Icon vs Gladiator

This is a DynaMic Network Podcast. 

Hi, welcome to the Dynamic Duel Podcast, a weekly show where we review superhero films and debate the superiority between Marvel and DC by comparing their characters in stat-based battle simulations. I'm Johnny DC. And I'm his twin brother, Marvelous Joe. And in this episode, we are doing a duel between the Superman-esque characters of Icon and Gladiator. 

Yeah, this was a special request from our executive producers. I've always been a big fan of Gladiator, even though he is a Superman knockoff, but just because he's so heavily tied into the Shiar alien empire, which is like one of the big races in the world of cosmic Marvel. I guess you could more accurately say that Gladiator is a Mon-El ripoff. And I have too much respect for Icon to call him too much of a Superman knockoff. So I know of Icon, but I actually don't know his powers. Like both of these guys are pretty obscured characters, I think, both like cult followings. 

Yeah, we're going to break down each character's histories and abilities later on in this episode before finding out who would win in a battle between the two. Before that, we're going to break down the comic book movie news from the past week, of which the news is that there is no news. It's all just freaking rumors all the time. I'm sick of it. 

I want some real stuff. Yeah, enough with that like clickbait speculation stuff. Like I want the studios to like announce something already, you know? 

Right. I want a Batman. I want something besides Avengers Doomsday or Spider-Man, I guess. I want something. Give me something. Give me anything. I think I have an old pizza crust in a box upstairs if you want that. The fuck? Of course I do. I love pizza crust. 

As always, guys, we list our segment times in our episode description, so feel free to check out the show notes if you want to skip ahead to a particular topic. Our artificially intelligent dual simulator, AJ9K, has a quick message for our listeners. So listen up. 

Why hello there. Do you want even more from this podcast? Then become a part of the Dynamic Dual community on Patreon, where you can choose from three tiers. The Dynamic 2.0 tier gives you access to our Discord chat server. 

The Fantastic Four tier gives you two bonus episodes each month, and the X-Force tier makes you an executive producer of this show. Lastly, the Diner Mike podcast network tier lets you create your own podcast using this Monte Carlo simulator. Johnny and Joe will help you develop your show, provide graphic support and consultation and get you simulation results. Pitch the twins your ideas via email at dynamicdualpodcastatgmail.com. Check it out at patreon.com slash dynamicdual. Pip pip cheerio. 

Thanks AJ9K and thanks to everyone who supports the podcast. Guys, be sure to tune into the other shows and the Diner Mike podcast network this week, including the console combat podcast, where hosts, John and Dean simulate battles between popular video game characters. In yesterday's episode, the two determined to win between Wario, specifically the WarioWare version, and Dr. Robotnik from Sonic the Hedgehog. 

Over on the Max Destruction podcast, hosts Scotty and Gilly pit your favorite action heroes from film and television against each other. On Wednesday, they're coming back from a month long hiatus to find out who would win in a fight between Chong Li from Bloodsport and Tong Po from Kickboxer. This is going to be such a good episode. On the Central World podcast, host Zachary Hepburn speculates on fights between fan favorite anime and manga characters. In his next episode, Zach is going to reveal who would win between Trafalgar D Waterlaw from One Piece and Tanjiro Kanjiro from Bleach. 

Visit dynamicpodcasts.com or click the link in our show notes to listen to all of the shows in the Diner Mike podcast network. But with that out of the way, quick to the no prize. A no prize is an award that Marble used to give out to fans. 

Our version, the dynamic dual no prize is a digital award we post on Instagram for the person that we feel gave the best answer to our question of the week. Last week, we asked you guys, what do you think Deadpool's involvement in the Avengers Doomsday story will be? And this is coming off of the news that Deadpool will be an Avengers Doomsday, which has been confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter and vaguely by Ryan Reynolds own Instagram post. The Hollywood Reporter said that the role would be unsubstantial, but we thought we'd go to you guys to see what that role might entail. We got three answers, but actually one of them got lost. 

Somewhere on the Internet. So sorry, Lorenzo Valdez. Thank you for calling in. 

We saw that you did leave a message, but for some reason it just didn't load when we would click on it. So our honorable mention goes to Alex Albro, who 

said, Hey guys, I think Deadpool is a narrator of the movie, the opening line being in a world where fantasies collide and heroes clash. Wait, no, that's not the right one. That's not the right line. No, honestly, guys, I have no idea what Deadpool is doing in this movie. I have no idea what his role will be. Maybe it's just a post credit cameo where he is at the end in a chair reading the Secret Wars comic from Deadpool and Wolverine and tells us to show up, you know, next December. I have no idea. 

Actually, I wouldn't mind either of those options if he's the narrator. Well, I guess it would make the proceedings of the film seem a little bit silly because of course he's going to lend his own comedic commentary to what's going on. So I like the second idea that Alex suggested where he's like in a post credit scene kind of telling people to show up for the continuation of the story in Avengers Secret War. You know how Once Upon a Deadpool was kind of based off of the Princess Bride movie? 

Right. It was sort of like this framed narrative where Deadpool's reading a story to Fred Savage. I want Avengers Doomsday to be a framed narrative based on the never ending story because that's what these Marvel movies are. Never ending stories. Yeah. 

So what does that mean? Deadpool's like reading the Avengers Doomsday story and then he like closes the book and then runs out into a storm and shouts Dr. Doomsname or something. And then all of a sudden he's writing Dr. Dooms through the skies. That would be epic. Great answer, Alex. But the winner of this week's No Prize is Noah Terry. Who said? 

Hey, guys, so for Deadpool's role in Avengers Doomsday, I would say he will be almost like a multiverse guide to the Avengers and other characters, almost like a chaotic version of Nick Fury who will introduce the incursions in the TVA to the characters and help drive the story forward. So that's my answer. Thanks. Bye, guys. 

I actually think this one's plausible in that we know with Loki sitting on his throne, you know, taking care of the multiverse and substituting for the loom and Mobius, Owen Wilson's character from the Loki show no longer at the TVA. They got to have some kind of TVA representative in Avengers Doomsday. So maybe Deadpool serves as the like the TVA representative and introducing the concept of the incursions to the Avengers. And I like that answer a lot because how many characters from the films are actually familiar with the concept of the multiverse? 

I mean, there's Dr. Strange and there's Spider-Man. And I guess like Captain America was told about them in the post-credits scene for Captain America Brave New World, I guess possibly Ant-Man too, with his involvement with King. And of course, the Fantastic Four would know about them having come from a separate universe. So a lot of them, actually. But, you know, they may not all know about the incursions themselves. I think that's just the Dr. Strange thing. 

But I think this would be a fun idea to be like a quick way for Deadpool to like get in and out of the story, just kind of like setting up what these guys got to do and how the TVA needs them. So great answer, Noah, and congrats on winning this week's No Prize. If you, the listener, want to shout out winning your own No Prize, stay tuned to later on this episode when we'll be asking another question of the week. 

And since there is no news this week, on to the question of the week. All right, guys, it's fantasy football season. So we thought we would ask you guys a fantasy football related question that pertains to Marvel and DC. Basically, who would be your number one quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, safety and kicker on your Marvel or DC fantasy football team? So taking all the superhero characters out there from Marvel and DC, putting them on a football team, what would those primary positions be? Again, quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, safety and kicker. And I don't want to see any of these mixing of Marvel and DC characters on these teams. This is either team DC or team Marvel. You get a pick. 

Yeah, and give us the name of your team, too. Record your answer at dynamicdool.com by clicking on the red microphone button in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, which will prompt you to leave us a voicemail. Your message could be up to 30 seconds long. And don't forget to leave your name in case we include you on the podcast. We'll pick our favorite answer and award that person a Dynamic Duel No Prize that will post to Instagram. 

Be sure to answer before September 6th. But now let's move on to the main event of this episode, a duel between the DC milestone character of Icon and Marvel's leader of the Imperial Guard Gladiator. OK, Icon versus Gladiator, as we mentioned earlier, these are two Superman-esque characters who can fly and are super strong and shoot lasers. 

But I think they also have interesting stories. At least I know Icon does. He, of course, originated in milestone comics, which was later acquired by DC Comics. Yeah, I like Gladiator's backstory. 

You know, for all these Superman copies, essentially, a lot of them have managed to kind of carve out their own unique and interesting backstory. For the most part, I mean, except for Hyperion, right, the leader of the Squadron Supreme. We actually have done a duel with him against Ultraman. 

We've also done a duel with the Sentry against Zod. So this will be like our fourth version of like Superman versus Superman-esque characters. To my knowledge, neither of these characters have been in film, but I know that they have made appearances in both the X-Men and the Young Justice animated series. 

Right. Yeah, the X-Men live action films have yet to really go cosmic. Yet there is a cosmic side to the X-Men comic books, which largely deals with the Shiar. I guess it would be strange for the live action X-Men films to really go out there like that. Although, I guess the Dark Phoenix movie did have the Dabari aliens as villains. Who were not the Skrulls. 

Right. But going from there, I think you could branch out into, you know, the Shiar and the Imperial Guard in a subsequent X-Men movie. You know, if that whole Fox X-Men universe wasn't obsolete by this point. I do think a icon movie would be cool as hell, though. 

It would be like Django and Chained meets Superman. I mean, they could go that route. I think that's definitely a route you could take the film. I think that would be awesome. 

We would really need a series of films, I think, maybe a trilogy to really tell Icahn's full story. Well, let's get into those backstories. First, to explain the methodology behind our duels, let's go to our sentient dual simulator, Alfred Jarvis 9000. AJ9K tell our listeners how you go about determining a winner in our dual matchups. 

Yes, of course, sir. The way I determine a winner between the contestants is by running one thousand Monte Carlo simulations using the characters statistics. A Monte Carlo simulation is a probabilistic model used to determine outcomes through random sampling. In this case, I randomize the statistics along a normal distribution as a way to simulate the many variables that can occur during battle. 

The stat parameters are based on the official Marvel power grid from which the DC characters statistics are extrapolated. Additional stat categories are included such as range, damage potential, versatility and perception in order to create a more detailed and accurate simulation. The results of the 1000 simulations provide a percentage of wins for each character. The contestant with the higher percentage is declared the victor as they have a higher probability to win any given battle. In an equitable pairing, neither character should win 100% of the matches. 

The comic book stories have shown that there's even a way for Batman to defeat Superman. So the confidence rate of my method falls in line with the precedents that have been established in the source material. My mathematical simulations are without subjectivity or bias. Feats are not the sole consideration, nor a fan vote is tabulated for determination of the winner. 

Thanks, AJ9K. Before we run the simulations, though, we'd like to break down each character's histories and abilities before improvising a scenario on how we imagine one of the 1000 simulations would play out beat for beat. And it is my turn to go first with the Marvel characters backstory. So let me tell you all about Gladiator, whose real name is Clark. 

Yo, what? Not Clark. Calark. Wow. 

K-A-L-L-A-R-K, if you care. Calark was born centuries ago on the planet Strontia under the dominion of the Shiar Empire. He was descended from a proud lineage and raised by the Strontian Council of Elders, who are as much as family as his blood relatives. Like all Strontians, he possessed the potential for great power, but his abilities depended on his complete devotion to purpose. As a youth, he trained as a military cadet competing for the title of Gladiator. 

He distinguished himself as both an honorable individual and a formidable soldier. Only 10 cadets survived the harsh training trials, and they were subjected to a dangerous enhancement process that granted them powers far beyond the norm of their race. The Council of Elders informed the cadets that the purpose of their trials was to select from among them the finest warrior of the Strontian race, as the planet Strontia was under Shiar rule. 

The Shiar were an alien race with a vast intergalactic empire who demanded that the strongest of each of its subjects serve in its imperial guard and protect the Shiar ruler, known as a Majestor. Calark and the other cadets were to be tested by the Majestor to core, who, knowing that even an ordinary Strontian could devastate an army, demanded that they prove their loyalty and absolute obedience to the empire by ordering the cadets to slay the Strontian Council of Elders. Most of them refused and died trying to rebel, leaving only Calark committed enough to fulfill the order and he killed the council that were once like family to him. For his loyalty, Majestor to core dubbed Calark as Gladiator, and he was given the rank of Praetor of the Imperial Guard, a leadership position he would hold for centuries. 

As the Praetor of the Imperial Guard, Gladiator served multiple Majestors leading up to D'Kenn, a power-hungry ruler who craved the Macron crystal which housed enough energy to destroy an entire universe. D'Kenn's sister, L'Londra, reached out to the X-Men on Earth, aware of their existence due to their defeat of the invading alien race called the Xenox. Professor X and his team of mutants were transported into space where D'Kenn declared L'Londra a traitor and commanded Gladiator and the Imperial Guard into battle with the X-Men. 

You can learn more about the X-Men in their duel against the Titans. L'Londra eventually convinced Gladiator to stand down when D'Kenn was rendered catatonic, driven insane through his contact with the Macron crystal. She laid claim to the Xiar throne, becoming its new Majestrix, and Gladiator's new charge. He shifted his loyalty to L'Londra and stood at her side when the Dark Phoenix arose, a threat the Majestrix equated to Galactus. Declaring that Jean Grey's possession by the Phoenix could not be allowed to continue, L'Londra commanded Gladiator to represent her in an honor duel against the X-Men on the blue area of the moon. Gladiator battled Colossus and overpowered him with ease, surviving the collapse of ancient Cree ruins without injury. Yet even Gladiator and the Guard were powerless against the Dark Phoenix, who defeated them before ultimately taking her own life. 

You can learn more about Jean Grey and the Phoenix Horse in our Raven vs Phoenix duel episode. In later years, Gladiator remained a stalwart protector of L'Londra. He opposed Lord Samadhar when the counselor betrayed the throne in alliance with Deathbird, L'Londra's sadistic sister. He also traveled to Earth mistakenly believing the Fantastic Four were scrolls in disguise and clashed with them before Spider-Man and Captain America helped expose the true imposters. When Deathbird usurped the Xiar throne and took the title of Majestrix, Gladiator was forced to serve her despite his loyalties lying with L'Londra. During Deathbird's rule, he and the Guard fought with the Starjammers, a group of space pirates who had allied with L'Londra over the power of the Phoenix Force. 

He was defeated and Deathbird later lost her throne after a group of alien scrolls staged a coup in order to reinstate L'Londra as Majestrix and have her be in the scrolls' thrall. Gladiator continued to enforce Xiar will, but his path often intersected with Earth's heroes. He clashed with the Avengers and fought Thor, suffering defeat during the Xiar-Cree War. When Earth's heroes sacrificed themselves against Onslaught, L'Londra sent Gladiator and the Guard to safeguard Earth, where they uncovered a Cree extremist plot. He later battled the Hulk while pursuing a Xiar fugitive on Earth, thwarted Ronan the Accuser's assassination attempt on L'Londra, which you can learn more about in our recent Inhumans duel, and led an assault on the X-Men under Majestrix L'Londra's orders, but learned that she was under Cassandra Nova's psychic control. 

You can learn more about Professor X's sister in our Chief vs Professor X duel. Gladiator's duties extended to cosmic threats. He was captured by a herald of Galactus named Tyrant alongside heroes like Beta Ray Bill and the Silver Surfer, though Galactus eventually freed them. Gladiator infiltrated the Kiln Prison with Thanos and Star-Lord, discovering an Amnesiac godlike being known as the Beyonder. He challenged the Champion of the Universe on planet Skardon, though the Champion's power gem made victory impossible for Gladiator. He also pursued the Unipower, which is an energy that emanates from the Enigma Force and transforms its host into the hero Captain Universe. 

He teamed up with the Silver Surfer to stop a space warlord named Krosakis, who had acquired the Unipower energy. Meanwhile, Vulcan, the lost brother of Cyclops who was separated from his family years ago by Daken's actions, plotted revenge against Daken. Vulcan secretly pulled Daken out of his coma, who then took back his rightful title of Majester from his sister, Lalandra. Vulcan then killed Daken and claimed the Shiar throne by right of conquest, marrying Deathbird and becoming the new charge of Gladiator and the Imperial Guard. Vulcan's reign embroiled the Shiar in war against the Kree, and Gladiator eventually defied Vulcan by refusing to execute Lalandra. However, he soon witnessed Darkhawk, a rogue member of an ancient sect of Shiar assassins, kill Lalandra. 

An act you can learn more about in our Stargirl vs. Darkhawk dual episode. When Vulcan was presumed dead in a battle against Black Bolt, Gladiator himself assumed leadership of the Shiar to prevent civil war, becoming the Empire's new Majestor. As ruler, Gladiator faced crises across the galaxy. He joined a team of cosmic heroes called the Annihilators, alongside Silver Surfer, Beta Ray Bill, Quasar, and Ronin, defending against threats like the Diarrates and the Magus. During the Phoenix's return to Earth, Gladiator attempted to stop the Phoenix V and rescue his son, Kubar. 

Around that time, he recruited the first human into the Imperial Guard's ranks, a woman named Isabel Kane, aka Spasher, who had discovered special goggles called Exospex that she could use to download any ability of someone in her view. Gladiator and the Shiar Empire fought alongside the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy against cosmic threats like the Cancerverse and Thanos, but Gladiator grew sick of his duties over time, wishing instead to return to his title of Praetor of the Imperial Guard. Supporting his demotion was Deathbird, who saw Astrantian ruling the Shiar Empire as an insult. Shiar rebels used genetic material from Lillandra's body and Professor X to create a child named Zandra. When a society of artificial intelligence threatened the Shiar, Gladiator abdicated his throne and installed Zandra as the new Magestrix, though he continued to advise and protect the child. 

He also cooperated with Imminent Nation Krakowa, permitting a gateway to be established between the island and Shandalar, the Shiar throne world. That's Gladiator's backstory. Powers-wise, Gladiator has numerous abilities derived from a scientifically enhanced strontian physiology. He is immensely strong, able to lift over 100 tons with ease, and is virtually invulnerable to physical damage. He can move and fly at orbital speeds of thousands of miles per hour and can emit beams of heat energy from his eyes that are as hot as the sun. 

Gladiator can also expel powerful and freezing gusts of wind from his lungs and has enhanced senses of hearing and sight. He has been trained in Shiar martial arts and military strategy since he was young. His power level is dependent on his confidence, so elapsed and self-assurance in his actions will weaken him. 

He's also susceptible to magic and nuclear radiation. That's Gladiator. You know, Gladiator's origin wasn't as close to Superman's as I thought it would be, although his power set is very much exactly like Superman's. Icon's origin is pretty close to Superman, I would say. 

Interesting, okay. Yeah, I'm glad that we were able to get to a duel with Gladiator because the history of the Imperial Guard really is the history Icon, let me get into his backstory. Thousands of years ago, an alien negotiator from the planet Terminus named Arnis traveled the stars aboard a life pod designed to terraform new worlds. When the pod malfunctioned, it crashed on Earth in the year 1839 in the American South. As part of its survival protocol, the pod's automorphic technology reconstructed Arnis' body into the form of the first sentient life it encountered, a black woman named Miriam, who was enslaved on a cotton plantation. The transformation not only altered his DNA, but also reset his cognition, turning him into a human infant with no memory of his extraterrestrial identity. Miriam discovered the child near the crash site and with no knowledge of his origin, raised him as her own within the enslaved community, naming him Augustus. 

Growing up in bondage, Augustus experienced the brutal realities of slavery first hand. As he matured, his intellect rapidly advanced beyond human limits and with it came flashes of memory and gradual rediscovery of his true alien nature. He eventually escaped enslavement, joined the Union Army during the Civil War, and used his powers covertly to help sway key battles in favor of the North. In the decades that followed, he continued to live under assumed identities, posing as successive descendants of Augustus Freeman I while acquiring wealth, education, and influence. 

By the time of World War II, he once again took part in pivotal moments of history, using his abilities discreetly to shape the outcome of global events. By the late 20th century, Augustus Freeman IV lived as a successful corporate attorney in Dakota City, having grown distant from humanity and resigned to observing rather than intervening. His long life had convinced him that lasting societal change was unlikely, a belief that was challenged when his home was broken into by a group of troubled teenagers. Among them was Raquel Irvin, a young, idealistic writer from the impoverished Paris Island neighborhood. After witnessing Augustus use his powers to subdue the intruders, Raquel confronted him with the idea that he could be a real-life superhero, someone who could inspire change and justice. Though reluctant at first, Augustus was persuaded by Raquel's conviction and agreed to become a hero under the name Icon, with Raquel designing his costume and accompanying him as his sidekick Rocket, who you can learn more about in our Rocket vs. Spider-Gwen dual episode. 

As Icon, Augustus became a powerful symbol of hope and lawfulness in Dakota City. He betrothed neighborhoods affected by crime and corruption, while Rocket helped balance his rigid moral code with compassion and contemporary social awareness. While Icon often approached problems through a conservative and lawful lens, Rocket challenged him to see injustices embedded within the systems he sought to uphold. Their ideological debates strengthened their bond, making them one of the most effective hero duos in the city. Their presence soon brought them into contact and sometimes conflict with other super-powered individuals. Rocket and Icon worked alongside the vigilantees' static and encountered the inventor known as Hardware, another gifted genius with ties to corporate conspiracy. 

You can learn more about static in our Static vs. Jubilee episode. Eventually, Icon joined other powered individuals to form the Shadow Cabinet, a covert team assembled to safeguard global stability and prevent superhuman threats from spiraling out of control. Though initially at odds with the cabinet's secrecy and morally gray tactics, Icon agreed to join under the condition that their mission remained focused on preserving peace and liberty. 

In the public eye, Icon was hailed as a new protector for the marginalized. However, his presence also attracted the attention of alien horses from his past. The terminating species had long believed him to be lost and his mission a failure. When they detected his survival, they dispatched the powerful bounty hunter Oblivion to retrieve or eliminate him. 

The confrontation devastated parts of Dakota City and threatened to reveal Augustus' extraterrestrial origin to the world. With Rocket's help, Icon defeated Oblivion and reaffirmed his commitment to Earth as his true home. As Rocket matured, she faced her own challenges including an unexpected pregnancy that forced her to take time away from crime fighting. Icon continued his mission alone for a time, during which she became more directly involved in legal reform and rehabilitation of young offenders. 

Upon Rocket's return, the two resumed their partnership. When a cosmic crisis threatened the multiverse, Icon was identified as one of the most powerful beings in his reality and was drawn into conflicts that extended beyond his dimension. He helped repel interdimensional threats and fought to protect the balance between worlds. Though these battles exposed him to other versions of reality, he remained grounded in his adopted identity and mission on his Earth. 

Following DC's Flashpoint event, reality was rewritten and Dakota City's history was altered. In this new continuity, Augustus Freeman remained an alien from Terminus who crash-landed on Earth in the 19th century. He maintained a low profile, allowing human societies to develop independently while observing from a distance. 

In the modern era, he continued to work as a lawyer in Dakota City, maintaining a private life and avoiding engagement with the growing number of metahumans. The widespread event known as the Big Bang changed that. During a violent clash between police and gang members on Paris Island, an experimental mutagenic gas developed by all the industries detonated, killing many and mutating others into super-powered beings. The survivors, known as Bang Babies, created a surge in crime, chaos, and metahuman activity throughout Dakota City. Among the witnesses to the event was Raquel Urban, whose home and community were directly affected. Seeking justice and driven by hope, Raquel tracked down Augustus Freeman after hearing rumors about his strength and longevity. 

Once again, she challenged him to become a symbol for those who felt abandoned and powerless. Inspired by her resolve, Augustus adopted the icon identity Anu, with Raquel becoming Rocket once more. Their partnership emerged as a stabilizing force during the chaos of the Big Bang aftermath. Together, Icon and Rocket battled Bang Babies who used their powers for violence, as well as corrupt political forces that sought to exploit the crisis for their personal gain. Rocket became increasingly vocal about issues of social inequality, helping Icon refine his approach to heroism. Their work led to the formation of new alliances with local heroes, community leaders, and civil rights advocates. When the government attempted to establish a paramilitary task force to control metahuman populations, Icon resisted, warning against the misuse of power. His stand put him at odds with federal agencies and even some of his fellow heroes, but he remained steadfast in his belief that individual liberty and accountability were paramount. As threats escalated both in scale and complexity, Icon was forced to confront remnants of his past. 

A rogue, terminan scientist attempted to weaponize Earth's metahumans as part of a plan to terraform the planet or terminus colonization. But to help of Rocket and other Dakota-based heroes, Icon dismantled the operation, reaffirming his loyalty to Earth and the people he now considered his true kin. And that's Icon's history. Powers-wise, Icon possesses vast superhuman abilities derived from his alien physiology as a terminan. His strength allows him to lift immense weights, while his durability makes him resilient to bullets, extreme temperatures, explosions, and even direct energy assaults. He can fly at high velocities and is capable of interstellar travel. 

His longevity grants him near immortality, having aged only marginally since his arrival on Earth over a century ago. He also has enhanced senses and is a trained soldier having fought in multiple wars. He can manipulate positronic energy for a variety of effects, including focused energy blasts from his hands and eyes, or waves of energy from any part of his body. This energy also allows him to accelerate his healing, generate force fields, and emit electromagnetic pulses, even capable of disrupting electric signals in the human body. He has a genius level intellect and has accumulated vast legal, historical, and scientific knowledge over his long life. His experience across different cultural and historical eras also makes him a tactician and leader with deep insight into the nature of humanity. OK, so Icon's backstory is a lot more similar to Superman's in that he is like an alien who comes to Earth, but his power set is a lot different from Superman's, I feel like. 

Yeah, yeah. I mean, he doesn't have like freeze breath or anything like that, but you know, he still has the enhanced senses, still has the super strength and durability and can fly. Yeah, gladiators powers mimic Superman's down to like even the weakness to radiation and the freeze breath and everything like that. Oh, actually, Icon is weak to a specific unnamed alien mineral. Oh, I know what that mineral is. OK, what is it? What do you like to know? I'll let you know during the speculation, of course. 

In a world where fantasies collide and heroes clash, one podcast network rises above the rest. Prepare yourself for the ultimate showdowns in comic books, video games, movies, and anime. The Dynamite Podcast Network presents Console Combat, where video game legends brawl every Monday, Dynamic Duo, where comic book titans smash every Tuesday, Max Destruction, where TV and action heroes battle every Wednesday, and Sendro World, where anime champions clash every Thursday. Join us as we speculate on the matches and armed with the power of mathematical simulations discover who will emerge victorious. Visit dynamicpodcast.com where we settle the debate and settle the score. 

Well, now that we've got their histories and abilities out of the way, let's speculate on how one of the 1000 simulated matches will go. The winner is determined by simulations, not the speculation, but it's fun to imagine how this fight could play out. AJ9K, what are the rules of our speculation? 

Well, I should say there are no rules other than the characters have no prior knowledge of the other going into the fight. All they are aware of starting out is that the other character is a threat that needs to be eliminated. For the speculation, the contestants will begin approximately 50 meters apart in a nondescript environment that will have no bearing on the match itself, as no environmental statistics are considered in my simulations. The contestants must earn victory on their own merit. 

All right, then let's get into it. Icon and Gladiator meet on the battlefield. Who goes first? I think as Praetor of the Imperial Guard, Gladiator is going to go first because he's more like battle hardened than Icon, I think. So he's going to start off by blasting beams that are as hot as the sun from his eyeballs that just melt through Icon skull. No, because Icon, he could just counter with his own I beams of positronic energy. So those beams are going to collide and this ball of energy is going to form in the middle and explode. That's going to send both characters careening from each other. But Icon right after is going to charge Gladiator and just bombard him with waves of energy before crashing directly into him. Well, if Icon is charging at Gladiator, Gladiator is going to charge right back and he's going to pierce through whatever energy waves Icon is throwing at him, piercing through them like a spear. 

And he just clashes with Icon head on. And the force of that impact would probably like rupture a crater in the grounds beneath him, but the ground doesn't matter anymore because I think Gladiator is just going to grapple Icon as they collide and then shoot him into the sky into space and within just like seconds, just throw him into the heart of the sun where Icon burns life. OK, but as they're traveling through space, Icon, you know, he'll just free himself from Gladiator's grasp by walloping cam right in the jaw with a charged energy fist that's going to send Gladiator flying through space, probably through a couple asteroids, just smashing them into pebbles with the impact. With the vastness of space, I wonder what the odds are the icon would smash Gladiator into asteroids. 

Gladiator flew that far. Murphy's Law. Exactly. Well, Gladiator picks up one of these asteroids, probably like in the asteroid belt or whatever. We'll say that this asteroid is like the size of Texas, right? 

Like the movie Armageddon. And he grabs this asteroid and he's just full on brains icon with it, smashing it over his head. OK, but we'll say that as Gladiator is swinging this giant sized asteroid, Icon is going to blind him with a quick strobe of energy from his hands. 

And that's going to cause Gladiator to completely miss this swing. And while he's off balance, Icon is going to grab Gladiator by his mohawk and just smash his face right into the asteroid that he's holding. So hard and so fast that it's going to crack the asteroid right in half. The whole asteroid, like the whole state of Texas is going to crack in half. 

That whole asteroid has a crack. I feel like Gladiator would have a headache from that kind of hit. So he's like dazed right from the strobe light and from the head injury he just suffered. So he's going to spin like a whirlwind with his fists just straight out, just knocking away anything that even comes close to him. And like a blur, he punches Icon like a million and one times in the face. So now both characters have headaches. Except that Icon can heal rapidly. So while Gladiator Gladiator can also heal rapidly. OK, fine. 

He's dizzy then. All right. So when Gladiator stops spinning and he's like trying to recover, like, whoa, that's when Icon is going to blast him with beams of concussive energy from his hands, targeting him right in the balls and is showing any hope for potential future children. 

That's fine. Gladiator already has a child. He probably has like dozens of kids. He's fine. 

What? Yeah, his name is Kid Gladiator, actually. But either way, like Gladiator has super equilibrium. So he's not dizzy from spinning in the same way that Superman wouldn't be dizzy from spinning. And in fact, Gladiator was over being stunned after his spin attack. And he flies away faster than Icon can even raise his hands to blast him. In fact, Gladiator flies behind Icon and freezes him with his freeze breath. So Icon's frozen in the Gladiator, he makers him into like a thousand pieces that just fly across the galaxy. 

Match over. Well, actually, Gladiator is going to haymaker a force field of positronic energy set up by Icon. And then Icon's going to melt his ice casing by emitting energy from his entire body surface, after which he immediately emits a pulse that's going to shut down the electrical signals in Gladiator's body. So while he's paralyzed, Icon's going to grab his head and just snap his neck, ending the match. What is he, Superman? OK, I guess Superman doesn't do that stuff anymore, huh? 

Well, he's too punk rock for it. Only good. Wait, so Gladiator hit a positronic force field instead of hitting the frozen icon. Yeah, right. Wrong. I'd be positronic that that did not happen, because Icon was in fact frozen to absolute zero, so he couldn't like do anything because he was frozen solid through and through. 

So he got smashed to bits instead. I'll tell you what's absolute zero. Gladiator's chances of winning. You know what? Let's find out. Let's go ahead and put the character stats, run the simulations and find out which of these scenarios happens. 

Either Gladiator freezes Icon and then smashes him to a thousand bits, or Icon protects himself with a force field, escapes being frozen, paralyzes Gladiator and then snaps his neck. That's just way too many steps. Hey, it happened. I don't know what to say. Let's run the simulations and come back with a winner. AJ9K hit it. 

Inputting data, running calculations, processing results, simulations complete. 

All right, these characters like Superman are very powerful, although they differed in the stats more than I thought they would. Yeah, they kind of went through a pattern where they matched a stat and then deferred in a stat. Then matched a stat, then deferred in a stat. Like they were the same speed, durability, strength, perception, but they mismatched on evasiveness to Icon's force fields. Fighting skill, we said Gladiator was a better fighter. Intellect, because we said Icon was smarter and versatility because Icon was more versatile due to his energy based power set. We also said that Gladiator was capable of more damage, which kind of surprised me. Only because Icon really doesn't have the same feats that Gladiator has in terms of damage. 

Right. Gladiator has been shown to like fly through Galactus's eye beams and punch planets in half, which is ridiculous. Dude, even went up against Hyperion, which is Marvel's analog to Superman. You know, their other analog to Superman and beat Hyperion. So what does that say about Icon's chances? I mean, Icon apparently punched Superman harder than Darkseid ever has. Like knocked him all the way out of the watch tower. 

That's not that hard, though, if you think about it. OK. Considering all these stats, Jonathan, who you putting your money on? Why am I even asking this question? It's a pointless question. We ask it every dual episode. My money is on Icon. I'm betting on Black. A majority of our Instagram followers did not, however, 62 percent of them voted in favor of Gladiator winning this. 

Well, apparently they're not heating Wesley Snipes advice. And neither am I. I'm betting on red, which in this case is Gladiator because he wears red. But either way, let's see which character won. 

A.G .9K, the results, please. Hey, you are, sir. All right, the winner between Icon and Gladiator, the Praetor of the Imperial Guard, the Defender of the Shiar Empire, the former Majestor, the most badass dude with the most rock and mohawk is Icon. Yes. OK, all those titles that you just listed and Icon's bitch to that. 

No. What is happening out of the 1000 matches? Icon won 581 as opposed to Gladiator who won 419. 

So Icon wins 58.1 percent of the time. I don't know what is happening. I feel like I'm on a losing streak. I feel like the executive producers have obviously conspired against me because they're the ones who chose this matchup. And I think I need to call an emergency meeting with them. You know what happened, right? 

Because you're on this losing streak, you've been demoralized and that's Gladiator's weakness. I think you're right. Yeah, that makes sense. Marvel has lost like four in a row now, which is affecting Gladiator's confidence, which in turn weakens him, which in turn made him lose this match. That sucks. 

It's fine. It become even more demoralized. That's what I want. I swear, if this fucking happens again, I am going to break into your house and then loosen all the lids on your salt and pepper shakers. No. 

I couldn't think of anything else. We're going to get him next time, Marvel guys. We're going to get him next time and then we're going to start our own streak starting with our next episode. But that does it for this episode. Adrian A.K. Help close this out. 

That is going to be BloodSport versus Killmonger. Of course, BloodSport was in the Suicide Squad played by Idris angle. And Killmonger was in the Black Panther film played by Michael B Jordan. Yeah, it should be a fun episode. I'm really, really excited for that one. Been looking forward to that one for a long time. 

But that does it for this episode. We want to give a big thanks to our executive producers, John Strausky, Zachary Hepburn, Dustin Balcom, Mickey Mathenguyen, Nathaniel Wagner, Levi Yatn, Austin Wazalowski, AJ Duckerly, Nick Obanto, Scott Camacho, Gil Camacho, Adam Spees, Dean Molesky, Devin Davis, Joseph Kirsting, Josh Leiner, Mike Williams, and Paul Graves for helping make this podcast possible. We'll talk to you guys next week. Up, up and away! True believers. 

This matchup didn't have Russell Crowe at all. I want my money back.