Warning: Contains spoilers for Scarlet Witch #6!!
Magic users are some of the most powerful heroes and enemies in the Marvel Universe – but even the strongest wizards and witches, like Doctor Strange and the Scarlet WitchThey are destined to fight a surprisingly effective anti-magic enemy: the Eliminators. Although they were originally introduced to combat the Fantastic Four,Eliminators have the potential to become the “Sentinels” of the magical world.
In Scarlet Witch #6 – written by Steve Orlando, with art by Lorenzo Tammetta, Frank William – Agatha Harkness sends a new apprentice, Amaranth, to the Scarlet Witch, and the two are promptly attacked by a being that calls itself the Eliminator. It is incredibly resistant to Wanda’s magical attacks and quickly recovers from her spells, leaving her struggling to defeat it.
Although Amaranth mysteriously neutralizes the Eliminator’s ability to self-destruct, the Eliminator’s surprising success against Scarlet Witch reveals its potential against magic users. In greater numbers, an Eliminator army could theoretically be able to neutralize Doctor Strange, Wanda Maximoff, and other high-level Marvel magic wielders.
Eliminators are resistant to Marvel’s strongest magic users
Scarlet Witch #6 – Written by Steve Orlando; Art by Lorenzo Tammetta; Color by Frank William; Ariahna Maher Lyrics
With Doctor Doom as the acting Sorcerer Supreme, magic is currently in a state of relative upheaval in the Marvel Universe. Doctor Strange is certainly not at his best, and there is always a wide range of approaches and talents among the various wizards, witches and others. It may seem impossible to achieve them all, much less overcome them, but Eliminators seem to have the adaptability to make it possible. Just like the Sentinels who target the X-Men and other mutants, the Eliminators change their approach depending on the type of magical attack. and recover quickly from any blow received.
As a full army, the Eliminators would quickly become overwhelming.
This specific Eliminator was built to target Wanda Maximoff and Amaranth, specifically. Wider in scope and in greater numbers, they could pose a substantial threat – all it would take was someone with the motivation to destroy magic users and the ability to create mass Eliminators. Wanda’s Eliminator is tempered and equipped with a variety of attacks in addition to its self-elimination setting. Her so-called “Necrogaze” and Oil of Glawakus are effective against Scarlet Witch, and given her immense magical talent, this would apply to most other magic users as well. As a full army, the Eliminators would quickly become overwhelming.
The Original Eliminator Almost Taken Down the Fantastic Four – Imagine What an Army Could Do
First appearance of the Eliminator: Fantastic Four #184 – Written by Len Wein; Art by George Pérez
Agatha Harkness has currently adapted the Eliminator concept for her own purposes, but the original version targeted her. Marvel’s first Eliminator was introduced in Fantastic Four #184, created by Nicholas Scratch to erase any trace of Agatha, including anyone who knew her. At the time, Agatha acted as Franklin Richards’ nanny, making the Fantastic Four one of the Eliminator’s main targets. Scratch’s Eliminator wasn’t as advanced as the one Agatha hired to attack Wanda and Amaranth. Scarlet Witch #6, and proved unable to fool the Fantastic Fouralthough his attacks were still powerful.
Harkness clearly never forgot the Eliminator and traveled to the planet Amanna to commission his own. This gives more credibility to the idea of creating an army, as there are “magitek” engineers in the Marvel Universe fully capable of building them. With the right changes and features, Eliminators could be built to withstand an even broader catalog of magical attacks. Even the original design was suited to physical fights against the Fantastic Four, giving the Eliminators the versatility and range of an effective army. It’s just a matter of combining ideas and technology simultaneously, rather than operating on an individual scale.
Eliminators offer an answer to out-of-control magic in the Marvel universe
A controversial but effective option
The Marvel Universe has been ravaged by magic on several occasions, and sometimes the entire universe is vulnerable to its damage and alterations. Magic is not only difficult or impossible to resist for even the strongest heroes, but it also evokes such a wide range of results that it is difficult to predict what it is capable of. Doctor Strange losing the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme to Victor von Doom is just one of many examples of how quickly magic can turn dark and how vulnerable it leaves the rest of the world; an army of Eliminators could be foolproof.
The world doesn’t need a squad of anti-magic Sentinels targeting innocent magic-users, but Eliminators can be useful in quelling the most out-of-control magical threats. They have the ability to be incredibly effective and have revealed what they can accomplish even in brief battles. There’s plenty of room for improvement, but they can become a formidable force for good or a devastating army in the wrong hands. Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witchand those like them would be at the mercy of the spell-resistant Eliminators, and a full army could exterminate even Marvel’s top magic users.
Scarlet Witch #6 is now available from Marvel Comics.