March Multimedia Multiverse Madness, Match 3: Kuvira v. Cassandra Cain

March Madness 2022

Fighting now: Kurvira from Legend of Korra

Frantz: Kuvira will give you those hands. Both of them. Over and over again. Who else gave the fade to both Beifongs, Su Yin and Lin? Who else took it to the Avatar one D, on neutral ground, after Korra trained for mad long with earth and metal benders? Just Kuvira and them two hands. Metal bending against the innovators of the art like she built Ba Sing Se on rock and roll. Big, bold and loud. Nothing quiet about the skills. Unlike Cassandra Cain, who might be able to get her fists involved—you know what? I’ma let Cassandra speak for herself… Oh yeah, that’s right. We’re not gonna forget that Kuvira ran the Earth Empire, right? Utilizing a level of cunning and strategy never before seen in her world. Homegirl has the brains to think big picture while fighting one on one. Cass is more often than not running around crippled by her PTSD.

Down to the details: Hung-Gar itself is the most balanced and powerful of the Chinese martial disciplines. That’s Tiger style (hard power) and Crane style (soft power). Being balanced and cool-headed is Kuvira’s whole steez. Add to that what Kuvira has at her immediate disposal: armor plates from head to toe that can be used to create projectiles AND a dynamic moving defense. Kuvira can move armor wherever she needs to at any time. Oh, and THE EARTH ITSELF is at her beck and call. Gotta put some respect on Cassandra Cain’s name, her list of feats are extraordinary; Kuvira and Cassandra are each brilliant and accomplished fighters but this fight comes down to scale. Kuvira is boxing with the elements and Cassie’s arms might be a little too short to box with god.

Faces off with: Cassandra Cain, Batgirl

Cassandra Cain
Gif credit: Feralnova

Lauren: The winner of power vs skill? Cassandra Cain, no question.

Kuvira’s fighting depends on projectiles ranging from gigantic boulders to thin knives, a technique weak against Cass’ agile precision. At her fastest, Cass has dodged several bullets in a row from different guns. For comparison, an average bullet travels about 1,700 mph while the world record for fastest baseball pitch clocks in at 105.1 mph. Even assuming Kuvira’s jing adds superhuman speed, Earth Bending’s roots in real-world Hung Gar means strong stances with easily telegraphed moves. Cass’ main strength lies in reading body language, and you can’t hit a target that sees you coming.

Cass also demonstrated, fighting Shadow Thief, that it only takes a few moves for her to learn brand new martial arts forms enough to be recognizable to the practitioner. Plus after you’ve taken down Supergirl, ground spikes are just cute.

So here’s your play-by-play: both fighters enter the neutral territory, assumedly with enough earth and/or metal to provide a source for Kuvira and enough hiding spots for Cass to keep the fight balanced. Both women rely on observing their opponent, but Cass’ training gives her the advantage in securing a space where she’s both undetected and able to watch. While this might not throw off Kuvira’s poise, it’s going to give Cass enough time to familiarize herself with her enemy’s movements (when she turns to the left her shoulder does this, her foot moves that way, etc). Cassandra’s first attack will force Kuvira to defend herself, but by the time she’s conjured the rock or metal she needs, Cass will have found the holes. By then it’s a wrap. Among many techniques in her arsenal is the ability to stop an opponent’s heart with a single strike, or at the very least, render them unconscious.

Check all of our matches in this year’s March Multimedia Multiverse Madness, and vote in our Twitter polls, following the hashtag #MarchMultimediaMultiverseMadness.

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