It's often said that James "Logan" Howlett, a.k.a. Wolverine, is the best there is at what he does (but what he does best isn't very nice). Thanks to his accelerated healing factor and six very sharp adamantium claws, the X-Man has what it takes to shred through most people who are foolish enough to stand in his way. He's held his own against everyone from the immensely powerful Hulk to the deadly villain Omega Red. Seeing as Wade Wilson, a.k.a. Deadpool, finally landed a solo movie (which is really entertaining, by the way), I thought it would be fun to think about who should really win in a fight between these two. After all, Deadpool has taken on a huge variety of characters, too.




Does Wolvierine remain the best there is at what he does, or will Deadpool walk away with some major bragging rights? They've brawled numerous times before in the comics, but there's often factors that play a role (e.g. a bigger plot point, someone had time to prepare, one is not at 100%, etc.). It's time to remove those factors and look purely at the advantages each one of these anti-heroes brings to the battle.




This is speculating about the two getting into a fight while they're in a generic and unpopulated city setting. Wolverine is only equipped with his claws; Deadpool has his variety of bladed weapons, firearms, and some explosives. They're in character as well. Okay, it's time to look at several very important factors and then determine who should probably win! Obviously, either one of these characters has the potential to defeat the other, but who do I think is more likely to win?



Deadpool and Wolverine are topnotch fighters. Thanks to Logan's old age, he's studied many, many forms of martial arts over the years. Sometimes he fights sloppy because he knows his healing factor can allow him to take plenty of punishment, but when he's focused, he's undoubtedly one of the most skilled combats on Earth. He's shown advanced knowledge of anatomy, meaning he knows how to strike efficiently (he's even used nerve strikes against aliens). When his head is in the game, he's proven he possess enough skill to absolutely humiliate Sabretooth. A determined Wolverine who isn't holding back is a very, very scary thing.

Deadpool may not be as skilled as Wolverine, but his own impressive level of combat knowledge makes him ridiculously formidable. His level of focus may change from writer to writer, but what shouldn't change is the fact he's just as good with a sword as he is with his hands or feet. Throw in his agility and he most certainly can get some good hits in against Wolverine.


Wolverine simply has a more consistent display of better focus and superior technique. Wolverine may not be the best there is when it comes to fighting skill, but he's definitely way up there. He's not going to effortlessly wipe the floor with Wade, but he has what it takes to eventually take the edge over the Merc with a Mouth.

Winner : Wolverine

This is a bit of a tricky one. Just like their combat skill, the handling of Deadpool and Wolverine's tactics has undergone some major changes from writer to writer. Still, seeing as both Marvel characters have years and years of appearances, it's possible to determine which showings seem out of character, and which ones feel like they're staying true to the character.




Deadpool obviously has plenty of wacky appearances - especially in writer Daniel Way's hands - and sometimes he doesn't take fights as seriously as he should, but his unpredictability has also served him well over the years. This quality has allowed him to embarrass Taskmaster - an incredibly skilled villain - multiple times, and even cause his enemies to underestimate him, and that can give Wade an opening for a surprise or dirty attack; he's definitely not above going for a low blow. In fights, he talks so much that it really tends to get under his opponents' skin. He's called the Merc with a Mouth for a reason, people! But does Wade's unpredictably and non-stop banter benefit him against Wolverine? In the case of a random encounter, I'm going to say no, not really.




Deadpool has a tendency to annoy his opponents. Flustering his enemy can lead to them making some sloppy decisions in the fight, but Wolverine's more like the Hulk: you wouldn't like him when he's angry. Thanks to the swift healing and boosted durability from adamantium lacing on his skeleton, Wolverine's an extremely difficult man to put down for the count. Deadpool aggravating him just means Logan's gloves will come off. Deadpool's barrage of banter boosts his odds against many, many characters, but with Wolverine, it'll only make the X-Man more determined to wrap up the fight as quickly as possible - he tends to be a no-nonsense kind of guy. Thanks to the rapid healing and durable adamantium, a driven Wolverine is capable of withstanding some major punishment and then using those claws to incapacitate Wade.




Winner: Wolverine


Physicality

As you more than likely know, Wolverine and Deadpool both have ridiculously fast healing factors. Both of them can endure an absurd amount of damage. Whether it's blunt force trauma or stabbing damage, it takes a lot - or a very efficient strike - to keep these two down for more than a few seconds. Thanks to their enhanced physiology, they're also both stronger and faster than average humans; Wolverine can look like just a blur to a regular human's eyes, and Deadpool's proven multiple times he has solid reflexes. There are two key differences in this category, though.




Deadpool's agility is phenomenal. He won't be untouchable when he goes up against Wolverine, but his slick moves have allowed him to dance around groups of talented enemies. Wolverine's hardly a slouch in this category - in fact, I think many people may sell him short in this category - but just like it's clear that Wolverine has a more advanced level of fighting skill, it's also clear that Deadpool's more agile than Wolverine.


Wolverine's big advantage here is his seriously boosted durability. While Wade can also take a shocking amount of damage, Wolverine's adamantium-laced skeleton - and his accelerated healing factor - means he can take a staggering amount of injuries and keep on fighting. It also means Deadpool can't simply dismember him with swords, whereas nothing is stopping Wolverine's virtually unbreakable claws from taking off Deadpool's fingers and limbs.



From high caliber bullets to a barrage of explosives, Logan has been able to take the pain and keep on going towards his target. Wade's terrific agility is sure to play a role in the fight, but I'd say Wolverine's ability to withstand an enormous amount of injuries - which makes him far more difficult to defeat - will play an even bigger role.


Winner: Wolverine


Equipment

When it comes to weapons, Deadpool without question has more variety. The guy is usually packing swords, knives, a few guns, and some small explosives. Seeing as his teleport belt is used for traveling, not combat, I'm not factoring it into the fight. There's no doubt about it that he can eventually take down Wolverine, but, as you hopefully know by now, the X-Man can soak a lot of damage. Still, thanks to Wade's impressive skill, healing factor, and agility, he's going to make sure he puts all of these weapons to proper use against Wolverine. He may act like a fool sometimes - okay, a lot of the time - but when it comes to fights, he sure knows how to inflict a whole lot of damage.




Wolverine's claws are simple yet hugely effective. While Deadpool has the opportunity to bombard Wolverine with damage, Wolverine's claws give him the ability to dismember Wade. He's proven he can easily remove fingers, limbs, and even decapitate Wilson. These claws can also be used defensively since they'll allow him to parry Wade's sharp weapons. They may not give Wolverine any ranged attacks, but thanks to his physiology, he's perfectly capable of getting up close and personal. Wade is likely to dish out more damage overall, but Wolverine's attacks have the chance to be bigger game changers. 




Winner: Wolverine


Jeez, it must really look like I hate Deadpool right about now. I've given every edge to Wolverine, so the winner should be pretty obvious at this point; however, I do think this is a great fight! An encounter between Wolverine and Deadpool should be a long, brutal, and hugely entertaining battle. Wade's arsenal, formidable level of skill, agility, and, of course, healing factor allows him to give Logan an enormous amount of trouble. He may not have as much training as Logan, but he's proven time and time again that he has what it takes to give exceptionally skilled characters quite a challenge.

But Wolverine's more skilled. Wolverine's adamantium lacing - and accelerating healing factor - means Deadpool will have an incredibly tough time incapacitating or knocking him out. The same doesn't hold true for Deadpool because, despite the fast healing factor, he doesn't have a virtually unbreakable skeleton to help him out against Wolverine's six astonishingly dangerous claws. Even if Deadpool's infamous babbling does manage to aggravate his opponent, that'll just result in making Wolverine truly let loose - especially since Wolverine knows it won't keep Wade down permanently. In the end, I'd root for Deadpool simply because he's one of my favorite characters, but I'd bet on Wolverine winning the vicious fight via incapacitation. Sorry, Wade! I still love you more. I swear.

Winner: Wolverine