Deadpool vs. Ghost Rider: Who Would Win in a Fight & What Happened in the Comics?

Both Deadpool and Ghost Rider are among the most famous Marvel antiheroes. Both have awesome powers, and both are known for using unconventional and perhaps slightly too brutal solutions to their problems. This is why a fight between them is always interesting. Deadpool has plenty to feel guilty about, and Ghost Rider thrives on guilt and vengeance, so who between them would prevail? This is why we decided to stage a hypothetical fight between the two, and now, let’s see, when it comes to a fight between Deadpool and Ghost Rider, who is more powerful, and who would win? 

Ghost Rider is more powerful and would win in a fight against Deadpool. Ghost Rider is a divine being who is stronger and has a more versatile power set than Deadpool. It would be extremely hard for Ghost Rider to effectively go around Deadpool’s healing factor, but with enough Hellfire juice, he is more than able to knock out Deadpool for a very long time. Deadpool, on the other hand, has nothing to throw at Ghost Rider. Deadpool managed to kill Ghost Rider two times, but both stories are non-canon and hence irrelevant for this comparison. 

Now that we’ve given you a summary of how the fight would play out, it’s time to analyze it in more detail. We’re going to compare mainline versions of Deadpool and Johnny Blazes’ Ghost Rider. And speaking of Ghost Rider’s powers, we’re going to explain how Ghost Rider’s most powerful ability, Penance Stare, works on Deadpool. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading! 

Powers and abilities

Ghost Rider is a human being possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance, who is, in turn, of divine origins, which means that Ghost Rider’s powers are mostly magic-based, and their primary target is the soul. Ghost Rider is commonly considered to be overpowered, not only due to Penance Stare but because of his other superhuman qualities, which will be discussed further in this article.

Penance Stare, Ghost Rider’s most notable ability, can take down some of the most powerful entities in the Marvel Universe for as long as the entity in question is actually susceptible to the effects of the Penance Stare. 

Penance Stare is the ability to inflict all the pain an individual has inflicted on the innocent throughout his life. It can prove lethal in some cases but is, in almost every case, highly disabling for an individual. Ghost Rider’s second notable ability is Hellfire manipulation. Hellfire can be so devastating it can burn through the toughest materials in the Marvel Universe, even souls themselves. It is said that Hellfire produces flames so hot the temperature is reminiscent of Hell.   

Ghost Rider can also create objects with Hellfire like other weapons and even vehicles. As the King of Hell, Ghost Rider also has Damnation Stare, an ability capable of burning sinners from the inside out. He can also manipulate his own size and perform exorcism when it’s needed (and sin purge when it’s appropriate) 

Deadpool doesn’t have any special powers or abilities and is mostly famous for the healing factor that he gained during the Weapon-X program, but this will be analyzed in the durability section of this post.

Since Deadpool doesn’t have any notable energy manipulation powers and abilities, we’re going to use this part to analyze how Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare affects Deadpool. As we all know, Penance Stare has pretty loose criteria on who it affects. Generally, if you have a soul and are not considered “amoral,” the Stare should work on you. However, writers have been inconsistent when it comes to enforcing those rules, the most notable example of this being Punisher, who was at one point both affected and unaffected by the Stare.  

In the famous fight against Deadpool and Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze targets Deadpool with Penance Stare, but Deadpool sees only a highlight reel of his “greatest hits.” and Ghost Rider quickly reverts back to Johny Blaze.

Many fans concluded that Deadpool is immune to Penance Stare, but this isn’t quite so. As you can see by the panels below, Deadpool was affected by the Penance Stare, but it turned out that his greatest victim was Deadpool himself. 

It might not be as effective when you compare it against some other characters, but Penance Stare should generally work on Deadpool to at least knock him out for a short time. 

Due to Ghost Rider having a more versatile power set, it’s obvious that this point goes to him. 

Points: Ghost Rider (1:0) Deadpool

Strength and Stamina 

Ghost Rider is a supernatural being, and due to that, he has superhuman physiology. And even though Ghost Rider’s limits in strength and stamina are unknown, we know that he can lift at least 25 tons. 

In terms of stamina, as soon as Johnny Blaze transforms into a Ghost Rider, his body also transforms into a burning skeleton, meaning that the rules of his human physiology no longer apply, and he can keep on fighting for as long as they are sinners around. 

Deadpool is a mutate, which means that his physiology was artificially mutated, and he gained, as a side-effect, superhuman strength. As such, Deadpool can lift anywhere between 800 lbs and 2 tons, possibly even more. He is also slow to get tired due to his unique physiology, producing fewer fatigue toxins and his extremely powerful healing factor dealing with those fatigue toxins much more efficiently and faster than a regular human would be able to. Deadpool can fight for a few days before the tiredness settles in. 

Based on this, Ghost Rider has a superior physiology due to being of magical origin, and the point goes to him. 

Points: Ghost Rider (2:0) Deadpool

Speed

Ghost Rider has plenty of ways to traverse large expanses faster than humans could be able to, but when it comes to combat speeds, he’s not that fast. He does have superhuman agility, reflexes, and reaction times, but he is not among the fastest characters in Marvel comics. In terms of speed, Ghost Rider usually depends on Hellcycle, teleportation, and portal mastery. 

Deadpool, like Ghost Rider, has enhanced reflexes and reaction times, and he is extremely agile even when injured. Since he primarily relies on his combat skills to get things done, it doesn’t surprise us that he can move while in combat at breakneck speeds. Still, just like Ghost Rider, he is far from being the fastest. 

Based on the official numbers, Deadpool and Ghost Rider (without the help of various teleporters) have exactly the same combat speed rating, and due to that, the point goes to both. 

Points: Ghost Rider (3:1) Deadpool

Durability

Ghost Rider, while in his human form, can easily be killed and dealt with. The tricky part is when he gets transformed into a Ghost Rider. As Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze is practically immune to all damage as his body and physiology fundamentally change. 

It is said that only God has the power to deal lethal damage to Zarathos, and even then, he is such an abstract entity that it’s only a matter of time before he returns to life again. Ghost Rider’s other weakness is holy weapons. Ghost Rider is immortal and capable of tanking multiversal levels of damage. 

Now, durability is a category that Deadpool hardly ever loses, and it’s mostly because his healing factor is legendary. He can recover from even the most severe damage possible, like lost limbs and a severed head.

Even biological weapons are not doing anything to Deadpool since he is mostly immune to poisons, toxins, viruses, and bacteria due to his supreme immune system and metabolism.Deadpool is functionally immortal as his body repairs even damage dealt to him by his cells aging, which means that he will stay in his prime for a very long time. 

Both Deadpool and Ghost Rider are nearly impossible to kill, and this is why the point goes to both once again. 

Points: Ghost Rider (4:2) Deadpool

Intelligence

Ghost Rider has average intelligence, meaning that he doesn’t have a PhD and is not a master of science like some of the most popular characters in Marvel. Still, it’s undeniable that he has access to some divine secrets and mysteries and that he is quite knowledgeable when it comes to the occult. 

He can also gain knowledge by reading someone’s past through their soul, and he can cleverly utilize this in a fight to gain access to his opponent’s psychological weaknesses. 

Deadpool also has average intelligence, but he is very rarely rational and reasonable. This, however, he managed to turn to his advantage. His insanity makes him highly unpredictable and difficult to fight against in combat.

Deadpool’s focus is on comedy and dramatic effect, and due to that, he is often shown as being erratic, impulsive, and going headfirst into anything without paying attention to possible consequences. And while this does seem like a surefire way to lose, remember that Deadpool has a healing factor, and his opponents don’t. He is willing to self-destruct to prove a point. He will just recover anyway. 

 Both Deadpool and Ghost Rider are average regarding intelligence, but both have unique approaches to utilizing their “brains” in a fight, so the point goes to both. 

Points: Ghost Rider (5:3) Deadpool

Combat Skills

Ghost Rider is a skilled and excellent fighter, especially when it comes to utilizing his mystic chain. However, he mostly relies on Penance Stare and Hellfire in combat. He is also an expert stuntman, but this would be regarded as useful in specific fights only. 

 Deadpool has a mercenary background and is considered a master combatant in the Marvel Universe due to his unparalleled skills in both armed and unarmed combat techniques. Deadpool’s most popular and favorite weapons are his Katanas, which make him quite the deadly opponent and one difficult to deal with in a conventional manner.  

Deadpool has far more experience with weapons and relies on weapons far more than Ghost Rider. Due to that, the point goes to him. 

Points: Ghost Rider (5:4) Deadpool

Deadpool vs. Ghost Rider: Who wins? 

Based on our analysis, Ghost Rider is more powerful than Deadpool and would win in a fight against him, but I have to admit we did give Deadpool points fairly liberally. It most certainly wouldn’t be a fight to death because both characters would have trouble “killing off” the other one, but I’m fairly certain that Ghost Rider would be able to disable Deadpool far earlier than vice versa. 

Keep in mind that Deadpool managed to kill Ghost Rider twice in the non-canon stories, but he also managed to kill the entire Marvel Universe, so this bears no relevance to the outcome of this fight. 

Who do you think would win this fight? Let us know in the comments!

Liked this article? Join the community on Reddit for the latest Marvel & DC news!