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WandaVision Finale: How powerful is the Scarlet Witch?

Author dsuprb Staff Published on 6 min read

The nine episodes of WandaVision finally told the Scarlet Witch story that fans had been wanting to see ever since she was introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Wanda finally embracing the title of the Scarlet Witch, she is placed among the top-tiered Avengers there are in all of MCU. So how powerful is the Scarlet Witch exactly, and what could it mean for the future of MCU? Here’s all you need to know.

Warning: WandaVision spoilers ahead!

What WandaVision did for the Scarlet Witch?

From a meager mutant in Sokovia to a reality-altering Scarlet Witch – Wanda has come far. But the journey has been anything but straightforward. From the beginning, she was portrayed as an Avenger unsure of her powers, and potentially dangerous to her enemies as well as her friends. The Lagos incident, where, in a bid to save Steve Rogers, she inadvertently killed innocent people, made it more than clear that she had a lot to work to do before she could be assimilated into the Avenger family. After that incident, she was rightly sidelined and tucked away to keep others, as well as herself, from harm.

Fans had always known that her powers, once unleashed, could have her stand side by side with any other Avenger. But that was not to be, even after the five MCU movie appearances she’s had over the years. It wasn’t until WandaVision that Marvel course-corrected Wanda’s story and brought her to a pedestal that is reserved only for some of the most powerful beings in the MCU.

What are the Scarlet Witch’s powers?

Though many Marvel comics have had the Scarlet Witch as a Nexus being, that is a level of power that would render her untouchable. So, we’re going to stick with her powers as shown in the MCU.

From her first appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron, we know that Wanda is well-versed in Psionics – using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Psionics makes up Wanda’s core powers. These include, but are not limited to, energy manipulation (with which she projects energy blasts), telekinesis, force-field generation, flight, mental manipulation, and telepathy.

However, after WandaVision, the Scarlet Witch has become a Master Sorceress able to manipulate reality with Chaos Magic, conjure things and sentient beings, teleport, transmutate, manipulate time, electricity, fire, weather, and fire. On top of that, thanks to Agatha Harkness, Wanda can now also cast protection spells, absorb energies, and astral project.

Scarlet Witch – the most powerful Avenger?

Being a master at any of these abilities can qualify one to become an Avenger. But having all of these abilities in one being makes Wanda a worthy contender for the mantle of the most powerful Avenger. And her powers are only set to grow from here on out, especially now that she has the Darkhold in her possession.

Agatha said it herself – the Scarlet Witch is a mythical being with a whole chapter dedicated to her in the Darkhold, destined to destroy the world. Wanda may not have accepted that side of her mythical moniker, but prophecies have a knack of coming true not despite, but because of their knowledge. Whether that happens to be the case is anybody’s guess right now. But earth’s Avengers will have to be prepared for the ultimate being that Wanda is becoming. So how do they fare against the Scarlet Witch in terms of powers?

Stronger than the Sorcerer Supreme

Agatha Harkness explains to Wanda in no uncertain terms that the Scarlet Witch is more powerful than the Sorcerer Supreme himself. Right now, that title is reserved for Doctor Strange, whose upcoming movie will shed more light on the true power of the Scarlet Witch.

But even before going into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there is a clear indication that Scarlet Witch may actually have trumped him already in terms of power levels. In the post-credit scene of WandaVision‘s finale, we see Wanda pottering about in her physical body while her astral self is leafing through the Darkhold, learning from it and weaving spells in the air. What makes this scene so revelatory is the fact that in a traditional astral projection, the physical body loses consciousness – as was the case with Doctor Strange as well. But that limitation doesn’t apply to Wanda. Of course, the Darkhold itself is the book of the damned scripted by the Elder God Chthon himself, chock-full of dark magic spells that would give Wanda a few more tricks to surprise her opponents, as well as her friends.

Stronger than Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel had the mantle of being the strongest Avenger for a while. Her god-like powers had her destroying whole starships as though they were legos while she herself was practically immune to any damage dealt her.

It was an Infinity Stone – the Space Stone – that made Carol Danvers a near-invincible Avenger. Similarly, Wanda too was struck by an Infinity Stone. But since she was already a reasonably powerful mutant prior to that, the boost she received with the Mind Stone might have taken her powers to a level (it seems) yet unmatched. When considered as such, it would appear that the Scarlet Witch would one-up Captain Marvel in a fight, if it ever came to that.

Stronger than Thor, Captain America, and the Hulk

Avengers: Endgame had placed Thor and Captain America atop the list of most powerful Avengers in their fight against Thanos. Their strength and ingenuity on the battle-field spoke volumes of their combat experience. Both could take full-powered hits by Thanos and still stand their ground.

But neither of them came close to defeating Thanos single-handedly. Wanda, on the other hand, did, especially when her fury was unleashed upon him, forcing the Titan to give his infamous ‘rain fire’ command that saved him at the last moment. And this is even before Wanda’s Chaos Magic came out in full force.

Speaking of fury and mental anguish, the only other Avenger that has suffered considerable loss in his life is the Hulk. His powers derive solely from stress and rage. In that, Wanda has something common with Bruce Banner but the similarities end there. Though the Hulk is a dangerous and destructive force to be reckoned with and can reduce entire buildings to rubble, Wanda can alter reality itself. The whole Westview anomaly, including her creation of Vision, Tommy, and Billy is a result of her troubled mind. Though she couldn’t exactly control her powers (another commonality between the two Avengers), she appears to be on a mission to address that.

There are many Avengers who come close to the threat level that Wanda poses, but none can surpass the Scarlet Witch now that she’s taking her powers to the extreme, due in no small part to the Darkhold.

After WandaVision‘s finale, there is little doubt in our minds as to who the most powerful Avenger currently is. But whether she will be a force for good or accidental evil – as the prophecy claims – is something only future MCU projects would reveal.

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