Are you kidding me? The Villain Tourney is here!
And how can you NOT be excited about possible matchups like Darth Vader vs. Gargamel? Or Cobra Commander vs. Thunderlips? The possibilities are endless! And that makes the ridiculous task of seeding a 64 competitor tournament of fictitious characters totally worth it. Let's talk about some of the biggest stories that came out of Selection Sunday. (If you haven't downloaded it already,
GET YOUR BRACKET.)
Dems Da Rules
Here's how this is going to work. We've got a lot of match-ups to get through and once we start, it's going to be a mile a minute. We'll announce each matchup with a little breakdown on the blog.
You'll then be able to cast your votes on Facebook with poll questions. Or on Twitter, with the hashtag #VillainTourney. Your poll results equal one vote, then two of the WSF guys get a vote. So each of us counts for a third and each of us can break a tie.
Seedings and Criteria
The number one factor we were looking for were villains that best exemplified the 80s era. Then we used iconic stature, memorability, and our own personal preference as additional criteria. The same criteria will be used to determine the winner of these match-ups. We are not looking for who would win in a fist fight or even who holds a higher place in cinematic/television history. Who do we remember the most? Who entertained us the most? Which character wreaks of 80s greatness?
The Rocky Trio
First of all, I can already hear the grumbling. How can one franchise get three spots in the tournament?! Well, as in college basketball, some conferences are just stronger than others. In a year that the Big East could get seven bids, the SEC might only get two. Look at the rest of the field and tell me Ivan Drago, Clubber Lang, and Thunderlips don't belong. Thunderlips was a cameo appearance at best, you say. Well, his name is Thunderlips the Ultimate Male, I say! Your argument is moot.
Lex Luthor and Jaws
Yes, Lex Luthor and Jaws are both 15 seeds. But before you burn the WSF compound to the ground, let's take a closer look at why. We're confined to films, shows, and games released from 1980-1989. That means earlier iterations from the original Jaws and Superman films don't count. Instead, we're talking about Jaws 3D and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. (Superman II was produced in 1980, but Zod was the primary villain and Luthor doesn't appear in the third film.) Makes more sense now, right? Trust me, both characters are lucky to even make the field with those stinkers.
Animated Characters and Video Games
Let's be honest; 64 slots are a lot to fill. When pickings began to get slim, we could have either trimmed the field down to 32 and leave some contenders behind or broaden our scope a bit and let in some legendary cartoons and video game characters. Early reactions indicate that most of you are onboard with the decision.
Wrestling
Ric Flair and Roddy Piper were two of the "Last Four In." The 80s were the golden era of professional wrestling, it is entertainment, it is scripted and these are characters, so I have no qualms whatsoever in giving them bids. In fact, I'd contend that these characters are as memorable as 90% of the field. Plus, Piper also had Saturday morning cartoon crossover exposure as the lead villain on Hulk Hogan's Rock n' Wrestling.
Enjoy the March Madness and get ready to vote!
