We're in the thick of March Madness, where everyone bets on college basketball teams. We here at WinterIsComing are getting in on the fun with Fandom Madness, where we pit dozens of characters from the worlds of sci-fi, fantasy, movies, books and TV against each other until there's only one left standing!
We already went through the first round of our tournament the other week. Heroes rose and heroes fell. Paul Atreides of Dune fame struck down the mighty Godzilla. Superman bested his contemporary Snow White. Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings felled the Predator. Both of our big book heroes — Kaladin Stormblessed from The Stormlight Archive and Kvothe from The Kingkiller Chronicle were taken out in the first round. But such is the way of Fandom Madness.
Behold the latest bracket below. Who advances next? That's entirely up to you:
Below are the polls for the second round. Vote however you please. You set the rules. Are you voting based on who you think would win in a fight? You can. Are voting based on who you'd rather spend time in an airport check-out line with? That also works. Who has the better haircut? Totally valid. It doesn't matter why you vote, just that you do!
Batman vs James Bond
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) March 24, 2025
Galadriel (The Lord of the Rings) vs Mister Fantastic (Fantastic Four)
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) March 24, 2025
Cassian Andor (Star Wars) vs Moiraine (The Wheel of Time)
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) March 24, 2025
Captain America vs Mark Grayson (Invincible)
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) March 24, 2025
Gandalf (The Lord of the Rings) vs Lestat (Interview With The Vampire)
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) March 24, 2025
Ser Duncan the Tall (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms) vs Rand al'Thor (The Wheel of Time)
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) March 24, 2025
Negan (The Walking Dead) vs Harry Potter
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) March 24, 2025
Percy Jackson vs Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) March 24, 2025
Here's the schedule for the rest of the tournament:
- First Round: March 20-21 (DONE)
- Second Round: March 24-26
- Sweet 16: March 27-28
- Elite Eight: March 29-31
- Final Four: April 4-5
- Fandom championship game: April 7
The winner of the 2025 Fandom Madness tournament will have songs composed in their honor, to be sung in the highest of halls until the end of the world. The losers will wander the earth like restless ghosts, unable to escape the spectre of shame. It's a big responsibility you take onto your shoulders, voting for which of two fictional characters you'd rather click on, but someone's gotta do it.
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