Character Profile: Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch

Two of the newest members to join the Avengers in Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron are The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Quicksilver is also a new mutant appearing in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Warning, spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier follow!

If you stayed to see the mid-credits scene after Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Then you saw your first look at Baron von Struker in control of a secret HYDRA lab which previously belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D. He mentions how spies are now of no use to HYDRA calling S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA two sides of a coin which has no use. He then stops in front of two reinforced glass cells containing a man and woman. Struker refers to them as his "miracles" and says that they will now come for "The twins". It is here where we are treated to the first look at Joss Whedon's versions of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen respectively. I assume by Struker saying "they" will come for the twins, he means the now underground Nick Fury and the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. who knew the twins existed.



The first look at Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch from Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Who exactly are The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver and how will they factor into Age of Ultron? Let us explore:

In the Marvel Comics, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, brother and sister mutants and the children of the X-Men anti-hero Magneto. They first appeared in X-Men #4 in March of 1964, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They were introduced as members of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, with Quicksilver possessing super speed(similar to DC's The Flash) and the Scarlet Witch being able to control probability. Pietro and Wanda remained villains of the X-Men through issues #5, #6, #7, and #16. The twins then debuted as members of the superhero team, the Avengers, in Avengers #16 in May of 1965 also written by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.



The debut of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver in X-Men #4 (March 1964)
and in Avengers #16 (May 1965). The two are villains in X-Men while heroes in the Avengers.

Pietro and Wanda were reluctant members of The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, only joining because of their bond to Magneto as he saved them from an angry crowd after they revealed their powers in public. At this point Magneto does not realize that they are his children nor do the twins realize Magneto is their father, but they join his cause out of debt for him saving their lives. They battle the X-Men until Magneto is abducted by the Stranger and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is disbanded.

With Magneto gone and their debt repaid, the twins set off to find a new place in the world. Iron Man then recruits them to join the Avengers along with Captain America and Hawkeye. The two are members of the Avengers until they leave with Magneto after Wanda is injured in a battle against him, being accidentally shot by a member of the Avengers. They rejoin Magneto until they see the depth of Magneto's villainy after helping him battle the X-Men and Spider-Man.  They attempt to escape but are captured by Sentinels and are subsequently freed by the X-Men. Wanda and Pietro then rejoin the Avengers permanently. It is after this that Magneto learns that he is the twin's biological father.

Even with the knowledge that they are the children of Magneto, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch remain a part of the Avengers. Later on the Scarlet Witch ends up marrying the Vision, a robot member of the Avengers who was originally created by Ultron (More on this later). The Scarlet Witch's mutant powers evolve to allow her to produce different types of magic known as "hexes" which are her manipulation of Chaos Magic. For Scarlet Witch to use her power, it requires great concentration on her part. Her hexes have had a pattern of sometimes being accidentally cast when she makes a gesture. She gains better control of these powers as she trains and grows older. If she tries to cast a hex that is too powerful, complex, or dangerous, it has been known to backfire causing her harm or producing a wildly different result than what she intended. Thus her hexes often simply involve manipulating objects or causing physical harm. Quicksilver's powers also enhance over time giving him the ability to reach speeds up to Mach 10. He also gains the ability to create cyclones, run over water, and even resists the effects of friction, low oxygen, and kinetic impact. He also gains the ability to teleport by actually moving so fast that he displaces himself out of time.

The twins are valuable members of both the X-Men and Avengers universes. This is apparent by Quicksilver appearing in both X-Men: Days of Future Past and Avengers: Age of Ultron movies. This will be two separate incarnations of the characters however with Evan Peters portraying Pietro in X-men and Aaron Taylor-Johnson portraying him in Avengers. Since Fox owns the movie rights to the X-Men and "Mutants", Quicksilver will be a mutant and possibly be revealed to be the child of Magneto in Days of Future Past. Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch will not be mutants and their origin will be altered so that they are not the children of Magneto in Age of Ultron. As evidence, they were referred to as "miracles" instead of mutants by Baron von Struker in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This was the deal Marvel struck with Fox to allow the characters to appear in both film universes.

Evan Peters as Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past

Quicksilver's role in Days of Future Past has not manifested itself as of yet, but it is likely that they will tie him to Magneto and could possibly be one of the reasons why Magneto helps Charles defeat the Sentinels. Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch seem to be integral to Baron von Struker's work with Loki's staff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They will possibly be linked to the creation of Ultron and are likely the reason that Nick Fury is traveling to Europe after going underground at the end of Winter Soldier. They could be rescued and become new members of the Avengers to combat Ultron. It will be interesting to see how the twins' abilities factor into a now fully stocked Avenger team. Needless to say, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch will be integral parts to both the X-Men and Marvel Cinematic Universes.

More information about the characters can be found on Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch's Wikipedia Pages.