Warning: This article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The newly released Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness revolves around Doctor Stephen Strange, who, after casting a forbidden spell that opens a portal to the multiverse, releases a grave threat in the process. Directed by Sam Raimi, the film had been subject to a great deal of praise for its exceptional visuals and performances from the cast. Per Deadline, Multiverse of Madness grossed a total of $90 million on its opening day in the United States and Canada alone, having the second-best first-day results behind No Way Home.
Within the whole of the MCU, Multiverse of Madness brings out the best of Marvel’s sorcerers. While we all marvel at Doctor Strange's skill in the mystic arts, he is not the only magic-user in the multiverse. From characters like The Scarlet Witch and the newly introduced America Chavez, there are a number of other powerful magic-users within the MCU who are just as powerful, if not more powerful in some cases, than Strange. These are the most powerful magic users in The Multiverse of Madness, ranked.
6 America Chavez
While little is known about MCU America Chavez and her powers within the movie franchise, her magical ability is seen through the comics. In Multiverse of Madness, America appears to be a beginner who is unable to control her powers until the very end of the film. The only time America displayed her powers in the film was during the creation of the multiverse portals, a skill which she managed to perfect, opening gates to the multiverse depending on her destination. While America is still learning and has her limits, displayed when she tries and fails to use the Sling Ring, we can look forward to seeing more of America’s powers in future films. With more training, America Chavez has astounding potential to become a strong magic-user.
5 Karl Mordo
The Karl Mordo we in Multiverse of Madness is a variant from a different reality. While this Mordo does not appear to be as powerful as the Earth-616's Mordo, he is still a capable magic-user. In the film, he even managed to slip sedatives to Stephen Strange and America Chavez without either of them noticing. While Mordo did his best to fight off Strange, he was still no match for him. That said, Mordo’s talents with concealment magic are extraordinary, making his strengths different from those of most magic users.
4 Sinister Strange
Out of all the variants of Stephen Strange throughout the multiverse, Sinister Strange is considered the most powerful. Corrupted by the Darkhold, Sinister Strange’s magic is an even match for Doctor Strange as when Sinister battles Stephen, both of them manipulate music waves into magical attacks during their battle. Stephen Strange still wound up defeating Sinister Strange, knocking him out and killing him off. While fans loved the presence of Sinister Strange in Multiverse of Madness, comic book fanatics have wondered if Sinister may have had better chances of defeating Stephen Strange had Sinister been able to use the Darkhold.
3 Wong
Many comic fans were introduced to Wong as Strange's sidekick, but in the MCU, Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and a talented Master of the Mystic Arts. He was one of the few magic-users to keep focus when Wanda Maximoff led her attack on Kamar-Taj and even managed to fight her one-on-one in Multiverse of Madness, showcasing his true abilities as a magic-user. While Wong’s magic is mainly defensive, creating shields and other protective magic spells, later on in the film, Wong managed to contain evil spirits from the Darkhold long enough for the Scarlet Witch to concede.
2 Doctor Strange
Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Doctor Strange is considered the best adaptation of Doctor Strange to ever come to life. After stopping a multiversal disaster, Doctor Strange has proven himself a master of all things magic when he skillfully defeated Sinister Strange using the Drakhold to necromance Defender Stange’s body. His offensive style of magic is stronger than any other, defeating Karl Mordo and even managing to fight off the Scarlet Witch better than any other Master of the Mystic Arts. Powerful magic combined with his creative abilities and quick thinking, Strange has conjured up spells that make him one of the best and most powerful magic-users in the MCU.
1 The Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch AKA Wanda Maximoff is easily the most powerful magic-user in the whole MCU and therefore the most powerful magic-user in Multiverse of Madness. Managing to destroy Kamar-Taj’s forces by merely raising her pinky, the Scarlet Witch’s chaos magic is unmatched by any other. In addition to projecting herself in the physical world and in the incorporeal form at the same time, the Scarlet Witch’s magic can also change reality. From possessing her variant across the multiverse, she is also capable of killing people inside their minds. In one of the movie's best scenes, Wanda took on The Illuminati and single-handedly dispatched them with ease. The Scarlet Witch shows the darker, more dangerous side of magic use.