2016 will undoubtedly go down in cinema history as the year of the superhero grudge match. First, Daredevil and the Punisher will go toe to toe in Season 2 of Netflix's Daredevil. Then, the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel will clash in the highly-anticipated Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Finally, long-simmering tensions within the Marvel Cinematic Universe will reach a boiling point in May's Captain America: Civil War. So why not take this golden opportunity to settle one of the biggest superhero debates in recent memory: Which Quicksilver is better, the one from 2014's X-Men: Days Of Future Past or the one from 2015's Avengers: Age Of Ultron?
Thanks to a strange quirk of licensing, audiences were graced with two different versions of the same character in as many years, one in FOX's X-Men franchise and one in the M.C.U.'s burgeoning Avengers lineup. The former was played by 29-year-old American Horror Story actor Evan Peters, the latter by 25-year-old Kick-Ass star Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Fans have been bitterly divided on which Quicksilver is the quote-unquote "better" one… so I've assembled here a completely scientific, 100 percent unbiased test to determine which is the defining version of the super-speedster.
Let's break it down by category, shall we? (Henceforth, I shall be referring to them as Quicksilver A — for Avengers — and Quicksilver X — for X-Men.)
1. The Movie
First, let's get this subjective test underway with an objective fact: which Quicksilver was in the better movie? While DOFP grossed a perfectly acceptable $750 million worldwide, Ultron raked in a truly impressive $1.4 billion across the globe. Aside from the money they made, what did people actually think of them? Both films received an solid "A" grade from audiences on Cinemascore; both films are also "Certified Fresh" on RottenTomatoes. But while Ultron was enjoyed by 75 percent of critics, according to that site, DOFP was given the thumbs up by 91 percent , making it the clear winner here.
Winner: Quicksilver X
2. The Actor
Now let's move on to less objective matters. Without passing judgment on each actor's talent, which of them has the more impressive resumé? Evans is a fan-favorite among AHS audiences, but, outside of that, his feature film experience is fairly limited, having appeared in a small role in Kick-Ass , in the horror flop The Lazarus Effect, and a handful of other projects. Taylor-Johnson's resumé is bit more full. He's played a superhero before, in his break-out role as Dave Lizewski, aka Kick-Ass; he's also starred in another big-budget franchise film, 2014's Godzilla. But his experience isn't limited to action, either. He has appeared in a wide variety of genres, from Joe Wright's gorgeous Anna Karenina to Oliver Stone's brutal Savages and the period Glenn Close drama Albert Nobbs. Give Taylor the edge on this one.
Winner: Quicksilver A
3. The Outfit
When the first promo image for Quicksilver X was released, to say that fans were outraged would be an understatement. Some went so far as to say the character design, which included an awkward silver haircut, bulky goggles, and a gaudy leather jacket, was proof of "Fox's plan to ruin comic book movies for everyone." Conversely, Quicksilver A's design is far from flashy. Given that the superhero's power is running really- ast, the Ultron team made the bold choice to dress their Quicksilver in clothes that a runner might actually wear. (Shocking, I know.) Understated and practical, his design was pretty much everything Quicksilver X's wasn't.
Winner: Quicksilver A
4. The Adaptation
Given the licensing quirk I mentioned before, Ultron had a hard time dancing around the origin story of Quicksilver and his sister Scarlet Witch. Since Marvel had sold the rights to the X-Men — and the term "mutant" — to FOX in the '90s, they were forced to rewrite history for their Instead of mutants, they were simply normal humans who were experimented on by Hydra, granted magical powers by the Infinity Stone in Loki's scepter. DOFP didn't have to do any tiptoeing when it came to their Quicksilver's nature. This version is a mutant, loud and proud. That faithfulness makes this an easy point to award.
Winner: Quicksilver X
5. The Character
But which Quicksilver was the better "character?" Which one was actually the better-written, fully-rounded fictional person? Quicksilver X was undeniably cool; he was cocky, he was fun, he saved the day. But he wasn't even so much a "character" as he was a "deus ex machina," a plot device used to break Magneto out of prison… and then promptly disappear from the rest of the film. Quicksilver A may seem "boring" to some by comparison, but at least he's an actual character. This Quicksilver is given a tragic backstory, actual relationships with other characters — his love for his sister, his allegiance with Ultron, his rivalry with Hawkeye — and an actual arc — from menacing antagonist to uneasy ally to unlikely hero. In terms of three-dimensionality, there's no debate here.
Winner: Quicksilver A
6. The Scene
Quicksilver A may have been more of an actual "character" than a mere "cameo," but his full integration into the large ensemble that is the Avengers came at the expense of any one standout moment. We got plenty of opportunity to see his powers in action and watch him fight against the Avengers — and then alongside them. But there was no one scene in the film that was "Quicksilver's scene." The complete opposite is true in DOFP. Quicksilver X isn't integrated into the X-Men ensemble at all, but he gets one scene that is firmly his and his alone; and it's arguably the single most memorable scene of the entire movie.
Winner: Quicksilver X
7. The Power
You would think that, both Quicksilvers being adaptations of the same character, they would also have the same powers, but their abilities actually vary in some pretty significant ways. Quicksilver A doesn't really seem to "run fast" so much as he does "basically stop time," allowing him to meander around the room repositioning bullets, taking time to taste some soup along the way. This version of Quicksilver is so ridiculously overpowered that the movie is then forced to get rid of him before the climax. When we see Quicksilver A's use his ability, you actually get the sense that he's running really fast. Sure, he's moving faster than should be possibly, but he's still running. If he does it for too long, he gets winded; just like the rest of us do after a nice jog.
I suppose it depends on what you're looking for in this category. If you want powers that look cool but make no actual sense, then you would go with Quicksilver X. Personally, I like Quicksilver A's slightly more realistic take on the speedster abilities.
Winner: Quicksilver A
And The Winner Is…
It was a close race, but, in the end, it's the Quicksilver from Age Of Ultron came out on top. I was tempted to call this one a tie because they're both great, memorable characters… but that felt like cheating. Ultimately, the time and care that Ultron put into building their Quicksilver as a believable character gave Taylor-Johnson the edge. However, Peters still has a chance to reclaim the title of Best Quicksilver. The trailer for this May's X-Men: Apocalypse promise a renewed focus on his hero, and that film could help put his version over the top. Unfortunately, Taylor-Johnson won't be able to defend his crown, since his Quicksilver is already dead.
Or is he...?
Images: 20th Century Fox; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Giphy (8)
