Quicksilver, aka Pietro Maximoff. Scarlet Witch, aka Wanda Maximoff. They're the two newest superheroes to join the roster of the big-screen Avengers in next month's Avengers: Age of Ultron.
If you enjoy Marvel movies but have never picked up a comic book, you're probably wondering just who these two newcomers are. As it happens, they're not newcomers at all.
They've been a staple of Marvel Comics for over 50 years. Their histories have been altered slightly to make them fit in with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but otherwise they appear to be faithfully adapted.
To answer your questions and introduce you to these two major characters, Marvel has produced a video that features interviews with the actors who portray them, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, respectively, as well as writer/director Joss Whedon. There's also some great new footage from the movie. Check it out.
The Maximoff twins in the film are orphans, but in the comics they are actually the children of Erik Lehnsherr, aka mutant villain Magneto. Marvel Studios doesn't own the big-screen rights to any X-Men characters — 20th Century Fox does — but Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are a fuzzy area where mutants are concerned. Being the offspring of Magneto, they're mutants in the comics — who are also Avengers.
In the film, Whedon has altered their origin story to cut out all of the mutant stuff. But in most other ways, these two behave a lot like their counterparts on the printed page. Quicksilver is as impetuous and quick-tempered as he appears in this video, and Scarlet Witch is the far more powerful of the two, wielding powers that fall under the vague umbrella of "magic." She's also been shown at times to be unstable.
Oh, and in the comics, the duo premiered as villains before switching sides to join the Avengers. That looks to be another aspect of their story that Whedon is keeping intact.
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
