In the world of comics, it used to be that a hero and villain would fight, the forces of good would triumph, and the villain would be carted away to swear revenge. These days, comics are a little more... complicated. As comics have grown, so too have the feuds between heroes and villains. Gone were the days in which a villain was little more than a nuisance to our intrepid hero; in its place were villains that would resort to all manner of depravity to claim victory.
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As a result, the feuds between heroes and villains got bloodier. Punches are traded, loved ones are threatened, and the occasional face is cut off. But some comic book feuds are so brutal, so blood drenched that they become the stuff of legend. These ain't your grandpa's comic book feuds, so don't expect any wacky plots or family friendly stories here. Expect plenty of punching, plenty of eye gouging, and plenty of violence. These are the goriest, craziest, most downright violent feuds in all of comic-dom. So grab your barf bag, put the little ones to bed, and get ready for the 15 bloodiest feuds in all of comics history.
15 THE HULK AND WOLVERINE
One is a green behemoth with an unquenchable rage. One is a pint-sized hairy Canadian with an anger problem. While both work to serve the side of good, the Hulk and Wolverine have gone down in comic history for their decades-spanning, legendarily violent feud.
Making his initial appearance in The Incredible Hulk #181 fighting the Hulk, Wolverine has clashed with the Jade Giant many times over the years. While the main Marvel Universe paints the heroes as friendly, punch-happy rivals, alternate realities have explored the more graphic side to the feud. Whether it's Old Man Logan clawing his way out of a decrepit Hulk's stomach, or the Ultimate Hulk tearing Ultimate Wolverine in half and heaving him up a mountain, Wolvie and the Jade Giant have had some stomach churning fights, cementing their feud on our list.
14 BANE AND BATMAN
Batman has gone toe-to-toe with some of the worst villains the DC Universe has to offer, and has managed to emerge triumphant time and time again. This was not the case when the Caped Crusader crossed paths with the vicious Bane. With a mix of brute strength and cunning intelligence, Bane managed to break the Bat.
Managing to overcome Bane's brutal and literally crippling backbreaker, Batman would return to battle the beastly Bane. The two brilliant tacticians have traded blows countless times over the years, with both sides managing to claim victory over the other at one time or another. With Bane's superhuman resiliency, brought on by the drug Venom, Batman's fights with the villain are legendary to say the least. With Bane recently ousted from Gotham City after a brutal war with the Bat, you can bet that this feud will continue, and will only get bloodier as time goes on.
13 THE FLASH AND ZOOM
The fleet-footed Flash has traded faster-than-light punches with plenty of villainous speedsters over the years. However, they don't come more sadistic, more utterly twisted than Hunter Zolomon, better known as the nefarious Zoom.
A one time police profiler, Zolomon gained powers after a freak explosion of the cosmic treadmill, granting Zolomon super speed and warping his mind. Driven by the desire to make Barry a better Flash by helping the hero to experience tragedy, Zoom has caused Barry's wife Linda to suffer a miscarriage, almost broke the neck of Kid Flash, and attempted to murder Linda by running around the Earth at light speed and running directly through her. Zoom is vicious, and it takes Barry every trick in the book to beat the evil speedster. Zolomon has since been de-powered, but it is only a matter of time before Zoom comes for Barry once more.
12 DEADPOOL AND T-RAY
Deadpool might always be ready with a quip, but he knows how to get serious when need be. And there is no one that brings out the serious side quite like T-Ray. Coming up as mercenaries together at Hellhouse, the hulking T-Ray takes delight in torturing Deadpool, both physically and psychologically. T-Ray has survived a knife to the heart, using dark magic to break Deadpool in battle.
T-Ray has even managed to push Deadpool to his psychological limits, infiltrating his home base and feeding Wade Wilson stories to make the wise-cracking mercenary question his path. Despite numerous clashes over the years, T-Ray has refused to stay dead, always finding a way to claw his way back to life to hound Deadpool. T-Ray hasn't been seen too much recently, but the Merc With A Mouth will surely cross swords with his archenemy once more.
11 ANTON ARCANE AND SWAMP THING
When you look like a walking pile of dirt and moss, life is always going to be tough. But for Swamp Thing, the DC Universe's mystical plant man, it isn't appearances that make life tough: no, it's the evil, manipulative Anton Arcane that makes Swamp Thing's life a living hell.
Arcane's laundry list of evil deeds is long and varied. He's created the monstrous Un-Men while serving Adolf Hitler, he's become a literal demon, he's possessed allies of Swamp Thing, he's sent allies of Swamp Thing to literal Hell, and he's become the avatar of a force that wants to blot out all life from the Earth. For his part, Swamp Thing has killed Arcane multiple times, and even had the sorcerer sent to Hell to be tortured for eternity. So it goes without saying that these two archenemies really, really hate each other, and have had the battles to prove it!
10 WOLVERINE AND DAKEN
Wolverine is scary enough as is. Take Wolverine, give him a cruel streak a mile wide, and give him heaps of Daddy issues, and you get Wolverine's son, Daken. Turns out, when this dysfunctional family clashes claws, you're left with some seriously bloody battles.
Over their numerous battles, Wolverine and Daken have gutted each other, lopped off body parts, drowned each other, and even blew each other up with grenades. Daken relishes every opportunity to remind Wolverine of his deep hatred of his father, with Daken seeing Wolverine as what he was always destined to be. Despite all the stabbing, Daken and Wolverine harbor respect for each other, with Daken even taking the time to bury his father's remains in Okinawa after his recent death. But that respect doesn't stand in the way of a good knock-down, drag out battle, so expect plenty of bloodshed when Wolverine and Daken cross paths again.
9 WOLVERINE AND SABRETOOTH
Wolverine has "Snikt'd" his way through some of Marvel's most fearsome villains, but only one manages to give the X-Man a consistent run for his money: Sabretooth. Hailing from the same Weapon X program that gave birth to Wolverine, Sabretooth will resort to whatever lengths he has to in order to triumph over Wolvie, including, but not limited to, beheading, evisceration, immolation, and stringing up a bunch of razor wire between two trees and dicing a motorcycle-riding Wolverine to pieces, Wile E. Coyote style.
Sabretooth would ultimately die at the hands of Wolverine, having his head lopped off with a mythical blade that negated the mutant's regenerating abilities. But as no one stays dead in comics, Sabretooth has since clawed his way back to the land of the living and now actually fights for the side of the angels. Now, it's only a matter of time before these two stab-happy mutants reignite this decades-old feud.
8 SPIDER-MAN AND KRAVEN
With great power comes great responsibility. Turns out, great power also comes with some totally unhinged super villains. And in Spider-Man's rogue gallery, they do not come any more unhinged than Kraven the Hunter.
Despite traipsing about in a vest that looks like a lion, Kraven is no laughing matter. After years of white-knuckle battles, Kraven grew frustrated over his inability to best Spider-Man. While some would find positive means of channeling that frustration, Kraven opted to drug Spidey, bury him alive, take over the role of Spider-Man, embark on a brutal spree of vigilanteism, and eventually shove a gun in his own mouth and commit suicide. Despite the typical finality of a shotgun to the head, Kraven returned, explosively psychopathic and with a burning hatred for Spider-Man. Always teetering on the edge of sanity, Kraven will resort to any bloody means if it results in a victory over Spider-Man.
7 AQUAMAN AND BLACK MANTA
The DC Universe is filled with some pretty sadistic foes. But they don't come more bloodthirsty, more unflinchingly brutal than Black Manta. The underwater mercenary known as Black Manta has been a perpetual thorn in the side of Aquaman, with Manta popping up to wage war on Atlantis and even straight up lopping off Aquaman's hand. But this all pales in comparison to Black Manta's despicable plot involving Aquaman's son, the fittingly named Aqualad.
After capturing Aquaman and Aqualad and forcing the duo to fight each other, Black Manta placed Aquaman's son in a chamber that would slowly suffocate the baby. While the heroes were able to break free, it was too late: the baby had died. Aquaman almost killed Black Manta for this, but ultimately took the high road. But considering all the blood spilled in this feud over the years, Aquaman might be regretting this choice.
6 DAREDEVIL AND BULLSEYE
If there's one thing Daredevil knows, it's suffering. The Man Without Fear has lost friends and families, had his secret identity revealed to the world, and even went to prison. If there's one thing Bullseye knows, it's how to make Daredevil suffer.
Daredevil has his hands full dealing with the likes of Kingpin and the crime that infests Hell's Kitchen, but Bullseye is always ready to pop in and royally screw up Matt Murdock's life. Over their years-long feud, Bullseye has practically turned ruining Murdock's life into his pastime, murdering both Daredevil's on again/off again girlfriend Elektra with her own sai, and later killing Daredevil's girlfriend Karen Page with Daredevil's own ricocheted billy club. Daredevil's white knuckle, blood-splattering brawls with Bullseye have become the one constant in the vigilante's life: No matter what else happens, Bullseye will always be back to torture Matt Murdock.
5 THE PUNISHER AND CRIME
Turns out, watching your loving family be brutally murdered right in front of your eyes can make a guy a little cranky. Thus, it is no surprise that Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, relishes the opportunity to take out his anger on crime.
With an arsenal of weapons rivaling that of an army of a small nation, the Punisher is always ready to shoot, stab, garrote, filet, and generally kill the hell out of any criminal that crosses his path. Over his unending feud with crime, Frank has managed to get creative with his punishing, feeding men to polar bears, burning them at the stake, and even punting a mob boss with no arms or legs into a house fire. The Punisher's long, brutal feud with crime is far from over, and it only stands to get bloodier.
4 MOON KNIGHT AND BUSHMAN
Moon Knight suffers from multiple personality disorder, grapples with schizophrenia, and has been known to cross the line in battle. And he's the good guy. Marc Spector, better known as the vigilante Moon Knight, has clashed with all manner of criminal scum, but they don't come more criminal-y or scumy then Raoul Bushman. This sadistic mercenary takes great joy in torturing Spector, leading to plenty of bloody dust-ups between the two.
The feud would eventually culminate in the unhinged Moon Knight cutting off the face of his longtime rival, before killing him. But as no one stays dead in comics, Bushman would eventually return from the grave, sans face, resorting to lobotomizing an entire asylum to wage war against Moon Knight. Bushman was last seen locked up in Ravencroft, but a feud this brutal guarantees that these mortal enemies will cross paths again.
3 DEATHSTROKE AND THE TEEN TITANS
Many people claim to hate broccoli. Others claim to hate Justin Bieber. But that isn't true hate. But the blinding, all-consuming contempt that Deathstroke feels for the Teen Titans? Now that is true hate.
The one-eyed mercenary Slade Wilson, better known as Deathstroke, has been clashing with the Teen Titans for decades. From corrupting his own daughter in order to manipulate the team to straight-up shattering Impulse's knee with a shotgun blast, Deathstroke pulls no punches when it comes to the Titans. There is no low Deathstroke won't sink to in order to strike at the Teen Titans, but the Titans are always ready to trade blows with the sadistic mercenary when needed. Deathstroke has gone on to cross paths with the likes of Batman and the JLA, but it is the Teen Titans that will remain his longest running and bloodiest feud.
2 SUPERMAN AND DOOMSDAY
What happens when the immovable object meets the unstoppable force? If Superman and Doomsday's legendary battles are anything to go by, the unstoppable force and the unmovable object beat the holy hell out of each other. Genetically designed to be the ultimate instrument of war, the villainous Doomsday managed to go pound-for-pound with Superman, eventually besting the hero after a city destroying battle.
Superman would eventually shake off the whole "death" thing off and return for a rematch, but even with the aid of the forces of Apokolips, Supes wasn't able to beat Doomsday, resorting to leaving the monstrous creature at the literal End of Time. Doomsday has popped up several times since, each time trading blow after bloody blow with Superman. Superman prides himself on always finding a way, but his seemingly unending feud with Doomsday tests the limits of his powers every fight.
1 BATMAN AND THE JOKER
Batman does not kill. He's come close many times, but at the end of the day, the Dark Knight always finds a way without resorting to killing. But the Joker might just push Batman to break that rule one day.
Over decades of feuding, the insane Joker has crippled allies of Batman, beaten a Robin to death with a crowbar, and come dangerously close to destroying Gotham City numerous times. To the Joker, Batman is just one bad day away from becoming him, and he intends to prove it. Every fight with the Joker is a fight for your life, and Batman has plenty of scars to prove it. But despite all of the spilled blood and broken bones, Batman hasn't let the Joker win just yet. But both Batman and the Joker know this feud can only end one way: death. Whose death it will be has yet to be seen.
What do you think is the bloodiest feud in comics history? Let us know in the comments!