One of the most exciting new MCU projects announced at this year's San Diego Comic-Con was Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Not only will this be the return of the Sorcerer Supreme, and not only is the title amazing, but Strange will be teaming up with fellow Avenger, Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch.
These two heroes haven't interacted on the big screen yet, but they certainly share a few similarities. They even have some of the same powers and abilities, as well as a number of differences. Let's compare these powerful heroes and see how they stack up against each other.
10 Doctor Strange: Astral Projection
The Astral Projection is an ability of Strange's that has become quite famous. This allows his spirit and consciousness to escape his physical body. It is seen in Doctor Strange when he assists in his own surgery as well as several similar moments throughout the comics.
It is a bit of an unusual trick but has come in handy on several occasions when his body was incapacitated or he needed to get somewhere that might be difficult for a physical person to go. As a bonus, Strange is still about to use magic and cast spells in this form.
9 Scarlet Witch: Manipulation Of Mechanics
Scarlet Witch can sometimes seem to have a seemingly endless amount of abilities. This might be because her powers were somewhat undefined in the early years and then retconned in later years. That might explain why this very handy ability does not come up too often.
While she is able to move things with her mind and control objects, Scarlet Witch has shown a particular skill for tampering with machines. She can turn them on and off and make them operate to her will. She even caused Ultron to short-circuit on one occasion.
8 Doctor Strange: Crimson Bands Of Cyttorak
One clear advantage that Strange has over Scarlet Witch is his divine powers. As Sorcerer Supreme, Strange is a Divine Conduit, meaning he is given access to immense powers through the Vishanti gods. This allows him to use several powerful spells including the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.
These powerful bands can be summoned by Strange and wrap around his enemies, trapping them. They are extremely hard to break and can be quite confining. Strange uses them frequently in the comics and they can be seen used in his fight with Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.
7 Scarlet Witch: Illusion Projections
Scarlet Witch might mostly be known as a hero these days, but she was a long history of fighting against the Marvel heroes as well. Fans will remember that she started out in a similar way in Avengers: Age of Ultron where she tormented the heroes by planting illusions in their heads.
While Strange has been known to play around with illusions, such as multiplying himself, what Scarlet Witch can be is on a whole other level. Playing with people's minds and altering them is a powerful and dangerous ability.
6 Doctor Strange: Telepathy
Telepathy is one of Strange's powers we have yet to see used in the MCU. While it's not prominent in his skill set and even seems to be nonexistent at times, we have seen on several occasions his ability to read people's minds. However, the more frequent use of his telepathy is communicating with people telepathically.
Scarlet Witch has plenty of mind games up her sleeve but this is one thing she is unable to do. Perhaps we will see Strange master this ability further in the MCU as he becomes a more powerful sorcerer.
5 Scarlet Witch: Hex Powers
Scarlet Witch's hex powers are the first powers we see her possess in the comics. For a long time, this was her primary ability before her skillset was expanded. In short, these powers allow her to manipulate a person's luck. She can make things happen that would not normally happen.
In some ways, it's very similar to the X-Men character, Domino. However, Scarlet Witch is so powerful that she is actually able to negate or cancel out Domino's powers. Over time, this ended up being a retconned ability for Scarlet Witch and has not been mentioned at all in the MCU.
4 Doctor Strange: Dimensional Travel
Unlike most of his fellow Avengers, Strange is not only concerned with protecting our world but existence in general. That can be a lot of ground to cover in his job which is why his ability to travel through dimensions is that much more valuable.
We have seen in many comics that Strange can visit dimensions relatively easily. We also see it in the Doctor Strange film as he goes to bargain with Dormammu in his Dark Dimension. It's safe to say we'll see him use this power in the sequel as well.
3 Scarlet Witch: Warping Reality
If you thought Scarlet Witch's ability to project illusions into people's minds was impressive, that is just the tip of the iceberg. In the House of M comic, we see proof that Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, as she changes reality entirely.
Many have speculated that this monumental ability will be used in WandaVision for Wanda to recreate a new reality in which Vision is alive. This could also explain how the series leads into the Doctor Strange sequel as such a drastic change could result in a multiverse.
2 Doctor Strange: Time Manipulation
Time has been a major factor for Doctor Strange in the MCU. As guardian of the Time Stone, Strange has had an incredible tool which he has used to great effect. He first used it in Doctor Strange to revert Kaecilius' attack and trap Dormammu in a time loop. He also used it to figure out which timeline led to Thanos' defeat.
The ability to manipulate time is obviously a power with a lot of potential. It is also one of those powers that seems almost too convenient and robs the story of any risk or tension. Hopefully, that means the Time Stone is gone in the MCU.
1 Scarlet Witch: Resurrection
Speaking of powers that are just too much, Scarlet Witch is one of the lucky heroes who can actually resurrect dead people. This is another example of her undefined powers which leads to powers being introduced and never used again.
Scarlet Witch, tapping into her most powerful abilities has resurrected several heroes in the past. She even resurrected her brother Quicksilver, something she was clearly not able to do in the MCU. Hopefully, this is a power that she never gets in the movies as it introduces way too many complications.