Best Melee Weapon In Superhero Movies/TV Shows?

[jolldan]

Well I previously covered guns and it seemed to be relatively popular so thought the only natural progression was to get a bit more medieval and take things back to swords, axe's, daggers, pikes and shields and since superhero's have so many, I thought they needed a list all of their own. Same rules as before only one weapon per hero!

Guns allow people to fight from a distance but melee weapons force combatants in to a much bloodier and closer encounter, with that in mind what do you think is the best straight up melee weapon in superhero movies/TV Shows.

***For the sake of this we will be ignoring any magical properties these weapons have taking them purely for there use in actual combat and lethality alone. ***

Wolverine: Claws

One big problem with melee combat is that you can easily drop or have your weapon knocked out of your hand leaving you defenceless, that isn't a problem for Wolverine's inbuilt retractable claws and just look how damn cool they are.

Batman: Batarang

This has been a mainstay weapon of Bats for years for one very good reason it works without having to actually engage an enemy and he usually carries many of these on his person, this leads the master of stealth to be able to take out multiple foes before he's even left the shadows. (Mechanical variations excluded)

Elektra: Twin Sai

Sai are one of those weapons that look super impractical but actually aren't as bad as they look, they actually offer a pretty balanced attack and defence with the large cross guards providing cover for your hands.

Captain America: Shield

Sure its primarily a defensive weapon but it undoubtedly has some great offense also and has the bonus of being duel use. While others might need to bring a shield and a sword this is all the weapon you will need on its own.

Daredevil: Billy Club

Offering a choice between one larger club or being separated in to two smaller ones Daredevil's billy club offers a good choice of options, its major let down would be its blunt nature makes it rather non lethal.

Aquaman: Trident


Right off the bat the trident gives you a seriously big advantage of just having so much length between you and your opponent. When one wrong move can mean the difference between success and losing a limb having a weapon so long that few enemies can get to your squishy pink stuff the better.

Thor: Stormbreaker

Now some of you might be sad I didn't pick Mjölnir for Thor's weapon lets get this out of the way if we take away all the magic of these weapons then Mjölnir's short reach and lack of lethality is a terrible weapon for actual combat. Stormbreaker however is a cross between a axe & a war hammer both great weapons.

Hawkgirl: Morningstar

Everything about this weapon is just nasty. No doubt any shot you land with this thing is going to do major damage the only downside (and disgusting side) is that with such big points it may get stuck in whatever you hit with it.

Wonder Woman: Sword

There is a reason that swords were some of the most popular weapons of medieval combat, they worked! They refined it and changed it over the years but there are probably few if any more successful weapons in combat from that time than a sword.

Hit Girl: Double-Bladed Polearm

What happens when you combine a sword and a staff? You get this beautiful piece of carnage, a weapon that can be wielded like a staff with blades at both ends or can separate in to two single weapons.

Neegan: Barbed Wire Baseball Bat

While it might not have the pedigree of a sword or axe the bat that he named Lucile is a perfect example of a modern melee weapon. Combining two nasty components to get an even nastier looking weapon.

V: Knives

Similar to Elektra's Sai's but they have a trade off of being far more lethal while also being far less useful defensively. As we know V carries at least six of these so he can attack from close quarters with them or choose to throw them from a distance.

Gambit: Bo Staff

More of a training weapon in theory but the bo staff can actually do a lot of blunt force trauma. The staff also provides Gambit with a decent amount of distance between him and his opponents. The major downside is without a bladed edge it can be broken by swords, axes or other bladed weapons.

Michelangelo: Nunchaku

More commonly known as nunchucks these are the personal weapon, of Michelangelo the TMNT resident jokester. I often thought as the youngest Mikey was the last one to the weapons table if he ended up with these. Because honestly these are terrible weapons, if you have ever tried to use them and hit yourself in the face or plums you'll know what I mean.

 

[2kt09]

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Cap's shield is such an iconic weapon and part of his look that I had to vote for it.

From a practical standpoint, it provides versatility that the others don't. Cap uses it in all sorts of different ways.

 

[Batmannerism]

Cap's shield is such an iconic weapon and part of his look that I had to vote for it.

From a practical standpoint, it provides versatility that the others don't. Cap uses it in all sorts of different ways.

I have to agree with that. Cap can do some serious damage with it, as well as deflect gunfire, absorb falls from great heights and ricochet it off targets. Pretty much an all-purpose weapon.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

 

[Breogan]

The mighty hammer!

 

[DarthSkywalker]

How is Wonder Woman's weapon not her lasso?

 

[arnauasitto]

Well I previously covered guns and it seemed to be relatively popular so thought the only natural progression was to get a bit more medieval and take things back to swords, axe's, daggers, pikes and shields and since superhero's have so many, I thought they needed a list all of their own. Same rules as before only one weapon per hero!

Guns allow people to fight from a distance but melee weapons force combatants in to a much bloodier and closer encounter, with that in mind what do you think is the best straight up melee weapon in superhero movies/TV Shows.

***For the sake of this we will be ignoring any magical properties these weapons have taking them purely for there use in actual combat and lethality alone. ***

Wolverine: Claws

One big problem with melee combat is that you can easily drop or have your weapon knocked out of your hand leaving you defenceless, that isn't a problem for Wolverine's inbuilt retractable claws and just look how damn cool they are.

Batman: Batarang

This has been a mainstay weapon of Bats for years for one very good reason it works without having to actually engage an enemy and he usually carries many of these on his person, this leads the master of stealth to be able to take out multiple foes before he's even left the shadows. (Mechanical variations excluded)

Elektra: Twin Sai

Sai are one of those weapons that look super impractical but actually aren't as bad as they look, they actually offer a pretty balanced attack and defence with the large cross guards providing cover for your hands.

Captain America: Shield

Sure its primarily a defensive weapon but it undoubtedly has some great offense also and has the bonus of being duel use. While others might need to bring a shield and a sword this is all the weapon you will need on its own.

Daredevil: Billy Club

Offering a choice between one larger club or being separated in to two smaller ones Daredevil's billy club offers a good choice of options, its major let down would be its blunt nature makes it rather non lethal.

Aquaman: Trident


Right off the bat the trident gives you a seriously big advantage of just having so much length between you and your opponent. When one wrong move can mean the difference between success and losing a limb having a weapon so long that few enemies can get to your squishy pink stuff the better.

Thor: Stormbreaker

Now some of you might be sad I didn't pick Mjölnir for Thor's weapon lets get this out of the way if we take away all the magic of these weapons then Mjölnir's short reach and lack of lethality is a terrible weapon for actual combat. Stormbreaker however is a cross between a axe & a war hammer both great weapons.

Hawkgirl: Morningstar

Everything about this weapon is just nasty. No doubt any shot you land with this thing is going to do major damage the only downside (and disgusting side) is that with such big points it may get stuck in whatever you hit with it.

Wonder Woman: Sword

There is a reason that swords were some of the most popular weapons of medieval combat, they worked! They refined it and changed it over the years but there are probably few if any more successful weapons in combat from that time than a sword.

Hit Girl: Double-Bladed Polearm

What happens when you combine a sword and a staff? You get this beautiful piece of carnage, a weapon that can be wielded like a staff with blades at both ends or can separate in to two single weapons.

Neegan: Barbed Wire Baseball Bat

While it might not have the pedigree of a sword or axe the bat that he named Lucile is a perfect example of a modern melee weapon. Combining two nasty components to get an even nastier looking weapon.

V: Knives

Similar to Elektra's Sai's but they have a trade off of being far more lethal while also being far less useful defensively. As we know V carries at least six of these so he can attack from close quarters with them or choose to throw them from a distance.

Gambit: Bo Staff

More of a training weapon in theory but the bo staff can actually do a lot of blunt force trauma. The staff also provides Gambit with a decent amount of distance between him and his opponents. The major downside is without a bladed edge it can be broken by swords, FMovies YesMovies SolarMovie axes or other bladed weapons.

Michelangelo: Nunchaku

More commonly known as nunchucks these are the personal weapon, of Michelangelo the TMNT resident jokester. I often thought as the youngest Mikey was the last one to the weapons table if he ended up with these. Because honestly these are terrible weapons, if you have ever tried to use them and hit yourself in the face or plums you'll know what I mean.

From a practical standpoint, it provides versatility that the others don't. Cap uses it in all sorts of different ways.

 

[Immortalfire]

Cap's shield

 

[Breogan]

How is Wonder Woman's weapon not her lasso?

Cause ever sense Pedro Pascal got his own "magic" lasso, she's had to downplay her own.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Cap's shield but Wolverine's Claws are a close second for me.

Cap's shied has the advantage of being used both defensively and offensively. It has close-up and distanced attacks, while also being able to absorb vibration...like Cap's "soft" landing in the Winter Soldier.

 

[Adhesive Boy]

Cap's shield but Wolverine's Claws are a close second for me.

Cap's shied has the advantage of being used both defensively and offensively. It has close-up and distanced attacks, while also being able to absorb vibration...like Cap's "soft" landing in the Winter Soldier.

Thor's weapons do the same (although tilted towards powerful offense compared to the powerful defensive tilt on the shield) and instead of being able to dampen a fall they give the ability of actual flight.

 

[Hammer!]

Batman barely uses his batarangs in the films for some reason. Especially in the last two Nolan films, I think even he forgot he had them. Just an observation rewatching the trilogy for the first time in five years.

Cap's shield is the obvious answer.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Thor's weapons do the same (although tilted towards powerful offense compared to the powerful defensive tilt on the shield) and instead of being able to dampen a fall they give the ability of actual flight.

I'm not sure if Stormbreaker gives Thor the ability to fly, but it seems like he was able to fly in Ragnarok after his power upgrade. And Mjolnir wasn't actually capable of flight, it just "pulled" Thor through the air.

I also don't think Stormbreaker or Mjolnir can absorb vibration or impact as well as Vibranium. They are durable weapons, though...well, Stormbreaker is, anyway.

And as great as Stormbreaker is/Mjolnir was, neither of them have the iconography of Cap's shield.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

I'm not sure if Stormbreaker gives Thor the ability to fly, but it seems like he was able to fly in Ragnarok after his power upgrade. And Mjolnir wasn't actually capable of flight, it just "pulled" Thor through the air.

I also don't think Stormbreaker or Mjolnir can absorb vibration or impact as well as Vibranium. They are durable weapons, though...well, Stormbreaker is, anyway.

And as great as Stormbreaker is/Mjolnir was, neither of them have the iconography of Cap's shield.

Mjolnir definitely allowed Thor to fly. He could move in any direction and even hover in place, plus that he literally says it allowed him to fly in Ragnarok. Stormbreaker does the same as we only see him jump in Ragnarok and IW without it. Unlike Mjolnir it seems to be untied to momentum as well.

As the poster said the weapons aren't as good as the shield in defense, but they are far more powerful than the shield offensively. If you have the worthiness or power to use them.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Mjolnir definitely allowed Thor to fly. He could move in any direction and even hover in place, plus that he literally says it allowed him to fly in Ragnarok. Stormbreaker does the same as we only see him jump in Ragnarok and IW without it. Unlike Mjolnir it seems to be untied to momentum as well.

As the poster said the weapons aren't as good as the shield in defense, but they are far more powerful than the shield offensively. If you have the worthiness or power to use them.

Thor never hovered in place with Mjolnir in any of the movies prior to Ragnarok, unless he was spinning it over his head like helicopter rotors. It had to be constantly in motion for that. The clear difference now is that Thor can hover without using an aid, aside from his inherent abilities. In Ragnarok, Thor explains to Korg that he would spin Mjolnir and it would "pull him off". It is not flight so much as extreme momentum. I understand what you are saying, but there is a difference.

Also, I never questioned the power of Thor's weapons. I'm aware they are crazy powerful. This discussion isn't necessarily about the power-levels of the weaponry, though. We surely wouldn't have Batarangs or Elektra's sai on the poll if that were the case.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

Thor never hovered in place with Mjolnir in any of the movies prior to Ragnarok, unless he was spinning it over his head like helicopter rotors. It had to be constantly in motion for that. The clear difference now is that Thor can hover without using an aid, aside from his inherent abilities. In Ragnarok, Thor explains to Korg that he would spin Mjolnir and it would "pull him off". It is not flight so much as extreme momentum. I understand what you are saying, but there is a difference.

Also, I never questioned the power of Thor's weapons. I'm aware they are crazy powerful. This discussion isn't necessarily about the power-levels of the weaponry, though. We surely wouldn't have Batarangs or Elektra's sai on the poll if that were the case.

The quote in Ragnarok to which I referred is "...when I spun it really, really fast it gave me the ability to fly". A clear, literal reference to flying. We've also seen plenty of times that Mjolnir didn't need to be spun to fly, and it could change direction and go indefinitely so it's by no means just operating on momentum. We've actually even seen Thor use it to fly without spinning it, like when he jumps off the balcony and catches it in TDW. Furthermore I don't agree on that Thor can fly on his own now. When he arrives on the Rainbow bridge it looks like the end of a huge jump, and that's the closest we've seen. Otherwise we saw him hitch a ride with a jumping Hulk to escape that scene, and he also just jumps, not flies, when he moves around on Nidavellir. The only time we see him fly post Mjolnir is in Wakanda, wielding Stormbreaker.

I mentioned the offensive power as a point of balance to you talking about that the power of the defensive capabilities of the shield is greater than those of Thor's weapons.

As for what the discussion is about, I'm just discussing the comparison of abilities that was brought up. I'm not running a debate on which weapon is supposed to be someone's favorite.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

The quote in Ragnarok to which I referred is "...when I spun it really, really fast it gave me the ability to fly". A clear, literal reference to flying. We've also seen plenty of times that Mjolnir didn't need to be spun to fly, and it could change direction and go indefinitely so it's by no means just operating on momentum. We've actually even seen Thor use it to fly without spinning it, like when he jumps off the balcony and catches it in TDW. Furthermore I don't agree on that Thor can fly on his own now. When he arrives on the Rainbow bridge it looks like the end of a huge jump, and that's the closest we've seen. Otherwise we saw him hitch a ride with a jumping Hulk to escape that scene, and he also just jumps, not flies, when he moves around on Nidavellir. The only time we see him fly post Mjolnir is in Wakanda, wielding Stormbreaker.

I mentioned the offensive power as a point of balance to you talking about that the power of the defensive capabilities of the shield is greater than those of Thor's weapons.

As for what the discussion is about, I'm just discussing the comparison of abilities that was brought up. I'm not running a debate on which weapon is supposed to be someone's favorite.

Thor explains in the quote you posted that he had to spin Mjolnir in order to "fly". And after that, in the very same scene, Thor gets even more specific with a confused Korg, explaining, "I used to spin it really fast, and it would pull me off the--" Before he's interrupted by Korg again, asking if the hammer pulled him off. They very clearly explain Mjolnir's flight abilities in a comedic way.

In the ledge jumping scene, Thor grabs onto a Mjolnir that is already in motion in order to take off. While not always consistently shown, the point was that Mjolnir had to already be in a state of motion in order for Thor to pull off and "fly" with it.

In Wakanda, Thor is seen levitating(?)/flying without us ever needing to see Stormbreaker in motion prior to that. He's not going off the hammer's momentum anymore. Been a while since I've seen IW, so might be remembering something wrong?

The quote below in spoilers is dated, and the guy was asking a question..but he seems to have an understanding of Mjolnir's abilities.

Spoiler

As we see during the movies Thor and The Avengers, Thor is capable of pseudo-flight when he has the use of Mjolnir. When he is without his trusty hammer, he can certainly use his increased agility and strength to leap great distances, but we have not seen him fly unaided.

When he flies with Mjolnir, he appears to spin the hammer to build momentum, and then releases the built momentum to throw himself extreme distances. Is that part of Mjolnir's magic? If it were a matter of the hammer's weight, merely spinning it should throw Thor around. Does Mjolnir only gain mass when Thor intends it to? Or is there other magic at work here?

How does Thor's flight work exactly?

I had assumed it was already known that Thor never actually "flew" with Mjolnir. Not really worth a debate, though. I respect your opinion. I think we can both agree that while Thor's hammer is significantly more powerful than Cap's shield, it is nowhere near as iconic. That's why it wins for me. Functionality, style and iconography.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

Thor explains in the quote you posted that he had to spin Mjolnir in order to "fly". And after that, in the very same scene, Thor gets even more specific with a confused Korg, explaining, "I used to spin it really fast, and it would pull me off the--" Before he's interrupted by Korg again, asking if the hammer pulled him off. They very clearly explain Mjolnir's flight abilities in a comedic way.

In the ledge jumping scene, Thor grabs onto a Mjolnir that is already in motion in order to take off. While not always consistently shown, the point was that Mjolnir had to already be in a state of motion in order for Thor to pull off and "fly" with it.

In Wakanda, Thor is seen levitating(?)/flying without us ever needing to see Stormbreaker in motion prior to that. He's not going off the hammer's momentum anymore. Been a while since I've seen IW, so might be remembering something wrong?

The quote below in spoilers is dated, and the guy was asking a question..but he seems to have an understanding of Mjolnir's abilities.

Spoiler

As we see during the movies Thor and The Avengers, Thor is capable of pseudo-flight when he has the use of Mjolnir. When he is without his trusty hammer, he can certainly use his increased agility and strength to leap great distances, but we have not seen him fly unaided.

When he flies with Mjolnir, he appears to spin the hammer to build momentum, and then releases the built momentum to throw himself extreme distances. Is that part of Mjolnir's magic? If it were a matter of the hammer's weight, merely spinning it should throw Thor around. Does Mjolnir only gain mass when Thor intends it to? Or is there other magic at work here?

How does Thor's flight work exactly?

I had assumed it was already known that Thor never actually "flew" with Mjolnir. Not really worth a debate, though. I respect your opinion. I think we can both agree that while Thor's hammer is significantly more powerful than Cap's shield, it is nowhere near as iconic. That's why it wins for me. Functionality, style and iconography.

You seem to have an odd definition of flying. If you can travel through the air at will, changing direction as you want, you are flying. Or well, even I'm being too narrow as if you're sitting in an airplane that travels in the air you're flying as well. My statement was that Mjolnir allowed Thor to fly, and it did.

The ledge jumping scene shows that Thor doesn't have to create all momentum with it himself, the hammer can do it and that's why he's able to fly to such an advanced degree, that it's just not him throwing the hammer and it pulling him with him and then failing when the momentum of the throw runs out.

I wouldn't advise trying to bring in physics into the discussion of how Mjolnir functions because real life physics and super powers generally don't mix well. If Thor hit someone he'd be subject to a counter force equal to the one he hit his foe with, so both would be sent flying in each direction. A speedster would burn up from the friction in the air. The list goes on.

As for Stormbreaker, I never said it worked in the same way as Mjolnir. The issue I'm pointing at is that Thor couldn't fly on Nidavellir and just made zero gravity jumps. When he arrives in Wakanda with Stormbreaker he can apparently fly, which logically means that it's one of the effects of the powerful weapon until we see him fly without it.

When it comes to iconic imagery, it probably depends on where you are. The shield would be at maximum iconic level in the US, as it represents the nation's flag. In Sweden Mjolnir has been a big symbol since before the country existed and it has plenty of meaning here. I don't have any issues with you preferring the Shield though. It's subjective and I agree that the shield is awesome.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

You seem to have an odd definition of flying. If you can travel through the air at will, changing direction as you want, you are flying. Or well, even I'm being too narrow as if you're sitting in an airplane that travels in the air you're flying as well. My statement was that Mjolnir allowed Thor to fly, and it did.

The ledge jumping scene shows that Thor doesn't have to create all momentum with it himself, the hammer can do it and that's why he's able to fly to such an advanced degree, that it's just not him throwing the hammer and it pulling him with him and then failing when the momentum of the throw runs out.

I wouldn't advise trying to bring in physics into the discussion of how Mjolnir functions because real life physics and super powers generally don't mix well. If Thor hit someone he'd be subject to a counter force equal to the one he hit his foe with, so both would be sent flying in each direction. A speedster would burn up from the friction in the air. The list goes on.

As for Stormbreaker, I never said it worked in the same way as Mjolnir. The issue I'm pointing at is that Thor couldn't fly on Nidavellir and just made zero gravity jumps. When he arrives in Wakanda with Stormbreaker he can apparently fly, which logically means that it's one of the effects of the powerful weapon until we see him fly without it.

When it comes to iconic imagery, it probably depends on where you are. The shield would be at maximum iconic level in the US, as it represents the nation's flag. In Sweden Mjolnir has been a big symbol since before the country existed and it has plenty of meaning here. I don't have any issues with you preferring the Shield though. It's subjective and I agree that the shield is awesome.

Yeah, Mjolnir definitely enabled Thor to "fly", but I won't think that was a big point of contention between us. Mjolnir soars though I'm going to refer to Thor's old style of flight as pseudo-flight, like the guy did in my quote. That's what it was, being tugged through the air like that. Now he just flies, but I'm out of debating-juice honestly. I could reference everything you've just said, but it wouldn't do any good. We'll most likely never agree on this subject.

And Cap's shield is iconic around the world, surprisingly regardless of your region. If you did a worldly poll for Cap's shield vs Thors hammer, the shield would most likely win. In the end, let's just agree to disagree.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

Yeah, Mjolnir definitely enabled Thor to "fly", but I won't think that was a big point of contention between us. Mjolnir soars though I'm going to refer to Thor's old style of flight as pseudo-flight, like the guy did in my quote. That's what it was, being tugged through the air like that. Now he just flies, but I'm out of debating-juice honestly. I could reference everything you've just said, but it wouldn't do any good. We'll most likely never agree on this subject.

And Cap's shield is iconic around the world, surprisingly regardless of your region. If you did a worldly poll for Cap's shield vs Thors hammer, the shield would most likely win. In the end, let's just agree to disagree.

If it's "pseudo-flight" just because it's the item flying then Iron Man has pseudo-flight as well, given that it's his armor that propels him, and neither have been described like that since the comics began. Both are listed as having the ability to fly with their equipment.

Thor's hammer is iconic around the world as well, I just said that where it's the most iconic depends on the culture. I wouldn't bet on that the shield would win since Mjolnir has an unfair advantage, being present in so much more than comic book related things, like music, novels, etc. I'm fine with agreeing to disagree as it's not exactly something we'll be able to poll.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

If it's "pseudo-flight" just because it's the item flying then Iron Man has pseudo-flight as well, given that it's his armor that propels him, and neither have been described like that since the comics began. Both are listed as having the ability to fly with their equipment.

Thor's hammer is iconic around the world as well, I just said that where it's the most iconic depends on the culture. I wouldn't bet on that the shield would win since Mjolnir has an unfair advantage, being present in so much more than comic book related things, like music, novels, etc. I'm fine with agreeing to disagree as it's not exactly something we'll be able to poll.

I'll just leave this video here explaining Thor's hammer. Stan Lee even personally explains it. Starts at around the 20 second mark.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

I'll just leave this video here explaining Thor's hammer. Stan Lee even personally explains it. Starts at around the 15 second mark.

I'm well aware of that but it actually doesn't work like that he flies with the momentum of his throw, the hammer does fly with its own force. If that wasn't the case he wouldn't be able to change direction once he starts flying, and yet Thor has no trouble doing so. He'd also not be able to change speeds, and would always have to guess how long he needs to fly and adjust his throw accordingly, or frequently crash into the ground at immense speed. We're back at my point of not mixing in real life physics, except for making humorous examples to describe aspects of physics with, like the video.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

I'm well aware of that but it actually doesn't work like that he flies with the momentum of his throw, the hammer does fly with its own force. If that wasn't the case he wouldn't be able to change direction once he starts flying, and yet Thor has no trouble doing so. He'd also not be able to change speeds, and would always have to guess how long he needs to fly and adjust his throw accordingly, or frequently crash into the ground at immense speed. We're back at my point of not mixing in real life physics, except for making humorous examples to describe aspects of physics with, like the video.

Okay, dude. I've provided proof now, so there's not much else I can do. Real life physics or not(which it never really is, anyway), Stan Lee himself explained the concept...can't really say he's wrong when the man created the concept. But you believe what you choose, of course.

It was never meant to be taken as literal science, but like most of Marvel's early heroes, Stan wanted to explain their abilities through pseudo-science. Mjolnir is enchanted, so of course it's not going to be completely anchored to our human laws of gravity. That was never the intention.

 

[Iceman]

Nice thread.

And this is going to be way too hard to choose!