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Magic in fiction is typically represented as a force that is very versatile and potentially very powerful, but one that has to be mastered. It is usually presented as a skill like any other, and as such, there is a complex mixture of natural aptitude and practice required to be able to harness it.
Many TV shows have magical characters who are capable of near-omnipotence feats, able to bring great forces to bear with only their mind. Others, often played for comedy, lack anything like as much power. Whether they are poorly trained, unlucky, or simply not suited for magic, their attempts to harness the force at best do little, and at worst, go wrong.
10 Strongest: Yennefer Of Vengerberg Is The Strongest Sorceress In Her World (The Witcher)
Sorcerers in The Witcher are presented as a selective, elitist group who jealously guard the powers of magic, and allow only the most competent to progress, with a grim fate befalling all of those seen as not powerful enough. As such, every sorcerer in The Witcher is powerful and versatile, and single-handedly capable of influencing the world.
Yennefer of Vengerberg, one of the three focal characters of the series, is another cut above the rest. After initially struggling with her training due to her mental state, Yennefer proves herself to be the strongest of Tissaia de Vries’ students, and over the course of the series carries out feats such as controlling an entire town, and destroying Nilfgaard’s massive army herself.
9 Weakest: Jojen Reed Pales In Comparison To Most Magic Users (Game of thrones)
After Game of Thrones’ second season, Bran Stark’s storyline sees him investigating the magical lands North of the Wall, learning more about the White Walkers, the Children of the Forest, and wargs. One of his guides through this journey is Jojen Reed, a Northern nobleman who possesses limited greensight—visions of the future.
Although his magic is linked to the magic that allows for warging and other magical abilities present in the North, Jojen is limited to prophetic dreams. Within episodes, he is vastly outclassed by Bran, who shows himself to be a powerful warg, and a much more potent Greenseer.
8 Strongest: Michael Langdon Becomes The Warlock Supreme (American Horror Story)
Given its multiple continuities, magic is often inconsistent in American Horror Story, but its most consistent format has been in American Horror Story: Coven, and its related crossover series, Apocalypse. In this continuity, magical abilities present themselves in some people, but they tend to display only one with the ability to use multiple powers, a sign of ‘The Supreme,’ the strongest witch alive.
Following Coven, the unquestioned Supreme seems to be Cordelia Goode. In Apocalypse, however, Michael Langdon proves himself to be able to perform feats that surpass even this, up to and including bringing the dead back from the Afterlife. Being the Antichrist, his magic is on a different level.
7 Weakest: Dreama Shows The Consequences Of Neglecting Magic (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)
A recurring plotline in Sabrina the Teenage Witch sees Sabrina acting as a mentor to other witches, attempting to help them master their powers and overcome any difficulties they have in using them. The competence of these students varies, but the weakest is Dreama.
Having been raised in the Other Realm, Dreama’s use of magic is instinctive, but she has neglected to learn how to actively harness her powers, or how to actively guide what they do. As a result, her instinctive magic is weak, and when she attempts to use magic, it often goes wrong.
6 Strongest: Merlin Lives Up To The Legend (Merlin)
The BBC’s Merlin is a retelling of the story of one of the most famous wizards of all time, shifting the story of King Arthur to focus more on the titular wizard. In the show’s first episode, Merlin is introduced as extraordinary by being able to use magic instinctively without ritual or incantation, a unique feat.
With instruction, he becomes even more powerful throughout the show, until in the final episode, destroying an entire army is almost easy for him. His immense magical power is aided by his determination and creativity, allowing him to push the boundaries of magic in a way few can.
5 Weakest: Xander Harris Has Hints Of Potential, But Only Hints (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Magic becomes an increasingly prevalent force in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, after initial seasons focusing primarily on the Slayer and demons. Several characters across both Buffy and spin-off Angel prove themselves to be magically competent, including Giles, Tara, Wesley, and Willow.
A character on the periphery of magic is Xander Harris. He assists with several spells in the show, including powerful rituals, but never takes the forefront. He displays some magical potential when he uses an incantation to accidentally light a book on fire, but the general disdain given to him when he tries suggests that he would not make a good magic user in any sense, so he sticks to his other skills.
4 Strongest: Wanda Maximoff Warps Reality Around Her (WandaVision)
Although first introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, it is in her own show, WandaVision, that Wanda Maximoff’s powers are finally explained as magical, and the true scale of just how powerful she is begins to be explored.
Having been born with Chaos Magic, which was then enhanced by the Mind Stone, Wanda is capable of far more than the telekinesis and brainwashing she has displayed in the films. Beginning the series by changing the reality of an entire town to resemble the sitcoms of her childhood with a single thought, Wanda proves to be one of the most powerful mages in the setting at the very beginning of her journey.
3 Weakest: Mannitol Is Even Branded The ‘Worst Wizard’ (The Legend of Dick and Dom)
The CBBC show The Legend of Dick and Dom is a vehicle for BBC children’s presenting duo Dick ‘n’ Dom, following them on a magical quest as they attempt to cure a curse ravaging their nation. One of those aiding them is a wizard named Mannitol, whose magic is considered terrifying only because he cannot control it at all.
So notoriously poor is Mannitol’s magic that, in an episode where he has to go undercover in a school of magic, he is revealed to be the ‘Worst Wizard’ of prophecy, a magician so terrifyingly inept that the staff dare not stand against him for fear of what he might fail to do.
2 Strongest: Dark Willow Is Fully Capable Of Ending The World (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
After teasing the Trio as the main villains, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Season 6 has Willow turn out to be the season’s final threat. Her grief over losing Tara, coupled with the dark magic she absorbs, sees her become convinced that the entire world should die, and fully able to carry that threat out.
Capable of physically overpowering Buffy, flaying someone alive with a thought, and of beginning a ritual to destroy the world, Willow is among the most powerful threats in the entire Buffyverse. Almost uniquely, no one is able to stop her physically, and no one is able to stand up to her in a fight. Instead, Xander has to appeal to her better nature, and help her process her grief.
1 Weakest: Max Russo Sticks Out In His Powerful Family (The Wizards of Waverly Place)
The Wizards of Waverly Place follows the Russo family, whose father is a former wizard who gave up his powers, and all three children—Alex, Justin, and Max—are wizards-in-training. By the rules of the show’s universe, only one family member should be allowed to retain their powers into adulthood, with the others losing their abilities.
A major plotline of the show is the competition between Alex and Justin, with Alex being naturally intensely-gifted but a chronic slacker, and Justin being more milquetoast with his abilities, but putting in the effort to improve. Max is never in the running for ‘Family Wizard,’ being a weak spellcaster who struggles with even the simplest of spells. At one point, his lack of proficiency with magic is even used in a court of law to argue for why Alex and Justin should get to retain their powers.
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