With the "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" winning the US box office records in its premiere this week, movie goers can't help but be puzzled on why the character Quicksilver has appeared on the latest Marvel film and why he is something different from what they are accustomed to. Fair enough, it was already established last year when Evan Peters caused quite a stir in playing Quicksilver in "X-Men: Days of Future Past." What really is happening and why is it that there are two Quicksilvers in different films?
First of all, before it gets too confusing, let's get to the basics. In the comic books, Quicksilver, also known as Pietro Maximoff , has a sister named Wanda Maximoff or Scarlet Witch. The siblings are the children of Magneto, who has been played on screen by Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender, and are referred to as "mutants" for having superpower abilities.
Now, in terms of legal rights, giant 20th Century Fox owns the "X-Men" movies, to which Quicksilver has appeared and played by actor Evan Peters in "X-Men: Days of Future Past." On the other hand, Disney owns Marvel Studios, which is behind "Avengers" franchise. And in its current film "The Avengers: Age of Ultron," Aaron Taylor-Johnson portrays the role as Quicksilver. But wait, how did that happen? Well, going back to 1993, Marvel licensed 20th Century Fox the rights to use characters from Marvel, Business Insider tells. Likewise, Disney and 20th Century Fox's shared rights over the Marvel brother and sister allows the characters to appear in both an X-Men and Avengers film.
Meanwhile, the fine line between the two actors doesn't end there though. If you scrutinize deeply the origins of the two different versions of Quicksilver played by the aforementioned young actors, you can immediately notice that Evan Peters' interpretation is more of a comical. In "Future Past," he was introduced as "Peter," a rascal kid living in the suburbs. There's no basis of him in the comic books and he likes a fun life sans motivational purpose.
Conversely, Aaron Taylor-Johnson's version is more of a bland, but is serious. His background is also a slightly more in common with the comic book; in short, this version of Quicksilver is more in line with what is in the comics. Likewise, Peters was called "Peter," in the "X-Men" film, while Taylor-Johnson was referred as "Pietro" in "Avengers."
And while Peters is a mutant in the "Future Past," Taylor-Johnson's being is currently unknown. He and her sister Wanda were just called enhanced. And given Peters is a mutant, he just happened to be born with powers. He also lives in the United States and there's no hint of his lineage being anything but American. His sister Wanda wasn't given a chance to appear in the film as well.
Whereas on Taylor-Johnson's interpretation on "Ultron," Marvel has to inject some kind of history. This time, Quicksilver is joined by his sister Scarlet Witch. The Maximoff siblings are of Eastern European descent. To stay out of the "X-Men" films' toes, it was revealed that at the age of 10, their parents were killed in a bombing. They later signed up with terrorist organization H.Y.D.R.A. to undertake experiments. That is where they gained their super power abilities. Quicksilver here is lightning fast, while his twin sister the Scarlet Witch has the telekinetic abilities.
Of course, in talks of costume, only one of them wears a silver jacket. In "Future Past," Evan Peters version is sporting the jacket, a 70s-style fat belt with a music player attached, and goggles. While Aaron Taylor-Johnson's interpretation is more of a toned down, but is adhering to the standards of the book.
Now, any of the two actors has his advantages over the other no matter how we break down their differences. Let's just bring this final showdown when Evan Peters gets back to "X-Men: Apocalypse" next year. Who are you in favor between the two? Are you pro Evans, or Taylor-Johnson? Who gives the most justice to the Quicksilver in the comic books? Make sure you share us your sentiments today.
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