The mystic side of the DC Universe is filled to the brim with some of the most powerful magicians to exist in fiction. One of the highly regarded and popular faces that best represent that world is Zatanna. She's a powerful individual that inherited her father's talent to master the magic of speaking backwards.
Over the years Zatanna has become a member of the Justice League and the Justice League Dark, among other teams. She's become a formidable foe to be feared that makes many wonder how she would fare against the likes of Marvel characters. Here are five Marvel heroes Zatanna could defeat, and five she would lose to.
10 Defeat: Magik
The first contestant to face-off against Zatanna will be the young and cunning Illyana Rasputin. Magik is a mutant that's become the queen of Limbo and developed a knack for sorcery over the years. She may be a worthy opponent, but one Zatanna can still outmatch based on experience and level of expertise.
The only way Illyana can level the playing field is by teleporting them to the aforementioned Limbo, a domain she's most powerful in. Even then, there's nothing much stopping Zatanna from teleporting them back to where they came from.
9 Lose: Doctor Strange
Growing up with a father who was a master at magic gave Zatanna a head-start at perfecting it. Although this factored in against Magik, the same won't be said in her battle against Stephen Strange. Even though he started playing around with magic in his thirties, he still managed to become the Sorcerer Supreme, a title for the best of the best.
Doctor Strange is a master in mystic arts only a few come dream to come close to. He's become the most respected sorcerer in the universe usually acting as head of the magic division. He can also summon spells with mere thought and movement, unlike Zatanna who has to say entire phrases out loud. Chances are she might have trouble keeping up.
8 Defeat: Captain Marvel
Now a question arises how someone like Zatanna would fair against Carol Danvers. Chances are she'd fare well. Captain Marvel is a powerful foe, but one that has no experience fighting against magicians.
In one her own series, she even swapped bodies with Doctor Strange and had no idea how to deal with his powers whatsoever. She felt completely out of luck and overburdened with such a complex and convoluted array of power. One can only imagine the disadvantage she'd find herself in if she ever fought a heavily based magic-user.
7 Lose: Scarlet Witch
Whenever fans make their dream Marvel vs. DC match-ups, a common go-to is Zatanna vs. Scarlet Witch. There's no denying this would be a fight worth seeing. The thing that ultimately gives Wanda Maximoff an advantage is the level of power the readers have seen her operate with over the years. It seems like the only thing that can stop her is her sanity.
Wanda has been seen manipulating the very fabric of reality in ways Zatanna hasn't. She spanned lives and universes that were accustomed to her moods, impulses, and desires. Not to mention she's always perceived to be a character that everyone fears most.
6 Defeat: Brother Voodoo
Not to underplay Jericho Drumm at all, but he seems like an obvious choice to lose in a fight against Zatanna. Sure, he's been the Sorcerer Supreme once before, but that didn't seem to make a life-changing impact for the character in terms of advancing his power-levels afterward.
Brother Voodoo is a respected mystical genius, by all means necessary. Chances are, however, that Zatanna would beat him to a pulp since her skill range casts a far wider net than Drumm. There's a reason why she's one of the most powerful magicians in the DC universe.
5 Lose: Thor
Zatanna's chances of defeating Thor, are low. The Norse god in this scenario is essentially Superman, only without the weakness to magic. This means she'd have difficulties weakening his strength, speed or durability, all of which would prove the most difficult to overcome.
Although the Asgardian doesn't practice sorcery himself, he sure has had plenty of experience fighting it. Whether it be Loki, Enchantress, Hela or magical creatures, he knows how to best approach them. This gives Odinson unmatched power of which can't be tainted easily, basically setting him up for victory.
4 Defeat: Hulk
Yet when it comes to brute strength, Bruce Banner's green behemoth would fail miserably. Although like Thor, his strength and speed can outmatch most rivals, just like Captain Marvel his history doesn't have that many triumphs against those that process magic.
What's worse is Hulk isn't usually the brightest person in any room. Zatanna could easily use that to her advantage. It's not difficult to trick the mind of a ferocious monster of a low IQ. Maybe she could even cast a similar mind spell to Wanda Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron down to the same effect.
3 Lose: Silver Surfer
Power cosmic activated! Silver Surfer is a powerhouse that can put to shame almost anyone. There's a lot Zatanna could throw his way, maybe she could even do some critical damage. Unfortunately for the DC heroin, that's as far as she would be able to take the fight.
The thing about Zatanna is she hasn't fought anyone quite on this scale, of this caliber, and of this energy. She hasn't waged battles against many noteworthy enemies from the cosmos, let alone of this magnitude. Power cosmic in many ways works like magic, only its power flourishes to a celestial degree, one that would prove extremely difficult to bypass.
2 Defeat: Sam Alexander
That doesn't mean she can't beat anyone that comes from outer space, though. Energy blasts, super speed, and super strength aren't out of Zatanna's wheelhouse. When it comes to choosing which Nova, Richard Rider would possibly end up being too much for her. That said, Sam Alexander is less experienced nowhere near as powerful.
At times he comes off like a street-level hero if truth be told. He's constantly paired up with the likes of Miles Morales and Kamala Khan and finds himself incapable of tapping fully into his capabilities. Zatanna could beat him in her sleep.
1 Lose: The Phoenix
The final character the daughter of the great Zatara would have to fight against is the Phoenix. Jean Grey's most powerful form combines the likes of telepathy, telekinesis, and cosmic energy. On par with the likes of Silver Surfer, if not more due to the mutant ability synergy going on, this is one character Zatanna couldn't prepare for alone.
Jean Grey could either get into her head, undo any spells or simply disintegrate her into pieces -- magician's hat included. And if by some miracle Zatanna has the upper hand, it would take a mere second for the Phoenix to snap, turn into the Dark Phoenix and end things right there at the spot.