Top 10 Brain vs Brawn Fights In Movies

“The Karate Kid” (1984)
Before becoming friends in the Netflix show, “Cobra Kai,” Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence were karate rivals in the San Fernando Valley. Here, Lawrence and his team, Cobra Kai, make life extremely difficult for LaRusso, culminating in a beating so bad that it leaves the new kid bloodied and battered. However, Daniel is able to fight back, thanks to his martial arts training with Mr. Miyagi, who preaches self-defense and intelligence. In the finals of the All-Valley Tournament, LaRusso is able to overcome Lawrence’s cheating and defeat Cobra Kai to win the championship, in one of the ultimate underdog stories.

“Troy” (2004)
This battle between the Greeks and Trojans seems a one-sided affair at first, thanks to positioning on the battlefield. Although the Greeks have the best fighter in Achilles, the Trojan army has the higher ground given that their city is behind impenetrable walls. The Greeks need a way to get inside the city, then, if they are to stand a chance. Enter Odysseus, the Greek king who comes up with the now legendary idea to gift the Trojans with a giant wooden horse and hide his soldiers inside. The plan works to perfection as the Greeks are able to infiltrate Troy at night, destroying almost everything and everyone in their path. The Trojans should’ve burned the horse when they had the chance.

“Little Giants” (1994)
In Urbania, Ohio, Coach Kevin O’Shea and his pee-wee team, the Cowboys, take on his little brother, Coach Danny, and the Little Giants - with wide-reaching, local pride at stake. The problem is, however, the Little Giants don’t appear to be a very good football team. The ragtag bunch can’t do anything right in the first half of this movie’s pivotal game, and end up trailing 21-0 at halftime. But then, thanks to some strategic coaching, the Giants come back to tie the game, and then have one final play to win… which they do with a trick play called “The Annexation of Puerto Rico”. And the crowd goes wild!

“Die Hard” (1988)
Taking down the bad guy is just another day at the office for Detective John McClane. However, Hans Gruber and his villainous gang are not your normal bad guys. They’re tactical and organized like an army, and they’re thwarting the FBI at every turn. Despite being significantly outnumbered, though, McClane is able to gain the upper hand. He corners Gruber’s henchmen and takes them out one by one until few are left standing, including Gruber. With only a few bullets left, McClane pretends to give himself up. But at just the right moment, he pulls out his gun, shoots Gruber and his accomplice, and saves his wife. Did we mention he wasn’t wearing shoes for any of it?

“Avengers: Endgame” (2019)
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a villain more powerful and devastating for the entire world than Thanos. After securing all six Infinity Stones, the Mad Titan defeats the Avengers, and wipes out half the people in the universe. The world is then in a tailspin for five long years until the surviving Avengers discover that they can reverse the snap using time travel. The plan works and the vanished population comes back to life. But Thanos doesn’t go quietly. He and his army fight the Avengers in an all-out war for humanity. Iron Man makes a choice for the greater good, though, steals the Infinity Stones back from Thanos and, well, all we can say is thank you, Mr. Stark.

“Dazed and Confused” (1993)
Before he put on the Batsuit, one of Ben Affleck’s best known roles was that of Fred O'Bannion, the school jerk in 1993’s “Dazed and Confused”. He’s as cruel as they come, tormenting incoming freshmen whenever he gets the opportunity. O'Bannion’s targets don’t stand a chance in a fistfight, but they can outsmart their tormenter - considering he flunked out the previous year. Led by Mitch Kramer, the freshmen set up a trap, so that when O’Bannion gladly runs out to give them their licks… the joke’s on him. Just as he gets ready to deliver a blow, the boys pour white paint all over him, leaving O’Bannion humiliated. Hook, line, and sinker.

“Alien” (1979)
Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi classic definitely did not pull any punches with this central, terrifying creature. An extraterrestrial being that’s stronger and smarter than most humans, it represents a formidable outer space opponent. And so, it promptly wreaks havoc on the crew of the Nostromo, killing five of its members. But it makes one mistake — not killing Ripley. After the alien sneaks onto the shuttle, Ripley uses gas to force the creature out. She’s then able to shoot it into space by opening the airlock and blasting it with the thrusters. Don’t mess with Ellen Ripley.

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016)
In one corner, there’s Superman, who’s arguably the most powerful superhero in the galaxy. In the opposite corner, there’s Batman, a rich playboy with high-tech gadgets and martial arts training. When they first meet, Superman threatens Batman with his almighty strength, but spares his life. Batman comes prepared during their next showdown, however, and subdues Superman with Kryptonite gas. The Caped Crusader gains such an advantage that he even attempts to kill the Man of Steel with a Kryptonite spear. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and the two heroes eventually teamed up with Wonder Woman to take down Lex Luthor and Doomsday.

“Back to the Future” (1985)
Sometimes a son has to protect his father, which is exactly what Marty McFly does in “Back to the Future”. George, is a pushover and gives in to every demand from the town’s big shot, Biff Tannen. Marty can’t stand to see his father so badly humiliated, though, so he takes matters into his own hands. The younger McFly trips and punches Biff, knocks over his friends, and races out of the diner. Biff and his gang then proceed to chase Marty around Hill Valley, attempting to run him over at every turn. However, Marty outsmarts them all and lures them into a trap, escaping just in time before the car crashes into a manure truck. More importantly, Marty inadvertently invents skateboarding, too.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Nerds vs. Jocks, “Revenge of the Nerds” (1984)
The Nerds Beat the Jocks at Their Own Game

Jack Aubrey vs. the Acheron, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” (2003)
The Surprise Gets the Upper Hand on the Acheron

Doctor Strange vs. Dormammu, “Doctor Strange” (2016)
Doctor Strange Traps Dormammu in a Time Loop

“Home Alone” (1990)
To call Kevin McCallister an intelligent and witty kid would be an understatement. Kevin is accidentally left behind by his family when they go on vacation. The situation takes a turn for the worse, though, when he’s then forced to defend himself against two criminals, Harry and Marv, attempting to rob his home. It turns out the two no-good dummies are no match for an eight-year-old, however, as his booby traps overpower the thieves. When Harry and Marv try to exact their revenge two years later in New York City, it ends with Kevin defeating his enemies once again. And he makes it all look so easy!