Favorite Characters: Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver (The Avengers)

Okay, so I’ve already talked about Pietro in conjunction with his twin sister, but I wanted to talk about him on his own as well.  For a relatively small character within the larger scope of the Avengersverse, he makes a strong impact (spoilers for Age of Ultron.)

For me, Pietro (and Wanda, of course!) had me from my first glimpse of him at the end of The Winter Soldier.  Both twins are so compelling in that scene, and I remember being pulled in by how distressed Pietro seems compared to Wanda’s eerie calm; whether it’s a struggle to get a handle on his new powers or a combo of having super-speed while being trapped in a confined space, he is not okay.  Right off the bat, it tells you the Maximoffs aren’t equal partners with von Strucker and his Hydra buddies – no matter how willing Pietro and Wanda were in the experiments that gave them their powers, they’re guinea pigs/assets, and no one else there cares about them in any meaningful way.

But I’m getting into the Maximoffs in general, and today is about Pietro; it’s hard to talk about him without bringing in Wanda, so forgive me if I digress from time to time.  When we next see Pietro in Age of Ultron, he’s far more in control of himself and his powers, and it’s clear that, rather than explicitly working with Hydra, he (and Wanda – see, there I go again!) is in this fight strictly to see through his version of justice against Tony and the rest of the system that’s brought so much harm to him, his family, and his country.  Because this is his ultimate goal, not any philosophy or ideal, he operates as much more of a free agent, aligning himself with various people/AIs throughout the movie – and within any temporary alliances, he usually sets his own agenda.  He teams up with anyone who offers him an outlet for his anger and need for restitution, and his only unwavering loyalty is to Wanda.

I like that he’s impulsive and angry, and I like that he can be a cocky smartass (not sure if the arrogance came with his superpowers or if it was a preexisting condition.)  With these traits, he’s often not a nice character – although he knows how to come through in a pinch, and he will do anything for his sister – but he remains a fairly relatable and hugely watchable one.  He’s fully believable as someone who’s been through the ringer, made some rash decisions, and now has these incredible powers that he doesn’t always use responsibly.  I like his distrust, the brittleness of his anger, and the way he can’t help rubbing it in when he leaves someone in the dust.

In part, these more unsympathetic traits work so well because they’re balanced out by his better qualities; he’s not just one thing.  Even when he’s one of the “bad guys,” his attentiveness toward and care for Wanda is so absolute.  Not in a patronizing way – I’m sure he would admit she’s way more powerful than he is – but in an “I’m your twin, and I’ve always got your back” way.  And because he doesn’t do much of anything by half measures, when he and Wanda do decide to follow Team Avengers, he throws himself into it completely:  openly defying Ultron, rescuing civilians left and right, and ultimately giving his life to save one of his teammates.  Finally, in a nice bit of power/personality synchonicity, I love how easily distracted (making an ill-advised grab for Thor’s hammer as he sees it leisurely floating past him mid-run) and impatient (racing around to put the temporary kibosh on Vision with an “eff that noise” attitude when he gets bored of the Avengers’ arguing over what to do) he can be.  He may have been a very short-lived character, but he definitely makes the most of his time in the franchise.