Who'd Win: Sydney Bristow vs Voldemort? Voldemort vs Yoda? Dumbledore vs the Emperor?

My 9-year-old son and I had just finished dinner last week and were doing the dishes when he uttered this odd question, “Who do you think would win in a fight, Voldemort or Sydney Bristow?”

The kid knows that I have a soft spot for the fictional, super-CIA spy Sydney Bristow from the TV show Alias. We’ve also, along with my husband, been reading the Harry Potter series together out loud, so his mentioning Voldemort wasn’t out of the blue.

But to combine Sydney Bristow with Voldemort in the same breath, well that took me by surprise.

I told him I thought that in a battle, Sydney would prevail, but I don’t really think she could beat Voldemort as he wouldn’t allow her to lay hands, or one of her vicious kicks, on him.

My 9-year-old then added a twist, “Who’d win if it was Voldemort vs Yoda?”

I'm not sure about this one. Yoda’s pretty quick for a little guy and he is pretty smart, smarter than Voldemort, I’d venture to guess. This one had me stumped but my choice would have to be Yoda.

His final question: What if the battle were between Dumbledore and the Emperor? Who’d win then? I said Dumbledore would but only because I like Dumbledore and want to root for the good guys. (Saying The Emperor would win is like rooting for Arvin Sloane or Bellatrix Lestrange.)

Who do you think would prevail in these battles?

(FYI – Speaking of Sydney Bristow, the AV Club is reviewing the entire Alias series, starting with its amazing pilot with Sydney Bristow’s crazy red hair.)

Image credits: ABC via USA Today, Warner Brothers via MTV.

New ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ Trailer: Dark and Awash in Grays

The final book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is a long slog through a whole lot of somber, frightening darkness, both literal and figurative. Following on the heels of the emotional death of Harry’s mentor and protector, Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (I was so very sad when I read that scene for the first time), there’s not a whole lot of jubilance and celebration to be had in Deathly Hallows as Harry, 17, matured and sought to figure out what needed to be done in order to challenge his nemesis, Lord Voldemort.

But geez, the brand spankin’ new trailer for the film series' two-part finale – part one slated for a November release and part two for July 2011 – is one long image of blacks and grays amid threats, battles galore and sinister Dark Magic. After watching it a couple of times, I’m left wondering if the film’s going to wind up being too dark and violent for my 11-year-old Harry Potter fanatics, who’ve seen all the movies (though my daughter refused to watch Dumbledore die on screen) and who've read the series of books so many times through that I’ve lost count.

What do you think of the trailer?