Scarlet Witch is a character that perplexes many Marvel fans. Is she a mutant or a sorcerer? Is she the daughter of Magneto or not? What exactly is her power set? The one answer that is known for sure is that she has the power to destroy gods. Or in the case of Thor, deliver them an embarrassing defeat.

Wanda Maximoff began with humble roots as one of Magneto's henchmen back in X-Men #4 (1964), alongside her brother Pietro, also known as Quicksilver. In the beginning, she had the mutant "hex" power to negatively affect probability, making things break or fail at crucial moments. The Scarlet Witch's powers have waxed and waned over the years, but when she gains the ability to tap into chaos magic, things get a little weird.

In an attempt to show the world that humans and mutants can coexist peacefully -- after years of drama, including Scarlet Witch's notorious erasure of mutants -- Captain America formed the Avengers Unity Squad, consisting of several mutants and meta-humans working together for the common good in the pages of Uncanny Avengers. Unfortunately, not everyone is interested in peaceful cohabitation. Hate connoisseur, the Red Skull, powered by the stolen brain of Charles Xavier, engineers a campaign designed to drive a wedge between homo sapien and homo superior. During Red Skull's telepathically motivated race riots, he manipulates Thor into attacking Scarlet Witch. Wanda is less than intimidated, magically turning Thor's lightning into pretty pink butterflies. But Thor is nothing if not persistent.


He continues his barrage against Wanda until her energy is all but drained. She is forced once again to return to the well that has too often undone her mind, resulting in the collateral damage of countless loved ones. For a brief instant, the Scarlet Witch taps into chaos magic to launch the God of Thunder into space, removing him from the fray. Luckily, Wanda has learned from her past mistakes and has studied the source of her power, enabling her to control the energies within her, refusing to allow the chaos magic to overcome her.

Magic has always been a nebulous concept in comics, the scale and scope of which seem to be at the whim of the writer. It is a power that can be used for good or evil, and seldom comes without a cost. Even the Sorcerers Supreme have never had complete control over the forces they channel. But when it comes to the Scarlet Witch, the pendulum has swung vastly from villain to hero, Avenger to X-Man, human to mutant, sister, daughter, wife, mother, and widow. She has been a helpless follower and a powerful leader. She's been insanely impetuous, drunk with power, soberly sensible, and vitally composed when the situation demands.

Magic, mutant powers, family, and friends aside, the Scarlet Witch has the most powerful of all resources at her disposal: the vagueness of Deus Ex Machina.