Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, is a powerhouse that is ranked among the most powerful beings in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Comics. She is a wielder of chaos magic, a great force that enables her to perform unfathomable feats.
As revealed by Agatha Harkness, Wanda’s prophecy goes: “The Scarlet Witch is not born; she is forged. She has no coven or need for incantation. Her power exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme. It is her destiny to destroy the world.” With the recent release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we get acquainted with the horrors that the Scarlet Witch is capable of. She was at the precipice of fulfilling her destiny to ‘destroy the world’ – or multiple worlds across the Multiverse, to be exact.
From making breakfast for dinner to almost annihilating Thanos, here’s a list of Wanda’s power display in the MCU so far.
Harbinger of Chaos: The Scarlet Witch’s mind-blowing abilities
- Mind control
Arguably one of her most feared skills, Wanda’s telepathy gets even more intense each time we see her on screen. This ability gains her the upper hand in combat as she is able to distort her opponent’s mind and render them weak. Eventually her powers heightened in WandaVision, where she became capable of enslaving an entire town with her mind.
- Telekinesis
Evidently, telekinesis is Wanda’s most utilised skill in the films. In a defensive stance, she is able to generate force fields and deflect projectiles to protect herself. Conversely, this skill is proven to be deadly when she goes on the offensive – notably during her iconic fight scene with Thanos in Avengers: Endgame and the destruction of Kamar-Taj in Multiverse of Madness.
- High durability
With the Darkhold, Wanda gained immense physical durability. In comparison to her former self where gets easily bruised in battle, the Scarlet Witch is able to withstand high-intensity attacks without a single scratch. In Multiverse of Madness, she was left unscathed even after getting hit by a cannon blast and America Chavez’s extra-dimensional punches.
- Reality warping/Probability manipulation
Wanda’s probability manipulation first manifested when she was a child, where she was able to stop a missile that landed in her house from exploding. This ability stems off her core power of Reality Warping – a skill that allows her to bend reality according to her wishes and rules. It is most prominently demonstrated in WandaVision, where she creates a hexagonal field to surround Westview and control anything and everything within it. In her merciless slaughter of the Illuminati, she incapacitated Black Bolt by erasing his mouth and ripped Mister Fantastic apart into noodle-like pieces.
- Dreamwalking
As if Wanda wasn’t feared enough before she was crowned the Scarlet Witch, she adds Dreamwalking to her arsenal of abilities in Multiverse of Madness. She harnessed this skill to puppeteer her Multiversal self into kidnapping America Chavez and killed everyone who stood in her way – all in the comfort of her own castle. It is also worth noting that only high-skilled magic users are capable of this sinister feat.
What’s next for the Scarlet Witch in the MCU?
Following the events of Doctor Strange 2, Wanda’s fate is left rather ambiguous. However, should she still be alive, there are a few potential storylines in which she can redeem herself and show the goodness of her character.
Agatha: House of Harkness
In the comics, Agatha Harkness is a prominent figure associated with the Scarlet Witch. She serves as Wanda’s mentor who guides her in the use of real magic. Agatha was last seen in Westview, trapped as the nosy neighbour character she pretended to be throughout WandaVision. Could post-Darkhold Wanda return to seek guidance from her?
X-Men
There are multiple ways in which the X-Men can be introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In a popular fan theory, Wanda’s reality warping ability increases the population of mutants on earth simply by uttering the words “No, more mutants”. This is a stark contrast to her original iconic line in the House of M comics, “No more mutants”, where she decimates the mutant population instead.
Scarlet Witch solo film
We could potentially see Wanda reunited with Variants of her children, Billy and Tommy, as well as her husband, The Vision. While she is unable to keep her children in this reality, she may be visited by Variants from the multiverse. Somewhere in the infinite worlds, there could be one in which Wanda is dead and her children are alone. Billy’s abilities may be useful in bringing himself and Tommy to Earth-616.
The Scarlet Witch is a complex character that is still on the journey to discover her purpose. What we see of her so far is only the tip of the iceberg – her abilities have almost no bounds and are only truly limited to the imagination of her next writer.
About Author
