Who is Pietro Maximoff, AKA Quicksilver? A brief history of Wanda's brother in the MCU
Warning: the following contains major spoilers for the WandaVision episode 3 ending. Make sure you have seen the new episode on Disney Plus before reading on...
WandaVision episode 3 sees Scarlet Witch’s docile domestic life slowly unravel thanks to an untimely reminder about one of the most traumatising days of her life. Teyonah Parris’ Geraldine/Monica Rambeau is seemingly intent on bringing Wanda crashing back down to reality – by mentioning the death of her brother Quicksilver.
Unlike most of the MCU’s motley crew of superheroes, Quicksilver is a footnote in Marvel Studios’ big-screen history. As such, you’re probably asking questions like, ‘Who is Pietro again?’ and ‘What happened to Quicksilver?’
Like the silver-haired speedster himself, we’re here to quickly breeze through the essentials in our brief guide to Quicksilver, his history in the MCU, and why his absence means so much to Wanda – and WandaVision’s future.
Who is Quicksilver?
Born Pietro Maximoff, Quicksilver is the twin of Scarlet Witch (otherwise known as Wanda Maximoff). Pietro (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) was born in Sokovia, a fictional Eastern European nation that was bombarded by Stark Industries weapons during Quicksilver’s childhood – an event that killed his parents.
He made his first appearance in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier as one of two subjects that were given enhanced powers by Baron Strucker thanks to the Mind Stone. As a by-product of the experiments, Quicksilver ends up possessing super speed.
What happened to Quicksilver in the MCU?
Quicksilver’s only major appearance in the MCU comes in Avengers: Age of Ultron. There, he harbours a major resentment for Tony Stark (after the bombing of Sokovia) and the rest of the Avengers. Along with Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver assists the newly sentient Ultron in his plans to destroy humanity.
Unfortunately for Ultron, Wanda and Pietro have a change of heart after the AI turned his attention towards Sokovia.
In the Battle of Sokovia – which saw the Avengers take on Ultron and put a stop to his world-ending schemes – Quicksilver sacrifices his life to save Hawkeye from Quinjet fire. As revenge, Scarlet Witch destroyed Ultron’s mechanical body and helped defeat him.
Why was Pietro/Quicksilver mentioned in WandaVision?
Not much is known about the world Wanda inhabits in WandaVision. What it does appear to be, at first glance, is an idyllic suburb designed to shield Scarlet Witch from her past traumas and heartbreaking losses.
Towards the end of the third episode, Geraldine/Monica Rambeau pushes Wanda on her brother – who is mentioned briefly by Scarlet Witch – and even mentions he was killed by Ultron. That, in turn, causes Wanda to freak out and throw Monica out of her dimension and back into the MCU’s ‘real world’.
Whether the mysterious group that Monica is part of – which seemingly includes the beekeeper from the second episode – is trying to coax Wanda out because she’s trapped or simply doesn’t want to live the imaginary life with Vision is up for debate. As of now, it appears Pietro is being used as a tool to snap Wanda out of whatever predicament she’s in, self-inflicted or otherwise, and back to the outside world.
What about the other Quicksilver?
This is where it can get confusing. Yes, there is another Quicksilver. Fortunately, it isn’t too complicated.
Before Disney bought Fox, Fox-owned the movies rights to the X-Men characters. In the Fox-verse, Quicksilver appeared most famously as a member of the mutant team played by Evan Peters in X-Men: Days of Future Past and also in X-Men: Apocalypse.
For the avoidance of doubt, he has no ties to the MCU Quicksilver and his existence has been as good as wiped out thanks to the Disney/Fox merger – with Pietro the only canon Quicksilver as of writing.
So, there you have it, that's who Pietro Maximoff is and why, if you're watching WandaVision, you should care. Check out our WandaVision episode 3 ending explained article for more. You can also find out when the next episode drops, down to the very minute, with our WandaVision release schedule guide.
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