Death Battle Analyses: Judge Dredd

In the distant future, Mega-City One would stand as a giant city state encompassing the entire eastern coast. Crime would become rampant across the Mega-City, forcing the state to establish a new law and justice system to keep Mega-City One in check. This new system would have new lawmen with the power to be Judge, Jury and Executioner; They are the Judges. It would not be in till 2066 that the most important Judge of all would be brought to this world, his name...

Judge Dredd

"I am the Law." - Judge Joseph Dredd

'Born' in 2066 AD, Joeseph Dredd is a clone of Chief Judge Eustace Fargo, the founder of the Judge system. Like his clone brother Rico Dredd, Joe was effectively born at a physiological age of 5 through accelerated aging techniques, with all the appropriate knowledge for their age electronically implanted in their brains during gestation. As cadets during Atomic Wars, they were temporarily made full Judges to restore order to the panic-stricken streets. Distinguishing themselves, they were chosen to take part in assaulting the White House when the Justice Department deposed President Booth. They were later educated at the Academy of Law. The brothers graduated the Academy in 2079 and officially entered the force at the chronological age of 13/biological age of 19. At some point of their carrier, Joe was forced to arrest his brother for murder and corruption. Rico was sentenced to the Judges' penal colony on Titan, while Dredd became known as the most respected and feared of the Street Judges, his name synonymous with the law in Mega-City One.

Judge Dredd has now been active as a Judge for over fifty years, and has been elevated to a position on the City's ruling Council of Five. He has repeatedly turned down attempts to appoint him Chief Judge as he believes he belongs on the streets, dispensing justice. He stands as the longest serving Street Judge to date, has been instrumental in saving Mega City One, as well as the Earth, on many occasions, and has taken down some of the most heinous villains that have come around. From crime lords, cyborgs and corrupt Judges to demons, powerful psionic users and interdimensional specters of Death, Dredd has done a lot as a super cop.

Statistics

• Age: 70 (retarded aging gives form of 30 year old)
• Species: Human
• Height: 6'2" (1.85 m)
• Weight: 200 lbs (91 kg)
• Place of Birth: Mega-City One
• Base of Operation: Mega-City One
• Alignment: Lawful Neutral
• Profession: "Judge" (Super Cop; Judge, Jury and Executioner)
• Funfact: Has several "brothers", also clones of Judge Fargo

Equipment

Lawgiver MK.II

The Lawgiver Mk. II is a powerful, multi-purpose machine handgun and the standard issue sidearm of all Judges. It has a reputation as accurate, powerful and fast-firing. It is possibly the greatest handgun in fictional history. It has a vast array of features, including:

• High-capacity magazine (72 rounds to 100 rounds)
• Several special rounds for different situations
• Voice activation system for quick shifting of modes
• "Fast-Focus" Viewfinder to facilitate rapid targeting
• Built-in motion tracker to detect movement from behind walls and in low lighting
• Built-in Neuro-Electric Energy Pulse taser system for "non-lethal" incapacitation, with a maximum of 12 discharges before recharging is needed. Is highly effective against small groups
• Silencer for optional silent firing, which also mutes the gun's voice modual
• Clip-on muzzle-fired grenade shells (Fragmentation, Stumm gas, Tranq gas), capable of arching or direct trajectory
• Clip-one drug-filled Hypodermic Needle shot
• Built-in ID scanner, which activates a self-destruct function when used by a non-user, which produces a small but powerful explosion that's more than powerful enough to obliterate anyone's arm and cause lethal bleeding and shock.

The different ammunition types in the Lawgiver include:

• Standard Execution (SE) - Ammunition used in response to generic situations. Capable of going through generic body armor and kill a normal person in one shot.
• Armour Piercing (AP) - Ammunition used to deal with robots, lifeforms wearing heavy body armor or naturally bulletproof opponents. It can also go through concrete walls and 2cm thick steel plates without slowing in momentum. Armour Piercing rounds are also powerful enough to go through multiple unarmored perps.
• Ricochet (R) - Rubber-titanium ammunition used to shoot perps around corners and behind walls. Can be used in standoff situations to allow Judges to shoot around hostages.
• Incendiary (I) - Partially explosive chemical rounds that ignites whatever it hits, typically hiting multiple targets with one shot. Likely uses white phosphorus.
• High-Explosive (HE, Hi-Ex) - A round containing an amount of extremely concentrated high explosive. Effective against both large groups of enemies and single durable enemies, as well as destroying vehicles and blasting holes through walls.
• Heatseeking, "Hot-Shot" (HS) - Rounds that lock on and seek targets by their body-heat. Can easily go through multiple targets.
• Gas Round - An optional round that would replace incendiary round. Creates a cloud of Stumm gas on impact (see Stum Gas in equipment) for non-lethal incantation.
• Stun Round - An optional round. Electricutes and incapacitates a target on impact.

Daystick

When not filling perps up with lead, Dredd likes to use his Daystick, a highly-durable and versatile baton-weapon. While it has many different forms, it tends to be a powerful tool for Dredd; it can be wielded with one hand or both, has a tofa handle on the side and has a titanium-steel alloy core. Overall, it is an effective tool for any Judge.

Widowmaker

The Colt Widowmaker 2000 is a high-powered automatic "smg" shotgun and the standard issue longarm of Street Judges, replacing the outdated Lawrod rifle and Arbitrator pump-action shotgun. With a high capacity, detachable magazine and no need of pumping, the Widowmaker would make the AA-12 proud. The full capabilities of this weapon is unknown but they easily reduce a bundle of zombies to bits.

Boot Knife

The Judge Boot Knife is a standard issue knife given to judges to keep in, what else, their boot. The boot knife has a double-sided dagger design, resembling the Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife and Gerber Mark II combat knife. While more of a reserve weapon, the Boot Knife is still an important weapon for Dredd, like stabbing through his own hand to pike himself to a ledge and keep from falling to his death.

Stumm Gas

Designed as a non-lethal tool, Stumm Gas functions much like tear gas and has been used by Judges to subdue opponents without needing to kill. Its exact name is C-13 Riot, implying it to be part of the CS/CR/CN family of tear gas. Dredd is able to project this gas in Gas rounds from the Lawgiver, clip-on grenades or hand-held grenades.

Lawgiver MK I (Retired)

The Lawgiver Mk I was the standard weapon of the Justice Department before the introduction of the Mk II. It is similar to the Mk II in that it has a variety of bullet types to chose from (General Purpose, Armor Piercing, Rubber Richocet, Incindiary, Grenade, and High-Explosive) and a high capacity magazine. Unlike the Mk. II, the Mk. II utilizes gyro-rounds with modifiable velocities, fires only in semi-automatic, requires manual selection of rounds, and utilizes four double-stacked magazines. It could also fire Hot-Shot rounds but a round must be loaded into the barrel manually. It would ultimatly be replaced by the more advance and compact Mk. II.

Arbitrator (Semi-Retired)

Though less destructive than the Widowmaker, the Arbitrator is a powerful pump-action shotgun that Dredd will use from time-to-time. At close quarters, this shotgun can annihilate even armored opponents.

Lawrod Rifle (Semi-Retired)

Once the original long-arm of Judges before being fazed out, the Lawrod rifle is still occasionally used by the Justice Department as a marksman rifle or sniper rifle thanks to its scoop and range. In Judge Dredd: Dredd vs Death, the Lawrod has a magazine capacity of 32 and has an optional burst-fire mode, allowing it to double as an assault rifle. Other than that, not a lot of information I can find on it.

Stub Gun (One-Time)

The Stub-Gun is a high-powered laser rifle that can cut through most mater in an instant. It is stated to be the most powerful hand-held weapon created by man and it shows. However, sustained use may lead to it overheating and exploding, killing the user and any others nearby. During the Apocalypse Wars, Dredd used this gun to cut a speeding Strato-V in two with a single beam. It's not a typical weapon in Dredd's repertoire but the Stub Gun is worth mentioning.

Judge Uniform

The Judge uniform consists of a navy-blue/black bodysuit; green padded boots, knee pads, elbow pads and gloves with metal knuckles; golden alloy shoulder pauldrons (the right in the shape of an eagle), and a blue/black and red helmet. The uniform has several pouches to carry other objects The uniform as a whole is bullet proof, fire resistant (including white phosphorous), shockproof, impact resistant, chemical resistant, stab resistant and blast resistant.

The helmet has repeatedly shown itself to be bullet-proof, including its visor . The emblem on the head comes down to provide a respirator to allow a Judge to operate in hazardous breathing conditions. Aside from protection, the helmet provides a numerous vision-aid options, including infa-red, "anti-dazzle" flash protection, vision magnification, and more.

Lawmaster Motorcycle

The Lawmaster is a large, heavy-duty motorcycle and the standard vehicle of Street Judges. As much a weapon as a vehicle, the Lawmaster is capable of high speeds despite its great size and has a variety of impressive features, including armored exterior, bullet-proof tires, high-powered auto cannons on each side, anti-pursuit grenades, missile pods containing explosive armor-piercing rockets, a central 'Cyclops' laser, rocket boosters for speed boosts and flight. The Lawmaster's most advance feature is its AI system, which is advance enough to pilot itself and fight alongside Dredd with its weapons.

Powers & Abilities

Judge Dredd displays physical attributes well beyond normal human limits. This manifest primarily in his strength, stamina and endurance, but he also displays superior speed and reflexes than some of the fittest humans on Earth.

Superhuman Strength: Dredd's strength is far greater than even the strongest human athlete. He has snapped steel chains with brute strength on multiple occasions, kick down doors with ease, effortlessly lift full grown men and throw them, slam individual's heads into concrete walls with enough force to crack it, and send grown men (and some huge people) flying with a single punch. His most impressive feat was holding a vehicle holding a family of four from falling to their death, with one hand on the car and one on some railing. The family supposedly has a combined weight of 500 kilos. I can't find any information on the average weight of a vehicle in the Judge Dredd universe, so I assume it would be on par with real-world vehicles. In that vain, the average family vehicle is around 1825.2 kilograms. With the weights combined, Dredd would have been holding 2325.2 kilograms, which is nearly 2.5 tons, for a little more than 5 minutes without showing signs of struggle.

Superhuman Endurance: Dredd can throw a mean punch but he take a meaner punch. Dredd has repeatedly survived and endured being shot, stabbed, impaled, poisoned, bitten, bled out, crushed, burnt, electrocuted, exploded, struck by superhumans, having all his bones broken, and numerous other things. Pain has little effect on Dredd. He's survived being crushed under the weight of a gargantuan woman. He survived seven strait days being crucified in the Cursed Earth (which are horribly irradiated) and having enough energy to take down the bad guys, including a Judge killer in hand-to-hand combat. His endurance also applies to his immune system, as he survived the Sin City Plague, which has a 89% mortality rate. In general, Dredd is one tough mother-f*cker.

Superhuman Reflexes: Despite having been in the force for over 66 years, Dredd hasn't slowed down thanks to his age retardation. In fact, Dredd has insane reflexes. He's fast enough to stop missiles using a bronze statue's shield, shoot a hundred-some homing missiles out of the sky, and outdraw a quick-draw robot with a fastdraw time of 0.002 second. The world record for fastest fast-draw is 0.252 second. This means the robot is 126 times faster than the world's fasted fastdraw... and Dredd beat it to the draw!

Heightened Agility: Dredd has shown himself impressive agility for a man his size and age. He was able to keep up in a parkour chase with Armon Gill (Note: Armon Gill is a genetically engineered soldier with cockroach and leopard DNA).

Retarded Aging: Judge Dredd, along with most other judges, take drugs that slow their aging process so that they can stay in the force longer. Chronologically, Dredd is over 70 years old, but physically, he is 30.

Indomitable Will: Dredd's willpower is one of his most powerful attributes. His belief in Law and duty to protect the City has him go through the worst situation. One of his most iconic tests of endurance and willpower was crawling through a burning city after having his eyes gouged out and numerous little monsters assault him. If you gave this guy a Green Lantern Ring, he'd be unstoppable.

• Fearless: Dredd has faced horrors that would scare off anyone else. He's proved to be impervious the effects of the Nightmare gun, which amplifies one's fears to lethal effect. More impressively, he's gazed into the Face of Judge Fear, which is so horrifying that it can kill a man, and Dredd proceeded to punch a hole through Judge Fear's head and helmet.
• Mental Resistance: Dredd's mind is equally resistant to mental attacks, as seen in his resistance to Raptaur's hypnotic powers, as well as the illusions of The Death Witches (note: the ghoul-looking guy is Dredd with amnesia), which are powerful enough to kill mortals.

Bionic Eyes: After getting his eyes ripped out, he get's bionic eyes to replace the eyes. These eyes give him increased clarity over distances, 20/20 vision in darkness, and 50 percent reduced blinking.

Skills

Expert Marksman: Dredd's skill with a gun is unmatched. The combination of his elite Judge training, combat experience, numerous features in his helmet and guns, and his biotic eyes grants him superhuman level accuracy. He can accurately fire a ricochet round with Deadshot-level of accuracy to head-shot a tackelign alien, take out a pack of hostile mutants with head or heart shots (note: the ghoul-looking guy is Dredd with amnesia)

Hand-to-Hand Combatant (Expert): Dredd is extremely effective in hand-to-hand combat. It is unknown what his style is but his skills are great enough to defeat the martial arts master Deathfist (think Iron Fist mixed with Lady Shiva), as well as hold his own against Batman in unarmed combat (till 7:45, for apparently 40 strait minutes) and kill a Predator.

• Baton Expert: Dredd is as skilled with his Daystick than with his fists, if not better. He has beaten a 4-year daystick fighting champion in a one-on-on fight.
• Knife Fighter: While he uses it as a "last-resort", Dredd is quite capable of using his boot knife in combat as a melee weapon, a projectile or a tool in survival.

Strategist: Not as well known is Dredd's intellect in strategy and tactics. He is able to use his resources effectively and enact different plans depending on the situation. While fighting Dracula, Dredd utilizes his Lawgiver to draw a cross on the prince of darkness, incapacitating the vampire long enough for Dredd to stake him. He was able to successfully arrest a group of criminal masterminds, who had taken every precaution to keep themselves untouchable, by speeding up a parking rezoning project so to make the criminal's cars fell under a No Parking Zone, a crime punishable by 6 months in an isolation cube.

Investigation: Dredd's wit also applies to detective work. He was able to accurately deduce that Mayor Byron Ambrose was really the genius serial killer P. J. Maybe; Maybe killed the real Ambrose, disposed of the body, got an advance face-job, and swapped DNA records for Ambrose and Maybe to cover his tracks.

Intimidation: With 50 years on the force and besting things that no normal man can best, it's obvious people are afraid of Dredd. Even with people without prior knowledge of him, Dredd's physical power, skill and knowledge on how to hurt people allows him to easily intimidate.

Weaknesses

Human Limitations: While Dredd is extremely powerful, he can still be killed. Sufficient punishment will put him down. He's also shown to suffer from exhaustion. At some point, he'll collapse from exhaustion and blood lost.

Stubborn: Dredd renown for being stubborn. He tolerates no criminal acts, and peace is virtually impossible when the other side is guilty of a crime.

No Love for a Judge: Having a romantic/sexual relationship is prohibited for Judges. Dredd, as the loyal lawman he is, has never had any romantic feelings towards anyone and has never partook in sexual activities. That's right: Dredd's a virgin. Doesn't keep some women from having fantasies about him, though.

Feats

Judge Dredd's feats are endless. He has been on the force for over 50 years, instrumental in numerous major events, stopped numerous threats, saved countless lives, and battled numerous foes. Some feats include:

• Took down large groups of hostiles single handedly on countless occasions
• Survived traveling through the Cursed Earth (think of Fallout wastelands but crazier)
• Liberated Peach Trees superblock from Ma-Ma's control
• Defeated and arrested (and killed) the Angel Gang
• Beat Stan Lee (not this Stan Lee) in unarmed combat
• Led a resistance to overthrow the insane Chief Judge Cal
• Hunted down and captured the serial killer P.J. Maybe (Think Dexter Morgon, Hannable Lector and The Joker combined) multiple times
• Fought off the Dark Judges
• Fought and killed a Predator
• Fought hordes of Aliens
• Fought both Predators AND Aliens
• Fought off a Mars Attack!
• Fought Batman on a couple occasions and even arrested him, as well as teamed up with Batman on numerous occasions to stop great cryseses.
• Survived vertually everything a human being can endure... and many things that no one can endure

Conclusion

Judge Dredd is perfect for Death Battle! He is able to go beyond the limits of men and forever stand as the faceless guardian of Mega City One and enforcer of the Law. For a fitting fight, Dredd needs to face off against another justice-dishing combatant, whether it's another lawman willing to fight, or a vigilante with a penchant for murder.

Sources:

• Judge Dredd/2000 AD (comics - 1977 to now)
• Judge Dredd (SNES/Genesis/Game Boy/Game Gear videogame - 1995)
• Judge Dredd (Arcade game/PS1 videogame - 1997)
• Judge Dredd: Dredd vs Death (PC/Xbox/PlayStation 2/GameCube videogame - 2003)
• Dredd 3D (film - 2012)

You may wonder why I am not including the 1995 Judge Dredd film in the analysis. Well, I try to not remember that film. It also lacks any feasible feats to use. As a consolation, here's an image of Dredd 3D Karl Urban punching Judge Dredd Selvester Stallone through his face.

For some good sources of feats:

• http://comicstrip-sanctuary.com/Respect-Judge-Dredd.html
• http://herochat.com/index.php?topic=2435.msg45988

Possible Opponents

The Punisher (Marvel)

Frank Castle use to be a caring father, a loving husband, a decorated war hero. But when his family was gunned down before him and the justice system failed to bring justice, Frank sought to punish those responsible. From that point on, Frank Castle became the Punisher. Living in a world full of super-powered heroes and villains, Frank utilizes his strategic mind, military training, peak-human form and his collection of conventional weaponry to take down crime.

Probability: Very High - This has been a pretty popular one. Seeing how both work to combat crime, pack heavy firepower and have no sympathy for evil doers, this makes it pretty high on the list of possibility. There is also the strong contrast in ideals; where Dredd fights crime for the law, the Punisher goes against the law to fight criminals. Dredd's superior physicality is a strong edge, but the Punisher's experience in facing off against physically superior opponents may even things out.

This fight would also give an opportunity to showboat some of their allies in combat, like in Dante vs Bayonette. Perhaps Rachel Cole attempts to assist Frank but is stopped by Judge Hershey or Judge Beeny.

Setup: This one is easy: The Punisher is a vigilante. Vigilantism is illegal. Illegal acts are against the law. Judge Dredd IS the Law. As such, Judge Dredd wants the Punisher behind bars, and Frank resists arrest.

Robocop (Robocop)

Alex Murphy was once a common cop with a common family, but after being brutally murdered, he would be rebuilt. Built to take a beating, unleash a beat-down and be "one bad motherf*cker," Robocop would quickly become the star Protector of Detroit. Built like a tank (and just as slow), Robocop is feared across the criminal underground for his heavy firepower, programmed targeting systems, and his nigh-invulnerability.

Probability: High - Both Dredd and Robocop are lawmen with beyond-human power and crazy guns, and with time having passed since Terminator vs Robocop, Murphy can make a return to Death Battle against Judge Dredd.

Setup: They're both cops, so I don't know exactly how to set this fight up. Maybe one is out of their place (and time) and the other sees them as a danger to the Law.

Agent K (Men in Black)

On March 2nd, 1961, the first major encounter with extraterrestrial life was held between Baltian visitors and members of a poorly funded government branch. Among them was a wayward young man named Kevin Brown who was driving to visit his girlfriend. From that point on, Kevin became one of the founding fathers of the MiB, or Men in Black. Kevin Brown was removed from public knowledge. He's now known as Agent K. His job includes investigating alien activity, eliminating hostile organisms, stopping planetary threats and keeping extra-terrestrial life a secret from man.

Probability: Medium - While not as recognizable an opponent as the Punisher or Robocop, it is still a fairly good one as both Judge Dredd and Agent K have similarities between each other: grizzled, stoic, down to earth, and not afraid to pull the trigger when needed. Dredd does have the superior physical prowess, but I feel this would be a good fight.

Setup: The Men in Black is not under the Justice Department's jurisdiction. As such, Dredd is not taking the MiB's activity, looking at it as possibly illegal. As such, Dredd and Kay get into a confrontation.

Captain America (Marvel)

While he grew up being small and weak, Steve Rogers had always had a desire to help those in need and to stand up against bullies. After meeting with an escaped German scientist who held similar interests, Steve was given a physicality-boosting serum that transformed him from the weak and frail New Yorker to the strong and heroic Captain America. Packing a virtually indestructible shield that can ricochet with crazy accuracy, physical and mental capabilities beyond human limits and the will to push through the worst, Captain America has made himself a legend thought U.S. history.

Probability: Medium - Both Cap and Dredd are virtually super soldiers with a duty to protect innocents and stop crime and evil. I feel that there is an intense inequality in the realm of equipment, but with his trusty shield at hand, this would still make for a decent fight.

Setup: Cap has gone against the law for the sake of doing what's right (i.e. Civil War), so he would fall under the definition of vigilante. Dredd doesn't take lightly to vigilantes. Fight ensues.

Soldier: 76 (Overwatch)

John "Jack" Morrison started as a farm boy in rural Indiana, but would go much further; he would go through a military "super enhancement program" and become one of the first members of the international task team called Overwatch. Overwatch has since been disbanded but Jack continues to fight, going under the alias Soldier: 76. He brings advance military training and tactics, enhanced strength and speed, a Heavy Pulse Rifle with Helix Rockets, and an auto-targeting visor.

Probability: Medium-High - Though he's a bit new to the game (Death Battle that is, not Overwatch), Soldier: 76 would make for a good opponent for Dredd. Both he and Dredd can give one hell of a fire-fight. At the same time, though, Captain America vs Soldier: 76 might be better.

Setup: While the two can agree in their goals in fighting crime, Dredd wouldn't agree with Jack's approach. Jack's a vigilante, and Dredd doesn't take kindly to vigilantes.

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Who do you think Dredd should go toe-to-toe with in a Death Battle? Tell me your ideal opponent in the comments below!