The release of Captain America 3: Iron Man 4: Black Panther & Spider-Man Friendship Hour: Civil War has started a lot of huge nerd debates this month. We’ve had so many arguments about which Avengers would win in a fight that we’re sick of it, and we decided to settle this once and for all.

In a bold move that will surely end nerd debates forever, the Marvel Database is doing a massive bracket tournament to decide “Who is the Greatest Avenger?” We’re down to the final round now, and let me tell ya, it’s a doozy. There were a lot of tough match-ups but we ended up with Captain America vs. Spider-Man.

Look, pal, I don’t like it any more than you do. If I had things my way they would never fight at all. They’d just hang out drawing comics together, and occasionally Cap would rescue Spidey and hold him in his big strong arms. You’re the one that got us into this mess, not me.

The next bracket is gonna be purely based on moments of masculine tenderness.

Breaking it Down

Okay, you know who Cap and Spidey are already. I don’t need to explain this to you. We’ve had like 8 Spider-Man origin movies, and I’m pretty sure the next one’s gonna be a Lord of the Rings-style trilogy of just Uncle Ben bleeding out on the sidewalk. We could spend all day talking about the various times they’ve fought, which have never really been conclusive. This match-up is interesting because it’s a battle between two characters who both have a claim to being the moral center of the Marvel Universe. Captain America’s relentless idealism has been the heart of the Avengers almost since their creation. He’s the epitome of the hero who stands up, not just because he thinks he can win, but because he wants to inspire other people to stand up and fight regardless.

Spider-Man, on the other hand, is much newer to the Avengers… having only been a member for the last 10 years or so. Really, you could make a strong argument that Spider-Man’s introduction to the team in New Avengers #1 (alongside Luke Cage and later Wolverine) was the beginning of a completely new era. Despite his popularity in the real world, Spider-Man is known in the comics as an unpopular screw-up who rarely inspires anyone. While Cap represents the concept of a “hero” as a shining beacon of hope that we should all aspire to be like, Spider-Man represents the side of heroism that just means doing the right thing no matter how hard it is or how much people hate you for it.

The question here isn’t just who would win in a fight… it’s “with great power comes great responsibility” vs. “truth, justice, and the American way.”

UPDATE: We Have a Winner!

Spidey ousted Cap in the final round with 57.6% of the votes, claiming the crown of the Greatest Avenger.





Thanks for reading! For more information on Captain America: Civil War and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, check out the Marvel Database on Wikia!