Before we get into the details, let’s paint a picture of
where this battle takes place so it’s easier to imagine the fight. To keep things
balanced, let’s say these two have spotted each other in a generic city
setting. It’s nighttime, no civilians are around, and they start the match
about 50 feet apart on the street. There's plenty of stuff for cover, like bus stops, parked cars, garbage bins, and more. It’s a random encounter, meaning neither character knows
anything about their enemy. For simplicity’s sake, assume Marvel Studios and
the comics don’t exist on Deadpool’s version of Earth, so he doesn’t have the
advantage of already knowing about Bucky. While we’re at it, let’s also not
take X-Men Origins: Wolverine into
account while thinking about this fight. We’re all cool with that, right? Of
course we are. As for Bucky, let’s assume he’s still brainwashed, meaning he’s
in his Winter Soldier mentality.
Okay, now that you have the beginning of the fight in your
head, let’s analyze their strengths and think about how this clash between cinematic
characters would play out!
FIGHTING SKILL AND EQUIPMENT
In Captain America:
The Winter Soldier and Captain
America: Civil War, Bucky has some solid displays of skill. He proved that
he’s able to hold his own against formidable characters like Iron Man, Black
Panther, Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon. To be fair, the showings
strongly imply that he probably wouldn’t win a drawn-out fight against Black
Panther (Wanda saves Bucky), Iron Man (Bucky needs Cap’s help), or Captain
America (Steve eventually chokes him out), but the fact that he can temporarily
hold his own, land some good hits, and make them work for a win is impressive.
It doesn’t hurt that he’s usually not holding back with his attacks, either.
As for his
weaponry, it’s safe to say he’s usually carrying an assault rifle (with a
grenade launcher attachment), a combat knife, two pistols, a smaller explosive
device (the one he rolled towards Black Widow’s trap), and even a grappling
line (the one he used against Falcon, and Cap later used in Civil War’s final act). Captain America: The Winer Soldier
showed that Bucky’s firearms can be used efficiently in close range, too – he was
clever enough to bypass Steve’s shield by making the super-soldier block one
shot but leave himself vulnerable to another one. We know he’s resourceful too
since he was using objects in the environment as weapons in Civil War during the fight in the apartment complex. Lastly, if he is wearing his
goggles, we know they’re bulletproof because they saved him from one of Black
Widow’s bullets. Overall, Bucky’s a brutal combatant and he’s bringing a good
variety of weaponry to the fight.
Deadpool’s a swift and deadly combatant. His standard gear
appears to be two pistols, two swords, and some smaller knives. In his film, he
was casually shooting bad guys in the head (once without even looking, and
another time he shot a grenade that was about to be thrown) and he was
effortlessly slicing fodder apart with his blades (he's accurate with throwing them, too) – despite being a goofball, the
guy’s clearly very dangerous. His agility plays a big role in how he fights,
making him tough to tag and easier for him to land multiple hits on his
opponent.
While Deadpool was able to drop nameless bad guys with ease, he did struggle
when he faced a tougher opponent: Francis, aka Ajax. Not being able to feel
pain and being physically superior to a regular human definitely helps Ajax's odds against Deadpool (for example, being stabbed in the thigh didn't bother him but it would seriously hurt other people). These fights were much more balanced, and Ajax
was able to get the edge over Wade twice. In all fairness, Deadpool wasn’t
trying to kill Ajax, but it’s not like he was going easy on the guy, either.
Now, it’s worth noting that Deadpool’s swords could be a major obstacle for
Bucky when the two get close, but Bucky’s arm should be able to block those
attacks since they can block bullets and Captain America’s shield. Still,
Deadpool landing one good hit with a blade could immediately give him the edge
in the fight.
Both fighters are talented, but the edge slightly goes to
Bucky. They’re both bringing solid skill and dangerous weaponry to the clash,
but Bucky has more options (one grenade could be a game changer) and, while it’s
clear neither has a significant edge
in combat skill, Bucky’s showings against highly skilled opponents (Black
Panther and Captain America) definitely helps his case.
Edge: Bucky
MENTALITY
While in his Winter Soldier mindset, Bucky’s focused,
tactical, and highly aggressive. There was no nonsense from him and he was 100%
obsessed with destroying his target. Deadpool is… well, come on, he’s Deadpool. The guy geared up for a big
mission and then forgot to bring the weapons! He loves to run his mouth and when facing the extremely durable X-Man Colossus, he unleashed on the titan
with his fists and feet. Obviously, Deadpool was venting and that scene was
there for laughs, but it’s not like it’s totally out of character for him to do something
like that.
On the plus side, Deadpool’s non-stop banter could get under Bucky’s skin. After all, it’s not like Bucky’s
ignoring his opponents – he had a reaction when Captain America said, “Bucky?”
He was also livid when Captain America kept saying Bucky’s name and telling him
they’re friends. Deadpool doesn’t have a close connection to Bucky like Cap
does, but there’s a chance that
Deadpool’s babbling could get irritate Bucky and make him slightly less focused.
Deadpool shouldn’t be underestimated, either. During the movie’s first big
action scene, Wade was clearly keeping track of how many shots his enemy fired so he knew when one person was out of ammo,
and he even played dead at one point to lure in an enemy and make them drop
their guard. Playing dead could work
with Bucky if the tactic is used early on in the fight (when Bucky isn’t
aware of Deadpool’s healing factor), but that’s a pretty big “if.” And it's worth saying that Deadpool had to play dead because he was shot "right up main street" while doing a victory dance.
Wade Wilson shouldn’t be taken lightly, but it’s pretty obvious who
should get the edge here.
Edge: Bucky
PHYSICALITY
Bucky’s cybernetic arm is going to play a crucial role in
his offense and defense. It’ll give him extra strength behind his attacks and
it’s also bulletproof, so that’ll potentially save him from some of Deadpool’s bullets
and sword strikes. We know the dude’s pretty fast (see the chase sequence in Civil War or catching Cap’s shield and
then vanishing in Winter Soldier),
agile enough to momentarily dodge Falcon’s gunfire and get behind cover (Winter Soldier), and strong enough to
tear through walls, crack pavement, and even make Iron Man feel his punches (Civil War). Bucky also took some seriously
powerful hits during his first fight with Captain America and he wasn’t knocked
out. He has a really high pain tolerance and he’ll be able to take a good deal
of blunt force trauma (punches, kicks, headbutts, etc.) from Deadpool, but aside
from his cybernetic arm, he’ll be vulnerable to the Merc with a Mouth’s bullets
and sharp weapons.
Just like Bucky, Deadpool is way more impressive than your
ordinary human. His agility is downright jaw-dropping, he’s got remarkable
reflexes (caught Ajax’s axe and immediately threw it back at him; Deadpool 2’s trailer reveals he’s still
quick enough to cut a bullet, but he can’t successfully block multiple bullets), and he’s strong
enough to send Ajax flying with a hit. Deadpool’s agility is undoubtedly going
to play a big role in this fight. His healing factor is going to be an even
bigger advantage. Wade Wilson can take a disturbing amount of punishment before
going down for the count.
Deadpool had no reaction whatsoever after being shot
multiple times in the back, and the movie showed that bullet wounds heal very,
very quickly. He doesn’t heal as quickly when a part of him is dismembered, but
that probably won’t play a role in this fight. That said, Deadpool’s resistance
to blunt force trauma isn’t as impressive as his resistance to bullets. It
takes a lot to keep Wade down (he was still babbling after being backhanded by the
incredibly strong Colossus, and he endured being struck multiple times by a
fire extinguisher), but he obviously felt the attacks and they took a
noticeable toll on him. He won’t be immune to hits from Bucky’s cybernetic arm
and non-cybernetic hits will still be felt. These strikes won’t immediately
knock Deadpool out, but they can stun him and leave him open to more attacks.
After all, that’s exactly how Ajax almost defeated him and things could’ve played
out very differently if Vanessa didn’t save Deadpool - Deadpool was completely helpless for a bit after getting a knife jammed in his head. It’s not far-fetched to
believe that Bucky could pull that off as well, except this time no one will be around to help Wade.
The Merc with a Mouth is very dangerous in his debut solo film,
but he’s not completely immune to blunt force trauma. Against Bucky’s
cybernetic arm, that could spell trouble and leave him vulnerable to a critical
hit with one of Bucky’s weapons, like a knife to the noggin. Bucky’s impressive overall and his arm is strong enough to
hurt Deadpool; however, Deadpool’s agility and accelerated healing factor are huge
variables in the fight.
Edge: Deadpool
VERDICT
Before picking a winner, it’s important to say that both
characters have the potential to win. They may be total opposites when it comes
to how they act in a fight (direct and focused vs all over the place and silly),
but they’re both ridiculously formidable and have what it takes to take down
their opponent. Deadpool could eventually get a headshot or a good stab on
Bucky; Bucky could eventually jam a knife in Deadpool’s head or punch the Merc
with a Mouth until he no longer poses a threat. It would be a phenomenal
battle, but in the end, Bucky’s no-nonsense tactics, solid skill, and variety
of dangerous weaponry gives him the edge. Bucky will walk away as the winner of
the fight and he’ll probably get an invitation from Wade to join X-Force, too.
Winner: Bucky
Really good analysis. Glad to see both characters getting some love/respect.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Jordan!
DeleteOutstanding analysis bro! Good job :)
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, HigorMarx!
Delete