Can anyone in the Marvel Universe learn magic?

[XPac]

I think magic is like a talent. Anyone in theory can learn to do it, but some people just have a knack for it.

Just like in real life, there are some people who are just better cooks than other people. You can give you people the exact same cook book or cooking teacher, but one in theory can just pick up that skill a bit better than someone else. Some people are just better writers, some people are better at math, and in marvel some people just happen to be good at using magic even if in THEORY anyone can learn it. Along with of course hard the hard work and discipline that goins into it if you really want to be good at it.

[LordAllMIghty]

If I remember correctly it stated in the Handbooks that any human can learn magic.

Edit. Found this from OHOTMU

Strictly speaking, magic users does not have superhuman powers. Only the ability to manipulate mystical energy lies within an Earth-born sorcerer, not the energy itself. Theoretically, any Earth being can tap into an infinite amount of mystical energy. However, each person is limited by his or her own amount of training, discipline, knowledge and enlightenment as to the mystical arts.

So if you find yourself in the Marvel Universe with no powers...go learn magic.

[Desmark]

Why aren't stage magicians learning real magic then? For that matter why doesn't Mysterio?

[Iron Maiden]

The thing about it is that in Marvel, just as in the RW, magic always has this air of danger and that you may summon up dark forces that can deceive and corrupt. Doctor Strange benefited from having a powerful teacher. Doom took a riskier route and was teaching himself using the materials left behind by his mother. She is an example of the dangers since she was seduced and destroyed by a force stronger than herself. Even in the Star Wars mythology, it is said that Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force. I don't know anything about Hank McCoy teaching himself but IMO that was tempting fate and quite foolish. Doom was born into that world, McCoy was not and is probably more ignorant of the dangers. After surviving a number of attempts to rescue his mother's soul, he began to time travel in order to learn the lost knowledge of past masters like Cagliostro and Morgan Le Fey. So even someone like Doom who has more knowledge than McCoy knew the dangers of that path.

[Hybrid]

If I remember correctly it stated in the Handbooks that any human can learn magic.

Edit. Found this from OHOTMU


So if you find yourself in the Marvel Universe with no powers...go learn magic.

That seems like an all-too simple solution.

[Agent Z]

Why aren't stage magicians learning real magic then? For that matter why doesn't Mysterio?

Because he isn't interested. He's a film maker wannabe not an aspiring Merlin.

[U.N. Owen]

That seems like an all-too simple solution.

You say that, but then I point to all the ways magic can go wrong starting with Dormammu.

[Raye]

I don't think that just because technically everyone can learn means that its likely many will, or you can't still have people that take to it naturally, while others find it more difficult. Think of it more like an advanced science, that takes a similar amount of study. Technically anyone could learn quantum physics, or rocket science, or advanced robotics, or whatever, but how many actually do? Not many, because it still takes a whole lot of study, and usually a certain natural aptitude with math and such, and some people will find that way of thinking relatively easy, while others will find it to be completely impenetrable.

Though as pointed out above, this could lead to problems with amateurs. Though scientists in the MU have harnessed science to make them into superheroes or villains, like Tony Stark, and thus may attract some people after that power, I suspect magic would attract dabblers after power, because magic takes less resources (tangible ones, anyway) but the consequences of them getting it wrong could be much worse. Summoning a demon that they can't control or something similar, and it might take less study and resources to screw up in a dangerous way than science would. But there have been stories that have dealt with this, where Strange or someone has to fix an amateur's mistake.

[Iron Maiden]

Magic has always been known to have it's own syntax and we know there are different "flavors". IIRC Atlantis and Wakanda has their own forms of magic. Universal's Mummy movies cribbed some of the rituals of Ancient Egypt by using the tale of Isis raising Osiris from the dead. It was often said that Doom's library of arcana is the most extensive known. We got to see it in Unthinkable. This is the story someone mentioned earlier where Reed was challenged to learn magic. He was very resistant to the idea of learning it and depended on Stephen's help to figure things out. And he did have a limited time to learn.

[LordAllMIghty]

Reed doesn't have the attributes to understand magic. His mind is so analytical that he can't understand the unpredictability of magick.

I totally see that with Reed.

[Sutekh]

That seems like an all-too simple solution.

Eh, you only have to accidentally summon a N'Garai once to end that career choice.

It's got a higher level of 'don't screw this up' than learning macrame, that's for sure.

[Drops Of Venus]

If I remember correctly it stated in the Handbooks that any human can learn magic.

Edit. Found this from OHOTMU

Strictly speaking, magic users does not have superhuman powers. Only the ability to manipulate mystical energy lies within an Earth-born sorcerer, not the energy itself. Theoretically, any Earth being can tap into an infinite amount of mystical energy. However, each person is limited by his or her own amount of training, discipline, knowledge and enlightenment as to the mystical arts.

So if you find yourself in the Marvel Universe with no powers...go learn magic.

I think this description only really applies to Earth-born magic users (with some exceptions*), because there are magic-based characters who are born with natural superhuman features and are naturally tied to mystical energies due to their exceptional physiology. Characters such as the various god-like beings (Asgardians, Olympians), or characters born in dimensions made out of pure magic force like Dormammu, Clea, America Chavez, Mephisto, etc.

*By exceptions I mean Wiccan and Kid Loki. They are the only Earth-based characters (and correct me if I'm wrong about Kid Loki, but I was under the impression that he was reborn as a common earthling boy) that I can think of that were born with natural ties to magical forces due to being reincarnations of magical beings. Storm too, I guess, if you buy the idea that her powers are an actual godhood gift from her ancestors and not just a mutation.

[Raye]

*By exceptions I mean Wiccan and Kid Loki. They are the only Earth-based characters (and correct me if I'm wrong about Kid Loki, but I was under the impression that he was reborn as a common earthling boy) that I can think of that were born with natural ties to magical forces due to being reincarnations of magical beings. Storm too, I guess, if you buy the idea that her powers are an actual godhood gift from her ancestors and not just a mutation.

Loki was re-born on Earth (France, specifically) but I don't think he's human now, that's just... where he popped back into existence. But it was never made terribly clear, they just kinda brushed that aside almost immediately. but he does have innate powers, like all Asgardians (or giant in his case) he is still super strong and durable relative to humans, and still immortal if flash forwards to the future where he's alive thousands if not millions of years from now are anything to go by, so... He's also mentioned several times that he has had to learn all the spells etc. And while he likely does have a leg up on humans in terms of how easy it is for him to tap into power on account of him being a god and all, and being immortal means he has a lot of time to learn everything, it's not like just a power like Thor's lightning, (though he does presumably have some of that, but it's a bit unclear what's magic and what's innate sometimes) otherwise he would have had nothing much to teach Wiccan on their lessons. Kid Loki before the end of JiM could not do magic because he had not learned how yet, and after the end if JIM, he had all of old Loki's memories, so he could. But in Young Avengers, he was subconsciously maintaining that fake Leah, which tied up all the power he could tap into. But how his (and some other characters, to be fair) magic works has sometimes been inconsistent so...

[MaximoffTrash]

Why aren't stage magicians learning real magic then? For that matter why doesn't Mysterio?

It's not well established in MU but just some assumptions.
Logically there will be some form of magic knowlegde monopoly whether intentionally or unintentionally, It's not something you can get from a library or search in a website. So unless you are lucky to stump upon ownerless mystical items, self-teaching is not really an option.
And finding teachers will also be difficult, those who know magic may refuse to share it for various reasons. Also there is no guarantee they have the best intention for you.

[MaximoffTrash]

I think this description only really applies to Earth-born magic users (with some exceptions*), because there are magic-based characters who are born with natural superhuman features and are naturally tied to mystical energies due to their exceptional physiology. Characters such as the various god-like beings (Asgardians, Olympians), or characters born in dimensions made out of pure magic force like Dormammu, Clea, America Chavez, Mephisto, etc.

*By exceptions I mean Wiccan and Kid Loki. They are the only Earth-based characters (and correct me if I'm wrong about Kid Loki, but I was under the impression that he was reborn as a common earthling boy) that I can think of that were born with natural ties to magical forces due to being reincarnations of magical beings. Storm too, I guess, if you buy the idea that her powers are an actual godhood gift from her ancestors and not just a mutation.

Storm would count as mystical bloodline, her ancestors are indeed priests of Oshtur.
I think the description only apply to every "base human" which doesn't include half-demons or human with bless/curses.