Deathstroke the Terminator has been a major character in the DC universe for several years now. As one of the deadliest characters around, Slade Wilson has taken on all sorts of threats, even going so far as to take on actual gods.
Because of his skills, few other characters can take him down, or require a group effort to do so. Furthermore, considering his impact on the DC universe, it is interesting to think about how the character would fare in the Marvel universe. Assuming the assassin finds his way to Earth 616, here is our list of 5 Marvel heroes Deathstroke could beat, and 5 who would beat him.
Updated on October 7th, 2020, by Richard Keller: Deathstroke is hard to beat in most fights. With enhanced strength and speed combined with expert weapon skills, Slade can do serious damage before a person knows it. However, is it so simple to do with Marvel's superheroes? Here are a few more examples to make that determination.
15 Moon Knight (Can't Beat)
Since Moon Knight is Marvel's answer to Batman, Deathstroke's defeat is all but certain. There are numerous examples in the DC universe where Slade took a pounding from the Dark Knight. Even when it was considered a draw, Deathstroke had to lick his wounds.
There's another reason why Moon Knight has an advantage — he isn't against killing. If the street-level fighter feels Deathstroke is a deadly threat to those he protects, M.K. would make sure Slade didn't get up from a fight.
14 Cyclops (Can Beat)
Scott Summers is a fine leader. He's also highly skilled with the use of his optic blasts. However, he's not the fastest hero on Earth-616.
It's not hard for Deathstroke to avoid Scott's blasts. He'd go low and follow it up with a blade into a part of Cyclop's body. Which section depends if he wanted to injure or kill the X-Men's leader. Granted. Scott would be able to get in a shot before the blade sliced through him. However, Slade could heal from it in no time.
13 Wolverine (Can't Beat)
Wolverine and Deathstroke faced off before. It was way back in 1982 in a crossover comic where the Merry Mutants paired with the New Teen Titans. Logan asked Slade for a light. When the DC assassin turned around with his sword Wolverine was nowhere to be seen.
Thing is, Wolverine can go feral if absolutely needed. If he detects that Deathstroke is too dangerous to remain alive, he'd unsheathe his claws and do damage that Slade's armored suit can't protect.
12 Ms. Marvel (Can Beat)
There's no doubt Kamala Khan has the superhuman powers to take on Deathstroke. There would probably be a moment where she gained the upper-hand against him with her shape-altering abilities. However, it would take one slip for Slade to take over. Once that happened, Kamala would have a hard time to catch up.
11 Squirrel Girl (Can't Beat)
It seems this teenage hero from Earth-616 would be easy for Deathstroke to defeat. Slade might consider her weaker than Ms. Marvel and laugh at her looks. This would be his downfall.
If Doreen can't talk her way out of a confrontation with Deathstroke, she'd use her prehensile tail to smack him around. Once Slade was stunned, Squirrel Girl would eat through his armor with her buck teeth. Then, she'd slash him at his weak points. Slade would be a whimpering mess when it was over.
10 Captain America (Can Beat)
Despite having advanced abilities of his own, Captain America just isn’t as skilled as Deathstroke in terms of combat abilities. Generally speaking, Deathstroke has been depicted as far faster and more agile on average than Captain America, giving him a huge advantage in a fight between them.
Though the two would be fairly evenly matched in terms of strength and strategy, Deathstroke’s healing factor also gives him an advantage that the Sentinel of Liberty can’t match. Furthermore, with an arsenal on his body that is far more lethal than a shield, Deathstroke is highly likely to be the one to walk away from this fight.
9 Hulk (Can’t Beat)
Though Deathstroke is far smarter and more agile than Hulk is typically depicted, the anger-ridden monster is just far too strong for someone like Deathstroke to bring down. If anything DC’s assassin would only anger the character further, which would then cause him to grow in strength and size.
In the past, Hulk has even brought down some of the most powerful Marvel characters with incredible ease. Furthermore, in the World War Hulk storyline, he nearly leveled all of Manhattan with a single step. Considering all that power, it seems fairly obvious that someone like Deathstroke wouldn’t stand a chance against the likes of Hulk.
8 Spider-Man (Can Beat)
Though Spider-Man has faced off against plenty of characters who are similar to Deathstroke, he hasn’t quite taken on anyone quite like him. Thanks to Slade’s enhanced abilities, he is likely able to match the web-head in terms of movement and fighting style. Furthermore, even though Spider-Man is the stronger of the two, Deathstroke’s weapons are far more devastating than anything Spider-Man commonly does.
Even with his gadgets, Deathstroke’s incredibly sharp mind would likely find a way out of any sticky situation Spider-Man poses. Since both characters are deadly at a distance and close range as well, the fight seems like a toss-up. Unfortunately, considering how one of Spider-Man’s greatest losses has been at the hands of Kraven the Hunter, it only makes sense that someone who could best Kraven would also be able to best Spider-Man.
7 Deadpool (Can’t Beat)
As the direct rip-off of the popular DC assassin, Deadpool has since grown into the type of character who would take down the character he was originally based on. Granted, if healing factors weren’t considered for this fight, then Deathstroke would easily be the victor.
Fortunately for Deadpool though, his healing factor is one of the best in all of comics. With it, he can return from some of the most devastating wounds in a matter of moments. Though Deathstroke also has an advanced healing factor, it is nowhere near the same level as Deadpool’s making him far more likely to lose in the end.
6 Daredevil (Can Beat)
However good his senses may be, Daredevil just isn’t quite up to the same level as Deathstroke. Even as one of Marvel’s more brutal heroes, Deathstroke is far deadlier and far more lethal, giving him a major advantage over the Man Without Fear.
While Daredevil may be able to dodge many of Deathstroke’s attacks, he would have a hard time landing any hits himself. Likewise, Deathstroke has also mastered far more fighting styles than Daredevil and has the added addition of superhuman abilities. While Deathstroke may not be able to kill him, Daredevil’s best chance at survival would be to evade the DC character until he can escape to safety.
5 Captain Marvel (Can’t Beat)
Like Hulk, Captain Marvel is just too powerful for someone like Deathstroke to put down. Both versions of the character have superhuman abilities that far surpass Deathstroke’s enhancements, and their abilities to absorb/project solar energies are far more devastating and destructive than almost anything Deathstroke could carry around.
Though he could arguably be the better hand-to-hand fighter, Deathstroke’s skills are just no match for someone as powerful as Captain Marvel. Likewise, his weapons would have very little impact, making him the wrong person to fulfill a contract like this. No matter how deadly he may be in the Dc universe, this is just one Marvel hero he can’t terminate.
4 Punisher (Can Beat)
Frank Castle is one of the few Marvel characters who would be able to match Deathstroke in terms of firepower. Over the years, Punisher has dealt some pretty brutal blows to his opponents in the name of justice, and also proven that, even without powers, he can still be a major player in the Marvel universe.
Unfortunately, in a fight against Deathstroke, Punisher’s lack of powers would ultimately be his downfall. Should their encounter be limited to firearms, then it's anyone’s fight. As far as hand-to-hand goes though, Deathstroke is easily the superior combatant. No matter how high Frank’s tolerance for pain may be, Deathstroke would be the clear winner against him.
3 Black Panther (Can’t Beat)
Even aside from his abilities, Black Panther has access to some of the most advanced technology in the entire Marvel universe. With this in mind, it only makes sense that he would be able to take down someone like Deathstroke.
Considering how T’Challa also has advanced reflexes at his disposal, on top of some of the best combat training around, he would likely make incredibly swift work of someone like Slade. Furthermore, no amount of firepower that Deathstroke could carry would be able to do any harm to the Marvel hero, making him the definite victor in a brawl between the two.
2 Black Widow (Can Beat)
Despite being incredibly deadly herself, Black Widow just can’t quite measure up to Deathstroke’s skills. Once again, his superhuman abilities come into play, giving him a major advantage, but it is also entirely plausible that he would beat her without them.
Abilities aside, Deathstroke and Black Widow are fairly evenly matched, with both of them being highly experienced fighters and marksmen. Though not every detail of Widow’s past is known, it is safe to assume that her kill count rivals that of Deathstroke’s. Unfortunately, Slade’s enhancements give him the edge he would need to beat her, making him the victor once again in this regard.
1 Doctor Strange (Can’t Beat)
Dr. Strange’s mastery of the mystic arts has arguably made him one of the most powerful Marvel characters of all time. With the ability to do all sorts of things, it almost seems a bit unfair to put him up against Deathstroke.
However, Deathstroke has defeated literal gods in the past, making Dr. Strange seem like a much easier task. Unfortunately, unless he had a magic weapon of his own, Deathstroke likely wouldn’t even be able to get close to Strange. For how powerful the magician is, Deathstroke simply just can’t measure up, making him the more likely loser of the two.