Wolverine vs. Thanos: Who Is Stronger & Who Would Win in a Fight?

Marvel Universe is home to many powerful characters, and Wolverine and Thanos can be placed among the strongest characters when we consider their origins. Thanos is an Eternal/Deviant hybrid, meaning he is vastly more powerful than the rest of his kind. Wolverine is sort of in a similar position. Due to his mutant genes, he has some abilities that far go beyond the borders of what is humanly possible, and because of this, we decided to stage this hypothetical fight between the two brawlers. Now let’s see, when it comes to a battle between Wolverine and Thanos, who is stronger, and who would win? 

Thanos would win in a fight against Wolverine with relative ease due to being stronger, faster, more intelligent, and objectively a better fighter. Thanos’ power set is much more versatile than anything that Wolverine can throw at him, and because of Thanos’ durability and his healing factor, it’s under question how much damage Wolverine would deal with his claws. In the comics, Thanos once killed Wolverine by turning his Adamantium skeleton into rubber. 

Now that we’ve covered that Wolverine basically has no chance of winning this, it’s time to explain why. We will analyze both characters’ powers, abilities, speed, durability, and strength, so you can see how we came to our conclusion. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!

Powers & abilities 

Wolverine is among the most iconic mutants for a very good reason. He is famous for his healing factor and Adamantium skeleton, which he gained during the Weapon-X program, which completely brought his abilities to another level. Wolverine’s mutant gene enhances his animalistic side. His senses are vastly more powerful than those of regular human beings. 

Wolverine’s Adamantium claws can easily be placed on the list of most powerful weapons due to being made out of one extremely durable and deadly metal. Wolverine is also immune to mental attacks. This is pretty much it, as Wolverine has a truly humble power set. Please take note that his healing factor will be analyzed in the durability section. 

Even if Thanos was a pure Eternal, his powers and abilities could be classified as godlike in nature, but he isn’t. He has the Deviant Syndrome, which means that Thanos somehow inherited Devinat Genes, which manifested in such a way that Thanos is both physically repulsive but incredibly powerful at the same time, much more powerful than a regular Eternal. 

Thanos can manipulate most known forms of energy and elements. He is known to, at times, dabble in magic, curses, soul manipulation, and insanity manipulation. He demonstrated some limited ability to even manipulate objects or lesser beings on a molecular level.

Thanos can use his powers for a variety of effects. He can be dangerous when he utilizes his disruptor eye beams and his blasts of pure energy, but he can also protect himself by forming powerful barriers and shields around him. At the same time, Thanos is a powerful telepath and resistant to some forms of mind manipulation.

Due to his origin and long years of practice, Thanos managed to master as many offensive abilities as possible. Due to this, the point goes to him since Wolverine is much less versatile. 

Points: Thanos(1:0) Wolverine

Strength and stamina 

Wolverine has superhuman strength both due to this mutant physiology and the fact that he has an Adamantium skeleton which is much more durable and stronger (and heavier) than your regular skeleton. Wolverine can lift up to 2 tons. This puts him way over the line when we take into account what regular humans (or even merely enhanced humans) can lift. 

Due to his healing factor, Wolverine filters out fatigue toxins and recovers from them much faster than the average human. Wolverine can be tired, but he will recover from this fatigue much faster, allowing him to keep fighting.

Thanos has unimaginable levels of strength at his disposal. He can lift up to 100 tons, although it is assumed that it might be even possible that his strength is unlimited due to the many powers and enhancements that Thanos has.

His brutish physique allows him to overpower most enemies that he comes across, and his stamina levels allow him to keep fighting for days or even weeks without feeling the effects of fatigue. 

Thanos is stronger and has much better stamina reserves than Wolverine, so the point goes to Mad Titan. 

Points: Thanos(2:0) Wolverine

Speed

In terms of speed, Wolverine has enhanced speed, meaning that his movement speed is faster than humans but not by much. While moving, Wolverine can reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, but the situation changes while he is in combat. In combat, Wolverine’s animalistic instincts kick in, and he is capable of moving extremely fast. Wolverine frequently dodges bullets and hits from enemies that are on paper, much faster than he is.

Thanos’ bodily tissues are so strong he can move extremely fast, up to 700 miles per hour, with nothing but his brutish physique alone. Thanos can also fly, teleport, and open various portals, but this wouldn’t be as useful in combat as it seems.

Like Wolverine, Thanos is on another level while he is fighting. Despite his huge frame, Thanos moves and reacts quite swiftly. He is known for taking down even the flying enemies with his split-second reactions. 

The biology, unfortunately, is not on Wolverine’s side, as Thanos’ Eternal/ Deviant nature makes him much faster. 

Points: Thanos(3:0) Wolverine

Durability

And now, it’s time to analyze Wolverine’s most notable ability – his healing factor. Wolverine is almost immortal, he ages far slower, and he can’t be killed through regular means. Wolverine’s healing factor is so powerful he can heal even the most severe wounds, and yes, he would be able to regrow severed limbs or, even worse, vital organs. 

It’s extremely difficult to injure Wolverine long-term, It can be done, but it’s highly unlikely. 

Thanos is in a similar position, not because of his mutant genes but because of his Eternal/Deviant physiology. Thanos has extremely durable bodily tissues which conventional weapons cannot harm, and he is highly immune to some forms of elemental or magic-based damage. 

If something manages to injure Thanos, it’s likely that his fast-acting healing factor will kick in and repair the damage in record time. Due to Wolverine’s claws being made of Adamantium, it’s likely that he would be able to injure Thanos, however. 

Both Thanos and Wolverine are extremely durable, but we gotta give Wolverine the point here since it’s his most notable ability and one of the most powerful healing factors in Marvel Comics. 

Points: Thanos(3:1) Wolverine

Intelligence

Wolverine has average intelligence, but he excels in some other areas, like tracking, due to being more in tune due to his animalistic side. Wolverine was always rough around the edges and was never exactly a genius. He knows his way around a fight and taking down his opponents, but this is pretty much it. 

Thanos is known far and wide to be in the company of super-geniuses in Marvel Comics. His intellect is his most dangerous weapon, and Thanos stands behind some of the most brutal, evil, but brilliant plans in existence. Ever since he was a child, Thanos has been interested in science and the occult.

He is known to be cold, calculating, and manipulative. Due to his centuries of experience and being a conquering warlord, he learned something about fighting and tactics.

There’s no doubt about it. Thanos gets this point. 

Points: Thanos(4:1) Wolverine

Combat Skills 

Wolverine is not the best combatant in the Marvel Universe, but he is still known to be among the most lethal. He is considered to be a master combatant skilled in several assassination techniques, and his superior reflexes allow him to predict the movements and accurately counter everything his opponents can throw at him. He was a samurai, a spy, and a mercenary and got in contact with the projectile, bladed, and other types of weapons.

Thanos doesn’t have to stoop to using his physical abilities often due to the various destructive powers he has at his disposal, but he is known to be among the greatest armed and unarmed fighters in the Marvel comics. This is because he started training at a really early age and has millennia of experience fighting. Thanos is especially dangerous with his double-bladed sword, which was his most iconic MCU weapon. 

Thanos is a better fighter overall due to having faster reaction times and reflexes and much more experience fighting and leading wars than Wolverine. 

Points: Thanos(5:1) Wolverine

Thanos vs. Wolverine, what happened in the comics? 

One of the most notable fights between Thanos and Wolverine happened in the ‘Infinity Gauntlet’ storyline. Thanos used the powers of the Reality Stone to turn Wolverine’s Adamantium bones into rubber, brutally killing him along the way. 

Even though our version of Thanos does not have access to the Infinity Gauntlet, as it’s no fun comparing characters with such powers against others, Thanos would still steamroll Wolverine in a fight because he is vastly stronger, faster, more durable, and a better fighter overall.

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

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