How Scarlet Witch Is More Powerful Than Doctor Strange

In the WandaVision series finale, Agatha Harkness subtly confirms Scarlet Witch is the strongest sorcerer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying that she could beat the Sorcerer Supreme – and there’s good evidence to prove why that’s true and not an exaggeration. One of the many mysteries going into the final episode was the identity of Agatha’s magic book, which was confirmed to be the Darkhold – the book of the damned – and its chapter on the Scarlet Witch explained how powerful the character’s magic is.

Viewers have seen Wanda Maximoff take on a number of people – superheroes and supervillains – and come out on top. Her power was put on full display in Avengers: Infinity War when she defeated a swarm of Outriders in Wakanda; then shortly thereafter, she managed to hold back Thanos – a villain Iron Man could only hurt enough to produce a drop of blood, and who was wielding five of the six Infinity Stones by that point – while seemingly using only half of her power; the other half being used to destroy the Mind Stone. Then in Avengers: Endgame, Wanda came close to killing Thanos – that is, until he forced his ship to execute an aerial bombardment on the Avengers compound. All of that proved Wanda was a powerful superhero, but WandaVision has now explained just how powerful.

Although specific details haven’t been revealed about Scarlet Witch’s powers, the implications are the same as they were in the comics. In both versions, Wanda uses Chaos Magic, a primordial form of magic that dates back to the Earth’s formation, and it’s a type of magic that was harnessed by Chthon, an Elder God. With the Mind Stone augmenting her abilities, Wanda doesn’t need to perform any incantations or learn any spells to use her powers. She’s not like Doctor Strange or Agatha Harkness – their powers are learned and can be classified primarily as either Eldritch Magic or Darkhold Magic. Instead, all she has to do is rely on herself, and her emotions, to intensify her powers.

In addition to showcasing Wanda’s powers in Infinity War and Endgame, WandaVision has highlighted Wanda’s magic in such a way that it can be easily compared to other sorcerers, particularly Agatha Harkness and Doctor Strange. As Agatha so curiously noted, Wanda can warp reality on a massive scale without giving it much thought; she didn’t even know what she was doing at the time when her sitcom-esque Westview was created. Scarlet Witch was able to take on Agatha directly and best her in battle, and, interestingly, she’s been shown to outmatch Doctor Strange’s projection trick. In 2016’s Doctor Strange, the hero used projection to learn more about sorcerery while he slept; in WandaVision‘s post-credits scene, Scarlet Witch does that while awake.

Comparing one form of magic to another isn’t a direct science; there’s nuance to each type and each character who utilizes them. Both Agatha Harkness and the Ancient One used dark magic to prolong their lives, and the Masters of the Mystic Arts use all sorts of spells to defend themselves and the world. But then there’s Scarlet Witch, who can easily do everything. By comparison, it would be like Hawkeye mastering archery through dedication versus someone whose skill amplifies their natural ability to hit any target without looking. Of course, while WandaVision name-drops the Sorcerer Supreme, it’s unclear if Doctor Strange is at that level yet. If he’s not, he will be soon – and even then, Wanda is still more powerful than the Ancient One ever was.

About The Author

Mansoor Mithaiwala
(1888 Articles Published)

Mansoor Mithaiwala is Screen Rant’s TV Lead Editor. He originally joined the site as a freelance writer on the Lists team before moving over to News and Features, eventually becoming an editor in 2018. Over time he’s done quite a few different things, including helping launch gaming on the site, often handling news, features, and guides simultaneously. Now he sticks primarily to movies and TV, and spends way too much time looking at analytics. It sure seems like he’s put his Political Science degree to good use, huh?

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