Match 22714 Talon vs. Tygrus

[undertakersymbiote]

Dr. Emile Dorian adjusted his spectacles, surveying the smoldering ruins of his jungle laboratory with a profound sense of exhaustion, his masterpiece, Tygrus, having once again defied him to protect a creature deemed lesser. It was the third time in as many months that his “pinnacle of art” had prioritized sentimental morality over genetic superiority, a flaw Dorian was determined to excise. He needed a collaborator—someone who understood that true perfection required the cold, unyielding hand of science, free from the annoying constraints of conscience.

Sipping a lukewarm drink in his sterile Labyrinth lair, Anton Sevarius smirked at the news report detailing the latest disturbance in Gotham, his thoughts turning to his own “problem”: the insolent Talon, who continued to guard the human scum of New York with the very power Sevarius had gifted him. When an encrypted transmission popped up on his monitor, revealing the desperate face of Dorian seeking an alliance, Sevarius laughed, a sound dripping with theatrical malice. It was a marvelous idea—combining the raw, untamed savage instinct of the Tiger-Man with the sleek, electrical menace of the Mutate, a pairing guaranteed to bring both Goliath and the Batman to their knees, (assuming their creations didn’t tear each other apart first)!

The humid air of a hidden, underground facility in the marshlands outside Gotham City was thick with the scent of ozone, damp concrete, and unwashed predator.

Dr. Emile Dorian sat in his laboratory, his expression one of paternal indulgence mixed with mad-scientist fervor. Before him, Tygrus, the hulking, feline-hybrid masterpiece, paced with restless, heavy strides, his yellow eyes tracking the flickering shadows.

"Patience, my magnificent Tygrus," Dorian purred, looking at a computer screen that displayed skeletal mappings of a bat, a tiger, and a panther. "Soon, the Batman will fall, and this world will understand true evolution."

Across the lab, secured behind a wall of titanium-reinforced Plexiglas, stood Talon.

Talon—formerly Derek Maza, now a genetically altered gargoyle hybrid—bore little resemblance to his human life. His muscular frame, designed by Sevarius to be a superior predator, was covered in sleek fur rather than stone skin, and his wings were leather-tight against his back.

"Dr. Sevarius told me I was brought here for a purpose," Talon growled, his voice a gravelly rumble. "He didn't say I'd be locked in a cage like an animal."

Dr. Anton Sevarius, the disgraced geneticist who had engineered Talon, chuckled from a nearby terminal. "Oh, my dear Talon, you are an animal. A very expensive, very beautiful animal. The 'cage,' as you call it, is for your safety. And for Mr. Dorian's delicate cat."

Tygrus stopped pacing, turning his massive, scarred head towards the glass. He let out a low, vibrating hiss that made the lights flicker.

"I am... not... a pet," Tygrus rumbled back, his voice echoing in the chamber. He looked at Dorian, his obedience conflicting with his primal instinct.

"Of course you aren't, my dear boy," Dorian said quickly, though a flash of fear passed over his face. "But consider this a... collaboration. Dr. Sevarius has designed a creature capable of hunting Goliath, and I, you."

Talon gripped the metal bars of his enclosure. "I don't need a cat to help me take down a gargoyle."

"And I," Tygrus snarled, stepping closer to the glass until his snout was inches from it, "do not need the advice of a creature that cries for its family."

Talon leaped from the catwalk, landing silently in front of Tygrus. The air around him crackled with small, localized sparks of electricity. "You know nothing of my life, you lab-born mistake," Talon retorted, his voice venomous. "I protect my own. That 'weakness' you speak of is loyalty. Something your petty father never taught you."

"Father gave me purpose!" Tygrus roared, his tail lashing behind him, claws extending—long, curved, and exceptionally sharp. "He showed me that the strong survive and the weak are forgotten. You are strong, yet you choose to live among the mud. A waste of genetic perfection."

"Perfection?" Talon laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "You were made to be a slave, groomed to die for a man who doesn’t even see you as a son. At least I broke my chains."

Tygrus paused, a flicker of pain crossing his features before it was replaced by anger. "I am no slave. I chose to stay with him, to protect the pinnacle of his art. Something you, with your divided loyalties, can never understand."

"My loyalty is to the Labyrinth Clan," Talon said, stepping forward, his clawed hand glowing with electric energy. "If you try to take my kill, if you try to get in my way of bringing down Goliath, I will make sure you never return to your precious jungle, lab-cat."

Tygrus took a low, defensive stance, his shoulders broad and powerful. "Try it, panther. The forest has taught me to hunt far more dangerous things than a pet that cries in the night."

The tension was broken by the sound of coughing as Dr. Emile Dorian and Anton Sevarius entered from the laboratory, unaware of the near-fight between their creations.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Sevarius cheered, clapping his hands. "The synergy is building already! Tygrus, Talon, your mutual… admiration… for each other’s… unique… strengths will be the downfall of both the Bat and the gargoyle!"

The tension in the room was palpable. Dorian saw his plan slipping. He had hoped for a perfect fusion of tactical intelligence and raw predatory instinct. Instead, he had a proud predator and a confused hybrid who both felt they were superior.

Sevarius, ever the opportunist, smiled. He saw the rivalry as a test. "Perhaps, they should decide who is more worthy, Dorian? A little spar? To settle the pecking order?"

"No!" Dorian snapped, stepping in front of Tygrus. "They are scientists’ creations, not zoo animals for your entertainment, Sevarius! They will work together, or I will initiate the sedative protocol."

Tygrus snarled, a low sound that meant he disliked the threat, while Talon simply leaned back in the shadows, his eyes glowing in the darkness.

"They will work," Sevarius murmured, looking at the data on the screens. "The question is, which one will be left standing once they are done with Batman and Goliath?"

The two scientists continued their debate, leaving their creations to glare at each other through the transparent barrier, two monsters on the brink of an inevitable clash.

Which tragic genetic experiment that transformed into a mutated panther from action cartoons from the 90s who despise what they’ve become, wrongfully blame the hero (coincidentally, both being dark, bat-like heroes who come out at night and have similar ethics) and were created by mad scientists (who, also coincidentally, look alike and give off very similar vibes) wins?!

 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Talon
Read more about Talon at Wikipedia
Official Site: Disney Links: Wikipedia Gargoyles Wikia Gargoyles Encyclopedia

Tygrus
Read more about Tygrus at Wikipedia
Official Site: DC Comics Links: Wikipedia DC Animated Universe Wikia The World's Finest Online

[Venom 2009]

Wow, I didn't realize Talon and Tygrus look identical.

[leroypowell3]

I remember this!

Think I said Talon and I stand with that.

[JohnnyChany]

Great matchup. Not only do I love faceoffs between thematically similar seemingly parallel characters, but I am also always down for Gargoyles/Batman crossovers. They mesh very well. Going with Talon myself.

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - Venom 2009
5.00 - JohnnyChany

FPA Calculation:
2 Total Votes cast
10.00 Total Combined Score
10.00 / 2 = 5.00 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Talon: 5
Tygrus: 2