Nightwing vs. Deathstroke: Who Would Win & Why?

Deathstroke and Nightwing are equally intriguing characters in the DC Universe. They each have their origins and background, with Nightwing being a former Robin and Deathstroke, a former soldier who was experimented on with the super soldier serum. One question that is undoubtedly on the minds of fans is who would win if the two ever came up in a battle and why.

Deathstroke would win in a fight against Nightwing. This is because he is stronger, faster, has more stamina, and is incredibly more durable than Nightwing. What’s more, Deathstroke has enhanced brain activity which allows his mind to operate at peak efficiency.

Deathstroke and Nightwing have fought in the comics, and in that instance, the victor was clear. This article will assess the various abilities of both characters, pitting them against each other to see who would win if they fought. So if this sounds like something you’d like to dive into, stay with us!

Strength

One of Deathstroke’s greatest attributes is his superhuman strength. I don’t mean peak human strength. His natural strength has increased beyond the peak human potential, even moving to the first levels of superhuman capabilities.

He is so strong he can easily overpower humans, throw others several feet with one arm, break a sword in half, and even lift and toss a large piece of concrete. He has been described as having the strength of 100 normal human men.

On the other hand, Nightwing is no slouch when it comes to strength. He has peak human strength that allows him to perform incredible feats. He showed his incredible strength during his time as Robin when he went toe to toe with the supervillain Bane with his bare hands.

In addition to this, he can toss a refrigerator, flip around while carrying an obese man on his shoulders, and throw KGBeast through a wall. Some of his more incredible feats of strength include breaking through titanium legs and supporting 1000lbs of rubble over his head to rescue people from a burning building.

Deathstroke is the victor in this section, though not by a lot.

Point: Deathstroke (1:0) Nightwing

Speed

Deathstroke can move at speeds greater than the peak of human conditioning, approaching levels of superhuman speed. On multiple occasions, he was able to take on speedsters in fights that were surprisingly not in the slightest one-sided. Hector Hammond peeped into Deathstroke and saw that he was fast enough to kill Reverse Flash if the opportunity ever presented itself. Even Wally West considers Deathstroke to be fast.

By comparison, Nightwing possesses peak human speed. This grants him quick movement when running as well as in fights. He can keep up with and even surpass his mentor in speed. The comics, at times, described him as being faster than the Bat, capable of running at speeds of approximately 30mph.

Deathstroke wins this round easily. I mean, he can literally keep up with speedsters.

Point: Deathstroke (2:0) Nightwing

Agility and Reflexes

Deathstroke has agility, balance, and bodily coordination that is enhanced to superhuman levels. He also has reflexes that are far superior to those of even the finest humans. These two abilities allow him to be able to evade rapid gunfire and easily catch arrows and daggers thrown at him without even looking.

Trained since he was 4 to become an acrobat, Nightwing possesses agility that can only be described as superhuman. His equilibrium, balance, flexibility, dexterity, and bodily coordination are quite impressive. He’s one of only 3 people in the comics capable of doing a quadruple backflip.  

Nightwing’s reflexes are also equally impressive. He can evade multiple attacks and dodge rapid gunfire bullets. He can also detect a sniper bullet with enough concentration.

This section has to be a draw between the two of them.

Point: Deathstroke (2:0) Nightwing

Stamina

Deathstroke possesses incredible stamina that allows him to exert himself physically for days on lots of occasions, all the time, while wearing heavy body armor. For example, in the War of Jokes and Riddles, he exerted himself for 5 days and nights on end.

Nightwing has been trained from a very young age, which means he has developed an incredible amount of potential energy. He’s usually on patrol all hours of the day and can fight for extended periods while maintaining his composure. He can function for up to 4 days with no sleep.

In what is a very close call, Deathstroke wins this round.

Point: Deathstroke (3:0) Nightwing

Durability and Healing

Deathstroke possesses what can be described as superhuman durability. He traded punches with Wonder Woman, Superman, and Lapetus without flinching and was able to recover from them with relative ease.

In addition to this, Deathstroke has accelerated healing. This allows his blood to clot in a matter of seconds and seal wounds in minutes. Depending on the level of injury, he can fully heal in a matter of seconds or hours. His healing feats include healing every broken bone in his body and recovering from severe burns that covered 90 % of his body.

What’s more, Deathstroke can resurrect. While he cannot survive a lethal injury to the brain, his healing factor can go into overdrive after he’s dead if his immune system is triggered by an infection. This is what allowed him to come back to life after taking a bullet to the head.

By comparison, Nightwing possesses peak human endurance. His bones and muscles can withstand damage more than average humans can bear. His endurance can be compared to his mentor Batman. He can survive attacks from Blockbuster, who has superhuman strength, as well as Osiris. He survived a shot from a .32 pistol that only grazed the back of his head, and he went on fighting.

Deathstroke wins this category easily.

Point: Deathstroke (4:0) Nightwing

Deathstroke’s Enhanced Brain Activity vs. Nightwing’s Genius Intellect

Deathstroke possesses enhanced brain activity thanks to the Enhanced Soldier Initiative. This experimental procedure activated a dormant metagene that evolved his brain incredibly. His mental capacity was enhanced exponentially, allowing his mind to operate at peak efficiency, nine times more than that of a normal human. His mind is so evolved he can access his brain functions on a cellular level.

Nightwing, by comparison, has genius intellect. Taught by Batman, Nightwing has impeccable knowledge in several fields. He’s particularly adept at technology and has increased his hacking and technological skills making him nearly better than Batman in these fields. He’s also a brilliant strategist which serves him greatly in combat. In addition to this, he has an indomitable will that, together with his genius intellect, has helped him a lot in fights.

Deathstroke wins this round because his brain is practically evolved, while Nightwing’s is just that of a peak human.

Point: Deathstroke (4:0) Nightwing

Nightwing vs Deathstroke: Who Wins?

Many times Nightwing has proven to be more than a capable fighter against just about anyone. Deathstroke and Nightwing have fought each other in the comics severally. However, Deathstroke has always proven to be one of Nightwing’s most tenacious enemies. As good as Nightwing is, he’s never been able to beat Deathstroke one on one.

So in a fight between the two, Deathstroke is sure to win. This is because he is stronger, faster, has more stamina, and is incredibly durable than Nightwing. Nightwing is no pushover and would undoubtedly inflict considerable injury on Deathstroke but the latter would surely emerge victorious.