Did you know that the name "X-23" is a clever nod to human genetics? I explain in my latest mini-episode over on Insta (instagram.com/sci_phile/). Thanks for watching! -- KH

So you're saying that Deadpool from X-Men Origins: Wolverine is superior to both Wolverine and X-23?

*"Kyle is wrong!" FAQ* 1. Yes, getting cut with three blades instead of two would be a worse wound, and would be deadlier. My video is about the cutting power. Given a strong enough material, X-23's two claws could cut deeper than Wolverine's three (also applies to stabbing). It's a boundary case for sure, but that's comic book physics for you. 2. Yes Wolverine is more muscled than X-23, but I assumed equal strength because the are clones, and making a bunch of assumptions about the strength of the sexes would have been impossible. 3. X-23's whole skeleton *isn't* covered. Then she wouldn't be able to grow! 4. I didn't factor in body weights in my strength estimate because we have no idea how X-23's strength relates to her size. In LOGAN she's a child and throws men around like nothing. Also, Wolverine may be heavier, but impact force includes the change in velocity over time in addition to mass. You could just as easily make the argument that X-23 is much faster than Wolverine, and therefore can impart the same forces despite being less massive. Science! -- KH

Nerdist, my question would be, weight and force. Logan has a full skeleton covered by adamantium, and X-23 only has the claws. Yes genetically they are identical minus a Y chromosome, but the weight behind both will be significantly different. X-23 fully grown should not be more than 120-150 lbs, while i read somewhere that Wolvi was around 350 due to the weight of the adimantium. I would agree with you that she would do more immediate damage, but Wolvi "Logan" would have more raw power in his strikes with full momentum.

Her third claw is between her toes.... somebody already freaked out about this, right?

A Because Science of Stopping the Train in Spiderman 2, PLEASE!

This argument is flawed because it presumes that Wolverine and X-23 are equally strong because they have the same genetics. However, Wolverine is physically bigger with muscle. I know lots of people like to believe in equality between the sexes, but the size of the muscles in Wolverine's manly build will make him stronger than X-23's smaller, feminine build.

can you do spongebob's regeneration factor

Why is everyone forgetting one fact, Wolverine has more muscular power so his cutting force would be the same as hers or most likely even more.

Or wolverine could just retract the middle one and leave the others out

Her claws on her feet are more useful than the third claw Wolverine has in the middle. Better climbing ability.

You got yourself wrapped up in the numbers. Each blade cuts through armor easily anyway, meaning having more blades gets you a higher chance to inflict lethal damage. In this case you don't want to reduce the area.

In her origins story, she had three claws. One from each hand was removed, while keeping her awake the entire time, and re-implanting them into her feet.

So Deadpool in origins is even more deadlier since his retracting blades where one on each arm.

You have raised many, many questions: 1) What about the extra weight a third blade brings to the table? Does Wolverine swing harder when his claws are out, than when two of them are retracted in his arm? 2) If Wolverine has to cut through an opponent like the Hulk or DC's Superman, would it be more effective to use the added swing of three claws, or the higher pressure of a single one? What if he practiced a technique where he swings with three blades, then retracts the two at the last moment, giving him more pressure AND more swing? (You spin faster when you swift some mass towards the center of your rotation) 3) Does X-23 hurt more when cutting through stuff? Yes, she does. Try poking a solid object with one finger, then two, then three, then four. This also applies to Sabretooth, and Yuriko from X2 (Lady Deathstrike). 4) Can Wolverine change his physique? How does working out affect him? Does he have a constant 3% body fat? Can he become stronger only by eating, metabolising carbs and protein, and peeing fat? Does his healing factor come with a higher growing up rate? Does he actually pee fat? 5) What else do I have to ask to be featured on your channel/Twitter/Instagram? 6) Wolverine pees fat and cigar smoke, doesn't he?

Wolverine got bigger muscles, so your argument is invalid.

Not to nitpick Kyle, but Logan is capable of choosing whether of not he uses all adamantium claws or not, ex. the time he flipped off Scott with only one claw. If he opted to use only one claw, then that one claw would take 100% of the .... oh crap ... You debunked my comment as I was writing it ... dammit Kyle ...

I know that I'm gonna get flak for this, but what about 'Deadpool''s 'katanas' in x-men origins: wolverine? They're much longer and there is only 1. Also, can adamantium cut adamantium?

Wolverine can choose how many blades extend.

I don't know that I would have said "deadlier" when comparing them. When I was in my late teens I built a working version of the Devil's forks from Matt Wagner's very excellent "Grendel" series. When I tested it I learned about how the surface area of the cutting edge(s) affects the penetration of the edge in a slashing attack. Long story short, it requires more force to achieve the same slashing penetration with two blades mounted side by side than it does for a single blade. Noticably more. This lead me to believe that Wolverine's claw setup would be unfeasible as a slashing weapon *for regular humans* due to the forces involved to get the blades to penetrate deeply enough to be signficant. I even had an extra advantage in that my blades were mounted on a lever. So from that perspective, X-23 has the advantage: it requires less force to create significant penetration in a slashing attack using two claws. With a stabbing attack, however, Wolverine probably has the deadlier setup. When I tested the forks for stabbing power, while it does require more force to penetrate with a stabbing attack just like in a slashing attack, it's nowhere near as much of an increase. A regular person could easily muster the force to stab with two blades side by side. A third blade would require still more force, but I believe it would be a doable feat. Inside a target they' be difficult or impossible to cut with in a straight line, but getting them in there is within regular peoples abilities. However, cutting in a straight line isn't the only option. Once the blades are in the taget, you also can twist them. This would cut a circular "core" from the target, creating a hole that can't be easily closed not unlike the wound from the (totally against the Geneva Convention) triangular bayonet, but bigger. Wolverine's claws would be wider, so he would cut the bigger hole, so his would be deadlier in this case. Realistically, both would produce horrible wounds that would resist doctor's attempts to heal them. For regular people with regular strength, they would be awkward and limited. Both would be deadly, but more "practical" in different ways.

Ignoring the feet claws (because I think that's just stupid), this argument is pretty pointless, because Wolverine can use any combination of his three claws. He just as easily could only ever use one or two.

For everyone saying that X-23 is "not a clone" due to her being a girl please do some more research on genetics. Although not cannon, they could have made X-23 with only one sex chromosome. X0, also known as turners syndrome, is not that uncommon. She would still be genetically identical in every way to Logan, as in a normal female one of the 2 X chromosomes is randomly inactivated. The "default setting" of a human is female, the Y chromosome just carries the genetic material for masculinization. This is not the case for X-23 though, as they just used two of the same X chromosome from Logan. Therefore as long as as that one X that was used twice did not carry a deadly mutation, X-23 would go through the process of X-inactivation and develop as a female. If you don't believe me look up X-inactivation. Fun fact this process is what creates the coloration on a "calico" cat.

I just love so much that these videos exist.

That pun at the 4:57 mark was fantastic. Didn't seem intentional but still awesome 😊 keep it up. Fun to watch and learn.

I think you don't give a fuck if your head gets cut off by two or three blades that are sharp enough to cut through superman.

So there's all the comments about The Mass of Logan being more, giving him more force, which Is true. But there is another part to look at. If either one can already cut through anything, wouldn't 3 claws end up doing more damage than two, making the 3 claw setup more deadly?

I think the bigger factor is the arrangement of claws between the two characters. While individual cutting force may vary, both are far more than sufficient to destroy most materials and adversaries. The claw arrangement then comes into play--both X-23's and Logan's hand claws are essentially static--whether there are two or three claws, they remain at the same distance and angle relative to each other, essentially acting as one attacking unit. The claws are stuck to the arms, and each of them only have two arms, therefore two appendages with which to both attack and defend. If you can block/parry/dodge Logan's hands, you can do the same with X-23. What X-23 brings to the table is the foot claws--while maintaining the same physical amount of claws, she's doubling the number of striking appendages. This gives her the advantage in both offense and defense--she simply has more tools to strike with.

"oh I'm sorry, I didn't know how this machine worked." Nice one😉

It was cool that you mentioned the fact that Wolverine's bones would need to be porous for the sake of blood production. I've thought about that in the past, too, and I think it would be worth exploring in an episode or mini episode.

Love my skinny Thor vids, thanks Kyle.

They cover how the weapon-x program deals with the pores in one's bones for red blood cell transfer in the weapon - x novel. They used hollow microbots to enter the pores to allow the cells to leave the bones. So I am quite certain they did the same for x-23.

I love that final pun.😂

If her skeleton isn't fully coated, then Wolverine wins this game by default, because he(or anybody with reasonably sharp weapons) could just sever her limbs and leave her entirely clawless. I realize the argument presented in the video is based on cutting pressure and PSI and all that jazz, but the titular premise was that her claws are deadlier....and nope.

Here is a question that NOONE asked yet. Since X-23 bones are covered in adamantium, wouldn't that stunt her growth since she's barely a teenage (13yrs old approx) And then wouldn't she she be in constant excruciating pain since her still growing bones would be slowly crushed by the adamantium that's housing her bones? This didn't affect Wolverine since he got the adamantium when he was already fully grown. Any thoughts???

Yo, dude, this just nerdy and you deserve my subscribe!

dude ur videos are awesome lol u got a new happy sub 😊

let's be honest if either of them hits you with their claws you're equally as dead. So it doesn't really matter.

Plus she has flippin footclaws. that was awesome

Awesome episode

I'VE only liked this video because I'VE already knew what you're explaination would be from the beginning

Logan can use 1 or 2 or 3 blades. he can control how many he uses.

Wow! This episode was super edgy...

What could possibly require 10 *MILLION* psi to be cut with a water jet?!

Maybe you need to get into the science behind how the Transformers can transform, Kyle. There’s a lot of science in how Cybertronian technology works!

If adamantium can't change once it is molded then wouldn't x23's claws stay dwarfed when she grows up?

Your right about her claws being more dangerous in cutting power than wolverine but some of the numbers are wrong in this video 1. Just because she is a clone does not mean that the two are the same strength, men have a greater muscle mass then woman that is why men are generally stronger than women 2. Logan is also stronger because X:23 does not have a full animantium skeleton only her claws were coated in it, I mention this because recently in the comic where Logan dies it is mentioned that the only reason he is able to stand due to all the extra weight he got from the adamantium is because his healing factor increased how much his muscles tense and how much they can carry due to X:23 not having this happen to her body they do not slash with the same force as each other that's why some of your numbers were incorrect

I came here for the science facts, stayed for the fun...

im more impressed on how you managed to write those numbers backward

I believe you made a fundamental error, 2 in fact. 1: Laura is not genetically the same as logan as there was not enought genetic material to do the clone they wanted to in the comics. She got the necessary dna from a woman and that is the reason she is a woman and not a man, according to the comics. 2: Women and men have different upper body strengths and that throws off your calculations. She may have enhanced strength but logan has grown stronger with the years after lugging his metal skeleton around and has adapted to it.

You're mixing up science terms. Yes, 2 blades have better penetration force, but once the tensile strength of the target is exceeded the higher force is irrelevant. At that point the larger number of blades do more damage. One knife hitting a body with 3x the penetration force needed results in 1 stab wound and maybe some bruising around it from the hilt hitting. 3 knives hitting with 1x penetration force each results in 3 stab wounds. which is deadlier?

I'm going to be that guy and say there were 7 blades the circus performer was laying on. You know, because math! Love your show!

I was waiting for that bed of nails analogy.

Oh my god the ending of this video is me with everything every day.... Must... Analyze... Everything... Must... Make... Logical.... hahahaha thank you Kyle, you fuckin' rock man. And thank you Nerdist for being here! Cheers from Oregon!

That GOTG reference made me break out of my scientific awe and chuckle a little. Nice one, keep up this great scientific work, it's such a fun way to learn.

Counterpoint: Three cuts very close together is a much harder injury to deal with than two farther apart. Stitching them closed would be a nightmare, so while Wolverine's claws don't impart as much cutting power., the wounds they inflict are more likely to be lethal.

sharp enough to cut right straight thru things

Another awesome video. Quick question. How long did it take to learn how to write backwards with both hands?

although she is his clone, she still is a female version of him, therefore, her muscular density will be lower and as a direct consequence, she will not be as strong as he is. So, kinda makes the whole thing not so straight forward

in some of the older film adaptations like hulk vs wolverine it displays that wolverine can choose what claws pop out at what time like when he did the two outside ones around bruce banner's face and threatened to put the middle one through bruce's head

I'm sorry to say you got some facts wrong. First, X-23 is a female clone so there IS a difference in how much force the two of them can put out, the same way you would be stronger than a girl with equal training, height, etc. Then, while your science facts are right, your comic book knowledge is wrong, the Weapon X program gave X-23 the adamantium in the same way they gave it to Logan, but she only has it in her 6 claws and not in her full skeleton like him. This fact is important because it means Wolverine can actually put all the force he can into his claw swipes while Laura cannot, since her adamantium claws trying to slice some really hard material with enough force would actually break her arm and maybe more of her bones, and Logan can go full force since his bones can take the force of the reaction. So Logan would be actually able to hit harder than Laura because he's physically stronger as a man, and can go full force, while Laura has to limit the amount of force she can use without breaking. Also, her claws are a little smaller than Logan's, and both of them achieve superhuman strength because the healing factor allows them to go further where you and I would sprain every muscle trying.

i guess u forgot , wolvorine can use claw individual

I guess, but with the amount of force involved, both of them can cut through just about anything like butter but not each other's claws. Meaning it's really academic as which one can apply more force.

While offensively X-23 seems to have the edge over Wolverine (pun intended), defensively, it makes sense for wolverine to have a three claw set up. For the same reason that his three-clawed setup applies less pressure when used to slice or pierce when receiving a force, Wolverine's claws would more equally disperse the force over all three of his claws, reducing the pressure put on each claw. While the biomechanics of a full adamantium skeleton are a bit lost on me, I can imagine that his tendons and muscle groups that control his claws in his forearms are still susceptible to wear and tear. Even if he can regenerate, the three-clawed set up means that wolverine can withstand 1.5 times as much pressure as X-23 before yielding. Especially when looking at how X-23 is smaller and supposedly more nimble, has one claw on each of her feet, and does not have the Wolverine full armour treatment tactically, it makes sense that while Wolverine is more like an unstoppable force because of his full skeleton and claw arrangement, X-23 is more of an offensive powerhouse than her original. battle practicality aside, this is a pretty interesting dynamic.

wouldnt logan have more muscle mass than X23

remembering Logan can control the blades individually and he can have 1 out at a time so he could distribute the force on a single claw but X-23 has 2 claws, and retracting 1 means there's a rotational component on the off to the side claws

could you explaine the science needed in transporting cryogenic frozen embryos shown in the original Jurrasic Park?

You are ignoring the body mass of Wolverine and X23... (Because incomplete science!)

Does anyone not think that if her bones are covered in metal how will she grow?

I thought that wolverine could choose how many blades he wants to pop out, as in one of the movies he does the "Middle finger" by pulling two of the claws down. Nevermind ;D you did it in your video haha.

Logan now has hot claws making them more dangerous than X 23's. Maybe you should make an episode on how his hot claws don't melt his adamantium claws.

Hi Kyle, I think the problem with your analysis is the assumption that the two swing with the same force. Even if genetically a clone of Logan, X-23 is still a woman/girl, and because of this her physical structure, skeleton, and muscular structure are different. The fact that Logan can fit three claws in his forearm, or even just comparing their physique to each other should tell you that. Because of this the amount of adamantium coated bone in each character's arm are different and this effects the amount of momentum their respective swings have. The change in momentum is what dictates the impact force of their claw strikes and it is the impulse, or force at a specific time, that you are highlighting in your F/A=P equation we are interested in.

Actually... Wolverine can apply more force if they have equal strength/force. Wolverine's claws are reinforced by adamantium skeleton... so he can apply more force... where as X-23's are reinforced by regular bones (I don't know about her sockets.. wolverine does have adamantium ones inside.. they still gotta pierce his skin.) Say you throw a bowling ball at X-23... the blades will cut it, but.. and this is important.. the balls weight may rip the blades out of her hands/arms... where as Wolverine having a stronger skeleton means.. he will never have to worry about the limiting force he can apply because the "foundation" so to speak, of his claws. Kind of like how unrealistic the bionic man and woman was about their bionic parts and strength... their bionic arms would be ripped from the shoulder on some things they do... same goes for the Winter Soldier. I like how they now show Old Man logan, when using his claws to climb does them sideways.... because, if he did it straight up and down he'd have to use a lot of energy because he'd just keep sliding down. X-23 wouldn't have the same problem because she's lighter and has a normal skeleton.. oh... Wolverines skeleton and claws are affected by his healing factor, meaning he can actually regrow them with Adamantium ... this means Laura Kinney , being his clone, would end up with the same ability... I call it being able to metabolise the adamantium. Her healing factor is actually faster, not because she's younger (all mutant types like Wolverine and Sabretooth are basically immortal until killed.. there is one from the times a Rome Remus... which makes me believe Old Man Logan's slower healing factor might be from his killing the X-men in his reality... because in the past The Dark Phoenix Jean Grey and Rachel Summers has used their telekinetic powers to affect it before so it took a very long time for it to get back to normal... But, the reinforced skeleton behind Wolverine's claws means he'd always be able to apply actually more force, where as X-23's would be limitted by her normal skeleton's ability to reinforce her claws.

Just a side note.... The return pressure (pushing the blades back up) would also be 1.5x higher, meaning a 1.5x greater force is acting on the back of X-23's hands with each swipe, this force very likely hurts (even assuming that there is a counterweight to minimize this force). So it is likely that X-23 would swipe with less force, subconsciously, than Wolverine (although, admittedly, it would still result in a greater force, just unlikely the force you reached).

"Giving X-23 the edge" I see what you did there lol

2:20 Except logan's adamantium bones make him stronger (having to carry all that extra weight for centuries, so she's much lighter and has less force behind her blows), he's considered as having some degree of superhuman strength, as well as a female frame just not being able to hold as much upper body muscle as a man. So you're starting out with incorrect info on any force applied. But yeah, just debating claws alone, hers might be better weapons.

Well another thing is that Logan can choose how many claws he want out at a time so basically they're equally as strong

Wolverines whole skeleton is adamantium. For Laura it's only her claws. Logan can therefore exert more force than laura

Great! Have found a new n exciting channel today!

2 claws=2 wounds, 3 claws=3 wounds. assume 1 wound makes 5 damage. so logan does 15 dmg, and x-23 does 10 dmg. and if we add pressure dmg logan does 2x and x-23 does 3x pressure damage. wolverine=15+2x damage x-23=10+3x .so, 2 claws deadlier if you have more muscle power.

Gender is a factor of genetics so, if they're not the same gender, they're not genetically identical.

the foot claw helps in her fighting style as she tends to be climbing on her targets

Do an episode on healing factor. Wolverine is constantly being poisoned by a lethal dose of adamantium poisoning because his full skeleton is encased in adamantium but X23 only has her claws encased by adamantium. Another question is if having a full adamantium skeleton makes a significance because your limbs are harder to get cut off or if it's useless because you can just re-attach severed limbs and heal or totally regrow the limb. I dunno if Wolverine or X23 can heal that good but Deadpool might be.

But...but... 3 claws weigh more than 2.... so.... if I'm correct, the "power" should be equally as good as two blades!

for every one saying that x-23 is weaker than wolverine because she is female clearly have not read the comics

Would you do a similar evaluation of Honey Badger, another of Wolverine's clones who has only one claw on each hand (bone claws, though)

having claws on both her hands and feet rather then just on her hands like wolverine, gives x23 twice as many limbs with claws there by effectively doubling her effectiveness

7 swords

So Deadpool from Origins Wolverine is the deadliest huh? neat

what i want to know is, the movie logan had x 23 at roughly about 8 years old, her body (claws) did not finish growing yet, so wouldn't there be an area that was not covered with adamantium? i've thought about that since the movie came out....

'She's laying on six swords!' Kyle, those are Seven swords.

But wolverine can retract 2 of his blades

there genetics may be the same, but a female is geneticly weaker. wolverine has more muscle and strength, so he has more cutting power then x-23

Kyle Hill I love your videos and if you were my science teacher I would have got A's in my exam But could you explain why when the wolverine had bone claws they were like spears but since he had adamantine claws there like knifes? How did they change from spears to knifes

Well, if Wolverine wants to cut more, he can only summon 1 or 2 claws, that simple lmao

U lost me halfway but here's my argument: U said it yourself: "These claws can cut through anything!" Well, explain the point of there being more powerful than something thats already the most powerful

SOMEONE HELP PLEASE. wait. so, if she has an adamantium skeleton, and it was injected when she was a kid, then what happens when she's an fully grown? she has as much adamantium as she needs right now, but as she grows, won't she need more metal? And if adamantium is unbreakable and X23 isn't done growing yet, does that mean that the metal will conform her in short child stature for the rest of her life? or will it break and reform and slowly get thinner/weaker as she grows? --but Wait. her metal isn't part of her genetics, so does that mean it can't heal when it fractures through her growth into adult hood? I'm really confused and I just thought of that. so.... idk. what's your take on it?

Being in your head seem to be quite troublesome :) but your video are awesome!

Also, if they blades are not perfectly parallel with each other, it further decreases their cutting strength as 2 of the 3 blades will not be in line with the cutting direction

This was fantastic kyle is the greatest

But wolverine is a man (and extremely well built at that), and therefor applies more pressure than any female could ever muster. Case closed. Problem, feminists?