How WandaVision – and Quicksilver – could be the key to bringing the X-Men to the MCU
Evan Peters is rumoured to be joining the Disney+ series.
Disney+ series WandaVision is definitely one of the more intriguing Marvel TV shows coming to the nascent streaming service, with the upcoming comedy-drama apparently riffing on classic sitcoms and resurrecting Paul Bettany’s android Vision, all thanks to Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) reality-warping abilities.
But could the series be a Trojan horse for a much bigger Marvel plan? New rumours (via Murphy’s Multiverse) suggest that Evan Peters has been cast in the series in a new and mysterious role, which could hint at an attempt to include the now-defunct X-Men movie characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Confused? Well, let us explain. In 20th Century Fox’s stable of X-Men movies, Peters played Quicksilver, a super-fast mutant with a tendency towards slow-mo rescue sequences accompanied by classic tunes.
He’s a popular character in the movies, but also an interesting one when it comes to WandaVision – because in the comics, Quicksilver and Olsen’s Wanda (aka Scarlet Witch) are actually brother and sister, regularly working as a duo on the side of both good and evil.
So why are the two siblings split up in different movie universes? Well, they’re not really – because there was an MCU Quicksilver too, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and killed off in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Appropriately enough, he went pretty quickly.
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Due to some quirks of licensing, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch belonged to both 20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios. Because they were originally X-Men villains, both characters could be in the X-Men movies – but because later on in the comics they joined the Avengers, they could be Marvel heroes too.
Briefly, this meant that there were two Quicksilvers (and a hint at another Wanda, though she was never seen on-screen) in different movies, and as time went on the Maximoff siblings that did exist were left in different cinematic universes. But with Disney now owning Fox and its characters, could that be about to change?
While we know very little about WandaVision, what we do know from short preview clips and the like suggest that it’s a reality-warping trip into alternate possibilities – so what if Peters’ rumoured involvement is an attempt to bring the alternate Quicksilver into the MCU?
Think about it. While including all the X-Men in the MCU would be a big and daunting task, slipping in one who has a pre-established link to one of the Avengers (his sister!) could be a good way to test the waters. Peters’ Quicksilver is popular with fans, and the rule-bending format of WandaVision could allow him to sneak into the MCU – why not give it a go?
Yes, the series seems to be largely exploring Wanda and Vision’s relationship through the medium of sitcom classics, but that could tie in – the surprise long-lost relative is a pretty common trope – and it also seems likely that there’ll be more to WandaVision than riffing on old TV shows as it goes on anyway.
For now, the truth remains a mystery – it’s not even been confirmed that Peters is in the series – and even if our hunch is right, it’s possible the inclusion of the alt-Quicksilver could be a quick joke intended to poke fun at the complicated dynamics of rival superhero universes, rather than an important plot point in its own right.
Other rumours suggesting Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s return as the other Quicksilver also suggest there could be more to this idea than meets the eye, and it’ll be worth keeping an eye on new casting announcements as we approach WandaVision’s release date.
Still, for now it’s our first clue as to how Marvel will handle one of its biggest challenges yet. The mutants are coming, and it might all start here…
WandaVision is released on Disney+ in late 2020. Watch the X-Men movies in order.
