After three weeks of March Madness, io9-style, it all comes down to this. Our quest to find the greatest work in all of science fiction and fantasy has brought us this winner-take-all battle between genre titans. Star Wars. Lord of the Rings. Let's do this. Vote now!


No need for much of a preamble at this point, folks. If you're at all unsure how much you should be weighting related works — The Hobbit is a big one, of course, but what of, say, those Ewok spin-off movies? — or adaptations into different media in making your final decision, check out our original post. (Hint: It's entirely up to you.) To see how we got to this point, check out the complete, updated bracket below, which as always is the masterwork of io9 graphics maestro Stephanie Fox. You can click here for a bigger look at the bracket.


There wasn't a whole lot of drama in the Final Four, as both our championship contenders cruised to fairly easy victories. Star Wars notched a 20-point victory over Doctor Who, but that paled in comparison to the old-fashion stomping that Lord of the Rings gave Harry Potter in a 74-26 rout. That sets the stage for the sole meeting of 1-seeds in our entire tournament. Who will win?

Well, I suppose that comes down to which kind of victory you find more impressive. Lord of the Rings hasn't really been challenged once throughout this entire tournament; even a prestigious, currently airing show with lots of sex and violence like Game of Thrones could only muster 38% of the vote against the Tolkien juggernaut; that 62-38 victory was still more decisive than Star Wars's victory over Doctor Who, and Lord of the Rings has captured at least 70% of the vote in every other contest. Star Wars, on the other hand, had three routs to open the tournament but has been battle-hardened of late with some close matches. Its 10-point victory over Firefly is the closest match for either of our remaining competitors, but it also might be the most impressive victory of the tournament, given Firefly's well-documented knack for underdog runs. So, again, who will win?

As always, only YOU can make that call, so VOTE NOW. Polls will remain open until midnight Pacific time tonight!

io9 March Madness Championship Game