The Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch Appearances in Avengers 2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past

The Comicbook characters Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver, and Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. Scarlet Witch, in the Marvel Comics Universe are members of the superhero team The Avengers. Now, the movie Avengers 2 is currently in active production (what with the start of Marvel's Phase 2 movies, beginning with Iron Man 3) and has included both superhero characters to make an appearance in that sequel. It just so happened that the upcoming movie X-Men: Days of Future Past will also have both characters make an appearance in that movie. Because aside from being Avengers, both comicbook characters are also mutants, and are the children of Magneto, one of the most important characters of the X-Men Universe. [read the full article after the jump]

We will be treated to two sets of actors playing the same characters in two big-budget blockbusters opening within less than a year of each other – which would prove confusing, or can there be some kind of crossover between the rival movie universes?

RIGHTS ISSUES
QUICKSILVER and SCARLET WITCH are shared by 2 studios: Fox and Marvel. As Marvel Comics readers know, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are the mutant children of X-Men villain Magneto and so they fall under the film license agreement Fox has over all mutant characters. They’re exceptions to the rule however, since they’ve also been main characters of The Avengers  in the comics so Marvel Studios can technically use them as well, albeit with certain restrictions.

Fox owns the mutant aspect of the characters, while Marvel owns everything that doesn’t make any mention of them being X-Men, muties or the kids of Magneto.

CASTING
Joss Whedon has confirmed that the first draft for The Avengers 2 script was complete and that it would feature a pair of new characters he described as a “brother-sister act” he was referring to both comicbook characters.

Meanwhile, X-Men: Days of Future Past director Bryan Singer made an announcement that Evan Peters (American Horror Story) would be playing Quicksilver in his own film. Some unverified sources claim this was a powerplay by Fox and that the studios aren’t exactly best friends. Others remain optimistic that the hopes of key people such as X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner, The Wolverine star Hugh Jackman and Fox’s Marvel movie consultant Mark Millar – who wish to see the studios work out a deal to crossover their film universes – may have helped make it actually happen and that Evan Peters’ Quicksilver could have been the same Quicksilver Avengers 2 as well.

But then, there had recently been rumors arising that Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the frontrunner for the Quicksilver role in Avengers 2. if the news is true that he’s at least a contender it does mean that any hopes of Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Studios working together to share certain characters are shattered.

There’s still no word on who could be playing Scarlet Witch in either cinematic universe and we don’t even know if that character is part of Days of Future Past, although it would be strange for Singer to include one child of Magneto, but not the other. As for The Avengers 2, they have been modelling Scarlet Witch on Oscar-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan. But no confirmation has been made that she will indeed play that role.

With the upcoming Comic-Con this month, there will surely be more announcements on what the future of this dispute/possible crossover be. Stay hung on SYOWING for updates.

X-Men: Days of Future Past has its release date set on July 18, 2014 and The Avengers 2 on May 1, 2015.