TOP 10: Good Witches in Pop Culture
Witches have fascinated audiences — and terrified communities — for almost as long as stories have been told. While witches are often depicted as evil or untrustworthy, there have been notable pop-culture witches who use their magical abilities to help and heal. Read on for some of our favorite good-natured witches in movies and TV, listed in order from least to most powerful.
(And yes, we deliberately avoided any mention of characters from a certain English wizarding school, for reasons.)
For more pop-culture witches, including some of the most legendary bad witches of all time, check out the Great Pop Culture Debate's episode devoted to the Best Pop-Culture Witch.
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10. Wendy the Good Little Witch
First introduced in 1954 by Harvey Comics as a companion character to Casper the Friendly Ghost, Wendy has since gone on to appear in cartoons (above), video games, and even her own movie starring Hilary Duff (in her first film role!). She was recently mentioned in the finale of the "Harvey Girls Forever!" cartoon that ran on Netflix from 2018 to 2020 and featured updated versions of many of the Harvey Comics characters.
9. The Witches of Eastwick
The three protagonists in George Miller's 1987 supernatural romance thriller The Witches of Eastwick — played by Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Susan Sarandon — don't even realize they have magical powers at first. It isn't until a dashing stranger played by Jack Nicholson moves into town and begins seducing each one of them that they realize what they are. Oh, and that their new paramour is probably the Devil. The film got a TV reboot a few years back, but the original is a delicious, campy romp that's perfect for a less-scary Halloween viewing party.
8. Glinda the Good Witch
Over the years Glinda has gotten a bad rap for her role in 1939's The Wizard of Oz. Sure, she protects Dorothy from the Wicked Witch in Munchkinland, and then saves the heroes when they're put to sleep in the poppy field. BUT! Glinda is supposed to be crazy powerful — why hadn't she taken care of the Wicked Witch herself? And she had a little girl endanger her life numerous times, when she knew for a fact that kid could go home whenever she wanted? Rude, Glinda. In L. Frank Baum's Oz novels, Glinda is given more to do, and we get a better understanding of her abilities and tools.
7. Samantha Stephens
Arguably one of the most iconic good witches in history, Elizabeth Montgomery played the magically empowered housewife in the 1960s TV sitcom "Bewitched." With a wiggle of her perky nose, Samantha could fix just about any problem — or inadvertently cause many more — often leaving her husband, Darren, literally bewitched, bothered, and bewildered. Bonus points for glamorous witch mother Endora, and fabulous Uncle Arthur. Samantha is such an essential element of witch iconography that a statue of her now stands in Salem, MA.
6. Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Initially a side character from Archie Comics, Sabrina Spellman came into her own when Melissa Joan Hart portrayed her in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" on ABC from 1996 to 2003. This show was very much in the playful vein of "Bewitched," but the 2010s "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" reboot on Netflix took things into a decidedly less family-friendly direction.
5. Willow Rosenberg
One of the coolest parts of the WB/UPN supernatural drama "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was watching Alyson Hannigan's Willow Rosenberg grow from an ordinary teen girl to an unbelievably powerful witch over the series' seven seasons. Now, did that ultimately involve Willow inadvertently pulling a peacefully dead Buffy out of Heaven against her will? And then later going full-blown apocalyptic after her girlfriend got murdered by a stray bullet? Sure; mistakes were made. But Willow became one of TV's most potent magic users, and aside from a few nearly world-destroying boo-boos, was a major force for good.
4. The Halliwell Sisters
Initially played by Alyssa Milano (Phoebe), Holly Marie Combs (Piper), and Shannen Doherty (Prue), the Halliwell sisters formed the core of the WB/CW's "Charmed." The sister witches each had a different specialty (Phoebe could see the future, Prue was a telekinetic), and when they combined their abilities with the Power of Three, they were extremely powerful. They used those abilities to fight warlocks, demons, and any number of evil entities. After Doherty's departure, half-sister Paige (Rose McGowan) was discovered, and the Power of Three continued.
3. Elphaba
Although originally portrayed as a purely evil force in L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, The Wicked Witch got a makeover courtesy of author Gregory Maguire in his prequel book, Wicked. Maguire humanized the cinematic hag, giving her an actual name — Elphaba — as well as an origin story that recast her as a trailblazer for animal rights and a woman standing up to authoritarianism. Wicked was turned into one of the biggest Broadway shows of the 21st Century, and later this year will arrive on screen, with Elphaba played by Cynthia Erivo.
2. Scarlet Witch
Although her story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe didn't end well via Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (but is it over?), Wanda Maximoff AKA The Scarlet Witch was an immensely powerful witch who could reshape reality. She used those powers to save the world as a member of The Avengers, helping to hold off the existential threat that was Thanos and his Infinity Gems. The death of her android lover, Vision, sent Wanda into a deep depression, which led her to unintentionally controlling an entire town full of people to get a happy ending in Disney+'s "WandaVision" TV show, and her exposure to the black magic of the Darkhold corrupted her completely, leading to her untimely end. (But was it her end?) Still, as anyone who reads the Marvel Comics knows, Wanda has lost control numerous times — including taking away the abilities of nearly every mutant, and killing several of her former Avenger teammates — but she always comes back, stronger and more heroic. We hope the same will happen in the MCU.
1. Cordelia Goode
An unconventional pick for our top good witch, Cordelia Goode (played by Sarah Paulson) comes from Ryan Murphy's "American Horror Story" anthology series, which has been airing more-or-less annually during Spooky Season on FX Networks and Hulu. Cordelia has appeared in two "AHS" seasons: Season 3's "Coven," in which she emerges from shy wallflower to the the new Supreme, leader of all witches; and Season 8's "Apocalypse," in which she leads her coven of witches as they successfully defeat the Anti-Christ and reverse a global apocalypse. And that's why Cordelia is our No. 1 pick: she literally saved the world! And she looked amazing while doing it! (Check out Great Pop Culture Debate's podcast about the Best "American Horror Story" Characters, which includes Cordelia.)
Who are your favorite good witches? Leave a comment below!
