Comic books have had a lot of magical powerhouses throughout the decades, but the most interesting has always been those who use their wits alongside their spells to win encounters. It's easy to be the host of an ancient god like Doctor Fate or born with a shard of chaos in you like Scarlet Witch. Controlling that power, however, is a whole other story.

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Oftentimes, the most dangerous magicians are often those with ambitiously clever plans and the know-how of their craft to follow through on them. It's having that intelligence and being wise enough to use it the best possible way that makes these magic users the smartest in all of comics.

Doctor Occult

Doctor Occult Talking To Raven

Doctor Occult is the other everyman trenchcoat-wearing magician of the DC Universe. While not as wily as the eternal scumbag John Constantine, Doctor Occult is a private eye who has a deep knowledge of magic and the supernatural within the DC Universe and has proven to know just as much, if not more occult lore than other magicians.

While Doctor Occult hasn't had much opportunity to show off his wits, he did have a major role in Neil Gaiman's Books of Magic.  There, along with Mister E, The Stranger, and John Constantine, they form what Constantine calls "the Trenchcoat Brigade" to teach young Tim Hunter how to use magic. His deep knowledge is showcased in full during this run, and his private eye skills are successful enough that he finds steady work.

Morgan Le Fay

Morgan le Fay uses her powers, shooting lightning out from all sides of her

Morgan Le Fay is one of the oldest magic casters in the Marvel Universe and shown to be one of the most successful at fulfilling her plans time and time again. She's incredibly manipulative and often employs underhanded schemes to win against overwhelming odds. For the most part, though, Morgan Le Fay knows how effective a show of force can be.

Her centuries of experience have given her an edge in planning over a lot of the other magic users in the Marvel Universe. Having one of the greatest wizards to have ever lived, Merlin, as her mentor has also given her knowledge that even other high-tier sorcerers are unaware of.  However, she does have a bad habit of being overly arrogant, and unlike Doom, she's not nearly as good at bouncing back from her failures.

Zatanna

Zatanna using her powers in the comics.

Alongside Doctor Occult, Zatanna is one of the few other trustworthy magical users in the DC Universe. She's considered one of the most powerful magicians in the DC Universe, but an often underrated aspect of her character is her ingenuity. For example, she is one of the best escape artists in the entire DC Universe, magical or not, giving even Mister Miracle a run for his money.

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Her powers are vast, and as long as she can say the words, she can conjure a magical solution to almost any problem. Though her power levels from writer to writer vary, a consistent factor has always been the creative use of her magical powers. She won't be the type to just cast magical bolts and call it a day. Add to that a similar in-depth knowledge of the occult that Doctor Occult has, and Zatanna is a force to be reckoned with.

The Wizard Shazam

The Wizard Shazam Awaiting Billy Batson

The Wizard is an incredibly old magician, who has stood guard over all of humanity for millennia.  The Wizard's great knowledge is further supplemented by the blessing of Solomon. With the blessing of Solomon, The Wizard possesses unparalleled clarity of mind, a perfect memory, and an intuitive grasp of incredibly complex concepts such as mathematics and science.

Of course, even without the blessing of Solomon, The Wizard is already deeply intelligent. His choosing of Billy Batson as a champion was a calculated move that so far, has proven to be a great decision on his part. A lot of magic users tend to be arrogant, but The Wizard is smart enough to know that his time is nearing its end, and picking a genuinely good-hearted successor is the key to Earth's safety.

Loki

Modern Loki Playing WIth Mjolnir

The ever-quotable god of mischief Loki has proven time and time again why he deserves the title. Being a bit of a wimp when surrounded by space Viking Asgardians, Loki has had to rely on his smarts to get ahead of the game. Many times his plans have come close to destroying Thor or the Avengers, but unfortunately, his arrogance is often his downfall. That's a trait common to most sorcerers, for some reason.

However, in the rare times that Loki is laser-focused on a scheme, very few can even hope to outplay him. His reputation has people doubting every single move they make. Though his arrogance does get him to lose, it's important to note that his plans are so well-thought that Loki still manages to trick The Avengers time and time again. When it comes to sheer wit, Loki sits comfortably near the top of that mountain, waiting to stab whoever's dumb enough to stand at the peak.

Circe

Circe is one of Wonder Woman's oldest foes and remains one of the most powerful magicians in the DC universe. While most of Wonder Woman's enemies tend to be brutes who would prefer to defeat Wonder Woman by beating her up, Circe takes things about a dozen steps further. Circe creates complex plans to humiliate Wonder Woman and flaunt her magical superiority over her, then the plan ends with Wonder Woman getting beat up.

Circe's longevity and knowledge make her a dangerous foe even to the likes of Superman. She's managed to hurt Wonder Woman in ways that none of her rivals have, often exploiting her hot-headed nature to her advantage. Although she does have the typical arrogance common in sorcerers, she's far more successful in her plans canonically than other mischievous magicians tend to be.

Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme, and the title is well-deserved. Although many other magicians are on the same tier that he is, his combination of his vast magical power and his intellect is what keeps him with his title of Supreme. His intellect manifests itself through a combination of ingenuity and deep occult knowledge. Doctor Strange, unlike a lot of other magic users, is incredibly creative with the applications of his powers.

The real reason for Doctor Strange's success has always been his fearlessness. Usually, such risky gimmicks are the result of a short-sighted plan, but Doctor Strange is unique in the Marvel Universe because he's willing to do whatever it takes to see a plan through. These plans are not desperate gambits though, but carefully crafted schemes that Strange uses to dangerous effect.

Adam Warlock

Guardians Of The Galaxy Game: Is Adam Warlock Friend Or Foe?

Created to be the "perfect human being", Adam Warlock is space wizard Jesus. Adam Warlock is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, and with that vast power also comes a vast intellect. He's so powerful in fact, that he is the antithesis of Thanos himself. When your rival is the Mad Titan himself, it requires a lot more than raw power to deal with that cosmic mess.

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Adam Warlock's main flaw is that despite his vast power and intelligence, he is often too focused on the big picture to notice the snakes that eventually strike him down. Despite all of his senses, he has a dark side to him that remains permanent proof of his fallibility. Some fans might not even have known that Adam Warlock's considered a genius by Thanos himself, and that guy doesn't hand out compliments too often.

Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom about to use his powers in the comics

Doctor Doom is one of the smartest characters in the Marvel Universe, period. Not just among magicians, but among the entirety of the Marvel roster, clashing minds with the likes of Reed Richards, Hank Pym, and Tony Stark.  Doctor Doom combines the best technology and a deep understanding of magic to great effect in his schemes. There are several universes where he ends up ruling the entire world through sheer force will, and intellect.

Although Doctor Doom's magical ability isn't as potent as the likes of, say, Scarlet Witch or Doctor Strange, it's how he uses this alongside the other qualities that make him so dangerous. Doom has set himself to become a "Master of All", being able to counter all kinds of heroes by himself. Iron Man? He'll use magic. Doctor Strange? He'll use tech and have several things prepared against him. The only downfall Doom would have is his arrogance, but even then, only equally intelligent characters such as Reed Richards have beaten his biggest plans.

John Constantine

Constantine with Angel Wings

John Constantine is not the strongest magician. He's honestly quite mediocre and is not much of a threat at first glance. He does not have the raw magic power that the likes of Zatanna have. He can barely get out of bed in the morning, let alone run a country like Doctor Doom. He's not even on the same level of magical skill that Doctor Strange is.  Instead, he is a magnificent bastard who makes full use of everything he has at his disposal to not only trick his opponent but make sure he's not around to get killed when they realize they have been duped.

When your portfolio of people tricked include the likes of Gabriel the angel, Lucifer, Death, and God himself,  it wouldn't matter if Constantine's only magic was pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Through a series of convoluted events he planned the moment he met his foe, it would probably be revealed there was an eldritch being that had been slumbering inside the rabbit this whole time, and that any move made against Constantine would unleash it upon the world. Or maybe it's not and he's just bluffing to avoid taking care of a rabbit.

NEXT: Dr. Strange Vs John Constantine, Who Would Win?