all "Matrix-like" with black-and-green binary code. Several seconds later, the battle begins.
The Battle
The fight takes place at midday, amidst an abandoned building in the jungles of the Congo. Gorilla Grodd is seen on the roof, making adjustments to his giant E-ray which he has built on the roof of the small building. He is just about to throw the switch on the machine when he hears a loud crashing sound on the ground nearby. He turns in the direction of the noise, and sees Juggernaut slowly making his way through the jungle toward Grodd's hideout, mowing down trees and shrubs along the way. As Juggernaut reaches the open gate of the chain-link fence surrounding the building, Grodd glares at him, raises his NTW-20 sniper rifle, and fires. The bullet bounces off Juggernaut's body, but he looks up and notices Grodd on the top of the building and sneers. Juggernaut retrieves his Barrett M82 sniper rifle, and aims at Grodd's head. He pulls the trigger, but Grodd moves at the last second, and takes a bullet in his shoulder instead. Flinching in pain, Grodd pulls out his AK-47, and agilely leaps off the roof of the one-story building before he starts charging toward Juggernaut. Juggernaut shoots another bullet from his M82, missing his simian target completely. Grodd sprays a volley of bullets from his AK; most of the bullets don't affect the massive Juggernaut, but one hits him in the hand, causing him to drop his M82. Juggernaut rushes at Grodd, and the two lock up in a Greco-Roman knuckle lock. As the two inch their way toward the building, Juggernaut gains the upper hand, forcing Grodd down to his knees. Juggernaut kicks Grodd, knocking him into the side of the building. Juggernaut crouches down and tries to punch the fallen Grodd, but Grodd rolls out of the way just in time, and Juggernaut ends up punching a massive hole in the side of the building. Grodd fires a blast of telekinetic energy at Juggernaut, knocking him backwards. Juggernaut staggers to his feet as he retrieves his Benelli M4, pumps it, and fires a single bullet, hitting Grodd in the leg. Grodd howls in pain as Juggernaut charges at him. Grodd ducks one of Juggernaut's punches, but another punch catches him in the side of the face, causing him to reel backwards in pain. Juggernaut puts on brass knuckles, and Grodd beats his chest with his fists, ready to do battle in close. Grodd swings at Juggernaut, catching him in the temple, but Juggernaut punches the super-intelligent gorilla in the nose with the knuckles, sending a trickle of blood down it. Grodd pushes Juggernaut back, and in the process, knocks Juggernaut's helmet off. Juggernaut scrambles to get his helmet back, but Grodd picks it up telekinetically and throws it up into a large tree, out of Juggernaut's reach. Grodd knocks down Juggernaut with another blast of energy, and then heads inside the building. The massive Juggernaut, now helmetless and in serious pain, follows Grodd into the building. Grodd picks up his NTW-20 and fires his sniper rifle's last bullet, but Juggernaut throws up a force field at the last second, blocking the bullet. As Juggernaut advances toward Grodd, still armed with the force field, Grodd retreats up the stairs of the building. Juggernaut follows, wielding his brass knuckles and intent on killing his gorilla adversary. Grodd fires bullets from his AK as the two villains continue up the stairs, but Juggernaut's force field blocks them all. Grodd emerges on the roof of the building, where his E-ray is waiting. As Juggernaut races toward Grodd, ready to mangle him, Grodd flips the switch on his E-ray. A wave of colored energy fills the area, and Juggernaut begins to transform before our very eyes. His armor shrinks around him, and within a few seconds, he is not human anymore—where the massive Juggernaut once stood now crouches a small chimpanzee surrounded by oversized armor. Enraged, the incapacitated Juggernaut tries to charge at Grodd, but Grodd easily kicks the smaller chimp to the floor of the roof. Grodd retrieves his AK, makes his way to the incapacitated Jugger-Chimp, and fires a single bullet at point-blank range between Jugger-Chimp's eyes, killing him instantly. As Jugger-Chimp slumps back, Grodd roars in triumph.
Winner: Gorilla Grodd
Geiger: Out of the course of a thousand battles, Gorilla Grodd was victorious 54.8% of the time. Grodd won because his psionic powers were able to penetrate Juggernaut's armor, and stop the massive villain. Grodd's E-ray may not have netted him any kills on its own, but it was important due to the fact that it gave him a distinct edge over Juggernaut, enabling him to overpower the incapacitated giant.
In one of the closest matches yet, Gorilla Grodd won 548 out of 1000 battles, with over half of his kills coming from his telepathic powers.
Gorilla Grodd kills: 548
NTW-20: 92
AK-47: 101
Telepathic Powers: 354
Fists: 1
E-Ray: 0
Juggernaut came very close with 452 kills. His best weapon was his incredible strength, but even it wasn't enough.
Juggernaut kills: 452
Barrett M82: 107
Benelli M4: 34
Super Strength: 310
Brass Knuckles: 1
Force Fields: 0
"I've got to hand it to Grodd—maybe I didn't give him enough credit," Geoff admits. "But those telekinetic powers of his were able to slip past Juggernaut's armor and destroy his adversary."
"I didn't think it was possible, but we might have a villain that can match up to the supposedly-unstoppable Juggernaut," says Dr. Dorian. "Kudos to Grodd—he truly is a force to be reckoned with."
"This is bullshit," says Avalanche angrily. "That computer is bullshit. No way could Juggernaut lose to some stupid ape!"
"Well, I must say that I am surprised," says Xavier matter-of-factly. "Cain should beware of Grodd if the two ever met up face-to-face."
"I gotta admit; I wouldn't want to face off against Juggernaut," says Flash. "But that bastard Grodd has what it takes to get the job done against the guy."
"There was never a doubt," says Solovar. "Grodd is a despicable individual, but he has the technique to stop this...'unstoppable' Juggernaut."
We see Grodd standing on top of the roof of the building, next to his E-ray. He extends his massive arms and roars as the show comes to a close.
As we close the book on Chapter 3, DC finally chalks up a victory. In our next match-up, we dedicate one to the ladies—two femme fatales of opposite universes clash, as Black Cat faces off against Catwoman. Until next time!