With the mystical arts in the Doctor Strange movies, the Asgardians' sorcery, and the Scarlet Witch's chaos magic, magic has become a powerful force in the MCU. Whether as heroes or villains, several characters who wield it have shown incredible feats, going toe-to-toe with the MCU’s finest and leaving them with lasting scars.
From the self-taught to those bred in places like Kamar-Taj, the MCU’s magic users wield reality-warping, mind-reading, levitation, and other jaw-dropping abilities. These witches and sorcerers stand out as some of the most formidable figures in the franchise. Marvel has a roster of dangerous characters with magical powers that make great heroes and unhinged villains.
Chaos, Power, & Danger Meet the MCU’s Most Powerful Witches & Sorcerers
Zelma Stanton
Zelma, a self-taught magic user, made her debut in Ironheart. She quickly proved her worth by identifying that the mysterious cloak originated from the Dark Dimension. Even more notable was her success in spellbinding Riri’s suit. Zelma pulled off a feat that might give Ironheart an edge over Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. Combining magic and tech makes these new heroes stand out as a force to be reckoned with.
Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale was a beauty guru by day and a potions witch by night. Even though she didn’t always have access to her magical powers, her goal was to unbind them by completing the Witches Road. Regardless, she relied on her deep knowledge of spells and potions to assist her coven during the trials.
At the end of Agatha All Along, Jennifer Kale was technically the only one to survive in the Coven of Chaos (outside the major players, Agatha Harkness, Wiccan, and the Green Witches). She completed the Witches’ Road, made it out alive, and even regained her powers.
Karl Mordo
One thing about devoted and decisive people is that they remain the same regardless of direction. Karl Mordo was a loyal follower of the Ancient One. He encouraged her to teach Stephen Strange the mystic arts when he first arrived at Kamar-Taj. Mordo spent his days at the Ancient One's side, learning and fighting for her cause. He even wielded powerful artifacts like the Staff of the Living Tribunal and the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr.
However, everything changed when Mordo discovered that the Ancient One had been drawing power from the Dark Dimension to prolong her life. At the end of Doctor Strange, Mordo set out to stop Earth's sorcerers' continued misuse of power.
Kaecilius
Kaecilius was once a devoted student of the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, but his greed for immortality led him to seek out Dormammu. In Doctor Strange, Kaecilius and his zealots proved formidable, going toe-to-toe with the Ancient One in a mirror dimension in London. Kaecilius successfully led an assault on the Masters of the Mystic Arts.
Kaecilius and his followers destroyed the Sanctums in London and Hong Kong and even managed to bring the Dark Dimension and its ruler, Dormammu, into Earth (for a moment). If not for Strange’s bargain with Dormammu, Kaecilius would probably still be wreaking havoc in the MCU.
Wong
Wong is currently the Sorcerer Supreme in the MCU. Even though he opted for the legal route in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, this does not stop him from stepping into action to battle monsters and other unconventional threats. As the Librarian of Kamar-Taj, there was even a moment in Doctor Strange when he held his own against Kaecilius. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he restrained Wanda Maximoff for some time.
However, Wong's most crucial role remains to protect dangerous secrets (for example, he knows the origin of the Darkhold: Mount Wundagore). He is also in charge of protecting the many powerful relics kept in Kamar-Taj. These include everything from The Book of the Five and The Staff of the Living Tribunal to the Book of Cagliostro. These responsibilities keep him in the corridor of significant things that go bump in the night.
Mephisto
Mephisto, a demon who preys on people’s deepest desires, stands as one of the MCU’s most dangerous and thematically layered antagonists. In Ironheart, he plays a pivotal role in establishing the MCU’s backstory for The Hood by giving Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos) the cursed, magical cape that grants immense power.
In the series finale, Riri Williams is seated at a dinner table with Mephisto. At first, she mistakes him for Dormammu, but Mephisto quickly corrects her, revealing his true identity and making it clear that his influence extends far beyond mere illusions.
Billy Maximoff
Billy Maximoff barely understood magic when he successfully broke the spell Wanda cast on Agatha Harkness. After, of course, his conjured soul found a way to jump into the dead teenager, William "Billy" Kaplan.
And if putting a coven together isn’t impressive, then unknowingly manifesting the Witches’ Road through Chaos Magic as a pocket dimension underneath Westview, New Jersey, definitely is.
Doctor Strange
Dr. Stephen Strange set out to find a miracle cure for his hands but instead found himself in Kamar-Taj, where he trained under the guardianship of the Ancient One. Through a mix of his photographic memory and relentless curiosity for the mystical arts, he advanced quickly, from facing Kaecilius to bargaining with Dormammu and later fighting alongside the Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War.
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he faced off with the Scarlet Witch. The sorcerer who never shies from questionable magic turned to the Book of the Damned as a last resort and dreamwalked into his own corpse from another universe. When the Souls of the Damned came for him, he not only subdued them but turned them into his weapon.
Death (Green Witch)
The Green Witch had the power to control the elements, and in the final battle between Agatha Harkness and Death, she unleashed relentless bombardments. What made the Green Witch even more dangerous in Agatha All Along was that she was not just a sorceress but the manifestation of the cosmic entity, Death. Death had come to collect the centuries-old, elusive soul. Thankfully, by the rules of engagement, Death could not take a soul unless it was surrendered willingly.
Even so, the Green Witch showed how devastating such a force could be. As the embodiment of Death, she was restricted from killing outright, yet she weaponized the air and the land to overwhelm Billly Maximoff and Agatha. The two, no matter how powerful, knew it was futile to fight against Death itself deep down.
Loki
Loki learned Asgardian magic from his adoptive mother, Frigga. From simple mischief to reality-warping spells, his tricks soon became offensive and defensive. Despite being a trickster, Loki proved a formidable foe to the Avengers and his brother, Thor.
Most of Loki's impressive feats came in the Loki Disney+ series, which followed his journey after he escaped the Avengers during the New York Time Heist in Avengers: Endgame. At the end of Loki Season 2, the God of Mischief sat at the end of time, holding together the multiverse and graduating from the God of Mischief to the God of Stories.
