For as long as Marvel has been around, fans have debated who exactly is the strongest superhero. That's a discussion that has continued to this very day, but is discussed even more now thanks to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With countless characters already existing in the MCU, it might initially seem difficult to come to a conclusion. But after the release of WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it's pretty clear that the Scarlet Witch is among the most powerful.

Wanda Maximoff has never truly been defeated, only "losing" to the combined forces of Doctor Strange, Wong, and America Chavez after realizing the error in her ways. For a time, Wanda posed the greatest threat to the Multiverse, going on a violent rampage on Earth-838. But that does not mean that there isn't anyone more powerful than the Scarlet Witch. Here's an in-depth look at how Wanda's power levels compare to Marvel's biggest giants.

The Most Powerful Avenger?

Scarlet Witch after the blip
Marvel Studios

The Hulk has been considered the strongest Avenger in terms of pure physical strength. However, he was no match for Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, who easily defeated him without even using a single Infinity Stone. The "Big Three" (Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor) also fought Thanos together, but their combined strength was still not enough. It wasn't until Wanda arrived that an Avenger could hold their own against Thanos. She was able to overpower him, forcing him to call in an airstrike to end the fight. Captain Marvel was also able to fight Thanos on her own, but Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness showed the Scarlet Witch easily defeating the Captain Marvel of Earth-838.

During her time on Earth-838, the Scarlet Witch took on the entire Illuminati by herself and won. She killed Marvel's most powerful telepath, Professor X, the "Smartest Man Alive," Reed Richards, and the Super Soldier, Captain Carter. Wanda also quickly eliminated the Inhuman king known as Black Bolt, who had the power to destroy planets using only his voice. Anyone who has done the math knows that the Scarlet Witch has become the most powerful ex-Avenger.

Related: Elizabeth Olsen Wants Scarlet Witch to Team Up with X-Men After Wolverine's Return

Wanda Might Be the Scarlet Witch, But She's Still Human

WandaVision Wanda
Disney Platform Distribution

As Wanda began to master her powers, it has become more difficult to remember that at the end of the day, she is still human. Wanda has never been invincible, which is why she became a victim of the Blip like 50% of all other life in the universe. Additionally, she has remained vulnerable to attack in a scenario where she is taken by surprise. This means that characters with either low-level superpowers or no superpowers, such as Daredevil, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, could defeat the Scarlet Witch in certain situations. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Hawkeye was able to push a taser arrow onto Wanda's forehead. In Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda was repeatedly ambushed by the Black Order and required help from the Avengers.

Casting spells has been shown to require both energy and focus, which is something that Wanda cannot always have. It was physically draining for her to cast more powerful spells, so the MCU has established the occasional limit on what Wanda can accomplish with her magic. WandaVision also showed that she was not in full control of her powers and did not fully understand them. The Westview Anomaly, a.k.a. "The Hex," was not created intentionally. It was created using Chaos Magic, which, at the time, Wanda did not know much about. Due to the unstable nature of Chaos Magic, Wanda can lose control of her own spells, which can obviously bring about unintended consequences.

Scarlet Witch Loses Several Times in the Comics

marvel-chthon
Marvel

Marvel Comics have repeatedly proved that the Scarlet Witch is not the most powerful character in the Marvel universe. The author of the Darkhold, the Elder God known as Chthon, was responsible for Wanda's latent ability to use Chaos Magic. Chthon gave her this ability so that he could use her as a vessel to wreak havoc on the universe. The Scarlet Witch was unable to overpower Chthon, who was portrayed as a far more powerful cosmic being. Wanda has also been put in a hypnotic trance by Lord Immortus, a variant of Kang the Conqueror.

The Scarlet Witch has died before in several different continuities, being killed by Holocaust/Nemesis in Marvel's Age of Apocalypse and by Rogue in Uncanny Avengers Vol. 1 #14. In the main Marvel Comics continuity, despite all her power, the Scarlet Witch could not stand next to god-like forces such as the Phoenix Force, Galactus, and the Living Tribunal. Wanda was considered to be the Nexus Being of Earth-616, but there were still forces far more powerful than her. Perhaps the most obvious character that was more powerful than the Scarlet Witch was the One Above All, who acted as the "god" of the Marvel universe.

Related: Why Scarlet Witch Should've Been The Next Big Bad of The MCU Instead of Kang the Conqueror

Wanda Took Over Westview, Arishem Created the Universe

Celestial Arishem in Eternals
Marvel Studios

Fans have often referenced Wanda's ability to create and manipulate reality when discussing her level of power. Even without the Reality Stone, Wanda was able to create a pocket of reality using her own powers. The small town of Westview was transformed into a sitcom-style reality, forcing its residents to live the way Wanda wanted them to. In Westview, she was able to recreate Vision while also creating twin sons. But while the Scarlet Witch took over a small town, it was a Celestial known as Arishem the Judge that created the entire universe. WandaVision revealed that the Chaos Magic used by Wanda generates radiation dating all the way back to the Big Bang. The Big Bang in the MCU was executed by none other than Arishem.

Arishem made his MCU debut with Eternals, and is the strongest character seen thus far in the franchise. He has also been the largest, towering over the earth as a massive giant in space. As the apparent "Judge," Arishem announced that he would study the Eternals' memories to determine whether the humans on Earth were "worthy to live." The only known species above the Celestials are the Cosmic Entities, which have been known to include Infinity, Eternity, Death, and Entropy. The Cosmic Entities, however, might exist more as natural forces than humanoid beings like the Celestials.