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Good Guys, Bad Guys and Explosions by Mike-oh

The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny. Wow. This is an unexpected treat. If you aren't already familiar with the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny then leave this site now and go straight to UltimateShowdown.org. And then come right back here, please.

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Welcome back. Now that we're all up to speed on this amazing Flash music video thing by Lemon Demon and Altf4, let's take a moment to reflect. "Good guys, bad guys and explosions — as far as the eye can see." And they're not lying, either. They promised the Ultimate Showdown and they delivered.

A showdown is only as good as its opponents. The Hulk VS the Thing = good. The Hulk VS Mother Teresa = not good. The very idea of an Ultimate Showdown is challenging just in itself. Guys will spend entire weekends arguing about who would be involved in an ultimate showdown. I love the classic line from the film "Stand By Me" where one kid asks "who would win in a fight between Mighty Mouse and Superman?" and the other kid responds with "Don't be stupid. Mighty Mouse is just a cartoon and Superman is a real guy."

And then ther's a more personal example of the fight poster created by me and an advertising buddy that features Bill Bernbach against Ron Popeil. Check it out here.

These are things that people really care about. Which is why I'm so happy with Lemon Demon and Altf4's solution to this particular challenge. Instead of settling on a big fight between two incredible brusiers, The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny is the story of a collosal brawl that involves if not an exhaustive list of heroes, then at least the most diverse one ever assembled.

It all starts with Godzilla and Batman but quickly evolves to include Shaq and Aaron Carter. By the time Abraham Lincoln crawls out of his grave and pulls an AK-47 out of his hat, the giddiness turns into real admiration. Heroes from every corner of every culture around the world are pulled into the fight. Godzilla, Jackie Chan, Optimus Prime, Abraham Lincoln, Superman, Benito Mussolini, and even Spock all join the fray. At last count, China (LoPan), Japan (Godzilla), Italy (Mario), England (the Black Knight), Canada (Keanu Reeves), the United States (Cowboy Curtis), Austria (the Terminator), the Middle East (Jambi the Genie), Hong Kong (Jackie Chan) and Russia (an AK-47) not to mention such far away places like Krypton (Superman), Tatooine (Darth Vader) or Vulcan (Spock) were represented by their fiercest warriors in this final battle to end all battles.

Part of the fun is spotting the heroes and villains that are never mentioned in the lyrics but only make their appearance in the animation. Watch closely and you can pick out R2-D2, C3PO, the Back to the Future Lamborgini, Samuel L. Jackson, Morpheus, Sonic the Hedgehog, and the Six Million Dollar Man. And then there more subtle homages. Like a close up on Godzilla's eyes a la The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. And Scruff McGruff taking a bite out of crime. Or Indiana Jones reaching for his pistol to discover it missing when he needs it most.

At one point, you're convinced that Chuck Norris is going to be celebrated as the Ultimate badass when he descends from heaven to kick some butt. But that's when it really gets good. Lemon Demon and Altf4 create the Ultimate Dogpile to take on Norris. Check out these lyrics:

then Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White and
"Monty Python and the Holy Grail"'s Black Knight and
Benito Mussolini and The Blue Meanie and
Cowboy Curtis and Jambi the Genie
Robocop, the Terminator, Captain Kirk, and Darth Vader
Lo Pan, Superman, every single Power Ranger
Bill S. Preston and Theodore Logan,
Spock, The Rock, Doc Ock, and Hulk Hogan
all came out of no where lightning fast
and they kicked Chuck Norris in his cowboy ass
it was the bloodiest battle the world ever saw
with civilians looking on in total awe

Just in case you didn't follow the instructions at the beginning of this article, I won't spoil the ending. It's a real surprise that I wouldn't want to ruin for anyone. But the biggest surprise to me was the music. When I first heard about the Flash video, I imagined it being mildly amusing like Radiskull and Devil Doll. And considering how fun and diverse the heroes are as well as all of the surprise appearances that are thrown in, the music could have sucked and this would still be awesome. But thanks to Lemon Demon, the music kicks as much ass as Jackie Chan. Hell, make that Chuck Norris. Go ahead and raise your hand right now if you replayed the Flash video more than twice. That's right. You replayed it the first time because you wanted to catch some of the action you missed in the first go around. But you replayed it a second time because you were jammin' to the awesome music. Lemon Demon rawks.

But mostly I really enjoy seeing Lo Pan get his props. Lo Pan rules! Indeed!

ABOUT OUR WRITERS

Disgruntled Dan
Old Danny Boy is not happy. Not happy at all. The state of comics, movies and video games is falling way short of his expectations. Check out Disgruntled Dan's
Letters of Discontent here — new letters every month.

Afro Thunder
A man with crazy Kung-Fu abilities and even crazier hair. But please, don't confuse yourself into thinking he's Jewish, or Arabian, or anything other than a curly-haired, half white, half mexican ninja. He also gives the whole low-down on games and movies, but avoids reviewing comics (he's loves 'em, but can't tell you what he thinks of 'em).

Mike-oh
Mike-oh works for an advertising agency which explains his need for all of the escapism he uses to soak up his spare time. At least he spends some of that time sharing his thoughts with us on his various distractions.