Why Quicksilver could return from the dead in WandaVision
The Disney+ series is dropping a few hints that Wanda’s super-fast, super-dead twin brother could be crucial going forward.
The third episode of WandaVision delves far back into Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) back story, with the Avenger-turned-sitcom-housewife suddenly remembering her deceased twin brother Pietro (aka Quicksilver, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) as she looks down at her own newborn twins.
However, when houseguest Geraldine (aka Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau) mentions his sticky end, Wanda gets suspicious, eventually throwing her out of Westview completely.
“He was killed by Ultron…wasn’t he?” Geraldine asks, jumping all the way back to 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron in one of the first acknowledgements Pietro has had in the MCU for years.
So what’s with all the references to Wanda’s brother? Could Quicksilver, like Vision, return to life to be part of Wanda’s sitcom world? And what happened to Quicksilver in the first place? Read on to find out.
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Where Quicksilver appeared in the MCU
Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Pietro Maximoff first turned up in a post-credits scene for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, before debuting properly in Age of Ultron.
In this film Pietro is a super-fast Sokovian who gained his powers after being experimented on by Baron Strücker (a senior figure in bad-guy organisation HYDRA), and who blames Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) for the death of his and Wanda’s parents (who were killed using Stark Industries weapons).
In Age of Ultron Pietro and Wanda join with sentient robot Ultron (James Spader) to battle the Avengers (who they see as their enemies) – however they later turn on their master to help the heroes in the final battle, saving many lives in the process.
Unfortunately, this particular Marvel team-up didn’t have a very happy ending…
How Quicksilver died in Avengers: Age of Ultron
Quicksilver was killed in the Battle for Sokovia, running to the defence of Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye as the latter tried to shield a child from Ultron (who was piloting a warplane). With his super-speed, Pietro was able to get to Clint and push a car in front of him, blocking Ultron’s bullets. But in the process he sustained fatal wounds himself, dying in the rubble.
Pietro’s death immediately affected Wanda, who viciously pursued Ultron and destroyed many of his robot copies, before joining the Avengers once the threat was over. Meanwhile, Clint gave his newborn son Pietro as a middle name, honouring his legacy – though the character has not since been mentioned in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, until now…
Does Quicksilver return in WandaVision?
Potentially? Yes. Definitely? We’re not sure.
Rumours have swirled for a long time that Taylor-Johnson would be popping up in WandaVision, and the events of episode three seem to make it all the more likely. Sure, he died in Age of Ultron – but death hasn’t stopped Vision making it big in the suburbs.
Assuming Wanda is somehow behind Vision’s resurrection, who’s to say she wouldn’t also be able to bring back a sitcom version of her brother? The long-lost or surprise relative is a staple of the genre, after all, and could be a way to offer some closure to Wanda and Pietro’s relationship.
And who knows? Maybe he won’t be the only super-fast Maximoff making a pit stop in Westview…
Is Evan Peters Quicksilver?
This gets a little complicated. For a long time different characters from Marvel comics were owned by different studios, with the mutant X-Men (Wolverine, Cyclops et al) owned by 20th Century Fox and most other heroes (including The Avengers, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and so on) owned by Disney.
There was a pretty clear split in heroes – but interestingly, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were owned by both companies, as the pair were longstanding members of the Avengers as well as X-Men enemies-turned-allies in the original comics. This meant that Fox and Disney both ended up creating their own versions of Quicksilver, played by different actors and with different backstories.
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In the end, Peters’ Quicksilver played the role for a lot longer over the course of three films – and rumour has it that his time playing “Peter” Maximoff (rather than Pietro) isn’t at an end.
You see, for a long while there have been reports that Peters is set to play a role in WandaVision, and now that Disney own 20th Century Fox (and all the X-Men) many fans wondered if the series would address the double Quicksilver paradox. Given how weird and dreamlike WandaVision is, would it be so strange?
We can just about imagine WandaVision introducing both Quicksilvers as part of her strange fantasy, and finally mixing both movie universes together. And who knows? Given the popularity of the character, it might not be the last we’d see of Peters’ version in the MCU either.
Want more WandaVision content? Check out our latest WandaVision review, our guide to the WandaVision cast, the WandaVision release schedule, Agatha Harkness and the creepy WandaVision commercials. Plus, we ask: is Wanda the villain in WandaVision? When is WandaVision set and how is Vision alive?
WandaVision releases new episodes on Disney+ on Fridays. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £5.99 a month or £59.99 a year.
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