The Marvel Cinematic Universe and other theatrical showings based off Marvel comics have put forth some incredibly powerful magic users over the years. As a whole, Marvel may be more well-known for science fiction characters like Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider-Man or the mutants of the X-Men films. But the iconic comic banner has made no secret of its powerful cadre of magic users, especially in more recent years.
Some of these magic users gained their power through intense and rigorous study, becoming familiar with and honing their minds to the powerful spells of the Marvel universe. More often than not, Marvel’s supernatural characters are instead cursed with their power, via either infernal birthright or debilitating personal transformation. Whatever the case, Marvel movies have given some potent examples of powerful magical characters over the years.
Despite being a relatively obscure Marvel character, Man-Thing has actually received two film appearances. The first was in the seldom-known straight-to-TV original movie Man-Thing, released in 2005. The second was a brief appearance in Marvel’s short horror film Werewolf By Night. Neither film offers a solid origin story for the beast, but it can be inferred that Man-Thing is a supernatural creation, described as a vengeful swamp spirit in his self-titled movie.
Man-Thing’s most obvious powers come from his vegetative form and overwhelming physical strength, enhanced by whatever primordial magic gives him life in the first place. The MCU version of the character also shows off his powerful corrosive touch, brought on by the presence of human fear, described by the creature’s classic comic caption, “Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing’s touch!” Undoubtedly a fearsome beast, Man-Thing is intimidating, even if he is limited by a short range.
In the comics, Wong is more of a butler or sidekick to Dr. Stephen Strange, taking the esteemed wizards orders. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wong is instead very much his own hero, more of an independent presence who nevertheless works with Doctor Strange, but has his own things going on. Having studied the mystic arts long before Doctor Strange came onto the scene, Wong is a magical talent close to, if not on par with, Doctor Strange himself.
Wong has shown to hold his own against powerful opponents like Abomination with little effort, and has a steady command over a wide variety of spells and magical items. Wong took over as Sorcerer Supreme in Stephen’s absence, maintaining the role even after his return. At the very least the second most powerful sorcerer on Earth in the MCU, Wong is more than deserving of a spot as one of Marvel’s most powerful movie heroes.
At first glance, Blade may seem like little more than a normal human with a cutting edge fashion sense and an impressive horde of weaponry. However, the whole reason that the vampire hunter is able to keep up with his supernatural quarry is his status as a Daywalker, giving him all of the strengths of vampirism with none of the weaknesses. That being said, he still battles a thirst for human blood, kept in check only by the use of an artificial serum created by Whistler.
Blade’s supernatural abilities enhance his weaponry to a terrifying degree, giving him strength, speed, and agility far beyond human proportions. He also enjoys the benefits of vampires’ enhanced senses, being able to see in the dark, hear far beyond normal human frequencies, and even sniff out his prey by scent alone. Finally, Blade also has the same razor-sharp fangs and ability to transmit vampirism as any of the undead creatures, making him a veritable monster when he needs to be. Blade’s latent powers are all enhanced in the dire situations in which he’s had to feed on real blood.
Appearing among the cast of The New Mutants, Magik may at first seem to be just another mutant utilizing their powerful gifts. Magik already has the ability to create portals, moving through space and even dimensional barriers as easily as thinking abou it. However, Illyana Rasputin has far more power at her disposal than her latent mutant abilities, boasting a dizzying array of magical powers stemming from her time trapped in the dimension, Limbo.
While in Limbo, Magik was able to manifest fantastical creations that became real, including her pet dragon, Lockheed. Magik was also able to obtain and attune to the mystical Soulsword, allowing her to summon it along with her edlritch armor even while in the real world. Magik’s reality-altering supernatural powers may be limited by her personal dimension, but she’s able to extract at least a portion of this power for use in the real world, combining it with her mutant ability to deadly effect.
Perhaps the most obviously powerful magic user of any Marvel movie, Doctor Stephen Strange needs little introduction. Once a renowned surgeon, Strange turned his attention to the mystical arts after suffering a life-changing accident that left his hands permanently disabled. Ever the quick study, Doctor Strange became one of the most accomplished spellcasters in Marvel history at breakneck speed, outclassing other wizards who had devoted their entire lives to the mystic arts over the course of only a few months.
Despite being so new to magic, Doctor Strange was quickly able to master advanced spells and even ascend to the coveted rank of Sorcerer Supreme. His displays of power throughout the MCU have been nothing short of awe-inspiring, able to go toe-to-toe with Thanos armed with two Infinity Stones and alter the entire multiverse by casting global spells in Spider-Man: No Way Home. If it weren’t for his physical human limitations, Doctor Strange might be all but unstoppable.
Despite his terrifying appearance, the true power of Ghost Rider isn’t so obvious. Once a simple motorcycle daredevil, Johnny Blaze became host to the Spirit of Vengeance, taking on the haunting curse of the Ghost Rider. A flaming hunter of evil, Ghost Rider has displayed some jaw-dropping feats of magical power throughout his two appearances in Nicholas Cage’s comic book duology.
Along with the standard superhero suite of increased strength, durability, and reflexes, Ghost Rider boasts some impressive supernatural weaponry. His hellfire projection, control of magical chains, and ability to infuse any machine with infernal energy are powerful enough on their own. What makes him truly a trump card, however, is the mighty penance stare, a technique that forces guilty souls to re-live all the cruelty they’ve inflicted upon others, a spiritually lethal attack against evil demons and humans alike.
Doctor Strange may be a natural prodigy when it comes to mastering spells, but the Ancient One has had multiple lifetimes of studying the mystic arts. The last in a long line of sorcerers devoted to protecting the world from magical threats, the Ancient One is the single most experienced mage in all the MCU. While Doctor Strange, Wong, and Kaecilius are all potent sorcerers, the Ancient One would have them all outmatched in an even fight, only falling due to being overwhelmed in a three-on-one fight.
Like many sorcerers, the Ancient One is proficient in the use of tao mandalas, shaping them into deadly cutting fans. She has mastered far more esoteric and powerful displays of magic beyond such constructs, however, including forced astral projection, the use of the mirror dimension, and even limited omniscience. The Ancient One’s magical ability is second only to her wisdom.
One of the most powerful original Avengers, let alone among those based in magic, Thor is one of the heaviest hitters in the MCU. Though he may be more of a warrior archetype, there’s no mistake that Thor’s godly heritage makes him one of the most unstoppable supernatural beings in Marvel movie history. Thor is best known for his use of Mjølnir, a legendary magical hammer only able to be wielded by those who are deemed worthy by its semi-sentient spirit.
In Thor: Ragnarok, it’s revealed that Thor is incredibly powerful even without his precious hammer, able to conjure storms of lightning strong enough to devastate entire armies with his godly powers. He’s also an incredibly adept melee fighter, strong enough to hold back alien spaceships and even briefly withstand the raw force of the sun. Whether wielding the hammer Mjølnir, the ax Stormbreaker, or jumping into the fray with only his bare hands, there’s no denying Thor’s strength as a supernatural hero.
While Scarlet Witch may not have always been a hero, her strength as a magic user is impossible to question. Once, the source of her abilities was thought to be the experiment she underwent using the Mind Stone, granting her limited telekinesis and telepathy. However, WandaVision revealed that this event was merely a catalyst that awakened Wanda Maximoff’s latent supernatural powers as the Scarlet Witch, being magical in nature all along.
As her journey through the MCU progressed, so too did Wanda’s power, growing strong enough to alter reality on a city-wide scale. In Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, her unstoppable mystic prowess grows even stronger, able to easily murder the heroes of the Illuminati one after another while hardly breaking a sweat. Scarlet Witch’s hero status may be questionable, but her sheer supernatural strength is far from it.