Can Scarlet Witch Really Beat Thanos?

Also known as Wanda Maximoff, Scarlet Witch is regarded as perhaps the strongest Avenger in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Thanks to her ability to manipulate energy, minds, and matter, you can argue that, if fighting against another hero or villain one-on-one, nobody, not even the Mad Titan Thanos, can defeat her.

Wanda and Thanos squared off multiple times in the Infinity Saga. Did Wanda emerge victorious? Keep reading to find out.

While Wanda did not defeat Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, she would have had the Mad Titan not called in a last-second aerial assault. Wanda grew stronger following Endgame, but her recklessness indicates she may not ultimately defeat Thanos as the Scarlet Witch.

Did Wanda Maximoff Encounter Thanos in the Infinity Saga?

Wanda Maximoff technically made an appearance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but her official debut occurred in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

She and her brother, Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver), were recruited into Hydra, where they took part in Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker’s enhancement program. Later, Ultron recruited the brother-sister duo to fight the Avengers.

They joined him, but later, they saw through Ultron’s ruse to destroy humanity. This led them to fight alongside the Avengers. Quicksilver was killed, but Wanda survived the struggle and joined the Avengers.

Wanda later appeared in Captain America: Civil War, siding with Rogers’ faction opposing the Sokovia Accords. The faction lost to Tony Stark’s (Iron Man’s) group, who wished for government oversight, and Wanda was later imprisoned.

Her imprisonment was short-lived, thanks to Rogers busting her out. She and Vision go into hiding, but soon after, Thanos’s children threaten the duo.

They are bailed out thanks to Rogers, Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), and Sam Wilson (Falcon). Yet given Thanos’ goal to take all the Infinity Stones, Vision pleaded with her to destroy the Mind Stone implanted into his forehead.

Wanda refused, unless there was a way to remove the stone without killing Vision. This led them to travel to Wakanda, but not long after the Wakandans began the process to remove the stone, Thanos and his armies attacked.

The Mad Titan caught up with Wanda and Vision, and although Wanda was forced to destroy the stone, killing Vision, Thanos rewound time via the Time Stone, extracting the Mind Stone himself.

Thanos knocked out Wanda, and not long after he snapped her and half the universe out of existence.

So was there any way Wanda could have won this battle? Or, would she have needed to come into her own as Scarlet Witch?

Could Wanda Have Defeated Thanos in the Infinity Saga?

Although Wanda wasn’t yet known as Scarlet Witch in the Infinity Saga, she still proved herself to be a powerful member of the Avengers.

However, Wanda lost to Thanos in Infinity War, and if it wasn’t for Bruce Banner (the Hulk) reversing the Blip, she never would have come back.

But, one fact regarding Wanda is that she derives her powers from the Mind Stone. And if we know one thing about Avengers whose power comes from the Infinity Stones, it’s that they are seen as more powerful than the other Avengers.

During the Infinity Saga, from Wanda’s first major role in Age of Ultron, we saw her ability to control minds up close when she caused the Hulk to go into a rage.

Come Infinity War, she was destroying and tearing apart opponents. And in Endgame, she was making quick work of Thanos.

Wanda trapped the Mad Titan in a force field she’d conjured. And despite his powerful armor, Maximoff was on the verge of crushing Thanos to death before the latter ordered an aerial assault.

With the information presented to us, it’s clear Wanda could defeat Thanos in the Infinity Saga. Had she managed to keep Thanos trapped for another moment, chances are, she would have killed him.

How Did Wanda Become Scarlet Witch?

Following Endgame, Wanda was dismayed at Vision’s death. She also didn’t appreciate the fact S.W.O.R.D. was experimenting on him, and she ended up traveling to Westview, New Jersey.

Through her Chaos Magic, she isolated the town and, in the process, conjured a second Vision, who she ended up living with.

During her time in Westview, Wanda met Monica Rambreau, who she later cast out of the Hex when the woman mentioned Pietro. When Rambreau returned and Wanda was unable to force her out, a neighbor, Agnes, took her in.

Wanda discovered Agnes was Agatha Harkness. Harkness confirmed that Wanda was the Scarlet Witch, and it was then that Wanda learned the true extent of her powers.

During their climactic battle, Harkness also confirmed that Wanda was the “Harbinger of Chaos.” Wanda, seeing the damage she caused to Westview’s citizens, destroyed the Hex, thereby setting them free.

She and Harkness continued fighting as S.W.O.R.D. agents invaded the town. While Harkness tried to absorb Wanda’s powers, she failed to realize that Wanda placed runes around the Hex, which, in turn, negated Harkness’ abilities.

Although Wanda claimed victory, she also discovered that she had to understand her abilities better, which meant embracing her identity as Scarlet Witch and studying Darkhold, a book of powerful spells that would eventually gain a negative influence over her.

Can Scarlet Witch Defeat Thanos?

It’s often believed that Scarlet Witch is the strongest Avenger in existence. And since we know Wanda would have easily defeated Thanos before she became Scarlet Witch, logic states she’d have no problem defeating the Mad Titan now that she knows the true extent of her powers.

But upon closer inspection, this may not be the case. While Wanda is undoubtedly stronger now that she’s embraced her identity as Scarlet Witch, she’s also reckless, as we saw in WandaVision, and it came to the forefront in Doctor Strange 2.

While Wanda is reckless as Scarlet Witch, she’s also nearly unbeatable if she keeps a sound mind. If that is the case, then Wanda can use her ability to turn all of Thanos’ strengths to weaknesses.

So if Thanos has the Infinity Stones, she would turn their powers against the Mad Titan any time he would try to use one of them.

This would allow her to defeat him, but if she became imprudent and tried to defeat him using her pure strength, Thanos would stay calm and use the Infinity Stones to his advantage.

Suppose she kept trying to alter reality into her favor. Thanos could counter with the Reality Stone. There is also a chance he could even alter reality to one where she isn’t so powerful in the first place.

This battle between Scarlet Witch and Thanos would come down to who would keep a sounder mind.

Now, if Thanos didn’t have the Infinity Gauntlet with him, Scarlet Witch wins this one and it’s not even close.

Can Anyone Beat Scarlet Witch?

As one of the MCU’s most powerful characters, no one can top Scarlet Witch unless they either snap her out of existence, as Thanos did, or defeat her in a combined effort.

However, Thanos snapped out half the universe, so there was a 50% chance Wanda would have disintegrated anyway. For another thing, we saw how well she fought the Mad Titan, as we discussed earlier.

It is also important to note, however, that when Thanos executed the Blip, Wanda had not yet embraced the Scarlet Witch identity.

This occurred in Doctor Strange 2, when Strange, Wong, and America Chavez topped her.

In the case of Strange, Wong, and Chavez defeating her, you need to put an asterisk by that loss. Wanda didn’t lose to them because they overpowered her. She lost because she came to her senses and realized what she was doing was wrong.

Conclusion

As arguably the strongest character in the MCU, few would give Scarlet Witch a challenge. But Thanos showed that he could overpower Wanda in Infinity War when he used the Time Stone to bring Vision back after she killed him to destroy the Mind Stone.

When they faced off in Endgame, Wanda gained the upper hand before the Mad Titan ordered an aerial assault.

As Scarlet Witch, she’s even more powerful, so logistically, she should beat Thanos. However, Wanda also proved herself imprudent as Scarlet Witch, and this could play into the Mad Titan’s hands.

If the two fought, Scarlet Witch would win this battle if she kept a calm mind. The second she allowed recklessness to get to her, Thanos would use the Infinity Stones to his advantage.

If the Mad Titan didn’t have the Infinity Gauntlet, then Scarlet Witch gets the win.

Sion Fawkes

Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.