Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Baddy . . . Skeletor v. Darth Vader

Skeletor Vs. Darth Vader

 


Both of these guys are characters from my childhood.  I watched He-Man as a cartoon on Saturday mornings and Star Wars just about every night on VHS.  Both are bad-ass, and both are pretty damn creepy.  So here I pose to you, Awesome Reader, who do you think would come out in a one-on-one grudge-match?  This isn't like any of those other pansy contests you've seen on the interwebs.  This one's got merit.  Both are evenly matched, and the conclusion is anything but preordained. 

Skeletor

So what if he started existence as an action figure?  So what if he's usually depicted as a blue guy wearing (what appear to be) furry underpants?  He sacrificed his face to keep on going, and now he takes on He-Man in the on-going battle for Greyskull Mountain to gain unlimited power and conquer all of Eternia.

Let's talk about his powers and abilities.  First of all, he's a sorcerer, he can shoot lightning out his hands, he can teleport himself and his minions and he's cunning and very intelligent.  And as wikipedia puts it, he's "privy to much secret knowledge about the universe."  On top of that, he's got the Havoc Staff, a staff-weapon that discharges bolts of mystic energy.  And hey, he's a more than decent swordsman on top of all that.  That'll come in handy when our two boys square off.


Darth Vader

That scene of him entering the rebel cruiser for the first time, smoke in the air, dead stormtroopers lying around him, black-as-sin cape swirling around him . . . oh my.  Still gives me goosebumps when I see it.  Then I remember that pitiful scream of loss and rage at the end of Episode III and I hate George all over again.  But Darth Vader as I first remember him, he's the incarnation of evil and that's who we're going to put up against Skeletor. 

Powers?  He's got the Force.  He can manipulate space and people's will.  He can kill at a distance and has prescient knowledge of the future.  He has an absurdly baritone voice.  Sure, that's not technically a power, but I'm giving it to him anyway.  He's a pretty baller pilot even if he can't hit an X-Wing Fighter flying down a narrow canyon right in front of him! Is it like pod-racing now, Ani?

He made his own lightsaber which can cut through flesh and bone and plasteel, and although we're told that he's a pretty good swordsman, I've seen him battle Obi-Wan and it wasn't all that impressive from where I was sitting.  But hey, he got better by Jedi.  On top of all that, even though he can't shoot lightning out of his fingers, he sure can take some.  And tossing his lord and master down an abyss to save his son proves, even if they are "more machine now than man," that he's got balls.

Round One: Fight!

Let me know what you think.  Rules are simple, Masters of the Universe (1987) continuity for Skeletor, and Episodes IV, V, VI for Vader (no books, comics, games, or whatever else from the extended universe).

There will be three rounds and whoever gets the most votes wins that round.  Voting continues for a week or so.  Get creative and have fun: post your vote in the comments below.