Quicksilver

"You didn't see that coming?"

- Pietro Maximoff to Hawkeye

Pietro Maximoff was a native of the Eastern European country of Sokovia who grew up with his twin sister, Wanda. The country, which was embroiled in constant war and strife, became the base of operations for a HYDRA cell operated by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, who recruited Pietro and Wanda to take part in a series of tests involving the Scepter. The tests gave the twins superpowers; while his sister Wanda received a number of mental abilities; Pietro acquired the ability to move at supersonic speeds and other physical features. When HYDRA fell, the twins joined the A.I. Ultron to continue their quest for their revenge on Tony Stark, but eventually switched sides and joined the Avengers when they discovered Ultron's true intentions. Pietro fought in the Battle of Sokovia alongside the other Avengers, but later sacrificed his life to protect Hawkeye and a civilian boy, much to the grief of his sister.

Early Life
"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, twins. Orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed on their apartment building. Sokovia has had a... rough history, it's nowhere special but it's on the way to everywhere special."

- Maria Hill and Steve Rogers

Pietro Maximoff was born in the Eastern European country of Sokovia along with his twin sister, Wanda. At the age of ten, while having dinner with his family, a mortar shell hit their apartment building, killing Maximoff's parents and trapping him and his sister. A second shell hit the apartment near them but did not go off; the Maximoff twins were left trapped for two days staring at the unexploded shell reading the name on it, Stark Industries. This traumatic experience gave the twins a great hatred for America, especially Tony Stark and later the Avengers. They often took part and led protests against the Avengers. They dedicated much of their lives to his hatred and began searching for ways to bring down the Avengers; this constant political activity put them on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar.

Joining HYDRA
"Be strong, sister. It won't be long before we have the power we need to fight."

- Pietro Maximoff

When the twins reached adulthood, foreign powers began occupying Sokovia, driving the country into a state of turmoil. Pietro and Wanda took part in frequent riots to drive the foreign forces from their streets. What the twins did not realize was that the riots were orchestrated by HYDRA, who had taken up residence in the country and were using the riots to cover up their illegal experiments. The leader of the HYDRA forces in Sokovia, Wolfgang von Strucker, was attempting to harness the energy from the Scepter for a variety of uses, such as powering up weapons of mass destruction. List, desiring to see what effect the scepter's power would have on live humans, approached several Sokovian rioters, including Wanda and Pietro, offering them the opportunity to achieve the power needed to free their country from war. While Wanda expressed some doubt over Strucker's claims, Pietro was determined to free Sokovia and convinced his sister to accept.

While the other volunteers did not survive the scepter's power, Pietro and Wanda experienced drastic changes. The scepter unlocked latent supernatural powers within the pair; while Wanda developed a number of mental powers such as telekinesis, hypnosis, and energy projection, Pietro was now able to move at superhuman speed. Soon after, the Avengers arrived in Sokovia and raided the HYDRA Research Base, stealing the scepter and arresting Strucker. In the confusion, Wanda and Pietro escaped from their holding cells and, though inexperienced, were able to use their powers to evade the Avengers and escape. Pietro himself used his powers to distract Hawkeye and Captain America, using his speed to try to stop their advance and to protect a bunker, which was destroyed by the Hulk soon after.

A Misguided Partnership
"Yeah, you better run."

- Hawkeye to Pietro after he saves Wanda

Wanda and Pietro were soon called by Ultron to join him in his plans to destroy the Avengers, knowing that with their powers, they could tear the opposition apart. Soon after, Wanda and Pietro accompanied Ultron in acquiring Ulysses Klaue's supply of vibranium. When the Avengers arrived, Pietro attacked Captain America, then Thor, trying unsuccessfully to use Mjølnir against him. When Wanda attempted to "hex" Hawkeye, but was subdued by him, Pietro saved her in the nick of time. He took her outside Klaue's base, where she caught sight of the Hulk and managed to "hex" him as well.

Battle of Seoul
When the Twins arrived in Seoul, Wanda learned of Ultron's plans upon touching the Cradle and they left the facility, much to Ultron's rage. The Twins then assisted Captain America in fighting off Ultron on a moving passenger train. Wanda managed to stop it when it went off the rails, while Pietro used his super speed to save people on the road of the train. The Twins then accompanied Captain America back to Avengers Tower and tried to stop Tony Stark and Banner from bringing Vision to life. Pietro succeeded to cut off the electricity from Vision's cradle, but he was soon attacked by Hawkeye, only to witness Thor bringing Vision to life. After Vision proved himself an ally to the Avengers, he and Wanda then joined the Avengers in stopping Ultron and saving Sokovia.

Birth of Vision
The Maximoffs were taken to Avengers Tower by Steve Rogers. Once there they discovered that Tony Stark was attempting to programme Ultron's being in the Cradle with his own A.I. J.A.R.V.I.S.. Rogers ordered Stark to terminate the programme as it was too dangerous, so Maximoff used his incredible speed to unplug and damage the machine. As he took for a moment, he noticed a bullet coming up from the ground below him, before he could react the glass he was standing on shattered and he was captured by Clint Barton, who mocked him by asking if he had seen that coming?

Rogers and Stark's argument hit a boiling point and the pair began fighting until Thor arrived and used his lightning to power the Cradle, causing the being inside to be born. The being briefly attacked the Avengers before overlooking New York City and calming down. The being apologised and explained that he was not Ultron, or J.A.R.V.I.S., but a new Vision. He told them that they needed to go to stop Ultron and in order to gain their trust, handed Thor his hammer Mjølnir. Maximoff and the rest of the Avengers could only look on in shock and confusion.

Battle of Sokovia
Pietro and his sister evacuated the citizens out of Sokovia. His method of evacuating them is more aggressive, as none of the police in the station listened to him. When the city started to rise, Pietro and Wanda, alongside the Avengers, fought against his sentries. Using his speed, Pietro took out numerous robots. During the battle, he was accidentally shot by one of the officers. Eventually, when Ultron and his sentries converged on the Avengers all at once to activate the key to drop the city, Pietro and the Avengers fought them off and heavily injured Ultron. The team decided to sweep the city for any remaining drones while Wanda decided to stay behind and protect the team. Pietro was reluctant to leave his sister but she told him she could take care of herself and told him to get all the civilians on the evacuation ships and to come back for her.

Self-Sacrifice
"You didn't... see that... coming?"

- Pietro's last words to Hawkeye

During the Battle of Sokovia, Ultron hijacked the Avengers' Quinjet and began to fire its guns at civilians. Pietro bravely used his powers to save countless lives. When Ultron targeted Hawkeye and a civilian boy, he used his own body to shield transport them away from the Quinjet's powered minigun, proving himself a true hero and a true Avenger. Unfortunately, Pietro wasn't fast enough to avoid the bullets and died from his wounds, much to his sister's sorrow. His body was taken by Hawkeye out of Sokovia.

In honor of his sacrifice Hawkeye and his family decided to name their newest son Nathaniel Pietro Barton.

Personality
Pietro is a rather cocky, arrogant, impatient, tenacious, and quick-tempered person. These personality traits are likely a side-affect of his super-speed, due to thinking and acting at a much faster rate than most. Despite this, Pietro has a desire for peace as he wished to save his country to the point he was willing to be experimented on by HYDRA, giving him the formidable powers he now possesses.

He also deeply cares for Wanda and the two shared a deep bond, though they would occasionally bicker like normal siblings. He looked after his sister and relied on her for support. Wanda was devastated by Pietro's death at the hands of Ultron, to the point she said to Ultron that she just 'died'.

Pietro originally desired to destroy the Avengers and in particular, Tony Stark for revenge, to the point they decided to join Ultron when he said he shared the same goal. However, Pietro chose to betray the A.I. when he found out about his true goal, showing that he is willing to put aside his personal grudges for the greater good.

Pietro also has a great rivalry with Hawkeye ever since they first fought. They constantly compete, fight, and taunt each other. Despite this, however, the two became good friends and teammates through their membership in the Avengers. He later proves himself a true hero and Avenger by sacrificing his life to protect Hawkeye and a civilian boy during the Battle of Sokovia. Hawkeye later named his newborn son, Nathaniel Pietro Barton, showing that he deeply respected Pietro for his choices.

Powers
"He's got increased metabolism and improved homeostasis."

- Maria Hill


 * Superhuman Speed: Quicksilver gained the ability to run at extremely high, supersonic speeds due to HYDRA's experiments with the Scepter. His power caused him to generate an aura of blue, white and transparent energy currents and mist-like shapes, much like fire or wind, leaving behind a trail of it as he runs. When imprisoned by Wolfgang von Strucker, he was able move from one end of his cell to another in less than a fraction of a second. His abilities made him nigh unbeatable in battle, with his speed giving him the ability to generate extreme force and momentum. In his confrontation with the Avengers, he managed to avoid multiple attacks, and took down Captain America in seconds. This ability made him able to outmaneuver someone as fast and perceptive as Hawkeye with absolute ease, catching his arrows and sending him flying through the air multiple times. It was only his ignorance towards Mjølnir that allowed Quicksilver to be caught off guard, knocking him down for awhile. Shortly afterwards, however, he took down Captain America again. He used his speed to quickly save Scarlet Witch from Hawkeye after knocking him down as well.
 * Extreme Force Generation: By building up enough force and momentum in his body, Quicksilver can deal very powerful strikes, often propelling objects or people several feet. While this does not enhance his strength, it compensates for his normal physical strength by greatly increasing the force behind his attacks. This allowed him to match Captain America's far superior strength in their confrontation, allowing Quicksilver to send the latter flying with a super-accelerated punch. During the Battle of Sokovia, Quicksilver used this ability again to dismantle and crush numerous Ultron Sentries by colliding with them at great speeds. This force however, isn't enough to injure beings of immense power, shown when Thor was barely affected by Quicksilver smashing into him at supersonic speeds.
 * Improved Thermal Homeostasis: Quicksilver could resist the side effects of moving at these speeds such as friction, reduced oxygen and kinetic impact.
 * Increased Metabolism: Quicksilver has a hyper-accelerated metabolic rate, enhancing his physicality and ability to move and act while also making him less able to be stunned by attacks or injuries, as he quickly recovered from the pain of being shot in the arm and could still act as if he were not injured. However, his metabolism still has its limits, as when he repeatedly had to stop to catch his breath after running for long periods of time.
 * Superhuman Reflexes: Quicksilver's increased speed also augmented his reaction time, allowing him to react to danger and events much faster than a normal human. His reflexes are so fast that they even allow him to catch bullets in mid-air. As a result, Quicksilver tends to see the world around him as if it were in slow motion, especially when he is moving at super speed. However even with his enhanced reflexes, Quicksilver can still be caught by surprise, such as his fight against Hawkeye during the confrontation between Iron Man and Captain America at Avengers Tower.

Abilities

 * Multilingualism: Pietro was fluent in Sokovian and English (albeit with a heavy Sokovian accent).

Family

 * Father †
 * Mother †
 * Wanda Maximoff - Twin Sister

Allies

 * Avengers - Enemies turned Teammates
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Enemy turned Ally and Leader
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man - Enemy turned Ally
 * Bruce Banner/Hulk
 * Thor
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
 * Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Rival
 * Vision
 * Maria Hill
 * Helen Cho
 * Nick Fury
 * James Rhodes/War Machine
 * Costel

Enemies

 * Ultron † - Ally turned Enemy and Killer
 * Ultron Sentries †
 * HYDRA
 * Wolfgang von Strucker †
 * Doctor List †
 * Ulysses Klaue

Appearances
In chronological order:
 * Avengers: Age of Ultron Prelude - This Scepter'd Isle
 * Captain America: The Winter Soldier
 * Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Season Two
 * The Dirty Half Dozen (mentioned)
 * Avengers: Age of Ultron

Trivia

 * In the comics, Quicksilver is a mutant and a founding member of the Brotherhood of Mutants, being initially identified as the son of Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr) and his then-wife Magda Lehnsherr (née Eisenhardt) in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4 (1983), 19 years after Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver's first appearance. Magda leaves Erik while pregnant and takes sanctuary at Mount Wundagore in Transia, the home of the High Evolutionary, where she gives birth and later dies. The High Evolutionary then places them instead in the care of the Romani couple, Django and Marya Maximoff, who raise them as their own children. Prior to that, in Giant-Size Avengers #1 (1974), they were revealed to be the biological children of Golden Age superheroes The Whizzer and Miss America, a fact that was later retconned. In Avengers &amp; X-Men: AXIS #7 (2014), it was revealed that Pietro and his sister have no blood ties to Magneto and are not related after all. In Uncanny Avengers #4 (2015), it is confirmed not only they are not related to Magneto but they are not even mutants, as the High Evolutionary genetically altered them as infants, giving them their powers, before returning them to their true parents, the Maximoffs.
 * Pietro was twelve minutes older than his sister.

Behind the Scenes

 * Another version of Quicksilver appeared in 's production X-Men: Days of Future Past and will return in X-Men: Apocalypse. He is portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Kick-Ass co-star Evan Peters. That version is known as "Peter Maximoff", instead of "Pietro". This is due to both Fox and Marvel owning Quicksilver's movie rights, as Quicksilver was heavily involved in both the Avengers and X-Men comics.
 * Aaron Taylor-Johnson was uncredited for his appearance in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
 * Both Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were originally going to appear in the post-credits scene for Guardians of the Galaxy.
 * In the film, Pietro, alongside his sister Wanda, are not referred to as their comic book codenames, though the credits did in fact credit him as "Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver".
 * An alternate ending scene was shot for Age of Ultron, featuring Quicksilver alive, joining the Avengers and wearing a new costume, along with his sister.
 * Pietro Maximoff's screen time in Avengers: Age of Ultron is 26:43.
 * Pietro's first and final words in the film are "You didn't see that coming?", and both times he says them to Hawkeye.