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10 Facts You Might Not Know About Quicksilver In 'X-Men: Apocalypse'!

10 curious facts about Marvel's own super-speedster!

By Tom BaconPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
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Continuing my series exploring the superheroes of X-Men: Apocalypse, it's time for everybody's favorite mutant speedster Quicksilver to take the spotlight!

1. Quicksilver's Powers May Actually Be Based On Time Manipulation!

In his 1997 ongoing series, Quicksilver encountered a version of himself from an alternate future timeline, who went by the name of Nestor. According to Nestor, Quicksilver's superhuman speed is actually a form of time-manipulation.

Comic book writers have essentially forgotten that, although — years later — Quicksilver was exposed to the Terrigen Mists and briefly given time-manipulation abilities.

2. Quicksilver Is Able To Outrun Lightning Bolts, And Run Across Oceans!

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Quicksilver chose to block bullets with his own body. It was a cool, self-sacrificial move that truly demonstrated his heroism; but it's a very unlikely move for the comic book character.

Over in the comics, bullets can't hit Quicksilver. In fact, he's been able to dodge Thor's lightning bolts. Given that lightning travels at upwards of 220,000 miles per hour, that's seriously impressive. As we've also seen — most recently in the AvX event — Quicksilver can run fast enough that his feet don't break through the surface tension of water, effectively meaning he can run across the oceans.

3. According To Writer Peter David, Quicksilver's Arrogance Is A Side-Effect Of His Power!

Over in the comics, Quicksilver has a great deal of arrogance and impatience — but, at least according to writer Peter David, there's a reason! As he stated in a 1992 interview with Fictioneer Books:

"Have you ever stood in the post office behind a woman with 20 packages who wants to know every single way she can send them to Africa? It drives you nuts! You think to yourself, 'Why do I have to put up with this? These people are so slow, they're costing me time, and it's so damned irritating. I wish I didn't have to put up with this.' Now—imagine that the entire world was like that... except for you. ... to Quicksilver, as he said in an issue of Amazing Spider-Man many, many moons ago, the rest of the world is moving in slow motion. That must really, really get on your nerves. Quicksilver lives in a world filled with people who don't know how to use cash machines, and want to know all the ways to send packages to Africa, and can never get your order right in a Burger King unless you repeat it several times. That would tend to make you feel very superior to everyone and very impatient with everyone."

4. Quicksilver Was First Introduced As A Member Of Magneto's Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants!

Along with his sister, the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver made his début in X-Men #4 - as a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! The Master of Magnetism had realized he was being overwhelmed by the X-Men's numbers, so he recruited a group of powerful allies to his cause. As a member of the Brotherhood, Quicksilver repeatedly clashed with Cyclops in particular.

Into the 2000s, Marvel launched a series known as X-Men: First Class — which inspired the film with that name. That series showed a much more intriguing relationship between the X-Men and the Brotherhood, with Angel and the Scarlet Witch actually dating! Amusingly enough, Quicksilver found out his sister was meeting with the Angel, and assumed treachery on their part. He attacked the X-Men, and the teenage romance was exposed!

5. Quicksilver Became One Of The Second Generation Avengers!

The Avengers have gone through many iterations over the years. Their second iteration was an unusual bunch, assembled by Captain America, and with reformed criminal Hawkeye as a member. Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch rounded out the membership, and the group are often nicknamed "Cap's Kooky Quartet."

6. Quicksilver Has An Inhuman Daughter!

Over in the comics, Quicksilver has strong ties to the Inhumans. Taken in by the Inhumans after a major injury, he healed under the care of an elemental named Crystal — and the two fell in love, even marrying and having a daughter together.

The marriage didn't work out, sadly, and their daughter Luna stayed with Crystal. After Luna underwent Terrigenesis, she developed the power to sense truth and lies — and, at the time, Quicksilver was doing nothing but lie. For a time the two were very, very distanced, until Quicksilver eventually told the truth.

7. Quicksilver's Love For His Sister Led To Marvel's House Of M Event

In the early 2000s, the Scarlet Witch's mind began to fragment. Insane, she unleashed powerful magic on the Avengers before being restrained and put under the care of Doctor Strange and Professor Xavier. Ultimately, the two realized they could do nothing to save her, and the X-Men and the Avengers considered killing her.

Furious at this betrayal, Quicksilver kidnapped the Scarlet Witch and inspired her to unleash a powerful reality-spell. A whole new reality was created, known as the House of M, in which Magneto ruled a world of mutants. The spell broke down, of course, but in a terrible twist led to a powerful curse in which the vast majority of mutants were depowered!

8. In The Ultimate Universe, Quicksilver And The Scarlet Witch Had An Incestuous Romance!

The depth of love between Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch has sometimes been taken to disturbing lengths, and never more than in the Ultimate Universe. The Ultimate Universe was a modern-day reimagining of the Marvel Universe, and writers took the relationship between Quicksilver and his sister in a much more disturbing direction. We eventually learned that the two were in love, and in fact had become lovers.

9. Marvel Has Switched Things Up So Quicksilver Is No Longer A Mutant — And No Longer Son Of Magneto!

The origin of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch is a thing of mystery and complexity; at one time they believed themselves to be the children of two older superheroes, Miss America and the Whizzer! Since the 1980s, the status quo has been that Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are actually the children of Magneto — his wife ran away from him before giving birth.

The 2014 AXIS event stirred the pot, though. A backfiring spell revealed that Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were not related to Magneto. Writer Rick Remender went on to reveal that the two were actually genetic experiments, created by a being known as the High Evolutionary. Ironically, this had been another origin that Marvel dabbled with back in the 1970s.

10. Marvel And Fox Seem To Have Reached A Curious Agreement Over Quicksilver

Back in the 1990s, Marvel almost went bankrupt. They got out of that particular mess by selling the film rights for their characters to other companies, although many have reverted back to Marvel Studios now. But Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch both exist in a strange kind of limbo, available to both Fox and Marvel. As a result, we got Aaron Taylor-Johnson's interpretation in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the very same year as Evan Peters stole the show in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Behind the scenes, Marvel and Fox seem to have come to an agreement over the characters. Although Fox had previously leaked the above image showing Quicksilver with his "little sister," presumably the Scarlet Witch, that sister has been ignored. Meanwhile, although Marvel `had signed up Aaron Taylor-Johnson for a multi-picture deal, they killed their version of Quicksilver off in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The result is that Fox is using Quicksilver, while Marvel is using the Scarlet Witch!

So there we have it, 10 curious facts about Marvel's own super-speedster! Don't forget to check out my previous posts on APOCALYPSE, ARCHANGEL, CYCLOPS, NIGHTCRAWLER, and PSYLOCKE!

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About the Creator

Tom Bacon

A prolific writer and film fan, Tom has a deep love of the superhero genre.

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