In this feature, I examine comic book fights that were particularly notable in the wrong side winning (or at least that the fight wasn't won the "right" way). This really isn't a big deal, of course, as it doesn't really matter if the "wrong" person won a fight. But it's fun to talk about!

If you want to suggest a fight for future inclusion in this feature, drop me a line at bcronin@comicbookresources.com. Don't suggest a fight in the comments!

Today, based on a suggestion by reader John C., we look at that hard luck loser Wonder Man actually choking out a guy who once beat the heck out of THOR!!..

As always, the first page spotlights their power levels and the second page examines the fight itself.

And as always, the first question we need to ask is...

How did these people do when they fought Spider-Man?

Wonder Man never REALLY fought Spider-Man, but in a sequence in Wonder Man #29 (by Gerard Jones, Ron Randall and John Tartaglione), they are fighting against a Mysterio knock-off who tricks them into fighting each other by making each other think that the other is someone else...

Wonder Man handles himself well, but you can tell how Spidey's like, "Please, dude, I would have defeated you easily if it had been for real. Remember when Spider-Woman knocked you out with a piece of wood?"

As for Spidey and Red Hulk, in Incredible Hulk #600 (by Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness and Mark Farmer) and it did not go well for Spider-Man...

Regular Hulk breaks free and breaks up the fight on the next page. Now clearly, Spider-Man would have broken free and kicked Red Hulk's ass on the next page if Hulk Classic did not interfere, that's obvious and doesn't really need to be stated, but it is still important to note that Red Hulk did very well by himself there.

In addition, Red Hulk did very well in battle with Thor...

I spotlighted that fight as its own Wrong Side, as Red Hulk did TOO well in that fight, but the basic point stands that Red Hulk can stand up Thor pretty well, something that Wonder Man really can't say...

Although, to be fair, in his first appearance in Avengers #9 by Stan Lee, Don Heck and Dick Ayers, he DID luck into kayoing Thor through a lucky circumstance (while his punch didn't hurt Thor that much, it did keep Thor away from his hammer long enough to take him out of the fight)...

When he returned to life, Wonder Man couldn't shut the hell up about how he was Thor-esque in power. Here, in this scene from Avengers #158, he seriously brings it up twice on the SAME PAGE...

For a while there, Wonder Man would take out ads in the paper every week to remind people of that time that he knocked Thor out.

In Hulk Smashes the Avengers #4 (by Jim McCann, Aguistin Padilla and Jaime Mendoza), the much weaker Grey Hulk kicked Wonder Man's ass...

Finally, before featuring the fight, note that the Red Hulk's whole deal is that he absorbs energy, which is why he's able to more or less match opponents who would normally be out of his league (like he can hold up against the Hulk because he absorbs the Hulk's Gamma Radiation, reducing the Hulk's power). Wonder Man, as it were, is made OUT of energy!

Okay, on to the fight...

During Brian Michael Bendis' last Avengers ongoing series a couple of years ago, a recurring plot point was Wonder Man thinking that the Avengers were better off staying broken up, as he believed that they caused more harm than good. He even formed a team of "Revengers" to show them the follow of their ways. Eventually, he decided that his mission was folly and that fluctuations in his powers were messing with his head.

In Avengers #31 (by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Mayhew) he goes to apologize to Captain America. While there, however, the Red Hulk attacks him...

Woah. Bendis even gets in a nice joke later making fun of the very idea of "Who's stronger?" debates, as the other Avengers end up doing just that after Wonder Man's victory.

Anyhow, obviously, I think that the Red Hulk, ESPECIALLY with his energy absorption powers, should not have been taken down like that. I don't even necessarily mind a Wonder Man win, but it can't be by just kicking the Red Hulk's butt like that.

Thanks for the suggestion, John C.! If anyone ELSE has a suggestion for future Wrong Sides, drop me a line at bcronin@comicbookresources.com!