Blade vs. Luke Cage: Who Would Win?

Credit: MCU

There are plenty of times in storytelling when plot armor runs out of control, and the comics are one of those times since both Marvel and DC are overrun with heroes and villains that can walk through a hail of bullets, can lift tons, and can take the kind of damage that would be enough to kill scores of people. Luke Cage is a great example of this since the guy can survive impacts and explosions and gunfire without a scratch on him unless the projectiles happen to be made of adamantium or something else that might be able to penetrate his skin. Of course, given the supposed rarity of adamantium in the Marvel Universe, it’s fair to think that only a few people would be able to stand toe to toe with this street-level juggernaut. Unfortunately, as it’s happened with many characters, Cage’s power levels have been fiddled with over the years, and as of now, it would appear that, in the comics, he’s capable of taking on characters that are way above his level simply because he’s capable of taking so much more damage, and has evolved as a character. That’s great to be fair, since his fighting ability, intelligence, and wisdom could definitely be explained. But upping his power level to a degree where only the heaviest hitters can really touch him doesn’t do the character any favors. That could be why pitting him against Blade might be a nice, humbling experience. 

credit: Marvel Comics

Like always, it’s up to the writers and their story that dictates how this fight would go.

If there’s one thing that people should understand, it’s the fact that the writers are in control of how things are going to go, and at times it’s up to the people who are telling the writers what to put into the story how the outcome will shape up. Between Blade and Cage, it would likely need to be a story that might see them at odds with each other over one particular element or another that would remain unresolved for a while. Unless it was a battle to the death, however, it’s too likely that both men would be holding back quite a bit, which means that such a match wouldn’t be all that great given that Blade is, like it or not, far more battle-tested than Cage, and is far more likely to drop the good guy act sooner in order to get the win. It might be that both characters have changed over the years, but one thing that is certain is that Blade has almost always been far deadlier and more willing to use force during a fight, which is saying something since Luke doesn’t hold back that often either, at least until recent years.  

It depends on whether we’re talking about the movies or the comics when describing how this fight would go. 

Since Cage hasn’t been in the movies as of yet, it’s difficult if not impossible to say how he would fare, especially since the MCU has a very irritating habit of adjusting the power levels of certain heroes depending upon the social impact they’re trying to make with each character. Oh yes, I said it, as the favorites that the Mouse House is trying to push to the masses tend to be powered up or down according to what those in charge want people to see. How Luke Cage would be treated is hard to say since being a man of color it’s likely that he would be ramped up even further, but being a man he might not be given the same level of power as others. Leaving Blade as the badass he’s been in the movies would be preferred, especially if he was given an adamantium sword as he was in the comics. If nothing else, this would even things up since given Blade’s speed, ferocity, and ability to strike from multiple angles, it would definitely give him an advantage in the fight. 

Credit: MCU

Heroes don’t fight each other that often, but it’s still fun to think about what might happen in a death match situation. 

People tend to point this out quite often since it’s true, heroes only really get to fight each other when there’s a disagreement about this or that. Civil War was, in the comics, a rather brutal fight that didn’t really get settled since Captain America gave up at one point. Luke Cage eventually joined the underground resistance along with Spider-Man and a few others, but Blade actually joined S.H.I.E.L.D. Hey, it gave him access to a greater resource with more freedom to move about, kind of, and it afford Blade and many other heroes a legitimacy that they hadn’t enjoyed before. The only difference this would make in this fight however is that Blade might have more support and more access to weapons that might actually harm Cage, which he likely wouldn’t use unless he needed them. 

This one is hard to call, there’s no doubt, especially since it could go either way. 

Let’s put it this way, Blade is strong, quick, and vicious, while Luke is strong, quick, and determined. If Blade had an adamantium blade to use, then it’s easy to think that he would be the victor eventually. But without it, the fight would go on for a while and likely be decided by who passed out first. Hey, both guys are insanely strong, durable, and know how to use the city around them to their advantage. That’s just one element that makes this fight tough to call for either of them.