2000 Blog Posts Special: Top 25 Epic Final Battles

 
Earlier this year, I celebrated this blog's 10-year anniversary. Today we celebrate another milestone; blog post number 2000! Honestly I never thought I would ever reach this stage, but here we are. Now you've all heard me go on about the many battles that take place in various media and sometimes I have been known to rinse and repeat these lists. But this time, it really is what I consider the final battle. Battles that have had plenty of build up across a few games, films, seasons and so on with the minimum for me being at least 3 before the big one. Of course its all battles I've seen and as it is final battles I am concentrating on, the build up is also something I will take into consideration. With that, let's gear up and face the inevitable (and be ready for spoilers):

25 - Saving Emmett (The LEGO Movie)

The world of LEGO can be a dangerous place. It's especially dangerous when the people playing with it are at war with each other as this can affect the world of imagination in a negative way. Now in the LEGO Movie universe, there have been plenty of final fights in which Emmett convinced Lord Business that change is good, Batman told Joker that despite his tough exterior his life would be nothing without him and all the people connected to him and Lloyd told his dad that regardless of his actions he finally accepts him as his father. But the final battle here that really takes the cake is this one where Emmett meets a hardened future version of himself and realises that he and all his friends have been manipulated by this future self who in turn has caused an event triggered by the hate a brother and sister have for one another. Realising this series of events, Lucy leads an army to not just save Emmett, but save themselves from further doom. It may not be the best LEGO Movie out there, but the sequel to the first film to me has the best battle of them all even if it doesn't have as much meaning as the three that came before it.

24 - Last But Not Beast (Dexter's Laboratory)

You know as this was Cartoon Network's very first original series, it kind of amazing to see all these great animators now doing really well in the projects they have worked on since the original end of Dexter's Laboratory. Now of course this wouldn't be the actual true end because of the film Ego Trip and later seasons that CN would commission later on. But at the time, it was rare to have one story be told for the full 20 or so minute length of the show and it was a big one. Giant monster attacking the city and everyone who has been part of the show, trying their hardest to defeat this monster. But in the end, Dexter has no choice but to finally reveal to his parents that he has a laboratory and that he and them (plus Dee Dee of course) must work together to be rid of this monster. Ballsy move for sure, but it is a pretty spectacular battle that comes close to evenly matching the many giant monster battles that the OG Powerpuff Girls face in their own show (who sadly I cannot find anywhere because of the dumbed down reboot). A great finale that should've been the true finale and not just a finale because the network wasn't sure about continuing it.

23 - Americans VS Canadians (South Park)

South Park has been known for a lot of things. Talking and making fun of controversial topics and often leading many countries into cancelling the show or just outright censor it. But when it came to it's so far one and only feature film (which itself was envisioned as the final South Park thing before the show's renewal on Comedy Central), they decided to pit Americans and Canadians against each other because well the show is known for going a bit over the top. All of this just because Kyle's mum Shelia didn't like Terrance and Philip and the impact they have on her and the children of South Park. The war at the end of the film has a lot of things happening. Not only are Americans and Canadians fighting, but once Shelia kills the two comedians, the devil himself appears alongside Saddam Hussein. But in the end, the one thing Shelia wanted to stop ended up saving everyone. Honestly if anything, this film proves that the characters being over the top, has its consequences. It is a funny film overall and this war is pretty much as I would expect from a final battle, even though it's not the final South Park thing out there.

22 - X-Men VS Sentinels (Fox's X-Men)

Continuity issues aside, I personally believe that Days of Future Past was an attempt to have the mainstream X-Men crossover with the prequel X-Men as a sort of means to combine both franchises together in one epic and grand film. The Sentinels as comic book fans (and of course fans of the original cartoon) will know, are supposedly a peace keeping army of robots that only exist to hunt mutants living within the world. Most versions are often depicted as something the US government approves and having watched many Marvel films now, they are kind of similar to Ultron. Both had a simple purpose, but ultimately they would go against programming and wipe out everyone. In the near finale of Days of Future Past, Wolverine is still in the past and all the mutants are buying him time by taking on the Sentinels who eventually find where the last of mutantkind is hiding. Of course history is eventually altered and both mutants and humans are spared from this tragic fate. I mean if this were to be the last of the X-Men films, I would be ok with that. But Logan to me serves as a much better ending to the franchise than both New Mutants and Dark Phoenix combined.

21 - War in Gotham (The Dark Knight Trilogy)

Chris Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy has changed the superhero genre and given us a more realistic and hardened take on Batman than anything that came before it. All three films are great in their own way, but most would say that the middle film The Dark Knight takes the cake as being the best of the three. But then again, Rises is pretty darn good too. Especially as Gotham becomes full of criminals and basically turns into a wasteland that I guess was inspired by the Zero Year event from the comics. And when The Dark Knight does indeed rise from the ashes, he goes to war to free Gotham from Bane and his minions and makes the ultimate sacrifice to save everyone. This is how you do a final battle if you were Nolan. Do it with style and a Hans Zimmer score and what you get is something a little special.

20 - Justice League, Teen Titans and Suicide Squad VS Darkseid (DC Animated Movie Universe)

The DC Animated Movie Universe was DC's first attempt at doing a shared universe with their direct to home media brand of films and honestly it worked well. Inspired by the look and feel of the New 52 series from the comics, this universe had 16 films and the final battle right at the end is pretty spectacular. But also a missed oppurtunity because thanks to WB not wanting to continue the Snyderverse after Zack Snyder's Justice League, we may never get a film like this at the cinema. Still though, its as many of us were hoping for. The combined forces of the Justice League, Teen Titans and Suicide Squad taking on Darkseid and his minions and we see how they fail, but then rise back up with Trigon of all things by their side. Plus we have a look at the members whom Darkseid spared at the cost of having modifications like Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman and even Starfire. It's all grand and epic with everyone giving it their all. Just a shame that we may never see a film like this from DC at the cinema anytime soon.

19 - Showdown in Scotland (James Bond 007)

OK so its not actually the final battle in James Bond. But it certainly does feel like the end of an era because much of its build up has been around the mysterious past of M and MI6 which this film manages to shed light on. But if it were up to me, I would've also picked Scotland as the place for a final showdown like this. Those people are tough after all and no rogue MI6 agent is going to take them on and live to tell the tale. Yep that's all I will say on that. The series isn't all that well known for its final showdowns, but this one certainly is the most intense and emotional of them all, I'd say.

18 - Battle of Canary Wolfe (Doctor Who)

For a long time, Doctor Who had come close to featuring its iconic monsters and aliens in a scenario where they actually meet. But it was during the second series of the revival that made that scenario a reality. Before this fateful battle, The Doctor and his current companion (at the time) Rose, had already encountered and fought both the Daleks and the Cybermen on seperate occasions and are of course, the most iconic of all the many enemies the Doctor has encountered. But this battle would see the two finally meet for the first time and well its basically what fans would expect; a full on battle to see who would win with humans caught in the middle of the fight and the Doctor and his allies trying to prevent further loss of human life. Its probably not as epic now as it was back in 2006 especially with the newer episodes looking like blockbuster pieces, but at the time it was something special and fans really liked it and so did I.

17 - Pirates VS The East India Trading Company.... and Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Say what you will about the many sequels that Curse of the Black Pearl has had, but none of us can deny that the big battle in At World's End was something trully spectacular if not a bit over the top. You got Cutler Beckett leading the East India Trading Company into a war against pirates to essentially purge them from the world with Davy Jones as their ally. Then you have Jack Sparrow, Barbossa, Swann and Turner and the rest of the heroes leading the pirates into what would be their doom even with their secret weapon; a remorseful Calypso who would rather see the pirates die than help them in their hour of need. Then we have a big battle that has nearly everything; a maelstrom with the best ships from both sides battling within, a wedding take place, a heart being stabbed, comic relief changing sides and a powerless Beckett accepting his defeat by being set ablaze on his ship. If that isn't epic for a final battle, then I don't know what is.

16 - Saving Gotham One Last Time (Batman: Arkham)

The last of the Arkham games may not have been the best entry, but it was certainly epic. You got a Batmobile that doubles as a tank and nearly all remaining and living villains united to stop Batman once and for all. Backed up by a milita led by one of Batman's long lost allies who holds a grudge (and anyone who knows the Red Hood story well enough will know who this ally is). A city on the brink of destruction at the hands of a milita and Scarecrow with Batman being the one that must safe it whatever it takes. I call that epic if nothing else.

15 - All of the Jedi VS All of the Sith (Star Wars)

Another film that got a fair bit of hate, but honestly given how many ships there are right at the end, this kind of beats the Endor battle from Return of the Jedi if only because both the scale and the stakes are high. Basically the whole galaxy has had enough of being ruled over by the First Order and unite to bring an end to Darth Sidious's plan of galaxy domination that uses Star Destroyers equipped with Death Star rays that can blow up entire planets. All manner of ships arrive while deep below, Ray and Ben fight Sidious and bring an end to the Sith once and for all with the power of the Jedis that fell years prior. Pretty epic for a lot of reasons even if the build up was not all great in the end.

14 - Nintendo's finest (and third party fighters) VS Galeem and Dharkon (Super Smash Bros.)

You know compared to the previous Smash Bros. game that had a story mode, this one kind of takes the cake as the best. Because we have two god like creatures who both want the opposite of one another and are at war with each other with a large array of Master Hands and Crazy Hands. They even have their own armies of spirits which take the form of the many fighters in Ultimate whose lives are at risk should either side win. But of course, there is the option to take them both down at the same time, but not before doing a boss rush and defeating more clones. Yep I'd call that something epic and considering that this is meant to be the "ultimate" Smash Bros. game, I wouldn't have it any other way.

13 - The Rage of Sans (Undertale)

Now you might be thinking why on Earth have I put a game that doesn't have anything epic about it. But you forget that if you end up doing a run where you kill everyone, you get the most unintentionally epic final boss fight of possibly all time. Sans basically making this final fight a tough challenge with no chance to catch your breath. I mean it doesn't get any more epic in a game like this than that. A big challenge that is well deserved for all the killing you have done.

12 - Saving Jack (Samurai Jack)

You know its never great when your favourite franchise that has an endgame, never reaches to that stage and that was for a long time, indeed the case for Samurai Jack. Lots of other projects were calling for Genndu Tartakovsky's help which meant that the show's original run had to end after four seasons and be unresolved. Many attempts were made to revive the series to give it the ending it deserved, but ultimately all but one attempt failed. The one attempt being a one off final season with a continuing storyline throughout as opposed to seperate stand alone stories. All ending with Jack's friends returning the favor after he saved their lives many eons before when Aku captures him. And if you know the show well enough, you know how it all ends with him returning to his own time and delivering the final blow on Aku. Thus bringing his reign to an end befoe it began in the first place. A great finale to one of the greatest cartoons of all time and very epic right to the end.

11 - Battle of Hogwarts (Wizarding World)

You know after 7 great and magical films (with some misfires, but not too many), the 8th was always going to be the most epic and grand. Everything coming back to Hogwarts so that Harry can find and destory the remaining horcruxes while all his friends and allies hold the fort as they fight Voldemort and his allies (well excluding the Acromantulas who remained neutral and killed on both sides). Emotions are high as are the stakes as both sides have casulties and it all ending with a ressurected Harry delivering the final blow on Voldemort just as his final horcrux gets destroyed by Neville Longbottom (whom theorists believe could've also been the chosen one on the same night Harry's parents died). It's huge, epic, grand, emotional and a great way to end what has and still is a great series of films and books where you learn a whole manner of lessons throughout.

10 - Race to the Citadel (Mad Max)

Although Fury Road has very little to do with the original series of Mad Max films, it does have a great final battle which I will say had a long time of build up in terms of how long we had to wait for the next film to be released. So our heroes decide to return to the Citadel seeing as most of their enemies have left it undefended. What follows is a trully over the top, but epic race that sees plenty of destruction, explosions, kidnappings and pretty much all you could expect in one of the most visually impressive and epic films to come out of 2015. Races and vehicles have never looked so big, grand and epic quite like this.

9 - The Milky Way VS The Reapers (Mass Effect)

The end to the original Mass Effect trilogy was always destined to be epic on a grand scale. All the adventures and choices that Shepard has made has all been building up to this moment which will either save the galaxy or doom it for the next cycle to worry about. Either way, the impossible to unite a galaxy against a common foe has somewhat been achieved. All that remains is one final push to the finish line and bring your Shepard's story to an end and its bound to be one heck of an ending regardless of what we all thought of it all in the end.

8 - The Seven Lights VS The Thirteen Darknesses (Kingdom Hearts)

Since the beginning of this great series, we've all come to know that the Dark Seeker saga would end with the fateful fight between the seven lights and the thirteen darknesses and boy it doesn't dissapoint. III has always had the idea of using your companions as much as possible and with the final push to the end, you get to play with all the heroes and finish it all with the three that have been with us right from the beginning (at least in terms of release order that is). Its big and epic and like all great Disney things, it has a happy but emotional ending while leaving things open for further adventures.

7 - Wrath of Calamity Ganon (Legend of Zelda)

You know of all the Zelda games that we have had, Breath of the Wild is without question the biggest and best that there is. Its a huge game with a big open world that's full of chests to find, trails to take on and so much more. But what really makes the game great is the final battle at the end. Now unlike many video games where you can't really take on the final battle until certain conditions are met, you can actually do the final battle straight away if you wish in this game, though don't expect it to be easy. Whatever route you decide to take, this will always be a massive, but big and epic battle that determines the fate of Hyrule once again.

6 - The Long Night (Game of Thrones)

The final season of Game of Thrones was always going to be controversial, especially with the series having surpassed the books so the later seasons would have to do its own thing. But I think of the two major battles in the final season, the one most of us can agree to be the best of the two, is the fight against the Ice King and his minions. Nearly all our favourite characters are battling him and although they win in the end, many characters die in the battle and it kind of makes us see how the actual final battle will play out (though no one would suspect what actually happened there). So yeah maybe this one isn't quite "final", but it does bring an end to one of the major conflicts within the series.

5 - Fighting Father (Fullmetal Alchemist)

There is a lot of anime out there and many of them have some of the best battle scenes you could imagine. But when it really gets down to it, I always see the battle against Father in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood as the one that really has the stakes be high and everyone giving it their all to take him down once and for all. Even costing the armour that was carrying the spirit of Edward's brother in the process. This is one final battle that many anime things may one day try to aspire to do because it is really epic for a final one.

4 - Justice League VS Steppenwolf (DC Extended Universe)

I guess when it comes to the build up in this particular film, its comes about due to how long we all had to wait for WB to finally release it. OK sure its almost the same film we got years before, but a whole lot better with more meaningful character development and a fair amount of build up before the big battle at the end which at first sees our heroes winning with Superman entering the fray. Only to then lose which prompts Flash to do a pretty darn epic thing of entering the speed force to reverse time and practically give the heroes a fighting chance. This is really what we should have got in the end. All WB needed to do was give Snyder some time and let him return to finish this off. Because if they did that, maybe Justice League would've had a much better time competing with Marvel. Oh well.

3 - Battle of Pelennor Fields (Middle-Earth)

Middle-Earth has had its fair share of battles and honestly when I think about final battles, this is it. The battle for Middle-Earth has everything you could imagine. Lots of minions of Sauron just wanting to take over the land with much of the Fellowship leading the charge just to give Frodo and Sam the time they need to destroy the ring. Its no wonder that the last Lord of the Rings film got so many awards. All very well deserved if anything.

2 - The Avengers (and other heroes) VS Thanos and his minions (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Unsurprising this one to be on this list because it really is a battle that has had lots of build up and it really pays off even though all of that could've been avoided had a certain Guardian be in control of his anger. But despite the battle that we see in Endgame, the chances of us seeing a battle like that again are sadly very slim. Nevertheless, its what we were all hoping for that would end the Infinity Saga. All the heroes fighting a common enemy to save the galaxy from certain doom.

1 - Spider-People VS Kingpin and his minions (Sony's Spider-Man)

Now despite this series of Spider-Man films being just one, I really can't help but have this one as my number one choice. Its so visually impressive and stunning, not to mention that this would essentailly be the seventh Spider-Man film Sony have done overall at the time of release. Its a big grand battle full of colour, rasing stakes and several different and unique Spider-people working together to save the Spider-Verse. With a great musical score to boot too.

So that will most likely be the last battle list I ever do. Thanks for reading 2000 posts for 10 or so years and feel free to comment below your favourite final battles.