Can Aaron Taylor-Johnson return as Quicksilver?
Two new heroes have been introduced Avengers: Age of Ultron that signaled the expansion of the MCU: Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and her twin brother Pietro / Quicksilver (played by Aaron Taylor Johnson). In an interview with screen rantOlsen revealed that her dream project in the MCU would be comics house of m to explore. In the same interview, Taylor-Johnson said there’s a lot of nuance and gems in Marvel movies. This effectively gave fans hope of a possibility X-Men Crossover or introduction to the franchise. Dreams were quickly shattered when it was learned that on the one hand the twins’ powers were bestowed upon them by the Mind Stone, and on the other hand Quicksilver had actually died by the end of the film.
Update August 19, 2023: This article has been updated with additional context, including more information on Kraven the Hunter and current quotes from Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Although fans bemoaned Quicksilver’s appearance in a single film, the possibility of Taylor-Johnson returning as Quicksilver has remained and is even greater now that the MCU is included in the Multiverse Saga. Although Taylor-Johnson stars Kraven the Hunter Film, another Marvel character for Sony, it’s not entirely out of the question for him to play Quicksilver again. Considering we’ve seen variants everywhere Loki, Spider-Man: No Way HomeAnd Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessThe question is: can Taylor-Johnson return to the MCU as Quicksilver?
MCU contract changes since 2015
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When Marvel Studios first launched, the original contracts were notoriously long. Chris Evans famously stated that he originally turned down the role of Steve Rogers/Captain America because his original contract was for nine films. This was common as phases 1 through 3 of the MCU relied heavily on the stories of the original Avengers leading up to release Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
With a set number of films for which actors were signed, this provided the studio with a basis for the number of films to tell each character’s story. More recently, however, per colliders, Marvel Studios has adopted a less intense contract: Unlike Evans and Downey, Elizabeth Olsen’s contract has consecutive renewals at shorter intervals, allowing for more flexibility. Even Tom Hollands Spiderman The contract is currently being extended. The studio could negotiate with Johnson for his return if they wanted him back.
The multiverse saga defies death
Phase 4 of the MCU thoroughly established the multiverse, starting with Whispers WandaVisionand then continue expanding with Loki, What if…?, No way homeAnd Multiverse of Madness. As we saw in the film, there are infinite universes, suggesting a Quicksilver lives somewhere. Considering how overjoyed fans were at the mere theory of his return WandaVision (Before it turned out to be Evan Peters), there’s still a slim chance Marvel could bring Taylor-Johnson back at some point.
Avengers: Secret Wars
in the coming avenger movies, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty And Avengers: Secret Wars, Possible scenarios for Johnson’s return as Quicksilver are presented. When the MCU draws from 2015 Secret Wars Comic meaning multiple realities collide into one, merging various elements from the Marvel Multiverse. One of those characters could be Quicksilver, one who is alive.
The question is, though, would Marvel Studios spend the money to bring Johnson back? Avengers: Secret Wars has the potential to be the biggest Marvel film to date, featuring not only the various heroes from the MCU throughout all six phases, but also variants of characters from pre-MCU films. Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine probably have higher priority than Quicksilver, who was a one-off character in a film that general audiences probably don’t remember that well. The best reason for this is to give the character one final moment with her sister, Scarlet Witch, who will likely be the focus of the story.
Kraven the Hunter
If there’s any reason to doubt Taylor-Johnson’s return to the MCU as Quicksilver, it’s his upcoming starring role Kraven the Hunter as part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The film has yet to be released, but test screenings have reportedly been positive, which could mean a successful franchise for both Sony and Taylor-Johnson. However, the SSU and MCU are definitely separate entries at this point, so that doesn’t necessarily mean deals with one preclude opportunities with the other. However, committing to multiple large franchises is a huge challenge for anyone, which can require months of training, followed by months of filming and eventual re-shoots.
In a recent interview for esquire, he is open about the fact that his family is more important to him than the lights and glitz of Hollywood. The pandemic was making him and his wife homesick, so the family sold their home in the Hollywood Hills and moved back to England for a simpler country life. The actor changed his priorities after becoming a father, and as the man himself said, he didn’t really care about his role in The Movie Avengers: Age of Ultron. He also has his eye on a much larger franchise at the moment that wouldn’t require him to be too far from home.
Does Quicksilver have to return?
Given that Taylor-Johnson doesn’t seem to have really enjoyed playing Quicksilver in the MCU and is keeping himself busy Kraven the Hunter, the chance of him returning is unlikely and that’s a good thing. Oftentimes, character deaths in comic book movies are reversible, and now that the multiverse has opened up, it has left some viewers feeling that death doesn’t matter when another version of a character can emerge.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 did a great job demonstrating that just because it looks like the same person isn’t the case, but that’s a criticism some fans will have nonetheless. The fact that Quicksilver and other characters like Black Widow and the death of Iron Man are permanent shows that these films do have consequences.
The MCU has also outgrown Quicksilver’s need. Despite playing a semi-important role in the comics, he has never been as important to the franchise as his sister Scarlet Witch. While the two are often linked, Scarlet Witch tends to fend for herself, and the MCU has done an incredible job of exploring her life without her brother. His only other important connection is with the Inhuman Princess Crystal. Still, Marvel Studios doesn’t seem invested in this trait in the main series. Quicksilver doesn’t really have any connection or intention to get back into the franchise. at this point.
Nevertheless, his legacy can live on. WandaVision introduced Billy and Tommy, the children of Scarlet Witch and Vision, which Wanda based on dreams she had of her children in another multiverse. While Billy seems to have similar powers to his mother, Tommy is just as fast as his uncle Quicksilver. Both Billy and Tommy are main characters in The Young Avengers and they seem to be building on that.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s role as Kraven the Hunter positions him as an important part of another Marvel Universe. Kraven will likely face off against characters like Venom and Morbius in future films. Madam Web, another film in the franchise, could tie that part of the franchise to the MCU via the multiverse. In a weird way, Taylor-Johnson might show up Avengers: Secret Wars but not as Quicksilver, but as Kraven the Hunter. A character might even observe how much Kraven looks like Quicksilver, a nice reversal of how WandaVision used the casting of Evan Peters to make a joke WandaVision.
