#MakeThisBattle Feedback - March 9th

Apologies for the delay in getting you feedback on the recent MTB submissions. Rather than wait any longer I have asked EpicLLOYD to step into the frame and provide feedback on the match-ups. [Pete is still very much embroiled in 'imminent baby birth mode'!]

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Tom Cruise vs Jackie Chan [submitted by Mortal]

This is really interesting. I like both of these characters and both are worthy of a battle. I love that they are similar enough to merit the match up, but also have enough differences to make them able to bring interesting arguments to the table. It's also great to have some diversity in the characters as well. Only drawback I can see is that we'd need to hire some very legit stunt people to pull off some of the movements. That said, I know a guy who looks a lot like Tom Cruise who I did some stunt work with while up in Toronto shooting Epic Studios. He'd be pretty perfect for Tom. At least that's a start.

Amelia Earhart vs Dale Earnhardt Sr [submitted by Eoghan, Alanomaly, Positive Padsey]

I dig this. I've been wanting to find a good battle for Amelia Earhart for a long time. Her story is fascinating and captivating and I think we lose sight of how truly magnetizing she was at the height of her era. The tragedy of her story almost makes it ripe for jokes. Matching her up against Dale Earnhardt Sr. is kinda perfect. Two people who died while pushing their passions to the limit. NASCAR is massive and I think we could hit a good pocket of fans and really honor the memory of Dale if we did it right. It'd be a unique challenge to get the machinery i.e. planes and cars into the battle in the right way. But, I think that'd be what would make it special. The only red flag is that this battle might be expensive and based on the results of some battles i.e. Hawk vs Gretzky and Ruth vs Lance Armstrong we might only see niche audience viewership.  

Salvador Dali vs Groucho Marx [submitted by ToddNoScope]

I don't see this. I don't get the connection right away and both these characters are kind of a deep cut. I only know one painting by Dali and so the bulk of his verses would have to be teaching viewers about his work and then crafting jokes that were based on this new knowledge. That's fine but we'd have to do the same thing for Groucho Marx. In my opinion, the only way to do Groucho Marx is if he's with the Marx Brothers. End of the day i think these are both cool characters that would be better served being matched up with different combinations. Maybe Dali with another famous artist who's more current like Banksy or Andy Warhol; and Groucho as a part of the Marx Brothers facing a funnier combo. 

Neil Armstrong vs Galileo [submitted by Bantha117]

This is fun. Definitely not a smash hit in popularity but historically it needs to be done.  We haven't hit space exploration much outside of Neil Degrasse Tyson and the space race was MASSIVE in the 60's. Neil Armstrong was a dry and calculated person by nature. Not hot-headed and unshakeable. That would take a strong performance to pull off. Galileo is more open to interpretation, so it could be a little more colorful. I could see this match-up being a great place to bring in a really big named guest star to give it a little extra punch. Maybe the return of Weird Al. Or maybe Dan Avidan from Ninja Sex Party.  

Alan Turing vs Ada Lovelace [submitted by Positive Padsey]

Meh. I get it, but it doesn't strike me as fun at all. Not great curb appeal and super heady. I like the idea of representing a strong woman in the field of computer science but I'd want to match her up with someone else who is much more well known; so the battle has a chance to succeed on a broader level. Feels like this match-up could get lost in a sea of deep cut jokes and spend a ton of time trying to layout information so the context of the raps could be understood. Alan Turing also merits a battle at some point, but I just don't see it being against Lovelace.

Marco Polo vs Han Solo [submitted by purplekiren]

Not bad. It's funny on paper. The title makes me smile so that's a good start. I like that its fantasy against real history. I get the connection and both characters are rich with lore and detail. I'm going on record sating that Han Solo without Chewbacca is a waste of time. I'd want to know for sure how we work Chewie into the battle in a real way. Maybe a beatbox verse Chewie style or he raps in his own words and we just translate them in the subtitles.  This battle I think could be a big hit for the series if we nailed the casting and performance for Solo. Not sure I'm right. Solo is so subtle and suave and it's a real stretch for my sweet spot performance-wise. I'd want to be Chewie anyways. :) Although I could probably play Polo. Or it could be another great spot for a big-name guest. 

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Monk's Hot Takes

Some of you may be unaware but HeadMonk (ERB's manager) selects the final 6+ match-up suggestions for each round of makethisbattle - Pete & Lloyd are then asked to provide feedback. In the first and potentially only 'Monk's Hot Takes' section; here are his thoughts on two characters from this round. 

Salvador Dali: There is always a lot of chatter about having more painters in a future ERB. Van Gogh vs Andy Warhol is the one that crops up time and time again. But, I truly believe Salvador Dali is a lot more entertaining as a potential character. He was flamboyant and eccentric. His work was far more imaginative then most of his peers. And he had a cool as f**k moustache. He perhaps suffers from a lack of real knowledge about him in the USA. But, I think he could be perfect as a bigger than life type of character in an ERB, and Zach or Pete could really embrace that whole wild, zany side that Dali brings in bucket loads. I am not sure what the perfect opponent would be. But, Groucho Marx sounded like a funny idea to me and it's one I hadn't heard of before. The link I assume is the big moustaches and their eccentric nature. I certainly like the idea of not just putting two painters together. We did that already with Picasso vs Ross. I don't see any need to repeat that - other than a lack of imagination. :) PS I will disagree with Lloyd. I don't think we need all the Marx brothers. Groucho on is own is fine with me.

Neil Armstrong: ERB needs an astronaut sooner or later. I am 100% on that. And I think Armstrong is the only real choice. (Maybe Buzz too - but only together - Buzz wouldn't work on his own) The issue with Armstrong is he seems pretty straight as an individual in that he isn't super interesting as a person. But... Space, NASA, the rockets, moon landings, exploration of the stars is the stuff that kids dreams are made of. And that's why I think we need an astronaut; and as a consequence that means we do NEED Armstrong. I watched the recent documentary footage on Apollo 11 and just found it completely fascinating. Finding him the perfect opponent is tricky. But, Galileo is certainly someone who could fit the bill. He's another character that I think needs to be in an ERB one day, as the recognised father of modern science. I also personally like the idea of Rick Sanchez appearing as a third party in Armstrong vs Galileo, which I think would open it up the whole battle to appeal to all sorts of people - and annoy those poor souls who don't like anything that is a little bit 'out there'. 

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As this round closes - a new round begins!!! 

The theme this time is "Courage and Heroism". It could be a match-up featuring a mythical hero. Or it could be a real life character from history who demonstrated huge courage. Or anything that loosely fits the theme.

As ever you can ignore this theme completely if you wish!

Same rules apply as normal. Three suggestions per person. You can post them in the comments below, email them to erbpatreon@gmail.com or post them on the Discord server in the dedicated '#make-this-battle' channel.

Deadline for submissions is... 9am PT on Monday March 23rd.