In the world of superheroes, there are, generally speaking, two factions of powers, those that have some origin in science, and those that are more mystical in nature. With Marvel, you can add "cosmic" as a category, but for the most part, magic and science are the two largest catalysts in terms of superpowers. For example, Bruce Banner became The Hulk because of a science experiment, while Doctor strange became the sorcerer supreme by training in the mystic arts. That is actually the main difference: where Mutants get their powers through the X-gene (again, science-related), magic-users must train to get more powerful in most cases.
Of course, there are some exceptions, but it means that the strongest magic-users in the Marvel universe are those who have trained the hardest. So, who amongst all the sorcerer supremes and mystic masters is the most powerful? We intend to find out, with a couple of rules, of course. First off, we're looking at magic users, but we're going to be loosening the definition of "magic" just a bit so as to include some wild cards in the ranking. Second, we're considering both raw power and experience/skill for how powerful each of our entries is. With the criteria set, here are 16 of Marvel's most powerful magic users, ranked from weakest to strongest.
16 IRON FIST
Remember when we said there would be a few wild cards? Well, the bottom of this ranking starts with one: Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist. Before the comments get up in arms, let us argue our case as to why the power of the Iron Fist could be considered magic. Iron Fist's power comes from his mastery of chi control, which allows him to augment his physical capabilities. "Chi" might not be exactly the same thing as the mystical arts, but it does have a lot of similarities, and because of how ancient the study and mastery of chi is, we're going to go ahead and count it. Plus, Danny has a magic-immunity that also technically puts him in the class of magic-user.
So, if we're considering the power of the iron fist technique/title as magic, then how does Danny rank? Well, like we said and as you can see, it is at the bottom. Danny's iron fist punch might be strong enough to knock helicarriers out of the sky, but his chi-based attacks take a lot out of him and are usually limited in use. Furthermore, it also relies on Danny's martial arts capabilities to be truly effective, leading us to rank the immortal Iron Fist at number 16.
15 CAPTAIN BRITAIN
Next up we have another wild card of sorts, at least in the sense that not everyone knew his powers came from a magical source. We are of course talking about Captain Britain, whose powers originated from a magical source known as the Amulet of Right. His powers actually still come from magic. It's actually kind of confusing since the character has died and been resurrected a number of times, and in each instance the nature of his powers, how he has access to them and how strong he is has changed. But, with all the times the rules of his powers have been rewritten, they still derive from magic.
With that convoluted explanation out of the way, let's look at how strong Captain Britain actually is. Like Iron Fist, Captain Britain's powers are a lot more physical than mystical, meaning while they might come from the Amulet of Right, they grant Brian Braddock very classic superhero-styled abilities, including strength, flight, durability, etc. Other than his powers, which do indeed make him a tough opponent, Captain Britain is no master of the mystic arts, so we're going to place him firmly at number 15 in our ranking.
14 SISTER GRIMM
The Runaways are one of the more diverse Marvel teams out there in terms of powers, abilities and equipment. You've got a super smart tactician, a solar-powered alien, a tech-user, a mutant, a dinosaur tamer and, of course, a magic user -- a girl by the name of Nico Minoru. Since our first two entries were "technical" inclusions, Nico is our first official magic user, specifically blood magic, which she performs through The Staff of One. With this staff, Nico can perform blood magic, which has a near limited number of uses.
However, while Nico has innate magical power and proficiency, she was never fully trained in the use of her powers or the staff, so her abilities and knowledge are rather limited, even as she has grown from a teenage runaway into an adult. Furthermore, her powers have a strange limitation that doesn't allow her to use the same spell twice. More specifically, the same word will not have the same effect a second time, so there is a loophole that allows her to re-word the spell or say it in another language to repeat the effect. Because of these limitations, we are putting Nico, aka Sister Grimm, at number 14 on the list.
13 WICCAN
This is another character that not everyone knows about and has quite the convoluted origin. So, remember how Scarlet Witch and Vision had kids but they were erased from reality? Well, they were eventually reborn, or rather reincarnated as Wiccan and Speed, twins with powers similar to their family members. While they are not exactly the twins the Scarlet Witch magically conceived with Vision, they were in some way their kids. As such, William Kaplan, otherwise known as Wiccan, inherited his mother's reality-warping magical powers. In fact, he has a whole slew of chaotic magic powers that rival those of his own mother.
But, here's where things get weird. While Wiccan's power to warp reality through the use of magic is strong, it is also raw. This is to say that he doesn't know any proper spells, his use of magic being self-taught. Especially early on, this has resulted in on-the-spot spells that are often cast by simply saying what he wants them to do repeatedly. It's a little rough around the edges, but his spells still allow him to teleport, generate electricity, telekinetically move objects, heal others, create fire and ice and conjure nearly any object. Powerful, yes, but his lack of training makes his overall power a bit lower in general, which is why he is at number six.
12 GHOST RIDER
Demonic powers count as magic right? We think so, at least when it comes to Ghost Rider, the spirit of vengeance. While not explicitly stated, Johnny Blaze's status as the spirit of vengeance essentially turns him into a dark sorcerer, and his powers as the Ghost Rider reflect as much. Specifically, Johnny's ability to manipulate sin energy and hellfire make him just as mystical as the other magic-users on this list, even if it doesn't seem like it upon first glance. But, how else would you describe his ability to turn into a fire-skull demon who punishes the wicked? Magic!
So, how powerful are Ghost Rider's abilities? Well, that's a bit vague, mostly because he's one of those characters who magically gains whatever ability he needs for the situation that he finds himself in. But the main powers that Johnny Blaze, and, in turn, the other Ghost Riders have are enhanced strength, speed, durability, and the like. These come along with the aforementioned hellfire manipulation and a whole slew of satanic spells that can convince anyone that he is a magical force to be reckoned with. All that said, his magical powers are rather limited and do not rival that of others on this list, which is why he is number 13.
11 MAGIK
Her name is Magik, of course she made the list. For those who don't actually know all that much about the character, Illyana Rasputina is one of the few mutants out there whose powers are magical in nature... well, at least partially. As is the nature of magical abilities in the Marvel universe, Magik's powers are a bit strange and hard to explain, but the gist of it is that her mutant power is the ability to teleport via the power of an alternate Limbo dimension. Because of the great magical power that comes from this dimension, Magik was able to become a sorceress in her own right, using the Limbo energy to power magic spells.
Through experience and training, Magik's mystical abilities became greater than most any other magic-user... in her limbo dimension. Yes, while she is in the dimension from which her powers are derived, she is powerful enough to take on the strongest magic users and even keep demons at bay just by the fact that she is too powerful for them to attempt to challenge. However, outside of the limbo dimension, her powers are a bit more limited. They are still very powerful, just not on their usual level when she is on the earthly plane.
10 BROTHER VOODOO
Doctor Strange is not always the sorcerer supreme; in fact, there have been other magic users who have held the title. One of the other mystical masters who took up the title was Jericho Drumm, a powerful magic-user who has gone by two main names throughout his comics career. Sometimes he is known as Doctor Voodoo and other times he is known as Brother Voodoo. Regardless of what name he goes by, it's Jericho's magical power that we are concerned with, and he has a great amount of the stuff!
Jericho practices Voodoo magic, which he uses to preserve and protect order. With his mastery of the mystical arts, Brother Voodoo has a long list of abilities, including manipulating the elements, controlling magical spirits, the ability to fly, teleportation and even hypnosis. Jericho also has the power to call upon his brother's spirit to possess his body, which augments his physical capabilities, or those of his allies, which allows him to control their action. Brother Voodoo's list of powers is impressive, but the extent of these abilities is relatively tame compared to other magic-users, so we're placing him at number 11 on the list.
9 THE ANCIENT ONE
This might be a controversial one based on the ranking, since The Ancient one taught Doctor Strange everything he knows; logically, that should place him above the sorcerer supreme, but we think otherwise. Before we get into that, however, let's take a look at what magical powers The Ancient One actually has. Despite being one of the oldest sorcerers in existence, the Ancient One's powers are surprisingly not as powerful as you think. He has great magical power and can perform spells without draining his personal energy, but the spells that he casts are kind of weak.
Aside from the usual sorcerer fodder -- i.e., the stuff that nearly every magic user can do like teleport or shoot energy bolts -- the Ancient One's only real abilities are astral projecting, casting illusions and telepathy. For a guy with such an important-sounding title, his powers are not all that supreme, and while we'll rank him a bit higher due to his experience and mastery, the offensive and defensive capabilities of his powers are kind of weak, which is why he's placed at number 10.
8 DOCTOR DOOM
A lot of people forget that Doctor Doom is a powerful sorcerer, as the exact nature and extent of his powers have grown somewhat vague over the years. Whether or not you agree with this, the fact that magic is missing from the villain's arsenal in a lot of recent film and cartoon adaptations might have led the general public to think Doom is a purely technology-powered villain. While this might be half true, Doom's true strength in the comics comes from his innovative approach to obtaining power through the combination of magic and science.
In terms of magic alone, Doom trained with some of the greatest mystical teachers across time, mastering magic to the extent of almost being instated as the new sorcerer supreme when Doctor Strange stepped down. He is able to summon hordes of demons, shoot mystical blasts and project force fields, cast spells of all varieties, travel through other dimensions, heal himself, teleport, travel through time, manipulate the elements and absorb power and energy. Add to this his armor, which was forged using state of the art technology and magic-infused materials, and Doctor Doom is a mystical force to be reckoned with.
7 LOKI
It's hard to compete with a god, and even harder to rank them amongst other, mortal magic users, but we will try our best, starting with the, until recently, new Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, Loki. As a god of Asgard, Loki, though a frost giant in actuality, possesses the strength, durability, healing and stamina of an Asgardian. On top of his natural physical capabilities, Loki is also a skilled user of magic, his powers allowing him to both increase his physical capabilities and perform feats of great sorcery. In fact, the list of magical abilities that Loki has is rather impressive.
In the MCU, Loki's ability to change his appearance is through his illusion-based powers, but in the comics, it is part of his ability to shape shift through magic. On top of this, Loki has a number of magical psychic abilities, including the power to shoot concussive blasts, read minds, project his thoughts and create forcefields. Furthermore, Loki can also bring life to inanimate objects, temporarily bestow superhuman abilities on others, teleport across great distances, place curses on people and perform a number of other complicated spells. Loki's magical power is so great that the Silver Surfer once said it was enough to decimate a planet.