Gunny Hartman racked up a little less than 69 percent of the vote in the final. Along with Hanks’ World War II captain, Hartman’s tournament hit list included characters portrayed by John Wayne, Mel Gibson, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Duvall and Clint Eastwood, in a first-round battle of the Gunnys — Hartman vs. Tom Highway (“Heartbreak Ridge”).

It’s not the first time Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 drama has taken top honors in our March polling. “Full Metal Jacket” was named the best military movie by the Military Times audience in 2015, taking down “Patton” in the final.

The role earned Ermey a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor and would lead to dozens more on-screen appearances and several off-screen ones, where he provided voices for characters in the “Toy Story” franchise, “The Simpsons” and other properties.

The Marine veteran (he was medically retired in 1971 and received an honorary promotion from staff sergeant to gunnery sergeant in 2002) now hosts Outdoor Channel’s ” GunnyTime with R. Lee Ermey” and ” Military Makeover,” from the producers of Lifetime’s “Designing Spaces.”

He’s also writtena bookand established a million-strong Facebook following.

Not ready to give up on movie-themed voting yet? Track with Trailer Wars as we choose a favorite trailer for this year’s GI Film Festival.

3. Unfamiliar territory:

While some regions of the Clash of Characters bracket included entrants from multiple genres and film eras, the semifinals will throw open the remaining gates. It’ll be Gunny Hartman’s first skirmish against the star of a fairly recent film, and Tom Hanks’ Miller is a new level of celebrity power for Vader to try and strike down. Much like that other tournament in progress, prior performance can mean little.

4. Bye, Hawkeye:

The defeat of Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce at the hands of Darth Vader in the quarterfinals marked not just the end of the road for the 4077th, it’s also the swan song for the small screen (with apologies to Elliott Gould). Of the semifinalists, only Vader has even a limited television presence thanks to various Star Wars properties, including one that could cost him votes

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Rambo’s reckoning?: Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo may have grossed nearly $730 million in worldwide box office over four films, but that take hasn’t translated into votes this time around — he’s under 47 percent in his Action Heroes regional final against Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson). “The Patriot” was the fifth-highest grossing R-rated film in 2000, per BoxOfficeMojo.com, edging out the Jim Carrey classic “Me, Myself and Irene.”

Empire vs. Emmys: Lord Darth Vader may add another TV icon to his kill list — after downing NCIS agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the round of 16, the man in black has a slim lead (53.23 percent to 46.77 percent) over “Hawkeye” Pierce this time out. Despite the galaxies that separate the two characters, they are creatures of a common timeline — the “MASH” TV finale, which averaged more than 105 million viewers, aired on Feb. 28, 1983, and “Return of the Jedi,” the final chapter in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, hit theaters less than three months later.  

D-Day domination:

Capt. John Miller may lack the immediate name recognition of his fellow quarterfinalists, but Tom Hanks’ performance in “Saving Private Ryan” remains a clear audience favorite. Miller has racked up nearly 72 percent of the vote against Col. Nathan Jessep (Jack Nicholson, “A Few Good Men”) and is on pace to clash with Darth Vader in a semifinal nobody would’ve predicted — like South Carolina vs. Gonzaga, but with rifles and light sabers.

Remember, polls close Wednesday; when you’re done voting, use the hashtag #BattleBracket on social media to campaign for your favorite. Semifinal-round action will start Wednesday afternoon and end Friday, when the championship contest begins.

Action Hero Final: John Rambo vs. Benjamin Martin (“The Patriot”). Stallone’s killing machine has done the expected amount of damage on an easy path to the quarterfinals, but Mel Gibson’s freedom fighter has been a breakout star, downing both Captain America and Jack Reacher in early round action.

Big Stars and Blockbusters Final:  Col. Nathan Jessep vs. Capt. John Miller. Jack Nicholson’s Marine officer came from behind to sink Capt. Marko Ramius (“The Hunt for Red October”) to reach the round of eight, while the “Saving Private Ryan” officer knocked out “Maverick” Mitchell to advance. The “Top Gun” aviator was the third and final Tom Cruise character left standing.

Combat Classics Final: Gunnery Sgt. Hartman vs. Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore. Robert Duvall’s Kilgore edged Lee Marvin’s boss from “The Dirty Dozen” by a razor-thin margin in the last round, earning 50.22 percent of the vote. R. Lee Ermey’s performance in “Full Metal Jacket” has yet to be seriously challenged, posting easy wins over characters portrayed by an all-time Hollywood all-star team — Clint Eastwood, John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart.

Best of the Rest Final:  Capt. B.F. “Hawkeye” Pierce vs. Lord Darth Vader. A late run by Leroy Jethro Gibbs (“NCIS”) almost made this an all-TV affair, but the Sith lord managed to hold on. Just how popular are these two? Alan Alda’s Hawkeye starred in the highest-rated TV series episode in American history, while the Star Wars’ saga’s total box-office haul now sits at more than $3.7 billion.

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.

John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone, Rambo series) vs. Staff Sgt. Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt, Fury): Rambo has demolished all comers in the first two rounds, while Wardaddy’s wins have come by thin margins, including a Round 2 victory over Chuck Norris’ character in “Delta Force” by only a handful of votes.

Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson, The Patriot) vs. Maj. Alan “Dutch” Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Predator): Martin has removed both Jack Reacher and Steve “Captain America” Rogers from the bracket. Schaefer’s no joke: He took out Lt. Topper Harley (“Hot Shots!”) in Round 2 with nearly 85 percent of the vote.

Col. Nathan Jessep (Jack Nicholson, A Few Good Men) vs. Captain First Rank Marko Ramius (Sean Connery, The Hunt for Red October): Hollywood legends square off in roles from movies that also featured actors still attached to the bracket — Tom Cruise in “A Few Good Men,” James Earl Jones in “The Hunt for Red October.”

Capt. John Miller (Tom Hanks, Saving Private Ryan) vs. Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise, Top Gun): Different eras, different services, similar star power — early Round 3 results have Maverick in a hole.

Gunnery Sgt. Hartman (R. Lee Ermey, Full Metal Jacket) vs. Sgt. John Stryker (John Wayne, Sands of Iwo Jima): Neither icon has been challenged through the first two rounds, but if early vote totals are any indicator, Gunny Hartman is well on his way to repeating what “Full Metal Jacket” did to the field in 2015’s Military Movie Madness.

Maj. John Reisman (Lee Marvin, The Dirty Dozen) vs. Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall, Apocalypse Now): Badass officers collide in this classic contest, but the winner will be a heavy underdog in the regional final against either Hartman or Stryker.

Capt. B.F. “Hawkeye” Pierce (Alan Alda, MASH) vs. Col. Robert Hogan (Bob Crane, Hogan’s Heroes): Pierce edged Capt. James T. Kirk in Round 2 by less than half a percentage point — the closest matchup in Battle Bracket history. Next up for Hawkeye is Hogan, who is no stranger to fierce opposition.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon, NCIS) vs. Lord Darth Vader (James Earl Jones/David Prowse, Star Wars series): On the surface, there’s not much in common between the characters. But if you look deeper into the mind of web searchers who have trouble keeping their celebrity names straight, you can find a connection.

Third-round voting ends Friday. Make your voice heard here.

3. Landslide alerts.

It’s never too early for a comeback, but fans of Lt. Cmdr. Queeg and Chief Petty Officer Ryback — from the Oscar-nominated “The Caine Mutiny” and the not-quite-Oscar-nominated “Under Siege,” respectfully — best get clicking quickly. Both characters are on the wrong end of routs thanks to a pair of early tournament favorites, Gunnery Sgt. Hartman and John Rambo.

4. Style clash.

Sure, you might find basketball teams that play different systems in the NCAA tourney, but Battle Bracket is the go-to for contests that really go outside the box. Case in point: Darth Vader has about a 3-to-1 edge over Lt. Jordan O’Neill, portrayed by Demi Moore in “G.I. Jane.”

5. Star power.

If trends hold, the final four characters in the Big Names and Blockbusters region will have been portrayed by a casting agent’s dream team: Jack Nicholson, Sean Connery, Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks. Closest to slipping: Cruise’s Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (“Top Gun”), who is fending off a late surge from Lt. A.K. Waters (Bruce Willis, “Tears of the Sun”). And speaking of stars, Brad Pitt’s “Wardaddy” Collier (“Fury”) has the early edge over Maj. Scott McCoy (“Delta Force”), which could leave the bracket Chuck Norris-less.

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4. Sgt. Oddball (Donald Sutherland, “Kelly’s Heroes”) vs. Sgt. John Stryker (John Wayne, “Sands of Iwo Jima”). It’s the traditional March Madness styles clash, with Sutherland’s spaced-out Oddball taking on an icon in a retelling of one of World War II’s iconic battles.

5. Capt. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, Avengers series) vs. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson, “The Patriot”). Both characters took out high-profile first-round opposition, with Rogers downing “Roadblock” (Dwayne Johnson, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”) and Martin spiking Jack Reacher.