While Quicksilver is often thought of as the fastest of the Avengers, one hero fans know from the movies can actually outrace him when they need to. Many heroes possess enhanced speed, but Pietro Maximoff is generally considered Earth's fastest man (at least in Marvel Continuity). However, his speed powers do have limits. Unlike the Flash, who can become living energy in order to bend the laws of physics, Quicksilver's speed is all physical, and there are limits on his powers that mean if he goes too fast, he risks destroying his body or even being shunted out of reality.

Quicksilver's speed also comes with a major disadvantage - it's always "on," which means he perceives the world around him as effectively going in slow motion. This explains much of Quicksilver's famously brusque attitude, since the speedster hero is constantly waiting for his friends and allies to catch up with his thinking and speech. The one person who is generally spared Quicksilver's verbal wrath is his sister the Scarlet Witch who - due to their traumatic childhood - Pietro values above everyone else, even to the point of pushing her to change reality to save her own life in the iconic House of M event.

Related: Flash vs Quicksilver Exposed the One Way the Marvel Hero Can Win

In What If? Avengers Disassembled from Jeff Parker and Aaron Lopresti, things go a little differently. In this look at one path the timeline could have taken, it's actually Captain America who asks Scarlet Witch to destroy the Avengers then help him reshape reality into a utopia (a mission which the comic explicitly confirms would have worked.) Unfortunately for Wanda and Steve, the Avengers' investigation into Scarlet Witch's reality-tampering uncovers their plan, with a major facet being Quicksilver revealing what he knows. However, he only does so because Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, is capable of chasing him down.

Captain Marvel Can Beat Quicksilver's Speed

avengers captain marvel as fast as quicksilver

Carol notes that she can only travel at such incredible speed for a short amount of time, but she also shows she's capable of going faster than Quicksilver, as she catches up to him despite his head start on escaping. Given Pietro is fleeing to safeguard Wanda, it's hard to imagine he's going at anything but his maximum speed. As a cosmic hero whose missions often take her into space, it makes sense Captain Marvel would be capable of shocking speed, as she has to travel the vast distances between planets to be effective. However, few fans knew that she could chase down Quicksilver over such a short distance.

Quicksilver's Limitations Make Him a Better Character

Quicksilver runs fast in Marvel Comics.

While What If? Avengers Disassembled takes place in its own timeline, it's on a version of Earth-616 where recent events played out differently, meaning the heroes' powers remain the same. It's not uncommon for heroes to be able to match A-tier powers for a short amount of time, with Marvel's official ranking of its strongest characters confirming Iron Man's armor is comparable to Hulk in strength... at least for two seconds at a time, and with a staggering power source. Ultimately, having one hero so far out ahead of the rest leads to weaker stories, so it makes sense for one of Quicksilver's cosmic Avengers allies to be able to beat him in a race so long as the distance is short enough.

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