There some fan battles that will never be over. Is Star Wars better than Star Trek? Is DC superior to Marvel? Should you own an Xbox or a PlayStation? While there's no reason these days that fans can't embrace literally all the options, these sorts of debates are still very common, and often fun. For some they're simply entertaining exercises; fun ways to get fans talking amongst themselves. For others, they become serious discussions where there is clearly a right and a wrong answer. The newest debate in the social media town square that is Twitter is over the best archer in entertainment.
A post has gone viral asking fans who they think is the best on-screen with a bow and arrow. The candidates are Legolas from Lord of the Rings, Oliver Queen from the TV series Arrow, Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, and the Marvel Cinematic Universes' Hawkeye. While there are four candidates, most people seem to be instantly narrowing their focus on Legolas and Hawkeye. Or, as many people seem to feel, "the obvious winner" and "this guy?"
Most responding to the original Twitter post seem to be very firmly on Team Legolas. In fact, a poll added the original post is running nearly 70% in favor of the character played by Orlando Bloom in the Lord of the Rings films and (for some reason) The Hobbit films. Hawkeye is actually running in second place with 15% of the vote, ahead of Oliver Queen, which makes the degree of hate the man is getting seem maybe a little unfair.
Then again, it's probably not really a question, is it? Even giving Hawkeye all the credit he deserves, it's hard to overcome Legolas. And it's not even like it's that fair a comparison. Yes, all these characters use a bow and arrow, but that doesn't mean they're equal. As Zelda Williams points out, there's a reason Legolas is better than everybody else, but especially better than Hawkeye.
Which is not to say that the Hawkeye fans are not here for their boy. While the Legolas crew might be larger and louder, there are reasons not to completely overlook Hawkeye. The guy whose superpower is being really good with a bow and arrow is used to being overlooked as a member of the Avengers, but maybe everybody should take a step back and give the guy credit for what he can do.
While these four are some of the best known modern archers in film and television, there are others. And many are using this platform to try and get some respect for their personal favorites.
So who is the best movie or TV archer? Let's settle this once and for all with math. Let us know in the poll below.
This poll is no longer available.
