The final votes have been cast in the Longbox Graveyard Sidekick Showdown March Madness Tournament, and your champion is …

BUCKY BARNES!!

Bucky rode a wave of last-minute Saturday votes to pull off the upset over the tournament’s top seed, Robin!

It was a see-saw week for Bucky and Robin, with Cap’s sidekick taking an early lead, before Robin settled into a seemingly-comfortable lead by mid-week. But as had been the case in previous rounds, Bucky enjoyed a Saturday Surge … maybe Bucky’s fans are like Winter Soldiers, awakening only once each week to vote for their hero?

Here’s the path Bucky took to the championship:

And so Bucky Barnes rides the perfect storm of circumstances to unlikely victory over Robin, the Boy Wonder. Just think of the odds Bucky had to overcome — from boy hostage to the idol of millions, headlining one of the biggest superhero movies of all time. A punchline no more, Bucky Barnes is the winner of the Longbox Graveyard Sidekick Showdown March Madness Tournament.

All hail the Winter Soldier!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Tournament, both by voting here on the blog, and in stumping for your favorite candidates on Twitter. It was a lot of fun … and we’ll do it again next year, with the Longbox Graveyard SUPER-PET Showdown March Madness Tournament!

(I understand Las Vegas already has Krypto as the prohibitive favorite!)

Was the fix in? Was the tournament fair? Did your favorite candidate get jobbed? Sound off in the comments section, below!

The Longbox Graveyard Sidekick Showdown March Madness Tournament grinds towards its conclusion … and YOUR votes have determined the championship match!

• (1) Robin defeated (4) Rick Jones, 61/39
• (3) Bucky Barnes defeated (7) Wonder Girl, 57/43

Full results are posted here.

Robin had little trouble with Rick Jones — though he we challenged for the first time in this tournament — and the Boy Wonder has punched his ticket for the final showdown. On the other side of the bracket, Bucky Barnes trailed a hotly competitive Wonder Girl for most of the week, before a surge of weekend votes put him over the top. I guess being part of the biggest April weekend movie opening of all time will do that for you!

Here’s how our challengers made it to the championship match:

YOUR FINAL VOTE will decide who wins the Longbox Graveyard March Madness Sidekick Showdown! Vote below … vote early … and vote often! And tell your friends!

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH VOTING WILL CLOSE sometime in the evening of Saturday, April 12th. The winner will be announced here at Longbox Graveyard on Monday, April 14th!

Your votes have given us a great final, with two sidekicks who might be either side of the same coin. Both characters were introduced in the 1940s; both characters were loyal sidekicks to some of the greatest superheroes of all time; and both characters have changed with the times, even managing to step from the shadows of their mentors to become important heroes of their own! We’ve even got a Marvel vs. DC final, with all the emotional baggage that entails!

BUT ONLY ONE HERO CAN WIN! VOTE NOW FOR YOUR FAVORITE SIDEKICK, BELOW!

Robin … the Boy Wonder … vs. Bucky, the Winter Soldier!

Voting for the Longbox Graveyard March Madness Sidekick Showdown will end sometime on the eventing of April 12th! 

(And tell us why your favorite sidekick deserves to win in the comments section, below!)