Captain Marvel vs Wonder Woman: Who Wins in a Fight?
An in-depth look at the powers and opponents of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel, and the final verdict as to who would win in a head-to-head match-up.
Comic fans have debated endlessly over which character from which universe could best the other in a fight: Superman versus the Hulk, Batman versus Daredevil, et al. So, in that spirit, who would come out on top in a throwdown Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman? It's time to break it down.
Among the ranks of the DC Comics and Marvel Comics rosters, there are a select few in each universe who are the best of the best. Characters who are faster, stronger, and smarter than their powerful peers. In the DC Universe, names like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern all immediately come to mind. Similarly, Marvel fans might point to the Hulk, Thor, or Captain Marvel as that publisher’s apex superhero. Over the years, speculation has arisen concerning who might emerge victorious in a battle of comic book heavyweights. Particularly, the women’s division. Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel have repeatedly proven themselves equal to any meta-human man, but who would win in a fight between the two?
Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, is the Amazonian daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta. Diana has been blessed with superhuman strength, super-speed, the ability to fly, and invulnerability. On top of these physical attributes, the gods have also bequeathed her with several magical accessories, including a deadly tiara, two unbreakable wristbands, and a truth-eliciting lasso. After leaving her island home of Themyscira, Diana quickly established herself as a physical and mental equal to her male superhuman counterparts.
On numerous occasions she has stood toe-to-toe with some of DC’s most powerful characters, including Superman in 2012’s Justice League #11, and Darkseid in 2018’s Wonder Woman #44. Diana’s magical accoutrements have often been just enough to tip the scales when facing an equally powerful opponent. In a match-up with Captain Marvel, deflecting energy beams with her bracelets or entangling Marvel in her magic lasso may be just the edge she needs. Conversely, her items and abilities often require close-quarter combat, and that might prove a disadvantage against the very mobile Captain Marvel.
United States Air Force officer Carol Danvers became Ms. Marvel, and later Captain Marvel, after being caught in the blast of the "Psyche-Magnetron" device. This explosion, coupled with her proximity to her alien predecessor Mar-Vell, transformed Danvers into a human-Kree hybrid. Captain Marvel exhibits super-human strength, durability, flight, and the ability to absorb energy and discharge it as projectiles from her fists. As one of the more powerful Marvel protagonists, Danvers has had her fair share of confrontations with comparable allies and enemies.
In Ms. Marvel #5 in 1977, Carol battles Vision to a stalemate before the two put aside their differences and join forces. More recently, 2006's Ms. Marvel #43 pitted Carol Danvers against an equally-powerful clone of her namesake, Mar-vell. Danvers again emerged victorious. When stacked against the Amazing Amazon, Captain Marvel’s minor precognitive abilities and long-distance energy beams might be enough to put her over the top. On the other hand, the millennia-old Wonder Woman has the experience factor, and that could be a big disadvantage for Carol Danvers.
Wonder Woman would narrowly defeat Captain Marvel. Both heroes display comparable levels of super strength, durability, and flight. If Danvers’ energy beams are cancelled out by Wonder Woman’s arsenal of magical items, then experience becomes the x-factor. Diana is older and wiser. Thousands of years of Amazonian training, and almost seventy-five years of fighting evil with various incarnations of the Justice Society and Justice League, will prove just enough of an advantage to barely beat the exceptionally talented, but far less experienced Captain Marvel.