The Flash film has sped into theaters this week, and moviegoers and comic book fans are excited to see The Fastest Man Alive lead his first live-action solo film. In early reviews, fans and critics have given Ezra Miller more praise for their portrayal of Barry Allen than they received for past appearances in the DC Extended Universe, but no matter how good the film and performance wind up being, it will be hard for them to dethrone the reigning king of cinematic super-speedsters, that being, of course, Evan Peters’ Quicksilver from 20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise. His funny personality, creative power displays, and relatable story arc made Peters’ Quicksilver a fan favorite, and as of now he continues to tower over Miller’s Flash and other similar characters.
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Who Is Quicksilver in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'?
Quicksilver, also known as Peter Maximoff, was introduced in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. In the film, Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) travels back in time to work with young versions of Charles Xavier/Professor X (James McAvoy) and Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) to prevent Raven Darkhölme/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), which will cause the post-apocalyptic future Logan traveled from to come to be. He informs Charles and Hank that they will also need help from Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Charles’ friend-turned-enemy and Raven's criminal partner. Logan is dismayed to learn that the magnetically-powered mutant is being held prisoner in the Pentagon for allegedly assassinating President John F. Kennedy. Logan decides to recruit Peter, whose older self he knew in the future, to break Erik out.
Peter is characterized as a kleptomaniac whose powers have made him hyperactive, with him rarely sticking to the same task for more than seconds at a time. Unlike the X-Men, he is unconcerned about hiding his powers from others, assuming anyone who says he is a mutant will not be believed. Peters delivers a confident, charming performance that is a pleasure to watch and the character’s unique presence also brings out the best in his co-stars. Sharing a scene with Peter even leads to extremely rare, but effective, moments of humor from Erik. Peter is amusingly shocked to hear that Erik was arrested for killing the president, which the older mutant admits to in a wonderfully matter-of-fact manner. When Peter randomly asks Erik if he knows karate, the latter replies, “I don’t know karate. But I know crazy,” with one of Fassbender’s best deliveries.
Quicksilver Gave Us Two Iconic Speed Sequences in the X-Men Films
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When the group is shot at by guards while extracting Erik, viewers get their first glimpse at the full extent of Peter’s powers. Time seems to slow to a crawl as the camera depicts events in extremely slow motion, as Peter sees them. He moves at what seems to be a leisurely pace, dispatching the guards by manipulating their bodies and surroundings in an assortment of comical ways, but also takes the time to taste spilling food before it hits the floor and steal one of the guards’ hats. Most amusingly, he waits to deflect the bullets away from Charles, Erik, and Logan until they have almost reached their marks, even though he had more than enough time to do so much sooner. The scene is accompanied by Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle,” which Peter is listening to on his headset. The emotional, loving nature of the lyrics contrasts perfectly with the mischievous action playing out onscreen, making the song choice the cherry on top of an already excellent scene. When time snaps back to normal, the results of Peter’s work play out in seconds as the guards are dispatched in a series of slapstick takedowns, leaving the other mutants stunned. The scene was beloved by viewers and is often cited as the highlight of an already praised film.
The sequel, X-Men: Apocalypse, managed to deliver a similarly delightful sequence when Peter extracted the students of Charles’ School for Gifted Youngsters as the building exploded. That scene was set to Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” which also fits the character’s personality excellently. Days of Future Past came out before the rest of the modern speedsters were introduced in their respective films, and as a result, most of the scenes highlighting their powers, including those of Miller’s Flash, come across as imitations of the “Time in a Bottle” sequence. The only exception to this is the scenes in Eternals focusing on the character of Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), whose speed is shown in real-time, creating its own unique effect.
Quicksilver Has a More Unique Arc Than The Flash
Grant Gustin’s version of The Flash from the long-running Arrowverse TV series received the most character development of any live-action speedster so far, but in terms of the characters who have appeared in film, Peter once again comes out on top. Both Peter Maximoff and Miller’s Barry Allen receive most of their character development in single films, although in the latter’s case it is Justice League, of which there are two very distinct versions. Still, in both Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder’s versions of the film, his arc is the same. It revolves around Barry living up to his potential by becoming a more fully-fledged hero after his incarcerated father, Henry (Billy Crudup), tells him to stop living in the past. This arc is fine and leads to some strong moments, especially in Snyder’s version, but it is similar to plenty of other superhero, or even coming of age, storylines in any number of films. Peter’s arc in X-Men: Apocalypse, however, is more unique.
In X-Men: Apocalypse, Peter sets out to confront Erik — his biological father, as was the case in the Marvel Comics universe for a long time —after the latter goes on a violent rampage and joins Apocalypse’s (Oscar Isaac) team of super-villains following the deaths of his wife and daughter. Ultimately, however, Peter is frightened by the violence Erik participates in and chooses not to tell him about their relationship. It is fairly unconventional for a superhero story to end with a character not overcoming their fears in this way, and the storyline provides an important, extra layer of tragedy to Erik’s role in the film.
Another thing Peters’ Quicksilver has over Miller’s Flash is that the former is not involved in any controversial scenes, while the latter is. Unfortunately, both versions of Justice League feature scenes where Barry touches women inappropriately. In Whedon’s cut, during a battle against Steppenwolf’s (Ciarán Hinds) forces, Barry and Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) are knocked to the ground, with Barry landing on Diana’s breasts before attempting to move off before she can notice. It’s an ill-conceived attempt at humor that is ultimately ineffective and takes dignity away from Diana’s character. In Snyder’s cut, while rescuing Iris West (Kiersey Clemons) from an ongoing car accident, Barry takes the time to feel her hair while moving at super-speed. This was likely meant to show that Barry is attracted to her as the pair are love interests in the DC Comics source material, but most viewers interpreted it as an uncomfortable invasion of privacy and personal space, especially since the characters are not yet acquainted with one another at the time of the scene.
Evan Peters' Quicksilver Makes His MCU Debut in 'WandaVision' (Sort of)
For evidence of the enduring popularity of Peters’ Quicksilver, one has only to look at the reaction to the actor’s role in the MCU series WandaVision. In the series, Peters played a character named Ralph Bohner, who was bewitched by Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) to spy on Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) by impersonating Wanda's brother, another version of Quicksilver named Pietro (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Avengers: Age of Ultron). Ralph’s real identity was not revealed until the series’ final episode. The decision not to have Peters actually play his version of Quicksilver was widely panned by fans and critics, with many considering it the one major flaw of the acclaimed series. This emphasizes that there is nearly universal appreciation for the character, something that has eluded Miller’s Flash, who has proved to be divisive with audiences both because of elements of Miller’s performance and due to the actor’s real-life behavior.
'The Flash' is currently playing in theaters.
Read More About ‘The Flash’
The Decades-Long Journey To Get The Flash to the Big Screen
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‘The Flash’ Review: DC Makes a Solid Multiverse Film but a Poor Time Travel Story
