Explained: How Does Magic Work In The Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is chock-full of incredible achievements. Technological advancements that we could only dream of have turned men and women into heroes and villains, but technology isn't the sole instrument for generating the world's greatest heroes. Legendary characters such as Thor, Doctor Strange, and Scarlet Witch, as well as other major characters in the MCU, were all formed by magic. Unlike technology, magic, on the other hand, is only a concept in our heads. While we do not doubt that a real-life Iron Man armor could be created given enough time and money, very few people believe it is conceivable to obtain superhuman abilities.
The most significant thing to take up from the MCU's description of magic is that it is variable. There is no concrete mechanism, and it appears that numerous explanations for magic can be valid at the same time. Black Panther, for example, makes use of the Astral Plane, which is fundamentally magical but not fully explained. When Thanos wakes himself in an ethereal realm with a child Gamora at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, a comparable plane of existence is glimpsed, although it is unclear if these two realms are connected. Even though they are both canon and operate similarly, these two magical realms of existence are most likely fundamentally different. Simply said, magic is not limited to a single kind of existence. It can take several forms, and those forms can coexist without being dependent on one another.
Thor, released in 2011, was the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to include magic. While the film does not go into precise detail regarding how Thor's abilities operate, he does mention at one moment that what we call magic & science on Earth seem to be the same thing where he comes from. There isn't much of a distinction between the 2 to him. This enables us to comprehend how folks who use magic on a regular basis view it. So, for Thor, comprehending how his brother can express himself in many forms is similar to comprehending a scientist's capacity to make two substances spontaneously explode when they come into contact.
With the introduction of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the MCU presents us to another mystical entity. After being subjected to the Mind Stone in HYDRA research, these two obtain superhuman powers. The Mind Stone is the origin of magical energy since their talents are linked to an object of mystical power. While they do not need to use the Mind Stone as a source of energy to use their skills, it is evidence that magic qualities may be imparted to persons who were previously incapableMagic would be both something that may be imparted to users and something that can be wielded by those with natural magical powers, such as Thor, according to the MCU's canon. While it is true that Thor had to study and grasp how magic works, it is also clear that he was born with magic, much as we can believe in science but are still born with the natural existence of science inside us via organisms and chemicals bonding.
Without a question, the movie Doctor Strange provides the most in-depth justification for the prevalence of magic in the MCU. The Ancient One reveals to Dr. Stephen Strange how they control and use magic in one moment in the movie. "We harness energy drawn from other dimensions of the multiverse to cast spells, conjure shields and weapons...to manufacture magic," she explains how they make spells. The Ancient One compares spells to programs, describing them as "the source code that shapes reality."
In this way, it is clarified that magic is not limited to those with intrinsic magical abilities, but may be used by anyone with enough dedication and effort in the arts. This is comparable to the premise presented for Wanda's capacity to wield magic, albeit in her case, the power was delivered through exploration rather than learning. Stephen Strange had to learn and perform a variety of spells and rituals to become as proficient with sorcery as he is represented in subsequent films. It's the same idea as someone going to college for a degree in Biology. The more one's understanding of a subject, the greater one's capacity to apply and utilize that subject. Perhaps where the resemblance ends is when Doctor Strange uses the Time Stone. This link between the capacity to research magic and an Infinity Stone's intrinsic magical characteristics demonstrates how two separate properties may be combined to improve magical powers.
When you consider things like Star Lord's celestial being of a father Ego, the creation of the Infinity Stones in the first place, or even the whole notion of the Multiverse, as depicted in recent MCU works like Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home, things grow even more complicated. Whatever the origin, the overarching lesson is that magic exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the very same way that science does in ours. It's just something that exists, and it's controlled and used in a variety of ways by different entities. Whether it's through Thor's lightning forces or Wanda's telekinesis, magic in the MCU is merely a fundamental aspect of the world, which is maybe underwhelming. Humanity has always had a yearning to explore what we perceive to be impossible, and as we progress, those impossibilities become possibilities. Medicine, space travel, and even items we take for granted on a daily basis, such as cell phones, were once simply concepts in our heads. Perhaps magic is similar to Stephen Strange in that we only need enough time and effort to uncover its magical characteristics for ourselves.