Can Deadpool beat Wolverine? Every fight before Deadpool 3

Christopher Baggett
Deadpool and Wolverine facing off against one another

The MCU and Fox X-Men universes collide at long last this summer in Deadpool & Wolverine, which will finally let fans find out if Deadpool can beat Wolverine.

After a Patrick Stewart tease as a multiversal Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the upcoming Marvel movie marks the first time the X-Men have joined the MCU proper. And, as with all the best superhero movies and comic book arcs, it opens with a brawl, as Deadpool & Wolverine will see the titular pair trade blows.

A good old-fashioned fight is exactly how most comic book team-ups start, but Wolverine and Deadpool have clashed multiple times over the years. While they may not have fought as often as you think, they have got a surprisingly even win/loss record, thanks largely to their similar healing powers.

At the end of the day, Wolverine is an incredibly popular and often overpowered mutant who fans want to see win. So has Deadpool ever actually managed to beat him? 

Can Deadpool beat Wolverine? 

Yes, Deadpool can and has beaten Wolverine in the past.

Deadpool and Wolverine have fought quite a few times in the comics, though not as often as you may think. And while Wolverine has a few wins, Deadpool has also managed to get his share of victories. 

Many stories do try to handwave this, such as Wolverine’s healing factor not working or Deadpool being manipulated by external forces. However, epic Deadpool comics like Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe have Deadpool very cleanly get a win on Wolverine.  

Will they fight in Deadpool 3?

The simple answer to whether Deadpool and Wolverine will fight in Deadpool 3 is a resounding yes. 

We’ve seen the brawl firsthand in the first full trailer for the film. As the two come to blows, Deadpool sure seems to be on the losing end, being stabbed multiple times and thrown around like a ragdoll. It remains to be seen if there will be a definitive winner or if circumstances will prevent us from knowing who is really the better man. 

As an added bonus, there is a super fun Easter egg to their fight, as the choreography appears to be a match for Peter Parker and Flash Thompson’s fight from 2002’s Spider-Man.

How often have Deadpool and Wolverine fought before?

Deadpool vs Wolverine

Deadpool and Wolverine have crossed paths a number of times in the comics, and they wind up fighting almost as often as they team up.

Here are some of the instances they have fought:

  • Wolverine #88 sees the two cross paths for the very first time, as Wolverine finds himself at the house of Deadpool’s ex at the same time Wade is dropping by for a visit. The ensuing fight sees Deadpool actually get close to a win, as Wolverine was still recovering after Magneto ripped the adamantium off his bones
  • In Deadpool #27, a depressed Deadpool is told he needs to fight a superhero to get out of his funk. He chooses Wolverine, naturally, and the two have the brawl to end all brawls
  • Wolverine #154 sees Deadpool hired to capture Logan. When Wolverine attempts to have a heart-to-heart with him, Deadpool fills him with enough tranquilizer to knock out a T-Rex
  • During the arc The Deep End in Wolverine: Origins #21-25, Deadpool is hired to kill Wolverine. The two battle off-and-on throughout the arc, but in the end, it’s revealed that Logan himself had hired Deadpool through The Winter Soldier as part of a plot to draw out Wolverine’s son, Daken
  • As the name suggests, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe has Deadpool killing every Marvel character. Using a sword that neutralizes his healing factor, Deadpool beheads Wolverine, negating him as a threat
  • Cable and Deadpool had several issues in which Deadpool teamed up with other heroes following Cable’s death. Issues 43-44 saw him and Wolverine in a Hydra base, where a berserk Wolverine cut off Deadpool’s head, though Deadpool (obviously) doesn’t die from this
  • The two had an animated brawl in the direct-to-video Hulk Vs. Wolverine film
  • It is also worth mentioning the brawl they shared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where Wolverine decapitated Weapon XI. Not quite the start Deadpool would’ve hoped for when he joined the X-Men timeline

With Deadpool and Wolverine coming to blows on the big screen, fans will be able to find out who the MCU considers the definitive victor when Deadpool & Wolverine releases on July 26. 

Now you know the result of a Deadpool vs Wolverine fight, you’re likely looking for more superhero content, right? Well, you can check out the new Spider-Man 4 news, read all about the upcoming The Fantastic Four movie, and keep updated with any Avengers 5 changes.