After making exactly zero live-action appearances in his fifty year history as a comic book character, Marvel’s Quicksilver finally made his onscreen debut in 2014. Actually, he made his debut twice, played by two different actors in two different movies.
All of the sudden Quicksilver was the hot property, and everyone was eager to get him to the screen in, well, a hurry; just the way Quicksilver would’ve liked it. So although it took over five decades, Quicksilver is finally here, and he’ll be coming back to our movie screens in this summer’s X-Men: Apocalypse.
To get you properly hyped up for Quicksilver's return, we’re here to tell you 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Quicksilver.
10. Marvel and Fox Have Joint Custody
First, Quicksilver appeared for a few seconds in the mid-credits teaser following Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Here, he was played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and he was being set up for next summer’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Fans were understandably excited for the character’s introduction, but then something else happened, they met Evan Peters’ Quicksilver from X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Back before Marvel made its own movies, rights to their characters were sold off to various studios. Marvel retained some rights, like Iron-Man, Captain America, Thor, but the rest were gone, and that included the X-Men to Fox. However, the only characters that got mixed up in the shuffle were Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch – technically part of the X-Men, but also part of The Avengers – so they ended up at both studios. Quicksilver became the first superhero to have two versions of himself at both Marvel and Fox at the same time, and fans are still debating which interpretation is the better one. But originally, no one thought X-Men’s Quicksilver would be worth watching at all, because…
9. Quicksilver: Brought to You by Carl's Jr.?
The first look at Fox’s Quicksilver in motion came in the form of… A Carl’s Jr. commercial. Not an official first-look in a motion-poster. Not a glimpse in a trailer. But in a sponsored advertisement as he ate a breakfast sandwich really fast. So, yeah.
That weird moment in comic book history aside, Quicksilver recovered enough to steal the show in Days of Future Past and make everyone forget about his love of fast-food. With a brilliant portrayal by Even Peters and a well-written spot in a very well-made film, X-Men’s Quicksilver soon became the preferred version of the character by those left wanting more from his appearance in Age of Ultron. And most of that fan love stemmed from one scene…
8. Time in a Bottle: Take Two
Do you remember the scene in X-Men: Days of Future Past when Quicksilver finally goes all Quicksilver on everyone and drops a room full of guards in a matter of seconds? It was set to the tune of Jim Croce’s "Time in a Bottle" and it wasn’t just the best scene of Days of Future Past, but it was the best scene in any movie in 2014. Inventive, funny, technologically impressive, and appropriately tense, it’s everything we want from the character of Quicksilver. And we’re going to get something just like it in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Even Peters has gone on record saying that Apocalypse director Bryan Singer and the effects team have created a Quicksilver sequence that will rival the one from the first film. More inventive, more challenging, filled with an '80s era pop song, and three minutes long, the entire scene took one and a half months to film and will no doubt look spectacular in the finished film. And here’s something else we’re looking forward to seeing in the finished film…
7. He's the Son of Magneto
If you’re going by The Avenger’s version of Quicksilver, then Magneto will never be mentioned and literally anyone else could be his father. But since Fox owns the rights to Magneto, their version of Quicksilver is allowed to have Erik Lehnsherr as the father figure Quicksilver never wanted.
It was hinted at in Days of Future Past, and it also helps explains Quicksilver’s life of petty crime before the X-Men picked him up, but we’re looking forward to this being a much bigger deal in X:Men Apocalypse. With Quicksilver ready to take on a bigger role in the X-Men, it would be great to see him face off against Magneto, especially if both of them know exactly how they’re related to the mutant standing across from them. And speaking of family relations…
6. His Twin Sister is Scarlet Witch
So this fact is clear if you paid attention during the messy first scene from Avengers: Age of Ultron, but definitely not if you only watched Days of Future Past. When Quicksilver was introduced in that film, he was shown to be a troubled teenage nerd that lived in his mother’s basement in the suburbs. If he had a twin sister, it would certainly be a surprise to him.
It’s unlikely that with Scarlet Witch joining The Avengers full time, we’ll be seeing her any time soon in the Fox X-Men universe. Regardless, comic book history is pretty clear that Quicksilver’s twin sister is Scarlet Witch, and what’s more, they actually work well together. Some would even say it’s essential that they are on the same team, especially considering…
5. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, Ying and Yang
Scarlet Witch is meant to balance out Quicksilver and be the slow, thoughtful ying to his quick tempered yang. It’s a delicately balanced relationship in the comics, and one that’s explored a little bit in Age of Ultron, but sadly missing from the X-Men films.
Regardless, what makes Quicksilver so interesting isn’t his powers or abilities – The Flash has been there, done that – but the personality that accompanies his powers. Sarcastic, funny, and a little unpredictable, Quicksilver is a viable contender to fill Wolverine’s spot in the X-Men lineup once Hugh Jackman inevitably moves on to other things. And with Quicksilver potentially transforming the X-Men, let’s take a look at exactly who is behind the silver hair…
4. His Personality Reflects His Powers
Quicksilver is impatient with the world because, the way he sees it, everyone is constantly moving in slow motion. Understanding this is a brilliant way into the mind of one of the most interesting mutants in the X-Men universe. Quicksilver’s motivations and personality aren’t as shallow as some like, say, Toad or any of the other poorly defined mutants. Rather, everything about Quicksilver can be summed up by this amazing quote from the comics.
"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?” asks Quicksilver. “Now imagine what it must be like to spend every day surrounded by people who don't know how to use the ATM."
We can imagine it. We can feel for the guy. And that’s why Quicksilver is compelling, no matter how good or bad his actions may be. And speaking of his actions…
3. He Was Part of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
In the comics, Quicksilver was originally on Magneto’s side in the mutant war, causing havoc around the world and generally being up to no good. However, once The Avengers found him, he switched sides and became a force for good. Aside from some back and forth side-changes over the years to keep storylines fresh, Quicksilver is a good guy now, despite his kleptomaniac tendencies and his frustration with seemingly everyone; good and bad.
While Quicksilver started out good in Days of Future Past, it’s unclear where that will go. We’ve already seen Rogue, well, gone rogue, so it will be interesting to see if Quicksilver follows in the path of his comic character and join Rogue and Magneto on the dark side. Only time will tell what happens, but depending on what side Quicksilver ends up on, you can assume he has strong justification for it, especially considering that…
2. He Can Think At Super-Human Speeds
Quicksilver isn’t just some guy who can outrun a bullet and slow down time enough to change the variables of anything that happens. He’s also capable of thinking at super-human speeds, which gives him an edge in nearly everything he does.
Perfectly complimenting his sped up metabolism and healing time, when Quicksilver runs around a room to disarm a group of enemies, he’s not just counting on blind luck and speed. He’s also doing millions of calculations in his mind per second, judging everything around him in order to make the most efficient moves with the best possible outcome. It’s all pretty complex, and it’s just another trait that makes him one of the most powerful mutants.
But wait, is he really a mutant?
1. Is He A Mutant or Not?
A mutant in every sense of the word since his comic debut, Quicksilver attributes his mutant abilities to his father Magneto, and they’re clearly in his bloodline as the mutant gene is also seen in his sister Wanda. However, when Marvel introduced Quicksilver and had to get around the fact that they couldn’t use the word “mutant,” they came up with a new origin, and they decided that Quicksilver was actually the product of genetic experimentation.
Sometimes, using the experimental Isotope-E to augment and increase his powers in the comics, this led to many wondering whether or not Quicksilver was actually a mutant. In one storyline, the High Evolutionary admits to Quicksilver that he and his sister were experimented on. It’s once they escape from the High Evolutionary that they join The Avengers, which is more or less the storyline we saw in Age of Ultron.
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Which of these facts were you most surprised to find out about? Are there any we missed? Let us know in the comments!