Marvel Studios’ Agatha All Along series has brought Billy Maximoff’s Wiccan back to the MCU, and he has already shown off abilities that rival those of his superpowered mother, Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch. The reintroduction of Billy Maximoff in the MCU’s Phase 5 has spurred popular theories that the Scarlet Witch will also soon be returning, despite her confirmed death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Prior to her demise, the Scarlet Witch was one of the most powerful characters in the MCU, so her possible reprisal is very exciting.

Joe Locke’s appearance as Billy Maximoff in Agatha All Along has instantly drawn comparisons to Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch. With similar abilities, it’s hard to deduce which magical hero might be the more powerful of the two. In the MCU, Wanda Maximoff’s powers seem to be innate, but enhanced by exposure to the Mind Stone, while Wiccan’s abilities appear to be entirely physiological. It seems likely the Scarlet Witch and Wiccan will reunite at some point in the MCU’s future, which would be a significant, powerful and exciting pairing.

Scarlet Witch’s Powers Have Increased Massively Since Her MCU Debut

Elizabeth Olsen Debuted As Wanda Maximoff In Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Elizabeth Olsen made her first appearance in the MCU in the post-credits scene of 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, revealed to be one of the subjects of HYDRA’s “Miracle” experiments in Sokovia. In her debut appearance, Wanda Maximoff was seen using her magic on small boxes, though she showed off more abilities in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, including mind manipulation, telekinesis and energy projection. In the decade since her debut, Wanda Maximoff’s powers have only increased exponentially, almost becoming limitless.

Avengers: Infinity War marked a huge step forward for Wanda Maximoff, as she demonstrated the power to destroy an Infinity Stone. 2021’s WandaVision saw this move leaps and bounds, however, as she constructed an entirely fabricated world inside a hexagon-shaped barrier surrounding Westview, New Jersey, and played out sitcom style scenarios in different decades within the walls of the Hex. Battling Salem witch Agatha Harkness allowed Wanda Maximoff to transform into the Scarlet Witch, and culminated in her stealing the powerful Darkhold.

Claiming the Book of the Damned meant that the Scarlet Witch was able to peer through the multiverse in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and even dream-walk into her variants’ bodies. In the MCU’s Phase 4, Wanda Maximoff learned of her significance as the Scarlet Witch, as she was prophesied to either rule or destroy the world, and had power rivaling that of the Sorcerer Supreme. This prophecy had persisted for centuries, and will likely still be in effect should the Scarlet Witch return despite her tragic death in the Darkhold Castle on Mount Wundagore.

Wiccan Has Already Shown Off Impressive Powers In The MCU

Wiccan Was Introduced To The MCU In WandaVision

Initially portrayed by Julian Hilliard in WandaVision, Billy Maximoff is the son of the Scarlet Witch and Vision who was created through Wanda’s use of magic inside the Westview Hex. Billy was born alongside his twin brother, Tommy, in WandaVision episode 3, “Now in Color,” and magically aged to ten-years-old during the 1980s-set episode 5, “On a Very Special Episode…,” in order to be allowed to keep their new dog, Sparky. As a ten-year-old, Billy began to exhibit some magical powers, though his magic is blue instead of his mother’s red.

In WandaVision, Billy Maximoff was able to read the minds of those around him, and could use his magic to stop bullets and even bring his speedster brother to a halt. However, he ceased to exist when the Scarlet Witch brought down the Westview Hex, leaving his future uncertain. Agatha All Along episode 6, “Familiar By Thy Side,” revealed that Billy Maximoff’s soul had entered the body of the recently-deceased William Kaplan, allowing him to live on. This unfortunately wiped his memories of both William Kaplan and Billy Maximoff.

Now portrayed by Joe Locke, Billy Maximoff revealed himself in Agatha All Along episode 5, “Darkest Hour, Wake Thy Power.” This saw “Teen” control the minds of powerful witches Lilia Calderu and Jennifer Kale and force them to throw Agatha Harkness off the Witches’ Road, and he used his magic to launch Lilia and Jennifer off the Road, too. Agatha All Along’s Billy Maximoff hasn’t shown off a lot of his power, but breaking a spell cast by the Scarlet Witch in the series’ premiere was a strong start, and it’s surely only going to improve from there.

Scarlet Witch & Wiccan Have Similar Abilities In Marvel Comics

Scarlet Witch & Wiccan Both Have Magical Powers

The Scarlet Witch is, just like in the MCU, one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe of the comics. For decades, she was depicted as the mutant daughter of iconic X-Men villain Magneto, but this was retconned in 2015, making Wanda and Pietro Maximoff subjects of genetic experiments by the High Evolutionary, while Wanda was also born a witch. She is described as a Nexus Being, with the ability to manipulate probability, possibility and freedom. She also has access to Chaos Magic, which gifts her reality warping abilities, enhancing her natural witchcraft powers.

The Scarlet Witch was introduced to Marvel Comics in 1964’s The X-Men #4 , followed by Billy Maximoff in 1986’s The Vision and the Scarlet Witch #12 . Billy was reabsorbed by Mephisto shortly after his debut, but was reincarnated as Billy Kaplan in 2005’s Young Avengers #1 .

To name a few, she can intuitively cast spells, teleport, use telepathy and telekinesis, cast illusions, project and absorb energy and manipulate time. As her reincarnated son, Billy Kaplan’s Wiccan harbors many of these same powers. He is able to manipulate reality at will, and has command over the natural elements, while he is also a gifted spell-caster and has the potential to transform into the godly Demiurge, though this state is very rare. Aside from when he is the Demiurge, the Scarlet Witch is clearly more powerful than Wiccan in Marvel Comics.

Scarlet Witch & Wiccan Both Have The Same Weakness In The MCU

Both Scarlet Witch & Wiccan Are Flawed

While both the Scarlet Witch and Wiccan have displayed some impressive abilities throughout their careers in the MCU, they have also both shown that they have exactly the same weaknesses, too, proving the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Namely, neither Wanda nor Billy Maximoff can fully control their abilities, so their attempts to harness the full scope of their powers have often led to tragedy. For Wiccan, it seems he can only use his magic when feeling sheer anger and rage, but doesn’t have access to it when calm and considered.

This is similar for Wanda Maximoff, as she has shown some of her greatest feats of power when feeling pure emotion and distress. Most notably, the Scarlet Witch erected the Hex around Westview without meaning to, with unbridled energy emanating from her which was rooted in her grief after losing Vision in Avengers: Infinity War. The Darkhold helped the Scarlet Witch learn more about the full range of her powers, but corrupted her, too, and there is surely still a lot of untapped power living inside her that could be seen if she returns to the MCU.

Who Is More Powerful In The MCU, Scarlet Witch Or Wiccan?

It’s Hard To Compare The Scarlet Witch & Wiccan

It’s tough to deduce whether the Scarlet Witch or Wiccan is more powerful in the MCU, especially since Wanda Maximoff has been in the MCU for a decade, while Billy Maximoff has only had two brief appearances in live-action over three years. The Scarlet Witch has had more opportunities to display some of her most impressive gifts, including her intuitive witchcraft, reality warping, mental manipulation and dream-walking. It seems unfair to compare Wiccan, who’s only demonstrated his powers a few times, to his superpowered mother.

Elizabeth Olsen has been heavily rumored to be returning to the MCU, despite Wanda Maximoff’s emotional sacrifice at the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness . The Scarlet Witch returned after apparently dying in Marvel Comics, so there is precedence for this to happen in the MCU, too.

It seems that Wiccan has the potential to become as powerful, if not more powerful, than the Scarlet Witch. He has already proven himself capable of reading minds and emotions, controlling minds from great distances away, and harboring strong telekinetic gifts. As he continues to grow and develop his repertoire after Agatha All Along, perhaps among the MCU’s Young Avengers team, Wiccan could gain the power to rival that of the Scarlet Witch. Of course, Wanda Maximoff’s return to the MCU will change the franchise’s power hierarchy again, as her power is almost incomprehensible.