Ghost Rider vs. Scarlet Witch: Who Would Win in a Fight?
There are so many Earth-based super-powerful characters in the Marvel universe. However, not many can match the unfathomable powers of the Ghost Rider and the Scarlet Witch. The two are almost impossible to defeat (other than beating themselves). So, if the Ghost Rider and Scarlet Witch ever fought, who would win, and why?
It would be a very close fight that could go either way, but in a fight to the death, Ghost Rider would win over Scarlet Witch. The Spirit of Vengeance is practically immortal and can’t be harmed without a weapon forged in heaven. As powerful as Scarlet Witch is, she has no such weapon.
Ghost Rider is an entity that only takes a human body as a host. Even if the host’s body dies, it can possess another host and continue the fight. That being said, Scarlet Witch has some tricks up her sleeve that could win her the fight, at least temporarily, such as reality bending or exorcism. Let’s break down the characters and how they match up.
Physiology
Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, is a human mutant from birth, having slight abilities to alter probability. Soon, she was chosen by a primordial god/demon named Chthulu and given powers revolving around Chaos Magic. It grants Wanda incredible might, but it doesn’t really change her physiology.
Physically, she’s at the human level in strength, speed, and durability. Her magical abilities make it very hard to harm Scarlet Witch, but she can get hurt and even killed.
On the other hand, Ghost Rider is not a human entity at all. A Spirit of Vengeance is a demon that takes a host body to become the Ghost Rider. The most well-known Ghost Rider is Johnny Blaze, but there are many other Ghost Riders, too. We’ll focus on Blaze, though.
When in human form, Johnny can get hurt like any other human and is at above-average human strength. However, when he becomes Ghost Rider, his strength goes through the roof, and nothing can hurt him. However, even if the human host body is damaged and dies, the Spirit of Vengeance lives on – it can simply choose another host.
That makes Ghost Rider essentially immortal, and for that, Ghost Rider takes this category.
Point: Ghost Rider (1:0) Scarlet Witch
Mortality & Weaknesses
Scarlet Witch might be one of the most powerful beings in the universe, but when you think of it, mortality has been one of Wanda’s greatest weaknesses. Not just in the sense that she can get hurt and killed. But, in a sense that she has mortal, human problems – mental health being one of them.
She fell off the edge and went berserk several times. Then she gets a hold of herself, only to realize what she had done, being remorseful and depressed, and then fall off the edge again… Wanda’s psyche makes her vulnerable the most.
On the other hand, Ghost Rider is only partially mortal – the human host can die, but the Spirit of Vengeance can just inhabit another host. Therefore, Ghost Rider can’t be killed, making him essentially immortal. Well, that is, unless you can utilize his one weakness.
You see, Spirits of Vengeance do god’s work, punishing those who deserve it. That’s why only weapons forged in Heaven itself can actually hurt the Ghost Rider. I don’t think Wanda could get a hold of a real weapon forged in Heaven, seeing that her Chaos Magic is quite the opposite.
Also, her mortality makes her more vulnerable than Ghost Rider, meaning another point for the Spirit of Vengeance.
Point: Ghost Rider (2:0) Scarlet Witch
Hellfire Vs. Hexes
Ghost Rider wields unfathomable power, but his weapon of choice is always Hellfire. Whether he blasts it out of a shotgun or wields a chain, Ghost Rider’s Hellfire will burn through anything, even the soul.
Blaze can do wonders with it. Like, shoot it out of his body in waves, explosions, or beams. He can also rain a firestorm, and some of his attacks are so powerful that the Hulk feels pain when affected by Hellfire.
While the Rider’s Hellfire is spectacular, what Scarlet Witch can do with her hexes is on another level. The Hexes are Wanda’s physical manifestation of Chaos Magic. She can use them as weapons in various ways, or to fly, propel herself through the air, mind control people, alter reality… You name it.
Even in the MCU, Wanda’s Hexes in Avengers: Endgame were so strong that she almost crushed Thanos alive singlehandedly. She is incredibly powerful, and although it’s not a great discrepancy, I’d give Wanda’s Hexes a slight advantage over Johnny’s Hellfire.
Point: Scarlet Witch (1:2) Ghost Rider
Reality Warping Vs. Penance Stare
This is where it gets interesting. Wanda’s biggest power is her reality warping. Scarlet Witch is so powerful that she can essentially do anything she sets her mind to. From matter manipulation to unlimited probability altering, Maximoff can essentially reshape the world to her liking. Now, can she use it against someone like Ghost Rider? Well, I’m not so convinced.
We’ve seen the Spirits of Vengeance be completely unphased with reality warping. When the powerful archangel Zadkiel took over Heaven and became a god, he became so powerful that he could reshape, create, and destroy the universe at will. However, he could never erase the Spirits of Vengeance with his powers, no matter how strong he became.
Now, Scarlet Witch is an incredibly powerful reality-warper – she once changed the reality of the entire Earth during the House of M storyline. Her powers might affect Ghost Rider to a degree, but without a heavenly weapon, I don’t see how it could seriously jeopardize him.
On the other hand, the Spirit’s Penance Stare could certainly do a number on Wanda. It’s one of the most painful attacks anyone can inflict. When the Ghost Rider looks you in the eyes, he can make you feel all the pain, suffering, and despair you’ve ever caused to others, resulting in a crippling, killing pain. And, it’s only more powerful if you already felt remorse or sorrow.
Now, Scarlet Witch has done some horrible stuff – both in the comics and the MCU. If Ghost Rider uses the Penance Stare on her, Wanda’s fragile mind will crumble in agony, despair, and remorse. The Penance Stare wins it by a mile.
Point: Ghost Rider (3:1) Scarlet Witch
Other Powers
Now, Ghost Rider already has enough to take the victory, but if we’re talking about versatility, that’s where Scarlet Witch may have a chance.
Wanda Maximoff has an unlimited number of powers because Chaos Magic can manifest in so many different ways. Especially after Wanda read the Darkhold – the number of spells she learned makes Scarlet Witch as versatile as anyone.
Some of her powers include probability manipulation, molecular destabilization or alteration, creating force fields, Hexes, transmutation, teleportation, time manipulation, telepathy, telekinesis, reality manipulation, portal creation, and magic spells, illusion-casting, flight… And there’s so much more.
Now, Ghost Rider is versatile, too, but not in that amount. He has superhuman physiology, Hellfire manipulation (manifesting in countless ways), healing factor, sin manipulation, soul manipulation, interdimensional travel, and the Penance Stare.
As I say, it’s more than enough for the Rider to face anybody, but with so many different powers, Wanda could find a way to overwhelm the Ghost Rider or at least separate the Spirit of Vengeance from the human host.
Scarlet Witch gets the point in this category.
Point: Scarlet Witch (2:3) Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider Vs. Scarlet Witch: Who Wins?
Ghost Rider and Scarlet Witch are both unfathomably powerful characters, and the fight could potentially go either way, depending on the situation and “who strikes first.” However, Ghost Rider has many advantages that Scarlet Witch simply cannot overcome, which is why I believe he’d win this fight more often than not.
Hellfire can almost go toe-to-toe with the Hexes, but Wanda’s physiology can’t match the Spirit of Vengeance. Also, we’re unsure how greatly her reality-altering would work against Ghost Rider, while we know his Penance Stare would probably break Scarlet Witch completely.
Scarlet is as versatile as they come, so I’m sure she could find a way to defeat the Spirit of Vengeance – maybe even with a spell before the fight ever begins. However, in a normal one-on-one fight – especially one that goes to death – Ghost Rider would be the one left standing at least 7/10 times.
