CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.
When it comes to speedsters in comics books, DC Comics’ The Flash is arguably the most well known, and for good reason. But in the Marvel Comics realm, Pietro Maximoff, a.k.a. Quicksilver, takes top billing amongst the speedsters, having been introduced alongside his sister Wanda, a.k.a. Scarlet Witch, in 1964’s The X-Men #4. In addition to being important players in the X-Men world, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch also have a long history with the Avengers, which meant they were in the unique position of being accessible to both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and 20th Century Fox in the days when Fox was still a separate studio and dishing out its own Marvel offerings.
As such, in the last decade, we’ve been introduced to two versions of Quicksilver on the big screen, and recent events indicate that we might be seeing more of the character on screen. But before we delve into craziness, let’s go over what we’ve seen of both live-action Quicksilvers thus far.
Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Quicksilver
For most of their existence, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch have been classified as mutants in the comics, though it’s since been retconned that they actually gained their powers after being experimented on by The High Evolutionary. Regardless, because the MCU wasn’t able to include Marvel mutant lore at the time, Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Pietro Maximoff and Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff were depicted as Sokovian natives who were enhanced after being exposed to the Mind Stone during HYDRA experimentation. And rather than Magneto and Magda Eisenhardt being the twins’ father and mother, their parents in the MCU were humans who died when the kids were 10.
After cameoing in the Captain America: The Winter Soldier mid-credits scene, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch made their full debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where they initially fought the Avengers and particularly hated Tony Stark since it was his weapons of war that led to their parents dying. However, once the twins learned that Ultron planned to wipe out all life on Earth, they joined Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in stopping him. Along with Quicksilver’s speed obviously making him a powerful opponent since he could both run, think and act faster than normal people could perceive, his power also came in handy with evacuating Sokovian citizens during Ultron’s attack. Sadly, Pietro perished when he ran in front of a hail of bullets to shield Hawkeye and a young boy from being struck. Wanda avenged her brother’s death when she destroyed Ultron’s main body, but Pietro wouldn’t be mentioned in the MCU again until WandaVision.
Evan Peters’ Quicksilver
Rather than being called Pietro, Evan Peters’ Quicksilver is named Peter Maximoff, and he hails from the U.S. Introduced in X-Men: Days of Future Past as a mutant teenager in 1973 who causes mischief with his super speed. Having been acquainted with the adult Peter in the future, Wolverine recruits Quicksilver with Professor X and Beast to help them break Magneto out of prison, leading to one of the most memorable and hilarious sequences in the X-Men franchise. Upon meeting Magneto, Peter mentioned how his mom knew a guy who could move metal, teasing their shared lineage.
X-Men: Apocalypse confirmed that Magneto is indeed Peter Maximoff’s father, and Peter had tried to find Erik Lensherr in the decade that passed between Days of Future Past and Apocalypse. Eventually Peter decided to visit the X-Mansion to find answers, and he arrived in the nick of time, saving the inhabitants from being incinerated in an explosion. From there, Peter got looped into the main narrative and helped fight Apocalypse and his Four Horsemen. By the time the events of Dark Phoenix unfolded in 1992, Quicksilver was a veteran X-Man, although he was injured relatively early into the movie, meaning he had to sit out most of Jean Grey’s tenure as The Phoenix.
Before going further, be warned, there are SPOILERS for the WandaVision episode “A Very Special Episode” ahead!
What’s Next For Quicksilver?
Because WandaVision focuses on Wanda Maximoff living a sitcom-perfect life with Vision, who was killed by Thanos at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, there was speculation that Wanda might also resurrect her brother. Then it was rumored that Evan Peters would appear in the Disney+ series, which then caused fans to wonder if Peters was reprising his version of Quicksilver for WandaVision. After all, Spider-Man 3 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are delving into multiversal craziness, so why couldn’t WandaVision do the same? Sure enough, Peters appeared at the end of the WandaVision episode “A Very Special Episode” as Quicksilver, only he acted like he was related to Wanda rather than hailing from the Fox X-Men universe. Wanda was shocked by her brother’s different appearance, and even Dr. Darcy Lewis commented on how Pietro had been “recast.”
As of this writing, we don’t know the full story behind the Evans Peter-played Quicksilver in WandaVision. Is this indeed the Quicksilver from the Fox-verse who’s somehow been pulled into the MCU? Did the people behind the series simply bring Peters in to take over the MCU’s Pietro as a fun wink to his time playing the other version of the character? Is Peters playing one of the Westview townspeople who Wanda has unconsciously “cast” as her brother? Or is Peters actually playing an entirely different character/entity who’s purposefully disguised as Quicksilver? It's all one big question mark, like so much of this series still is.
We’ll just have to wait and see how this Quicksilver twist develops over the four remaining WandaVision episodes (there’s no word yet on if there will be a Season 2), but beyond that, does the speedster have a future beyond the MCU’s first Disney+ series? (Use the following link to sign up for the streaming service.) Although it doesn’t happen nearly as often as it does in the comics, resurrection has been used in the MCU many times now, so it’s possible that Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver could return someday. However, the Kick-Ass and Tenet star hasn’t expressed interest in returning to the franchise, so the chances of seeing him again in this crazy world seem slim.
Now that Evan Peters has entered the MCU picture, if this franchise does have plans for Quicksilver past WandaVision, it’s likelier he’ll be the one to occupy the role. As mentioned earlier, Spider-Man 3 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness both involve its title heroes dealing with characters who hail from other realities, with the former movie featuring Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, two villains from past Spider-Man film series. If Evan Peters’ Peter Maximoff has been pulled from the Fox-verse to the MCU, who’s to say he couldn’t stick around?
It doesn’t help that Kevin Feige and the rest of the Marvel Studio brass have been incredibly tight-lipped about what the MCU’s plans for the X-Men property are. It’s logically been assumed that the lineup of mutants will be rebooted, but that hasn’t been officially confirmed yet. If the reboot button is indeed being pressed, it might seem weird to have a holdover from the Fox-verse hang out in the MCU, but it would be yet another example of Quicksilver a special exception, just like in the pre-Disney/Fox merger days. And let’s not forget that Ryan Reynolds is reprising Wade Wilson for Deadpool 3, so perhaps what we’re getting in the coming years is a handful of familiar Fox X-Men faces among a larger lineup of new folks bringing key mutant characters to life.
In any case, given how much has been done with Quicksilver over the decades in the comics, there are plenty of directions for the MCU to take the speedster should those in charge decide to keep him around. We’ll keep you apprised of Quicksilver’s on-screen future as more details trickle in. For now, keep track of what the MCU has coming up with our Marvel movies guide and Marvel TV guide.
