Warning: This article contains spoilers for What If...? episode 9.

In Marvel's What If...?, Ultron easily defeats Zombie Scarlet Witch, and there's a reason one of the most powerful Marvel Cinematic Universe characters loses. The What If...? finale showcased a showdown against Ultron (Ross Marquand). In the episode, the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) gathers superheroes shown throughout the What If...? series, carefully selecting each for their unique set of skills. The new team, dubbed the Guardians of the Multiverse, consists of Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Gamora (Cynthia McWilliams), T'Challa's Star-Lord (Chadwick Boseman), Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), Party Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and evil Doctor Strange/Strange Supreme (Benedict Cumberbatch). Together, the group takes on Ultron and attempts to save Marvel's Multiverse.

Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) is one of the most powerful characters in the MCU. In Avengers: Endgame, she nearly defeated Thanos (Josh Brolin) by herself. The character repeatedly pelts him with energy blasts before lifting him in the air and ripping off his armor. She was mere moments from tearing him apart. Thanos only escaped by ordering an airstrike that killed many of his troops. In WandaVision, Scarlet Witch takes things to the next level. She fully embraces her Chaos Magic in the series and studies from the Darkhold, Marvel's most dangerous magical book.

Related: Is Captain Carter Worthy Of Wielding Mjolnir?

Despite Scarlet Witch's immense power, there's a reason Ultron defeats Zombie Scarlet Witch in What If...?. In the What If...? finale, Strange Supreme opens a portal and covers Ultron with the zombies from What If...? episode 5. Zombie Scarlet Witch is among the undead, and she swiftly sends a beam of energy at Ultron. However, he shakes it off, and it's clear that the undead Scarlet Witch has enough lucidity to realize she's in trouble. Ultron ultimately destroys the planet they're on, quickly defeating the zombie version of Scarlet Witch. While it's odd that live-action Scarlet Witch could take on Thanos, but Ultron easily defeats Zombie Scarlet Witch, previous Marvel moments explain things.

Marvel What if zombies Scarlet Witch multiverse break

First and foremost, Ultron is much more powerful than Thanos. What If...? episode 8 makes that clear. In the episode, Ultron slices Thanos in half without a second thought, and that's before the evil AI even gets all the Infinity Stones. After taking the Infinity Stones, Ultron fights the Watcher across time and space. He even takes a bite of a galaxy. Unlike Thanos, Ultron is a Multiversal threat. Zombie Scarlet Witch isn't a pushover, and Ultron needs to destroy an entire planet to defeat her. But the villain may very well be the most powerful character the MCU has ever seen.

Additionally, Zombie Scarlet Witch isn't nearly as powerful as Regular Scarlet Witch. While a healthy Scarlet Witch has control of Chaos Magic and almost defeats Thanos, that's not the case with the zombie version. Marvel's What If...? episode 5 shows various Marvel heroes becoming zombies and retaining their powers, but the new undead heroes are noticeably weaker. For instance, Zombie Captain America (Josh Keaton) loses quickly to Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and Zombie Hawkeye misses an easy arrow shot at Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp). So with that in mind, Zombie Scarlet Witch's loss makes sense. She's just not as strong as the living version. Ultron, who's capable of eating galaxies and slicing Thanos into two perfectly balanced halves, has a clear advantage.

More: Marvel Finally Fixed What If...?'s Problems, But Was It Too Late?

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