Nobody's safe in the Battle Bracket -- no matter how many awards you've won, how many millions your movie made, or how good you are at beach volleyball.
Voting in the round of 16 of our Clash of Characters contest continues here through Friday afternoon, when the polls reset and eight entrants get the boot. Regardless of the outcomes, some of those departures will involve TV and/or movie icons. A look at four of the most heated contests, with vote totals as of Wednesday afternoon:
1. Captain First Rank Marko Ramius (52.15 percent) vs. Col. Nathan Jessep (47.85 percent). Sean Connery's Soviet sub captain holds a small lead over Jack Nicholson's Marine officer. If the colonel can't rally, fans of "A Few Good Men" may be forced to shift allegiance to another film featuring Tom Cruise. Except ...
2. Capt. John Miller (78.07 percent) vs. Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (21.93 percent). Tom Hanks' schoolteacher from "Saving Private Ryan" has all but shut down the jet-flying heartthrob, but there is time for a Navy rally. If not, it'll be a repeat of the quarterfinals from 2015's Military Movie Madness, when "Top Gun" was turfed out by another World War II epic, "Patton."
3. Maj. John Reisman (50.23 percent) vs. Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore (49.77 percent).
After two days of voting, this matchup between Lee Marvin's "Dirty Dozen" boss and Robert Duvall's "Apocalypse Now" tour de force was split dead even on multiple occasions Wednesday afternoon. Whoever advances draws R. Lee Ermey's Gunnery Sgt. Hartman for the regional crown.
4. Lord Darth Vader (54.54 percent) vs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs (45.46 percent).
Voters who questioned whether the 'Star Wars' villain belonged in the bracket may have a point -- we've looked for Basic Allowance for Housing rates for Sith lords with and without dependents, and so far, nothing. That said, Harmon's NCIS agent has Marine bona fides and has given Vader his toughest test so far in the tournament.
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to make your choice now. Already voted? Campaign for your favorite on social media using the hashtag #BattleBracket.
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
