Since Wanda Maximoff first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Age of Ultron after briefly being teased in the mid-credits of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, she has quickly become a fan favorite. Played by Elizabeth Olsen in the MCU, Wanda Maximoff went from villain to Avenger and was part of films like Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, which made her a household name.

Updated May 18, 2023: It has been over a year since the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so this article has been updated to both reflect the movie but also recent developments in the MCU's Multiverse Saga.

In 2021, she was finally given the spotlight in her very own series, WandaVision. The series finally gave Wanda the moniker of The Scarlet Witch and explored in greater depth the untapped potential of the Scarlet Witch's powers. While Captain Marvel received her powers after being exposed to an Infinity Stone, WandaVision reveals that Wanda’s exposure to the Mind Stone amplified powers she was unaware she had already possessed.

As the Scarlet Witch, Wanda has had the ability to use Chaos Magic since birth, unknowingly using it to protect herself and her brother as children. Wanda may not be as physically strong as Thor or Hulk, but her abilities far exceed those of Avengers such as Captain America and Spider-Man. Her full powers were displayed in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as when left unchecked could defeat heroes as powerful as Mr. Fantastic, Captain Marvel, and Professor Xavier. Here's what makes her one of the most powerful Avengers.

Nearly Defeated Thanos by Herself

avengers-endgame-wanda-vs-thanos
Marvel Studios / Disney

During the final battle in Avengers: Endgame, the big three — Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America — fought together against Thanos. While Captain America fought well using Thor's Mjølnir, the combined strength of the three Avengers proved not to be enough. Wanda, on the other hand, held her own against him. The Mad Titan quickly realized that as powerful as he was, he was no match for Wanda (who wasn't even at her full strength back then), and to gain an upper hand launched an airstrike to break her concentration. Thanos is recognized as one of the most powerful characters in the MCU's Infinity Saga. As the only Avenger that proved capable of single-handedly defeating him, Wanda ranks easily as one of the most powerful Avengers.

Related: Explained: Is The Scarlet Witch a Villain?

Of course, this is not the first time Wanda and Thanos went head-to-head. In Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda had to hold Thanos off just long enough for her to destroy Vision's stone. Not only was she able to destroy an infinity stone with just her power alone, but was able to hold Thanos at bay even as he passed five of the six Infinity Stones.

Scarlet Witch Can Create and Manipulate Reality

WandaVision Wanda, Vision, and their kids
Marvel Studios

Scarlet Witch can rewrite reality and make her a threat to the entire multiverse. In fact, WandaVision showcases more of Wanda's powers as she uses her Chaos Magic to create a pocket of reality. Wanda's Chaos Magic takes over Westview in New Jersey, isolating the town and everyone in it from the rest of the world. While grieving the loss of Vision, the Scarlet Witch constructs an alternate reality where she can live a peaceful dream life, forcing Westview's inhabitants to participate in it. Everyone in Westview becomes a cast member of Wanda's sitcom-style reality, playing a part in a sitcom that Wanda creates for herself. Wanda is able to easily alter the appearance of everything in Westview to match the changing time periods of her sitcom. Perhaps the most impressive and telling part of her creation is that she did it subconsciously.

Without even understanding what her powers could do or where they came from, Wanda's unfiltered emotions were enough for her to create a whole bubble of altered reality, fooling even herself for a time. Her powers extend far beyond controlling people's minds. She was able to create life during her time in Westview, recreating Vision and creating two twin sons, Billy and Tommy. Vision, Billy, and Tommy possessed free will and independent thought, along with their own superpowers. Vision and the twins were restricted to the Hex, the energy field made of Chaos Magic that surrounded Westview.

At the start of Phase Four, Wanda is untrained and only beginning to discover her powers. As Doctor Strange is a Master of the Mystic Arts and not officially an Avenger, Wanda is the only Avenger able to enter the Astral Dimension. However, while Doctor Strange separates his astral form from his physical body, Wanda is able to remain in control of her physical body when projecting her astral form. The finale of WandaVision shows Wanda making herself a cup of tea while her astral form studies the Darkhold. Wanda recognizes that she has only just begun to scratch the surface of what she is capable of.

Scarlet Witch Can Destroy the Avengers

Olsen-Scarlet-Witch-Doctor-Strange-Multiverse-Madness_2022-Marvel
Marvel Studios
Disney

By Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda's powers had only grown. By studying the Darkhold, she was able to fully master her chaotic energy. She is able to lay waste to the Sorcerers of Kamar-Taj and is able to hold off more experienced magic users like Wong and Doctor Strange. Wanda is able to alter reality, so much so that she can even deceive Doctor Strange.

Related: Scarlet Witch: Actresses Almost Cast as Wanda Maximoff

Later in the film, while possessing the body of one of her multiversal variants, she annihilates some of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe singlehandedly. In an act that was child's play to the Scarlet Witch, Illuminati members Black Bolt and Mr. Fantastic were killed in seconds before she decimated Earth-838's versions of Captain America and Captain Marvel. She concluded her mass murder by killing Professor Xavier, arguably the most powerful telepath in the Marvel universe. The mere fact that she can single-handedly destroy five of Earth's mightiest heroes easily makes her the strongest MCU character.

The Future of the Scarlet Witch

doctor-strange-2-wanda-2
Marvel Studios

While The Scarlet Witch was the main villain in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the movie's final moments see her take accountability for her actions and sacrifice herself to destroy the Darkhold and herself. With the threat of Kang the Conqueror and his many variants on the horizon, it certainly is bad timing for the Avengers to lose one of their strongest Avengers.

Yet notably, audiences don't see Scarlet Witch's body, which may indicate she still may have a future in the MCU. Marvel Studios is assembling various members of the Young Avengers across the MCU, and Wanda's two sons, Billy and Tommy, are part of the team. In the comics, the Scarlet Witch made her grand return to the Marvel Universe in the Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade storyline. The MCU may adapt that storyline and use it as the launching pad to bring back Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch.

Marvel Studios also has two WandaVision-related spin-off projects. Agatha Harkness: Coven of Choas and Vision Quest are both in development and based around characters that played a major part in WandaVision. Given Scarlet Witch's connection to Agatha Harkness and her romantic history with Vision, both of these might be potential places where the Scarlet Witch will return, and a fight against Kang the Conqueror would be a great place for her redemption. With a character as powerful as Wanda Maximoff, it is likely she won't be gone for long.