Dark Doctor Strange Vs. Scarlet Witch: Who Would Win and Why?
In one of the rare instances in Marvel history, Spider-Man: No Way Home’s post-credit scene gave us the first trailer for another MCU movie – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It uncovered many things, including Wanda Maximoff and a Dark Doctor Strange emerging in the film. So, who would win in a fight between Scarlet Witch and Dark Strange?
Dark Doctor Strange would destroy Scarlet Witch regardless of how powerful she is. Normal Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch are about equally matched, but if we’re talking about Dark Doctor Strange from the What if…? Series, Stephen absorbed so much power, Wanda couldn’t touch him.
He absorbed the energy and power of many cosmic monsters and beings, making Dark Strange much more powerful. In the end, he absorbs the normal Doctor Strange as well. Regardless of how powerful or skilled Wanda gets, Dark Doctor Strange is simply too powerful in a one-on-one fight. Still, there is a chance for Scarlet Witch to win. Let’s break it down to see how.
Level of Power
To get the full picture of who the superior character is, I’ll break down their abilities into segments or categories. The first is the level of raw power they have. Here, I’m not considering their skills or ability to use their power, but rather their overall potential.
As we learned from Agatha Harkness in WandaVision, Maximoff has raw power that far exceeds the Sorcerer Supreme or virtually any other being in the universe. If she taps into the Chaos magic, there aren’t many characters that can match her unfathomable power.
If Wanda becomes Scarlet Witch and learns how to control and deal with her Chaos magic, her power level is virtually limitless.
Now, in his normal Sorcerer Supreme state, Doctor Strange is extremely powerful. But, his power comes more from his knowledge and spellcasting skills rather than raw strength. If we’re talking only about their potential, then Scarlet Witch trumps Strange. However, that goes only for the common Doctor Strange we know.
Dark Doctor Strange absorbed the powers of countless cosmic beings and monsters, some of which were extremely powerful themselves, such as the Shuma-Gorath.
He also absorbs the regular Doctor Strange, amplifying his powers to unforeseen proportions – so powerful that he can alter absolute points in time – events that couldn’t, and shouldn’t be changed, regardless of what universe we’re talking about.
We’ve never seen Scarlet Witch wield that kind of power, but the fact remains that her true potential is virtually limitless.
When it comes to raw power, I think it would be unfair to say any of them is more powerful than the other – if we’re not considering skills and the ability to use that power. Both Scarlet Witch and Dark Doctor Strange get points here.
Point(s): Dark Doctor Strange (1:1) Scarlet Witch
Durability
Things are a lot clearer regarding durability and the ability to take a hit. Regardless of how powerful the Scarlet Witch might get, she is still only human in terms of physiology.
While her powers grant Wanda some sort of protection while she’s focused, that protection has to be conscious. If a hit passes through her defense, she’s as fragile as any other human being on Earth.
I’m not saying it’s easy to penetrate her defenses, especially if she becomes Scarlet Witch in her strongest form. However, if a single spell, punch, or strike of any kind gets through and hits her, she’s just as vulnerable as you or me.
The same would go for our regular Sorcerer Supreme. He uses spells to protect himself, but still, Stephen Strange has human physiology, and he’s prone to injury. Both Wanda and he are resilient to telepathic and mental attacks, but they can get hurt physically. Well, Dark Doctor Strange towers over both of them.
As he absorbed the powers of all those cosmic monsters, Dark Strange gained their abilities, making himself much more durable and invulnerable. To what extent does his invulnerability go is unclear, but I think it’s safe to say that it’s way above what Scarlet Witch has.
Point: Dark Doctor Strange (2:1) Scarlet Witch
Strength & Stamina
If we’re talking about physical strength – that is, in a hand-to-hand fight – then neither Strange nor Wanda are really formidable opponents. They use magic, spells, and hexes to defeat their opponents, not physical strength.
Still, a slight advantage would go to Doctor Strange, as he at least knew countless martial arts. Pair them with some awesome spellcasting, and he can become extremely strong. The guy can punch your astral form out of your physical body.
And, let’s not forget – we’re comparing Scarlet Witch with Dark Doctor Strange here. He’s much stronger than normal Strange, considering how much power he absorbed. Also, Dark Strange can use the tentacles from Shuma-Gorath as melee weapons, too, while Wanda only has her frail arms and legs.
The same goes for their stamina. Wanda had shown numerous times that using her magic can be quite exhausting to her. We haven’t seen that from Strange, let alone his Dark version. Even if you take out all the cosmic monsters, Dark Doctor Strange still has the stamina of two Sorcerer Supremes.
Point: Dark Doctor Strange (3:1) Scarlet Witch
Skills
Finally, this is where Dark Doctor Strange trumps Scarlet Witch and takes the definite victory. His knowledge in spellcasting and mystical arts is so vast, Strange brought in creatures from across the galaxy and found a way to absorb them, absorbing their powers and skills as well.
Even in his normal form, the Sorcerer Supreme knows all the spells and incantations. He’s just brilliantly powerful.
On the other hand, Scarlet Witch might possess a limitless potential and raw power, but the fact remains, she doesn’t quite know how to use it or control it. At least not at the level that Doctor Strange does – not even close.
Dark Doctor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme, the most skilled magician on the planet, but with amplified powers. Scarlet Witch is one of the most powerful beings in the universe but still doesn’t quite know how to control or harness all her vast power not to cause damage to the entire world or herself.
Dark Strange wins this category by a landslide.
Point: Dark Doctor Strange (4:1) Scarlet Witch
Dark Doctor Strange Vs. Scarlet Witch: Who Wins?
In the end, the answer is obvious. Dark Doctor Strange would crush Scarlet Witch before she could even think about what to do about him.
Things would be closer if the fight were between normal Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch. Wanda would then have a clear advantage in terms of raw power, but still, not nearly the skills to use that power in a way the Sorcerer Supreme does.
However, that would be her chance. Many believe Scarlet Witch to be the most powerful being in the universe if she can tap into her Chaos magic and control it, but we usually see it control her, not the other way around.
But, if we’re talking about Dark Doctor Strange – the one with such incredibly amplified powers and even more knowledge about all forms of magic – Scarlet Witch would have no chance at beating him, not even with her raw power.
