'Avengers: Infinity War': Is Scarlet Witch the Strongest Avenger?

If there is one thing that is certain about Avengers: Infinity War, it's that the latest Marvel [...]

By Nicole Drum

If there is one thing that is certain about Avengers: Infinity War, it's that the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film has sparked a lot of debate among fans. Is Thanos really a villain? Is Star-Lord a jerk? Will Avengers 4 undo much of Infinity War? It's questions like these that have sparked discourse in a way that other Marvel Studios films simply hasn't.

One of the more surprising questions to come out of Infinity War, though, has been about how the "strongest" Avenger is and it's a question that for some is easily answered: Scarlet Witch. One fan even took to Twitter to declare her the strongest of the heroes -- a stand that sparked some sharp disagreement as it implied their favorites weren't the strongest.

Fans sticking up for their favorites aside, there's something to be said for asking the question of which Avenger is strongest and, when you really boil it down? Scarlet Witch probably is the strongest among them.

Now, before you rage quit reading this article and decide to comment about Thor's muscles or Tony's armored suit, let clarify what I mean by strength. The idea of being strong isn't quite as direct as just physical prowess or technological assistance. Strength can be an emotional, internal thing. Strength can come from a level of grit and determination a person has, particularly in the face of challenge and deeply painful personal loss. When one considers that form of strength Scarlet Witch -- who isn't particularly physically imposing -- is a giant.

Let's look at that tweet. She held back Thanos with one hand, destroyed an Infinity Stone with the other, all while knowing that her action was killing the "man" she loved. That's intense, but also consider that Wanda? She's already emotionally damaged. HYDRA experimented on her and her twin brother Pietro. That likely wasn't a fun or loving experience. Then, her brother died, taking away from her the only person in the world who truly understood her -- at least until Vision. Now, that one person who is her support system? He has to die and die at her hand as she is the only person who can destroy the Mind Stone and keep it out of Thanos' hands.

And she literally has to hold Thanos back. Wanda is the only Avenger in Infinity War shown to have the ability to truly resist the Mad Titan. Sure, you can argue that Captain America did, too, but he needed two hands to Thanos' one and still wasn't particularly successful. And he's a super soldier. Even the Hulk got tossed around by Thanos. Wanda held her ground and was successful. She destroyed the stone. Thanos was even impressed with her, though he simply used the Time Stone to reverse her actions and take the Mind Stone for himself.

That's impressive strength and it all came from inside of her. Iron Man needed armor to lightly wound Thanos on Titan. Thor needed a mystical weapon -- Stormbreaker -- to seriously wound Thanos -- he wasn't able to do anything against the Mad Titan without it. And even with Stormbreaker, he wasn't really able to hold Thanos off. Thor struck rashly and wrong, getting the Titan in the chest, a wound that allowed him to still snap his fingers. Wanda was still, even if only momentarily, more successful.

Now, none of this is to cheapen the prowess of any other hero. Thor? He's super physically strong! He's becoming an incredible leader. Iron Man? That Bleeding Edge suit is amazing. Hulk? I wouldn't want to fight him. They are all massively powerful heroes in their own right. But when it comes down to it, they weren't able to put their emotions in place and take on Thanos. Hulk refused to come out to play. Iron Man was nearly killed by Thanos himself. We've talked about Thor. Wanda, though, she actually did, for a moment, defeat Thanos. For a moment, one moment, the good guys won. Even Thanos respected that.

He just happened to have the right tricks up his sleeve to change the outcome.

Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters now.

What do you think about Scarlet Witch being the strongest Avenger? Let us know in comments.

Trending Now: