She needs to be more physically formidable

I'm so sick of seeing Wanda get knocked out, stabbed, and physically overcome so easily all the time. It doesn't make sense to me that someone like Thor is still able to have mystic and god-like abilities WITH combat skills while Wanda is getting knocked out by Hope Summers. Wanda lived in the wilderness with Pietro, she was trained by Magneto on Asteroid M, she was trained by Captain America when she joined the Avengers, and, once in a while, a couple writers recognize that and she gets a punch or kick in. I still want to see Wanda show more combat and survival skills.

ALSO, the writers are always reminding us "Oooh the powers wear her out" or "Oh no, she can't use her powers, they're too unpredictable"...so then wouldn't she need to beat people up the old fashioned way a lot then?

Keep in mind, her powers put her in fights outside her weight class: When you start trading blows with people like Thor, you are not in the weight class where if your powers fail, you can maybe get by with a few fancy kicks, unless your power IS to be really good at fancy kicks. Like Iron Fist.

And how does it not make sense to you that a woman whose powers aren't remotely physically based can be knocked out by a girl whose been trained to survive her whole life by Cable, Mr. "I lug five hundred pound shoulderpads through a warzone for FUN" himself? There's a bit of difference between, "Oh, Captain America showed me the ropes when I joined his team." and, "I GREW UP LEARNING HOW TO RUN, FIGHT, SHOOT, AND BE A BADA** FROM FUTURE CYBER-RAMBO."

For that matter, how does it not make sense to you that a GOD of Thunder (which precludes control over the weather) whose lifestyle is composed pretty much solely of fighting, training to fight, drinking, partying, and fighting some more, who has BEEN living like this for MILLENIA, how does it not make sense that this guy can have mystical god powers AND combat skills after all that time?

Eh to me this is like saying Dr Fate or Dr Strange needs to learn kung fu.

Dr. Strange knows kung fu.

Indeed.

@laserlambert said:

@jonsmith said:

@teerack said:

Eh to me this is like saying Dr Fate or Dr Strange needs to learn kung fu.

Dr. Strange knows kung fu.

Indeed.

Well that's neat... but my main point was really she's a caster and I don't really care to see her kung fu fighting really.

I'd be O.K. with seeing some more physical abilities used, but most of the time it wouldn't be that necessary, if she's on a team with more physical based characters.

Everyone has their role in a team, but it can't hurt to pick up some other skills just in case.

I agree! When Mutant Zero was being rolled out in Avengers Initiative, and they were teasing that she might be Wanda or Jean, I liked the idea that Wanda might have used her probability powers to aid her in physical combat (wasn't actually fond of her being Mutant Zero though) and I'd still like a writer to be proactive with her character like that. Or we need is a minor subplot in any book she appears in where she decides to start using her powers in more creative ways to offset her traditional classic weaknesses and give her a modern competitive edge with her abilities. Martial arts really is just self defense and characters should logically/organically use their powers in ways that they would figure out with some practice and creativity (as opposed to being a power helping an given plot)

Could lead to great scenes with Thor, Cap or She Hulk where they help her tap into her more physical side. Either that or just having her practicing unaided combat skills more as well. Can have same scenes with Widow.

True, true. I just think she shouldn't go down with one punch, she's an Avenger. She's supposed to be of an elite of superheroes with a particular capacity to kick ass and she's been doing it for years. Since she was a teenager. It seems like lately, anytime anyone punches her she immediately submits.

But people keep saying simply because she's a mage she shouldn't need to do both and I disagree because she hardly gets to use even her power these days. Since House of M, somewhat like when we first introduced to her in the 60's, it's always emphasized that she shouldn't use her powers sparingly because they're so unpredictable.

If I had reality altering powers, I'd use them to make neat hex bolts & the like but I also might alter the density of my muscles or have my punches pack some transferable psionic power upon impact. Let's get creative.

Oh my god, that was such a cruel mislead. I got accustomed to the idea of Mutant Zero being Typhoid Mary (whom I love) then they just really...lost that whole aspect of her evolution as a character and now she's back to henchwoman status.

But yes, I agree. So many mutants have had their powers neutralized, I imagine someone who was a mutant in a high-risk line of work would make sure to be prepared for that. She can't afford to be physically helpless, she's on the field.

This.

I love Wanda and it'd be cool for her to use her powers more creatively and maybe develop some combat skills

@sc & @batmannflash

Wanda's powers were definitely used more creatively in Ultimate. Arguably the only improvement of Wanda under the Ultimate titles if you ask me. A sense of probability would actually make you a better fighter because you could alter your chances even with disadvantages.

And some have seen her as more versatile every once in a while...

Marvel rates her a 3 when I think she should be a 4 which would put her on point with Hope Summers and most of the Avengers.