Magic has long been a power held by some of Marvel’s mightiest heroes. At the center of heightened conversation at the moment is Agatha Harkness as she is the main subject of Disney+’s Agatha All Along. She was first introduced to us in WandaVision alongside Wanda Maximoff, also known as Scarlet Witch. With the two being the focus of fun and successful series, it’s important to note that Wanda and Agatha aren’t alone in the world of witches. They belong to an elite group of strong women that each have their unique qualities. Let’s take a look at some of the fierce witches of the Marvel Universe.
SATANA HELLSTROM
Considered to be the Devil’s daughter, Satana Hellstorm is a succubus who drains souls to survive with a preference for men. She eventually learns that the more souls she consumes, the more powerful she becomes, and she can enslave men by feeding on them. Satana was once a part of a trio known as the Witches that included Topaz and Jennifer Kale after Doctor Strange sent her back to Earth. She also has ties to Deadpool as she tapped him to assist her with locating her immortal soul (he later proposed to her and the two got married, only for her to leave him when her soul was found). Given her connection to Wade Wilson, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if Satana makes an appearance in a future MCU project. Although it was long overdue, Deadpool & Wolverine was Wilson’s introduction into the larger cinematic universe, so we can definitely expect to see more of him.
MAGIK
Illyana Rasputin, also known as Magik, grew up in Russia but was kidnapped and brought to America. She’s the little sister to Colossus, and her mutant powers allow her to travel through time and teleport to anywhere in the world. Illyana has been part of the X-Men as a highly skilled mystic as well as Professor Xavier’s group of young protégés, the New Mutants (she was portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy in a film adaptation that was poorly received). If her opponents are any indication of her power, she once defeated Doctor Strange in a battle of Sorcerers Supreme, a feat many have not achieved in their lifetime. Leaving readers shocked at how this was possible, New Mutants #25 explains how the loss occurred, detailing the laundry list of magical tomes Rasputin has collected from Belasco, the demon who once ruled the realm.
MORGAN LE FAY
Created by Stan Lee and Joe Maneely, Morgan le Fay is a magical enchantress with ties to King Arthur. She sought to merge the Dark Dimension with Earth and was once in love with Doctor Doom (could we see her as Robert Downey Jr.’s love interest in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday?). Noted as one of Marvel’s most powerful female villains, she can manipulate the environment and wreak havoc due to her training and faerie heritage. Elizabeth Hurley played the enchantress in Runaways, which ran from 2017 to 2019 on Hulu. The abilities she was born with are endless, from removing spirits from their bodies to being a master of the mystic arts to virtual immortality.
LORE
Lore is a variant of Wanda Maximoff who is incredibly sinister as she blocks the path back to the land of the living. She has the power to rise from the dead and did so herself to face the Scarlet Witch. Hailing from Earth-TRN 955, Lore feeds off of the energy from other worlds through her sorcery and absorbs the mystical power she comes across. Lore is the darkest version of Maximoff and quite the entertaining storyline to follow. This summer, we got a new solo series for Scarlet Witch written by Steve Orlando featuring art from Jacopo Camagni, in which Lore makes an appearance in the #3 issue. While there are a bunch of Marvel heroes who have said their goodbyes and most likely won’t reprise their roles, Elizabeth Olsen is not one of those. This leaves the opportunity for a Lore vs. Scarlet Witch face off to be on the table. The only question is who would make a solid casting choice for the dark counterpart?
NICO MINORU
Also known as Sister Grimm, Nico Minoru is part of the Runaways and wields the ability to fly as well as telekinesis. While powerful in her own right, she has little training and relies heavily on Staff of One, a weapon based on Gibborim technology that Minoru inherited. As one of the few American superheroes of Japanese descent, she was featured in Avengers Arena and Avengers Undercover and later joined Marvel’s first all-female Avengers team, A-Force (some other members include She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, and Medusa). One of the cooler powers she possesses is her ability to bend magic when she bleeds through the staff that emerges from her chest. While we haven’t gotten a feature film that features Nico, there was a series on Hulu appropriately titled The Runaways that featured Lyrica Okano in the role.