Quicksilver: Top Nine Things You Need to Know

Quicksilver (aka Pietro Maximoff) has been all the talk this past week, with confirmation that the character will be in The Avengers 2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past, thus causing two studios to fight over him.  With all this Quicksilver love going on, it’s safe to say he is the new big man on campus.  For everyone who isn't completely up to date on this character (I admit my knowledge of Quicksilver is limited), here is a list of his highlights.

TOP NINE HIGHLIGHTS OF QUICKSILVER

1. Real World Origin

Quicksilver was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, with his first appearance in The X-Men #4 in March 1964.

2. Family Ties

His dad is Magneto, our favorite X-Men villain (who is actually a good guy now in comics). His mother was Magda, who died giving birth to him and his twin sister, Scarlet Witch.  They were raised by a gypsy couple, unaware of their true parentage for many years.  He also has a paternal half sister, Polaris and two nephews, Wiccan and Speed.  QS (yeah, I'm calling him that) also has a daughter, Luna, from now ex-wife Crystal (sister of Medusa, yeah that Medusa) who was born on the moon. 

3. Powers

QS has super speed and accelerated thinking, meaning he can think as fast as he can move.   Then he lost those and gained the ability to restore other mutants powers, turn into mist and jump through time; all something to do with these fancy crystals that he inserted into his body.  Then he lost all of the crystals and during a hallucination got back his super speed and accelerated thinking.   Side Note: His nephew Speed has the same powers of super speed and accelerated thinking, which is why he patterned his look after QS.

4. Teams

Started out as a baddie as a member of the Evil Brotherhood of Mutants.  Quickly (rimshot) decided that he wasn't cut out for evil and  joined the X-Men with his sister.  After that, he became an active member of the Avengers, with stints on West Coast Avengers, X-Factor and teaching at Avengers Academy.

5. Starring Roles

QS had only had one book named after him, which ran for 13 issues in 1997.  Recently, he has been an active hero in X-Factor and Avengers Assembly.

6. Television Roles

He is never in a starring role, but you may have seen Quicksilver in a recurring role on X-Men: Evolution or featured in select episodes of The Marvel Superheroes, X-Men: The Animated Series, Wolverine and the X-Men, and  The Super Hero Squad Show.

7. Freaky Tidbit

In the Ultimates line of comics, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch have an intimate relationship.  Yeah, Marvel went there in the comics.  The Ultimates line has been an inspiration point for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I sincerely doubt they will go there with kids in the audience.  Still, it’s an interesting tidbit.

8. Favorite Quotes

"Have you ever had a day where you are at the ATM and you are in a hurry because you're running late but the person in front of you doesn't know how to use the ATM and they're taking forever? Now imagine what it must be like to spend every day surrounded by people who don't know how to use the ATM."   - Explaining his powers in X-Factor #87

"I'm freaking QUICKSILVER!!! And you can eat my freaking dust!"  - in X-Factor: The Quick and The Dead one-shot

9. Recognizable Characteristic

He is a young guy with white hair.  Even when he was portrayed as a teenager on X-Men: Evolution, he had white hair.  This should help him stand out in the films.

If you want some classic Quicksilver stories to get more details on this character, try Children’s Crusade, which follows the search for the missing Scarlet Witch.  I also asked our own Reboot, who loves X-Factor, to recommend a few good stories.  His top choice of X-Factor stories is Life & Death Matters, which follows Quicksilver trying to get his powers back.  This story concludes in The Quick and the Dead one-shot. He also recommends Visionaries, Heart of Ice, and Many Lives of Madrox.

I hope you've learned a little something about this up and coming member of the Marvel U.  Share your favorite Quicksilver tidbits in the comments below!

Thanks to Reboot for contributing to this post!

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