There are all kinds of superheroes in the Marvel Universe. Heroes who are simply skilled at combat, heroes with mutant abilities and those who gained their powers through science. One element of the Marvel Universe that runs through everything is magic. You can find magic from the depths of the underworld dimensions like Hell, all the way to the ends of space and time. Mysticism and mystery abound in the world of the arcane and a select few know how to tap into these energies. Nearly every universe has a Sorcerer Supreme, a figure who is the authority on magic and its knowledge. Having someone who can use or even just consult on magic in your super team is a must these days.
As with most facets of the Marvel Universe, there are those who would use power for evil, as well as good. For every noble magic master there is a wily warlock ready to sully magic for their own motives. Whether someone is looking to benefit others or themselves with magic, individuals who exist in this space are often very powerful. Magic can dictate the direction of reality and influence the very nature of beings. There are those who use magic and do not understand what they possess fully, resulting in cataclysmic scenarios. Dimensions converging and battles for arcane artifacts, there's always something happening in the mystical sector of the Marvel Universe. CBR's pulling out some protection runes and journeying into mystery to bring you some of Marvel's most powerful mystic characters!
20 ALL-NEW BEAST
The last person you'd expect to be a purveyor of the mystical arts is the X-Men's Hank McCoy. Traditionally a man of science, his younger time-displaced counterpart proved to be more impressionable.After an encounter with Dr. Strange, he was exposed to a little of what the world of magic had to offer.
With Strange's help, he learned to see magic as a sort of science in and of itself. He went a little overboard with it, however, and eventually had to stop practicing the mystic arts after he accidentally summoned several dangerous demons. He still dips into his knowledge, but only in dire circ*mstances.
19 JUGGERNAUT
Though not an outward practitioner of magic or a spellcaster, Cain Marko draws power from a mystical source. Chosen by the powerful and sinister Cyttorak to be his unstoppable agent of destruction on Earth, Juggernaut carves a path of destruction wherever he goes.
Getting his powers from the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, Marko has been a pain for everyone from the X-Men to Spider-Man. Colossus has also used the mystic power of the crimson entity during his time as the unstoppable Colossus. Dr. Strange also has a spell he used that references the being, the spell being the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak.
18 MOON KNIGHT
Much in the same vein as Juggernaut, Marc Spector isn't a sorcerer of sorts, nor is he a magic projectionist. Instead, the power that keeps Marc and his alter egos from perishing is that of an ancient god, the Mysterious Khonshu. Not inherently sinister like Cyttorak, Khonshu is often on the right side of the fight, if not a little self-interested.
The moon god that protects Moon Knight has afforded him resurrection, limited control over his personalities and in one instance, allowed him to punch ghosts. What could be more mystical than punching poltergeists in the face? His mystical essence often gets Moon Knight caught up in battles against the demons of The Hand and Mephisto at times.
17 WONG
Wong is the faithful assistant to Dr. Strange and mutual protector of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Though his patience is often stretched thin by Strange's antics, he remains abreast of all the comings and goings of the magical world. His aptitude for gathering and consolidating knowledge make him a formidable hero in his own right, though he's traditionally taken a support role.
Wong is also respected by several mystical heroes, and even those who don't run in mystic circles. In times of great need, he is shown to be able to bring people together and lead them competently. If it weren't for Wong, the entirety of Las Vegas would be doomed to Mephisto's rule!
16 DAIMON HELLSTROM
Daimon Hellstrom is a denizen of the underworld who doesn't necessarily share the evil sentiments of his peers. He's got an affinity for those who dwell on Earth and has aided the likes of Hellcat and Dr. Strange on occasion. For the son of Satan, he's a pretty reasonable and reliable ally.
His power and his status in the underworld allow him to gather information from nefarious circles. This proved to be very useful when he joined the Spirits of Vengeance in preventing an unnecessary war between Heaven and Hell. Daimon even held a position on the Defenders for a brief period.
15 NICO MINORU
Nico is the resident magic user for the Runaways, bringing a unique angle to the use of the mystical arts in the Marvel Universe. The caveat with Nico's powers is that she cannot use the same command twice when casting spells, otherwise the spell won't work. This means she has to get quite creative when thinking of what she wants to cast.
To add to her already complicated relationship with magic, she also needs her staff to cast spells. The Staff of One that she requires inhabits her, and can only be called forth via a small blood tribute from Nico.
14 ENCHANTRESS
Enchantress has been a nuisance to Thor for quite some time. A powerful sorceress in her own right, she uses magic that influences those around her. She is able to control, influence or alter her targets to suit her needs and wants. She has used her manipulative magic to remain an elusive figure across the nine realms.
Enchantress has spent time on Earth making problems for other heroes, too. She once teamed up with Lady Deathstrike to plague the X-Men for a time, before returning to Asgard. She is often accompanied by Scourge for more physical protection if needed, he appears to be her faithful servant and executioner.
13 SHUMA-GORATH
It's not often that something gives Dr. Strange pause, usually it needs to be something very powerful. Shuma-Gorath is one of thosepowerful things that all sorcerers are wary of, not just Strange. This being is extremely destructive and would decimate the 616 universe if given the chance.
So powerful is the threat of this being that Thanos himself, armed with the Infinity Gauntlet, could not destroy it. Thanos could only banish Shuma-Gorath, unable to remove it entirely with the Infinity Stones. The Mighty Avengers also once had a run-in with this sinister creature and barely managed to push it back into its native realm.
12 DR. VOODOO
A powerful sorcerer and an ally to Dr. Strange, Dr. Voodoo is one of Earth's most potent magic users. Adept at all manner of mystic arts, he enjoyed a tenure as Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, taking over from his old friend Stephen Strange. He currently works alongside Man-Thing to protect the mystical properties of the planet.
He spent a large amount of time with the Avengers as part of the Avengers Unity Squad. The team was conceived to improve public relations between regular heroes and mutants. However, the team expanded into showing cooperation with Inhumans and the magic world too, hence the drafting of Dr. Voodoo into the roster.
11 SCARLET WITCH
Wanda Maximoff's powers don't stem from a mystical source, though they are mystical in practice. Wanda is a mutant and her magical properties are a result of her X-Gene. She uses Hex magic to control everything from the probability of outcomes to the very fabric of reality itself.
Wanda's power, if left unsupervised, can have devastating ramifications on the world around her. Following the loss of her children, Wanda became understandably unstable, removing most of the planet's population of mutants in her outburst. Though she has things under control these days, she is still feeling the consequences of her immense power.
10 MEPHISTO
The devious ruler of Hell, Mephisto has made a name for himself outside of his native realm by tricking, manipulating and cheating anyone he comes across. He is responsible for the Ghost Riders inhabiting Earth, and though they are often beneficial, they are bound to a thoroughly unreasonable bargain outlined by Mephisto.
Luckily, he's only at his most powerful when in his native realm, which is why he resorts to subterfuge when outside of it. He's tried multiple times to expand hell to encompass other dimensions, but has been rebuked each time. He once had designs on obtaining the Infinity Gauntlet, but failed to trick Thanos into relinquishing it.
9 IRON FIST
On first glance, Iron Fist doesn't seem to be a magical superhero at all. He simply punches things very, very hard. This could not be further from the truth, as the powers of the Iron Fist and his origin are steeped in lore and mysticism. First of all, he had to defeat a dragon for his title, a genuine magical dragon of legend!
The birthplace of the power is the fabled city of K'un-Lun, that exists just outside of reality with the other capital cities of heaven. On top of all this, he can use the Iron Fist's power to bolster his chi in tandem with his spiritual resolve, to heal wounds.
8 BLADE
Blade is a mystical hero in the sense that he is partly a supernatural being. The half-vampire hero shares an intense hatred for vampires and so, he hunts them. Hunting vampires isn't always simply, however, and it exposes blade to the supernatural layer of our reality. Though his primary target is the living dead, he's fought everything from rogue warlocks to Were-chickens. That's right, Were-chickens.
Blade has been brought into many teams over the years to consult on all things magical and mystical. He helped the Spirits of Vengeance keep peace between heaven and hell, he helped the X-Men defeat the son of Dracula and he was a Mighty Avenger for a spell.
7 MAGIK
Much like Scarlet Witch, Magik's mystical powers are partly due to her X-Gene. Magik also wields the powerful soul-sword, which she uses to defeat villains of all forms, from humans to demons. Illyana Rasputin is missing part of her soul, an unfortunate result of being made to rule a dimension full of demons.
As the queen of a dimension known as Limbo, Magik can banish people to a fate at the hands of untold horrors. She once managed to move the entire Xavier School to her domain to keep it safe from anti-mutant groups and even the Inhumans at one point.
6 HELA
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hela is the sister of both Thor and Loki and once helped subjugate the nine realms with her father Odin. She was also able to destroy Mjolnir. She seemed to play a similar part to that of Cul Borson in Fear Itself, but in the MCU.
In the Marvel Comics Universe, Hela is the daughter of Loki and the ruler of the Asgardian underworld, otherwise known as Hel. Though not entirely sinister, she has acted in her own self interest traditionally. One of her schemes involved marrying Thanos at one point, though she was ultimately rejected by the Mad Titan.
5 GHOST RIDER
There have been several Ghost Riders across the Earth's history and even beyond Earth. From an ancient Ghost Rider who rides a flaming Mammoth into battle to the Cosmic Ghost Rider, there is always a need for vengeance in the universe. The spirit of Zarathos inhabits these warriors of vengeance and makes sure flaming justice is achieved.
Nearly every rider has made a deal with Mephisto, to their disadvantage, to become an agent of vengeance. However, Robbie Reyes, the most recent Ghost Rider, did not make a deal with Mephisto for his powers. His friend Odin has warned the young Spirit of Vengeance that there is always a price, even if he doesn't know it yet.
4 DORMAMMU
The infamous arch nemesis of Dr. Strange, Dormammu would like nothing more than to consume everything in the 616 Universe. Evil to begin with, tensions came to a head with Strange when he was actually saved by the Sorcerer Supreme when his home dimension was under threat of collapse.
Instead of being thankful, he saw Strange's assistance as a humiliation and vowed to destroy everything Strange held dear. He recently tried to bargain with the Avengers during the Damnation story arc, but was tricked by the heroes. This now doubt raised his ire and desire to destroy the universe Dr. Strange protects even further.
3 DR. DOOM
Doom's aptitude for magic comes from a tragic place, his attempts to mix magic and science weren't always for his nefarious ambitions. Initially, he hoped magic and science, when combined, would allow him to contact his deceased mother. He even accompanied Dr. Strange on a quest to free his mother from the underworld at one point.
It would appear mysticism runs in his family, as the aforementioned matriarch of his line was a practitioner of magic, also. Doom has also experienced god-like power on more than one occasion, giving him a far more powerful taste of mystical abilities, using them to create entire worlds.
2 LOKI
The God of Mischief is a master of magics and the wielder of the Norn Stones. The Norn Stones afford him all sorts of illusionary magic he uses for his schemes and misdirections. Loki even masterminded a plan in tandem with his mystic mastery to steal the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, and succeeded.
For a time, Loki was the most powerful wielder of magic, until the mantle was taken from him. He has been pestering Strange ever since, attempting to retrieve the immense power. Most recently, he used his abilities to gather the Infinity Stones, a sizable upgrade from his Norn Stones!
1 DR. STRANGE
The most famous and often most powerful magic user in the Marvel Universe, Dr. Stephen Strange has been the Sorcerer Supreme for a long while. Back in his prime, he was immeasurably powerful, even Marvel themselves had to tone him down as time went on! When you can see off the likes of Dormammu and Shuma-Gorath, you aren't to be trifled with.
Strange has excelled with stupendous power at his fingertips and he's also proven himself to be a stalwart hero when magic was at an all-time low. His commitment to restoring magic to its powerful state and his tenure across several super-teams speaks to a wealth of experience and mystical aptitude.
