| Jim Lake vs. Marinette Dupain-Cheng | |
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| Season 5, Episode 8 | |
| Air date | August 1, 2020 |
| Written by | I'm Lynda |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Cat Noir vs. Troll Jim Lake |
Next Metro Man vs. Miss Power |
Jim Lake vs. Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a What-If? Death Battle by I'm Lynda. It features Jim Lake from the animated television series, Trollhunters, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng from the animated television series, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir
(This is a follow-up battle to Cat Noir vs. Claire Nunez and Cat Noir vs. Troll Jim Lake, the third in a three-part special saluting the upcoming fourth season of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, and the new installment of Tales of Arcadia, Wizards: Tales of Arcadia!)
Description[]
It’s Trollhunters versus Miraculous, when we pit Jim Lake against Marinette Dupain-Cheng!
Interlude[]
Wiz: Heroes, they come in many different shapes and sizes.
Boomstick: And even many different sexes and species.
Wiz: Along with having many different powers and abilities.
Boomstick: In this battle, we bring together two heroes; heroes who have fought many different opponents, and have developed and expanded their powers and abilities.
Wiz: The first of these heroes is Jim Lake, the half-man/half-troll from the American animated television series, Trollhunters.
Boomstick: And the second of these heroes is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the Ladybug of the French animated television series, Miraculous.
Wiz: I’m Wiz, and he’s Boomstick.
Boomstick: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor and skills to find out who would win a Death Battle.
Jim Lake[]
Wiz: James Lake, Jr. was a fairly typical student in Arcadia Oaks High School in Arcadia Oaks, California.
Boomstick: He was pretty good at history and math, and all that junk, but the subject he was most interested in was girls. A boy after my own heart.
Wiz: In particular, a fellow student named Claire Nuñez. He joined the drama club to be near her, learned Spanish so that he could converse with her in it...
Boomstick: But, Claire seemed to barely even register that he was alive.
Wiz: But one day, on his way to school, he took an unusually route to the school, and found a strange pile of rocks.
Boomstick: And, what made this pile of rocks rather unusual was that it was calling his name. “Jim! Come down here! Would you like a balloon? They float, and you can float too!”
Wiz: I think you’ve just strayed into the wrong story. Anyway, it wasn’t the rocks calling Jim, and it certainly wasn’t a creepy clown. Instead, it was a magic amulet.
Boomstick: This magic doohickey was the Amulet of Daylight, a dingus made by none other than Merlin himself. And, when he wore it, it transformed him into a Trollhunter.
Wiz: A Trollhunter is not someone who hunts trolls, but a special warrior, granted magical powers to protect the Earth from the evil creatures that inhabit a shadow dimension called, the Darklands.
Boomstick: Through the course of his training, Jim learned what powers and abilities the amulet gave him. But, he changed the most when Merlin himself entered the scene and gave Jim some magic bath oils that turned him into a hybrid half-man and half-troll.
Wiz: And as a now truly formidable warrior, Jim led a pair of his friends, Claire Nuñez and Toby Domzalski, and a group of allies in a heroic battle against the evil trolls, led by the evil Gunmar, and the even more evil witch, Morgan le Fay.
Boomstick: Now, the base of Jim’s powers is the Amulet of Daylight, also known as the Amulet of Merlin. Jim got all of the upgrades for the Amulet in the form of the three Triumbric Stones, and now it’s even better.
Wiz: The first thing you see when he activates the amulet is that he gets a suit of really cool-looking armor. The armor created by the upgraded Amulet is called the Eclipse Armor, and though it looks like it is made of blackened steel, it is made of the sunlight of an eclipse.
Boomstick: This armor gives Jim a good deal of protection, enhanced durability, enhanced strength, as well as the ability to conjure weapons as well as a shield and helmet into reality.
Wiz: His greatest weapon is the Sword of Eclipse, which is made of the same eclipse light as the armor. It is a magic blade that can kill trolls, and if it is ever knocked from Jim’s hand, he can will it back into his hand with just a thought.
Boomstick: This rather meaty broadsword is supernaturally powerful. Jim used it to kill trolls with a single strike, as well as cutting a fire hydrant, and even cutting a truck in half with a single swing!
Wiz: As an added bonus, it does appear that Jim can use it to create a sort of magical barrier. Once he used it cut and deflect a geyser of water, and another time he used it to cut and deflect a magical attack from Morgana.
Boomstick: The second weapon, or perhaps I should say second and third weapons, is a pair of magical Glaives. They’re two, matching daggers that are made of eclipse light, like his other stuff. He can use these in his two hands, as melee weapons, or he can throw them, and they will actually return to his hand like boomerangs. How cool is that?
Wiz: Now, Jim Lake’s powers are no longer purely from the Amulet. Merlin’s elixir turned Jim into a half-troll and half-human. This has made him inhumanly fast, and inhumanly strong. Trolls are actually silicone-based lifeforms, which loosely means that they are made of stone. This makes Jim extremely hard and difficult to harm.
Boomstick: But, this transformation did come with a cost. Like normal trolls, Jim cannot stand the touch of sunlight, and it will burn and even kill him.
Wiz: Under normal circumstances this could be a very important weakness. Jim can fight at night, in the shadows, or during a solar eclipse. But, he cannot survive in direct sunlight.
Boomstick: Like a ginger! Anyway, Jim Lake is a powerful warrior. He’s strong, fast, and extremely well protected. He’s not an opponent to be trifled with!
Marinette Dupain-Cheng[]
Wiz: Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a normal girl attending a normal French high school. She tended to be shy, clumsy and self-deprecating. That is, until one day when she found a little jewel box in her purse.
Boomstick: It seems that this enigmatic, 186-year-old Chinese guy was looking to recruit some superheroes to help him, and he thought that Marinette would be a perfect fit.
Wiz: It seems that Master Fu is the last of the Order of the Guardians, an ancient Chinese society dedicated to guarding the Miraculouses. These magical pieces of jewelry each contain a kwami...
Boomstick: Which look like little, flying Funko Pop toy animals.
Wiz: But are, in reality, sprite-like spirit-creatures that can help someone transform into a superhero.
Boomstick: Marinette was given the kwami named, Tikki, who was the kwami of creation. Her Miraculous is a pair of earrings which look black when they are not activated.
Wiz: However, when Marinette activates her Miraculous...
Boomstick: By shouting the somewhat lame power words, “Tikki, spots on!”
Wiz: She becomes Ladybug, complete with a red costume with black dots on it.
Boomstick: Ladybug’s most basic powers are that she can move extraordinarily fast, and leap extraordinarily high and far. She also has gained the ability to fight like a martial arts master.
Wiz: Her most important power is the power of the Lucky Charm. When she calls on this power, she is magically given an item that is guaranteed to help her defeat whoever or whatever she is fighting. The item is usually deceptively mundane, like a fork for example, but it is red with black dots, like Ladybug herself.
Boomstick: All, she has to do is look around, and the power of the Lucky Charm will show her what she needs to do with the item to bring about her opponent’s defeat. This actually gives her a pretty huge advantage, as it allows her to defeat anyone, no matter how powerful, or it sends her back to Master Fu, who has the answers.
Wiz: Now, on two occasions, Ladybug’s opponent was fast enough and smart enough, to intercept the Lucky Charm item, but those opponents were also familiar with Ladybug and her powers. It’s extremely unlikely that an opponent unfamiliar with her would know to even try to interfere with the Lucky Charm.
Boomstick: And, Ladybug does have one weapon, her magic yo-yo. OK! OK! Yeah, it sounds like an extremely lame weapon, but this yo-yo is actually a pretty nifty piece of equipment. First of all, she can spin it really fast, making it serve as a rather effective shield.
Wiz: She can also use the yo-yo as a missile weapon, throwing it and pulling it back. She can use it as a grappling hook, allowing her to climb things quickly, snag an item, or wrap up an opponent. You see, the string of the yo-yo is also magical, and is practically indestructible. In fact, it’s so strong that it even cut through the Eiffel Tower!
Boomstick: During the course of her adventures, Marinette has found that she can stack two Miraculous-ous-ouses...Miraculous-ous...two of them magic doohickeys, combining their powers.
Wiz: It seems that Marinette’s second favorite Mirculous is the Dragon Miraculous, which gives her all of the normal Miraculous powers, plus a sword as a weapon, and control of three elements – water, wind and lightning.
Boomstick: No one wielding the Dragon Miraculous has yet used the lightning element, but the powers of the Air and Water Dragon have been shown. The Wind and Water Dragon powers allows the wearer to transform into air or water, even a large amount of either, while the Lightning Dragon power allows the wearer to move at super-fast speeds, appearing to almost teleport from one place to another.
Wiz: And, once Marinette, in the combined form of Dragon Bug, used make a rather formidable forcefield, probably using both water and air.
Boomstick: So, while she might look like a little girl, in her pajamas, and playing with her yo-yo, don’t take this superhero lightly! He’s a tough opponent, able to punch waaaay beyond her weight limit!
Intermission[]
Wiz: Alright the combatants are set; let’s end this debate once and for all.
Boomstick: Its time for a DEATH BATTLE!
DEATH BATTLE![]
Pre-Fight []
It seemed to Ladybug like hours had passed since she had started battling the weird rock-monsters here in Arcadia Oaks, California. They didn’t seem to have anything to do with akumas, but instead appeared to be climbing right out of the ground. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she spotted Cat Noir, between two buildings, battling a blue rock-monster. How had he gotten to California at the same time as her, Adrien, Alya and Nino?
Nonetheless, it gave her a warm feeling to know that he was nearby, just when she needed him.
She flicked her yo-yo out, wrapped it around a monster, and gave it a pull. The yo-yo retracted on its string, spinning the monster like a top. It wobbled left and then right, and then spun off of the side of a bridge. She heard a satisfying crash, when the rock-monster hit the concrete embankment below and shattered.
She looked over at where she had seen Cat, and was appalled to see him lying prone on the ground.
“Cat Noir!” she shouted.
She flicked her yo-yo towards the gargoyles on top of a nearby building, catching one of the decorations. Then, she vaulted over to her partner, and pulled in the yo-yo.
She knelt down, and pulled him into her lap. “Cat?!” she cried.
She ran her hand through his golden hair, but her eyes were drawn down to the ugly, bleeding wound in his stomach.
Cat Noir opened his eyes, and weakly said, “Hey, Bugaboo.” And then he coughed, blood spraying out of his mouth.
“It looks like you’re going to need new partner,” he said, smiling weakly.
“No, don’t say that,” she said, tears coursing down her cheeks. “You are my partner, and I don’t want any other.”
He shook his head, and then reached over and pulled his ring Miraculous off of his finger, immediately transforming into Adrien Agreste.
Ladybug looked down in shock at Adrien, who smiled a bloody smile as he held the ring up to her.
Suddenly, he collapsed lifelessly. The Cat Miraculous rolled out of his hand and onto the ground.
“NO!” Ladybug screamed. “Adrien! Cat Noir! Adrien! You can’t leave me! I...I...”
She buried her face in Adrien’s shoulder and began to cry.
The Trollhunter looked over at his erstwhile tutor, Blinky.
“I need to find Gunmar and Angor Rot. Just defeating Gumm-Gumms and changelings is not enough,” he said. “This day has already cost us too much. We must find them!”
He lifted the Sword of Eclipse, and declared, “I swear, I won’t let anyone stand in my way!”
Ladybug used the back of her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. In her heart, she could feel that it was not time for sitting still; it was time to destroy the monster that had killed Adrien.
Tikki would no doubt be disappointed with her reaction, but she couldn’t help it. She felt a burning resolve blazing in her chest.
She looked down at the Cat Miraculous, and reached for it. Suddenly, energy seemed to arc from it, and strike her hand, causing her to pull it back.
Looking down at the ring with curious eyes, she saw that there was a break in the circle of metal. The Cat Miraculous was broken, just like its owner, she thought miserably.
Opening her yo-yo, she spilled the Dragon Miraculous out of its storage compartment, and into her hand. Then she knelt down and scooped the Cat Miraculous into it.
Standing up, she clipped the Dragon Miraculous choker around her neck, and immediately, the kwami Longg flew up in front of her.
“Keeper,” Longg said, dipping into a deep bow. “Please allow me to express my condolences on your loss.”
Ladybug looked the little kwami in the eye and said, “Now is not the time for condolences, Longg. Now is the time for payback.”
Longg looked appalled at the young woman. Suddenly, she put her hands out to the side, and the Ladybug and Dragon symbols appeared above each.
“Tikki, Longg, unify,” she said, bringing her hands together. Longg swirled into the Dragon Miraculous, and Marinette felt herself transform into Dragon Bug.
Drawing her yo-yo, she spun it, and caught the roof of a nearby building. She pulled on the string and seemed to fly off the ground, around the corner and down the next street.
Jim Lake spun on his toe, the edge of the Sword of Eclipse cut through a Gumm-Gumm, causing the top half of the troll of slide off the bottom half. The two halves lay on the ground looking like a broken statue.
Suddenly, a young woman in a black-and-red outfit landed in front of him. She held a bright red sword in her right hand, and some sort of a spinning shield in her left.
“That’s it,” she announced. “Now it’s time for you to pay for what you did.”
Jim glared at the girl, He was sick and tired of everything that he had seen and done this day, and he was in no mood to talk to anyone.
“You killed Cat Noir,” she announced, pointing her sword at him.
“You mean the changeling in black back there? The one that killed Claire?!” he snarled.
Marinette was taken aback. Could there have been more to the situation than she knew?
“If you are with him, then be ready to share his fate,” he added. “There’s nothing I won’t do...nothing I haven’t done...”
Marinette screamed and ran forward.
FIGHT! []
Spinning her yo-yo, Dragon Bug thrust in with her sword. Troll Jim Lake, holding the Sword of Eclipse pointed down, swung it to the left to block one thrust, and then to the right to block another.
Suddenly Jim swung the sword over, rapidly bringing its blade up and over. Marinette sprang backwards, landing on her hands, than sprang again, landing on her feet.
Her yo-yo shot out, and wrapped around Jim’s lower legs. “Huh?” he said in surprise.
Marinette pulled, flipping him onto his back. Then, she spun in a circle, the unbreakable string of the yo-yo spinning the Troll Hunter around her.
“Whoa! Whoa!” he shouted as he flew through the air.
Suddenly, Dragon Bug released the yo-yo, sending Jim flying off, through the glass front of a store.
A veritable snowstorm of flower petals flew out of the shattered window, Jim having landed in a florist shop.
Dragon Bug stepped forward, her yo-yo spinning, and her sword at the ready.
Suddenly, two objects came flying out of broken window, and flew straight at Dragon Bug. She stepped back, angled her yo-yo shield to the left, deflecting the first glaive that way, and then she angled it to the right, deflecting the second glaive that way.
Before she could make another movement, the Troll Hunter shot out of the window, the Sword of Eclipse held before him. Marinette caught the sword on her shield, but the force of the blow forced her back a step.
Jim swung the sword to the left and the right, then to the left and right again,
Suddenly, he leaped high over his opponent, and landed behind her. Before she could react, he kicked the girl in the back, sending her stumbling forward.
Realizing that the tall, horned creature was bearing down on her with his cruel sword, Dragon Bug shot her yo-yo at a light post up the street, and reeled it in, sending her flying away from her opponent.
She landed on the street, just in time to see Jim running up the street towards her, moving at an incredible speed.
Marinette took off running, and the two opponents ran up the Arcadia Oaks street side-by-side: Jim on the left and Marinette on the right.
Jim slashed at her with his sword, and she blocked each move with her yo-yo shield.
Marinette suddenly shot her yo-yo up to the top of a building, grabbing ahold of an antenna. She pulled in the string, vaulting her up.
The Troll Hunter, followed his opponent with his eyes, and then he leaped, bouncing off of the side of the building. He vaulted across the street, off another building, and back, landing on top, not ten feet from where Marinette stood.
She turned in surprise at the sound of him landing.
“Do you think you can get away that easy?” he asked.
“I’m not running away from you. I’m just getting into position to give you the punishment you so richly deserve,” she responded coolly.
Jim yelled in fury, and charged at her.
Marinette didn’t assume any sort of a defensive posture, but merely stood staring at him, hatred burning in her glare.
Jim leaped and brought his sword forward in a move that was certain to cut his opponent in two, when suddenly, she thrust out her arms and shouted, “Wind dragon!”
The girl flashed into light and then steam...and was gone.
The Sword of Eclipse slashed through the empty space where she had been, and its pointed embedded itself in the roof.
The boy wrenched the sword free, and then turned, looking for his opponent. Then, he turned and turned again. He could not see her.
A streak of light shot up a street, reached a point, and then resolved itself into Dragon Bug.
Marinette smiled to herself, and said, “As elusive as wind.”
Then, she looked around, finding herself in a commercial section of the city.
Her opponent was as fast as her, and his size and strength made his sword a real object of terror. It would not be easy for her to take him down alone. Oh, how she wished Cat Noir was with her.
Marinette choked back a sob, as she thought about Adrien’s body lying in the street somewhere nearby.
She straightened her shoulders. She was going to have to finish this nightmare alone.
She shouted, “Lucky Charm!” and cast her yo-yo up towards the magically darkened sky. There was a flash of light, and a red spotted battery-powered spotlight with black dots dropped down. Marinette grabbed the falling light, and turned it over in her hands.
The face of the light was made up of a number of LEDs, but each one had a purple cast to it. Suddenly, she recognized the light as one that she had seen a disc jockey use. She knew what it was.
Dragon Bug looked first at the Lucky Charm, which flashed, and then she looked around the street. A door flashed, and when she opened it, she saw it opened onto a long hallway. The door flashed again, then the hallway flashed, and finally a small piece of the floor at the end of the hallway flashed.
Marinette nodded. She knew what to do.
Jim Lake moved from one edge of the roof to another, a snarl escaping through his gritted teeth.
He didn't have time for this, he needed to find Gunmar and Angor Rot. He needed to help Merlin against Morgana. He didn’t need to be chasing this wisp of a girl.
He replaced his sword behind his back, and turned to leave when suddenly he heard the sound of someone landing on the roof nearby. He spun around and looked at the intruder.
“You killed my partner,” Marinette declared. “And now it’s time for you to pay for what you did!”
She spun her yo-yo and lifted her sword to a ready position.
The Trollhunter looked at her with sad eyes and said, “You’re still alive. Go back where you came from, and just maybe you’ll survive this night. Now leave me alone!”
Then, he turned and continued walking.
All of a sudden, the magic yo-yo shot out and wrapped around his neck. Jim gagged as the string of the yo-yo tightened, cutting off his breath. He grabbed the string in his hands and pulled, but even his powerful troll hand could not break the string.
He thrust his hand to the side, and a glaive formed from eclipse light around him. He slashed at the string of the yo-yo, but it would not cut.
Lights began to explode in his vision as his body screamed for air.
Suddenly, remembering the lessons that Draal the Deadly had pounded into him, Jim bent his knees and shot his body backwards.
He collided with Dragon Bug, and the impact sent her flying backward, the string of the yo-yo releasing its grip around his neck.
Jim straightened up and drew the Sword of Eclipse. He raised it to a ready position, looked at his opponent, and spat out, “OK, you’ve got my undivided attention. Now, you die.”
“Ha!” Marinette spat back at him. Then, she turned and fired her yo-yo up the street. The yo-yo wrapped around a flagpole on the front of a building, and Marinette seemed to fly off after it.
The Trollhunter snarled, ran to the end of the roof, and leaped off in pursuit of the girl.
He followed her up the street, and watched as she opened a door and disappeared inside. The door closed automatically behind her.
Jim ran up to the door, put his right shoulder in front of him, and barreled into the door. The door seemed to explode inward, and Jim ran up the hallway.
Suddenly, he realized that his opponent was nowhere to be seen, and he stopped.
There was a noise behind him, and he turned around to see Dragon Bug land on the floor behind him. She had been holding onto the walls, suspending herself at the ceiling.
She fired her yo-yo down the hall. Jim brought his Warrior’s Shield into being, and raised it, but the yo-yo bounced off of the wall next to hum. He turned to see it ricochet from wall to wall, to ceiling to floor, where it finally tapped the top of a spotlight at the end of the hall.
The light turned on with a click, flooding the hallway with a eerie purplish blacklight.
Smoke began to rise from the Trollhunter, and he screamed in pain. The blacklght, it was ultraviolet light.
He turned towards the door, and saw that Dragon Bug was ready, with her yo-yo spinning and her sword at the ready.
“Going somewhere?” she snarled.
Jim ran up to her, and brought his sword down in a mighty chop. She used the spinning yo-yo as a shield, angling the blade to the side and down. Then, she thrust at his face with her sword.
The Trollhunter recoiled, and then dropped his sword and wrapped his arms around the Dragon Bug.
He screamed in pain and determination, and started to run up the hallway carrying his opponent.
“You really know how to sweep a woman off of her feet,” Marinette snarled. “But I don’t think so!”
She put out her arms and legs, and caught the edge of the doorway, bringing the pair to an immediate halt.
Jim screamed one more time...and turned into stone.
Marinette thrust her arms between her body and the stone arms that encircled her. She pushed, and the arms broke, dropping her to the ground. Then, the rest of Jim Lake crumbled to the ground.
K.O.! []
Dragon Bug ran up the hallway, grabbed the UV spotlight, and ran outside with it. She threw it up into the air, and shouted, “Miraculous Ladybug!”
Immediately, an explosion of pink light shot up into the air, and transformed into several swarms of ladybugs, which flew out across Arcadia Oaks.
They swirled around and around, and there stood Cat Noir, Jim Lake and Claire Nuñez. Cat Noir and Claire looked around themselves in confusion.
The Ladybugs swirled up to the column of fire erupting from the ground, but seemed unable to touch it. They continued around the town, and then were gone.
“What happened?” Cat asked.
Marinette stepped up to him, and said, “Every...and nothing, mon prince, mon véritable amour.”
Cat Noir’s jaw dropped in astonishment, and then he asked, “Really?”
Ladybug smiled and nodded. Cat Noir leaped forward and wrapped his arms around her in a passionate embrace.
Looking back down from the sky, Jim turned to Claire and said, “The Eternal Night. I must find Angor Rot and Gunmar, or it’s the end of the world!”
Cat Noir turned in Ladybug’s arms and looked at the two Trollhunters. “End of the world you say? That sounds like just our sort of fun. Want some help?”
Jim nodded his horned head, and slapped Cat Noir on the shoulder. “Sure!” he declared.
Then, the three heroes ran off up the street, towards the column of fire.
Marinette watched them go, and then she sighed and smiled to herself.
”Wait for me!” she shouted. Then, she threw her yo-yo at a church steeple, and used it to vault herself after them.
Results[]
Boomstick: OK, she killed him...and everybody ended up as friends. Did that actually make any sense to you?
Wiz: It made perfect sense. First of all, when it came to armor and fighting ability, speed and strength, the two combatants were fairly well balanced. If anything, Jim Lake was a bit stronger, and had a bit of an edge with the Sword of Eclipse, which seemed to be more effective than the sword Marinette gained from the Dragon Miraculous.
Boomstick: As such, you would expect Jim Lake to have an advantage over Marinette. But, one of the powers of the Dragon Miraculous is the ability to move, “as elusive as wind.” This allowed her to withdraw from the fight, and escape when things got too tough.
Wiz: It also allowed her to move away from the Trollhunter, and draw on her most potent weapon, the Lucky Charm. This power gave her just what she needed to overcome her opponent, and a plan to implement it.
Boomstick: This placed Jim Lake at a real disadvantage. If he was powerful enough, he might have been able to power his way through the trap, but since his advantage was not that great, Marinette just rocked his world.
But, tell me Wiz, why is everyone alive at the end?
Wiz: When Marinette throws the Luck Charm up into the air, apparently returning it from where it came, the magic of the Lucky Charm sends out magical ladybugs which undo the damage caused during the crisis. In this case, it couldn’t undo Morgana’s magic, but it did return the combatants to where they were when the fighting began, safe and sound.
Boomstick: So, though nobody stayed dead this time, the fight went to the girl in the spotted pajamas, Ladybug!
Trivia[]
Next Time[]
Two supers who like to fight with words are brought together for Metro Man vs. Miss Power!