I’m Putting Together A Team - ROUND ONE
Sinister Supers vs Sequel Soldiers
I’m putting together a team… multiple teams, in fact.
The roll call has been answered and we’ve been debriefed on the details of the rosters. Welcome to the first round of the first fearsome foursomes that will enter the tournament of fantasy fictional smackdowns.
Before the figurative fracas begins, we will quickly review the initial set of competitors.
1 Sinister Supers
Evil versions of Superman
Ultraman
Superboy Prime
Omni-Man
Homelander
We launch in a huge way with the “Sinister Supers,” a group of evil versions of the Big Blue Boy Scout himself—-of course, I’m referring to none other than Superman. While the true Man of Tomorrow will sit this one out, his dark reflections will be all too happy to provide the super-beatdowns. These extra-dimensional, twisted variants of the Man of Steel match his Kryptonian super strength, flight, and several other incredible preternatural abilities, but these costumed characters are not quite as interested in truth and justice.
2 Sequel Soldiers
Heroes of second installments of movie franchises that were better than the original
T-800 (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
Corporal Hicks (Aliens)
Rambo (Rambo: First Blood Part II)
Peacemaker (The Suicide Squad)
The second time's the charm for these cinematic commandos, and they have the box office blowouts to back them up. Each member of this “Part Two” party is featured in a film that is widely considered to be superior to the first. Subjectivity can sway opinions, but there is no doubt that these characters are a force to be reckoned with.
Before the opening bell, a disclaimer: well, maybe an explanation rather than any kind of warning - or maybe just a statement of fact. I don’t use AI in the writing of this blog or any of my books, nor do I use AI in the creation of any of the art used in my novels and stories or this blog (except for the blog entry that was specifically about AI). Since I don’t use artificial intelligence in any “official” capacity, I enjoy finding outlets that allow me to play with the generative content. It is because of this reason that I utilized ChatGPT to generate the outcome of this fantasy matchup. In addition to exploring what the program could do, using ChatGPT provided a level of spontaneity that I found much more interesting than flipping a coin or any other arbitrary method of determining the results of hypothetical scenarios that are—let’s be honest—not that serious to begin with.
Okay, now that’s out of the way, let’s roll the dice and check out the unpredictable outcome of these two crazy squads facing off!
(Note: minor edits were made to the results, such as correcting certain names)
The prompt: “Write a detailed description of a confrontation between two unlikely teams competing in the first round of an oddball eight-team bracket tournament - the first four-person team is called the “Sinister Supers” consisting of Ultraman and Superboy Prime from DC Comics, Homelander from “The Boys” comic books, and Omni-Man from the “Invincible” comics. The team they face is called “Sequel Soldiers,” consisting of T-800 from Terminator 2, Corporal Dwayne Hicks from Aliens, John Rambo from Rambo: First Blood Part 2, and Peacemaker from The Suicide Squad. The teams must compete in a mystery stipulation that does not use physical violence.”
The results:
Got it — here’s a vivid, tournament-style confrontation write-up between those two wildly mismatched teams, where fists and laser eyes aren’t allowed:
IPTAT Tournament Bracket: First Round Showdown
Matchup: The Sinister Supers vs. The Sequel Soldiers
Stipulation: Ultimate Public Relations Smackdown!
(Competitors are forbidden from using physical violence. Instead, they must outdo each other in a televised live-audience “PR challenge” designed to sway the crowd with charisma, persuasion, and strategic teamwork. Judges award points based on speech, spectacle, and crowd control.)
Opening
The arena lights blaze to life. A massive holographic bracket hovers overhead, showing seven more empty spots, but all eyes are locked on this clash of titans versus soldiers. Instead of weapons racks or combat obstacles, tonight’s battlefield is a sprawling studio stage with podiums, microphones, press photographers, and an audience of skeptical citizens.
The announcer bellows:
“Forget fists! Forget firepower! Tonight’s clash is about IMAGE, INFLUENCE, and PROPAGANDA!”
The crowd roars—half thrilled, half confused.
Round One: Speeches
Homelander steps forward first for the Sinister Supers. His smile is plastic, his cape perfectly arranged, his voice dripping with faux patriotism. He launches into a tirade about protecting America, his words carefully rehearsed. But the audience begins to squirm when his tone turns menacing—subtly implying that “love” is mandatory and dissent dangerous. Points docked for creeping people out.
John Rambo answers for the Sequel Soldiers. He doesn’t give speeches—he growls. His broken sentences about “fighting for freedom, but being forgotten” hit like gut punches. The raw honesty earns a wave of sympathetic applause.
Score after round one: Soldiers edge ahead.
Round Two: Visual Demonstrations
Ultraman and Superboy Prime try a joint act. Ultraman conjures cosmic projections (author note: not sure where ChatGPT got that power from for Ultraman) while Superboy Prime rants about how no one understands him. The display is dazzling but self-absorbed—audience members are dazzled, but unimpressed with Prime’s whining.
Corporal Hicks counters with simplicity. He wheels out a salvaged pulse rifle, projects a hologram of xenomorphs, and calmly explains tactical survival. His understated, military-briefing style makes the Supers’ theatrics look overblown. The crowd respects competence over drama.
Round Three: Crowd Work
Omni-Man tries. He steps forward, beard bristling, and speaks softly about duty, family, and legacy. It almost works—until he mentions that “sometimes you have to wipe out whole civilizations for the greater good.” Gasps. Boos. A tomato flies.
Peacemaker leaps at his chance. He struts onto the stage in full costume, screams about how he’ll kill—or rather “represent peace”—for any man, woman, or child who stands in the way. Somehow, his absurd confidence flips the room. The crowd laughs, cheers, and waves cardboard peace signs.
The Final Round: Team Collaboration
Both teams are told to create a campaign ad in 60 seconds.
Sinister Supers’ ad is a glossy nightmare: heroic music, super-slow-motion shots of capes flapping, and the slogan: “Obey us, or else.” The crowd reacts with nervous silence.
Sequel Soldiers scramble but nail authenticity. Rambo sharpens his knife, Hicks loads his rifle, Peacemaker throws up a peace sign, and the T-800 delivers the perfect deadpan closer: “Vote Soldiers, if you want to live.”
The place erupts.
Decision
The judges raise their cards:
Unanimous victory for the Sequel Soldiers!
The Supers seethe—Prime yells about unfairness, Homelander forces a grin that twitches at the edges, Omni-Man mutters about “weak humans.” Meanwhile, the Soldiers raise their fists (and peace signs) to thunderous applause.
The bracket updates above: Sequel Soldiers advance to Round Two.
…And there you have it, the randomized, unbiased results of these two mismatched teams squaring off in an unexpected series of contests.
Next up: getting to know the second set of group of kindred characters:
Team 3: Spin-Off Superstars
Characters who outgrew their original shows and flourished in their own series
Angel (Angel)
Saul Goodman (Better Call Saul)
Frasier (Frasier)
White Canary/Sara Lance (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow)
Team 4: Immortals
Eternal characters who have a hard time dying
Duncan MacLeod (Highlander: The Series)
Vandal Savage (DC Comics)
Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who/Torchwood)
Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
The next blog will focus on everyone’s favorite vampire with a soul, Angel.
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