I think we can all agree that Lobe and Dead Pool they are two of the most beloved characters in their respective companies. Even when DC doesn’t know what to do with him, Lobo remains one of their most fun characters. Meanwhile, Deadpool plays an important role in keeping the lights on at Marvel, both on screen and on the panel. Their bombastic personalities are why I’m such a fan of both of them.
With that in mind, one thing needs to be said: Lobo is just the original version of Deadpool. Before you start tearing me apart, I would like you to listen to me first. This isn’t a slight against either character or their fans because, again, I’m a fan of both – nor is the comparison meant to take anything away from Deadpool, but it’s worth an honest side-by-side assessment of the characters.
More than anything, the comparison hopes to highlight that as popular as Deadpool is today, Lobo deserves the same push from DC.
Lobo and Deadpool share a lot of similarities – let’s break them down
DC’s Lobo first appeared in 1983; Marvel’s Deadpool debuted in 1990
Deadpool made his first appearance under the Marvel banner in the 1990s The New Mutants #98, while Lobo made his DC Comics debut in 1983 Omega Men #3. Honestly, I feel like the fact that Lobo predates Deadpool by almost a decade is enough to prove my point about Lobo being a better Deadpool. Everything Deadpool is about, Lobo wrote the book, so to speak – and a closer look at their similarities emphasizes this. Let’s start by taking a look at their respective powers.
Both men are expert marksmen and possess an accelerated healing factor. However, this is where Lobo gains the upper hand for the first time. Lobo’s healing factor is the best the DC cast has to offer. While the same can be said of Deadpool in Marvel, there have been many cases where Deadpool’s healing factor is known to have been reverse engineered to defeat him. After all, in current continuity, Wade Wilson is permanently dead, because someone found a way to overcome his healing factor. We haven’t seen anyone manage to beat the Wolf’s healing factor, at least it’s rare.
To be honest, Lobo is a better and scarier killer than Deadpool
The protagonist > The mercenary with a mouth
Wolf can regenerate from a single drop of blood, but he’s also a skilled enough character to rarely be in the position he needs to be. His super strength is enough to rival Superman’s, making him a major DC powerhouse. Meanwhile, Deadpool finds himself routinely mutilated, severed, decapitated, and on the brink of death. Sure, the way he’s able to face death like he’s the monster of the week, in practically every issue, is an endearing quality in Deadpool that I love as much as the next reader, but it costs him his credibility as a fighter.
Lobo manages to maintain his sarcastic and often self-referential sense of humor while also being utterly terrifying in his approach.
In a sense, this also makes Lobo a better assassin, as he can do his job without needing his powers. Most importantly, Lobo is much more sinister than Deadpool. Both tick the snarky antihero box impressively well, but Deadpool has leaned almost too much into being a comedian in recent decades. Don’t get me wrong, I think Deadpool is the funnier of the two, but then again, trustworthy is not intimidating or trustworthy. Lobo manages to maintain his sarcastic and often self-referential sense of humor while also being utterly terrifying in his approach.
DC needs to look at Marvel’s success with Deadpool and try to replicate it with Lobo
Lobo deserves to be a star
Looking at the comparison between the two characters, When we take into account all the similarities between Deadpool and Lobo, we wonder why Lobo isn’t on the same level as Deadpool in the mainstream.. Think about it: Deadpool is pretty much Marvel’s biggest draw right now, in terms of casual audiences. He has his ongoing comic book series, a film trilogy, and since joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he has become the new face of the MCU, as he has been placed front and center on every Disney+ movie poster and from Marvel.
This raises the question of why his counterpart, Lobo, doesn’t have a more prominent role. DC Comics has just kicked off its highly publicized Absolute Universe and its new All-In era for its main continuity, and as of this writing, Lobo has not been found in either universe. It baffles me why Lobo doesn’t get the same kind of push that Deadpool does from Marvel, and given that Lobe It’s a better version Dead PoolIt doesn’t make much sense to me why he isn’t used in a larger role by DC.