Real name: Pietro Maximoff
Occupation: Adventurer, former criminal
Group affiliation: Avengers: formerly X-Factor, the Knights of Wundagore and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
Base of operations: Avengers Mansion, New York City
First appearance: X-Men (Vol. 1) #4 (1964)

Height: 6'
Weight: 175 lbs.
Eye color: Blue
Hair color: Silver

Powers: Pietro Maximoff is a mutant who can think and move at superhuman speeds; his entire body is adapted to the rigors of life in the fast lane. Quicksilver's powers of acceleration make possible any number of feats: He has dodged machinegun fire, created cyclone-like gusts of wind, sprinted up the sides of buildings and run across bodies of water. Since his abilities were fully awakened by the High Evolutionary's Isotope E, he no longer knows the upper limits of speed.

Weapons: None

History: Pietro Maximoff is the son of Magneto, mutant Master of Magnetism, and his former wife, a gypsy named Magda. Prior to Pietro's birth, Magda fled Magneto, terrified by the recent manifestation of his bizarre powers and his newly adopted doctrine of world domination. Seeking refuge, Magda came upon the scientific citadel of Wundagore in the Balkan Mountains of Transia. She was taken in by Bova, a humanoid cow created by the master geneticist known as the High Evolutionary. Magda gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and named them Wanda and Pietro. Still afraid her estranged husband might hunt them down them, she walked into the frozen mountain wilderness to perish.

Bova presented the twins to the High Evolutionary, who agreed to find them human foster parents. He chose Django and Marya Maximoff, a gypsy couple camped nearby, who had lost their own twins. The Maximoffs accepted the gift and cared for the children as if they were their own. As adolescents, Wanda and Pietro discovered they possessed unusual superhuman abilities. Wanda could cause strange phenomenon to occur simply by waving her hands, and Pietro was able to move faster than the blink of an eye. When Django stole food to feed his starving family, enraged villagers attacked the gypsy camp. Using his phenomenal speed, Pietro took flight with his sister. The circumstances of the youngsters' separation from their family were so traumatic that not until well into adulthood could they remember anything but the barest details of their early existence. For the next few years, Wanda and Pietro wandered central Europe, living off the land.

While visiting a small village, Wanda accidentally caused a house to burst into flame with her then-uncontrollable hex-casting abilities. Superstitious townspeople took up arms against the young mutant, mistaking her for a witch. Despite Pietro's attempts to defend his sister, the siblings soon were overpowered. They were about to be killed when Magneto came to their rescue. The genetic terrorist pressed them into service in his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, costumed them, and rechristened them the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. For months, Wanda and Pietro served their new master out of a sense of obligation -- and for fear of reprisal. As members of the Brotherhood, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch aided Magneto in his terrorist campaigns against humanity and helped him combat the idealistic team of mutant heroes known as the X-Men. Magneto did not realize Wanda and Pietro were his children, nor did they know he was their father.

When the alien entity known as the Stranger stamped out the Brotherhood, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch petitioned for membership in the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. They were inducted -- along with Hawkeye, arrow-slinging ex-con -- to replace the team's charter members, who wished to take leaves of absence. However, humanity's hatred and fear of mutants still disturbed Quicksilver; he briefly rejoined Magneto, compelling his sister to follow. Ultimately, the siblings confronted the Master of Magnetism. Combining their abilities, Wanda and Pietro helped the Avengers and X-Men defeat their former savior.

After rejoining the Avengers, Quicksilver was seriously injured while battling a pack of mutant-hunting Sentinel androids. He was rescued by Crystal -- a member of the royal family of the Inhumans, a genetic offshoot of mankind. The pair became romantically involved and married following a brief courtship. Not long after the birth of their first child, Luna, Quicksilver discovered the truth regarding his parentage. Magneto had stumbled upon Bova, and learned from her that Wanda and Pietro were his children.

Magneto confronted Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch with this revelation, hoping to sway them to rejoin his crusade against humanity. Unable to accept that he had changed his ways, Quicksilver denounced Magneto for his callous treatment of them when they were members of his Brotherhood. Although the mutant speedster chose to remain with his wife in the Inhumans' domain, he began to neglect her. This led Crystal to become involved with another man. Learning of her infidelity, Quicksilver refused to forgive her. Crystal took Luna to Earth and joined the Avengers, while Quicksilver connected with the team's West Coast branch. Shortly thereafter, Pietro became a special operative of the U.S. government as a member of its new mutant task force, X-Factor.

When Quicksilver and Crystal successfully reconciled, Pietro left X-Factor and rejoined the Avengers. However, the struggling couple's happiness came to an abrupt end when Crystal seemingly perished in the team's battle against sentient psionic menace known as Onslaught. In reality, a whole host of Earth's greatest heroes had been transported to an alternate reality. During Crystal's absence, the High Evolutionary recruited Quicksilver to lead a small faction of his Knights of Wundagore, animals the geneticist had endowed with intelligence and humanoid forms. For a time, Pietro directed the Knights in battles against injustice. Quicksilver and Crystal were reunited when the missing heroes finally returned to their native Earth.

After Magneto gained control of the island nation of Genosha off the coast of South Africa, Quicksilver returned to his father's side -- but only to acquire a better vantage point from which monitor his activities. At first forced to cope with civil war and the effects of the lethal Legacy Virus, Magneto soon gained the might of a unified nation when a cure for the mutant plague was released into the atmosphere. At the eleventh hour, Quicksilver managed to escape his father's empire to warn the X-Men of the Master of Magnetism's impending attack against humanity. Though the world continues to teeter on the brink of genetic war, Pietro has chosen to fight by his sister's side once again as a member of the Avengers.

One day, Wanda accidentally caused a house to burst into flame through her hex powers, which she could not yet control. Superstitious townspeople began chasing her, thinking she was a witch. Despite Pietro's attempt to defend her, they were soon overpowered and were about to become victims of mob violence when Magneto came to their rescue. Unaware that he was their natural father, Magneto pressed them into service in his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, costumed them, and named them the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (see Brotherhood of Evil Mutants). For months they served Magneto out of a sense of obligation and fear of his reprisal. As members of the Brotherhood, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch aided Magneto in his terrorist campaigns against humanity and helped him combat the original members of the X-Men (see X-Men). Magneto did not realize Wanda and Pietro were his children, nor did they know he was their father.
    When the Brotherhood was defeated by the overwhelming powers of the alien Stranger, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch quit the Brotherhood; the Stranger transported Magneto away from Earth, and Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch returned to Transia.
    Avengers, a world-renowned team of super heroes. They were inducted along with Hawkeye to take the place of the charter members, who wished to take a leave of absence. Although the hot-tempered Quicksilver and Hawkeye often both rebelled against his orders, Avengers leader Captain America molded them into valuable team members.
    Humanity's suspicion of mutants still rankled Quicksilver, and he briefly rejoined Magneto after the latter returned to Earth, compelling his sister to come with him. Months after the X-Men and Avengers defeated Magneto, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch resumed their membership in the Avengers.
    Seriously injured during the Avengers' battle against the Sentinels, Quicksilver was taken to medical care by Crystal, a member of the royal family of the hidden race of Inhumans. Months passed before Quicksilver was well enough to contact his companions to tell them what had happened to him. During that time Quicksilver became romantically involved with Crystal, and the two married after a brief courtship. The wedding, held in the Inhumans' refuge of Attilan, then located in the Himalayan Mountains, was attended by the Inhumans, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four.
    Not long after the birth of his and Crystal's first child, Luna, Quicksilver learned the truth about his parentage. Magneto had stumbled upon Bova and learned from her that Wanda and Pietro were his children.
    Confronting Quicksilver and his sister in Attilan with this revelation, Magneto apparently hoped to sway his children to rejoin his crusade against humanity. But Quicksilver denounced Magneto for his callous treatment of them when they were members of his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and refused to believe he had changed his ways.
    A man of action, Quicksilver volunteered his services to the head of the Inhumans' small militia and became an officer. During the period of his service, however, the Inhumans had no call for military activity.

Quicksilver's neglect of his wife led Crystal to become involved with another man. Learning of her infidelity, Quicksilver refused to forgive her and fled Attilan, vowing vengeance on her and all those he perceived as having wronged him. Unknown to anyone, however, Crystal's malevolent cousin Maximus was manipulating Quicksilver's mind, fanning Quicksilver's anger at Crystal into a rage directed against his former colleagues in the Avengers. Quicksilver framed the Avengers for treason, thereby turning the federal government against them until they cleared their names. Quicksilver also led the members of the android version of the criminal organization Zodiac against the Avengers, fought the Fantastic Four, and joined forces with various Soviet-era Communist operatives against the Avengers' West Coast division.
    Eventually Maximus' control over Quicksilver's mind lapsed and Pietro ended his criminal ways. The Inhumans' monarch Black Bolt commanded that the reluctant Quicksilver reconcile with Crystal. Their initial attempts failed. Quicksilver joined the Avengers' West Coast branch for a time. Eventually Crystal took Luna to Earth and joined the Avengers, and Quicksilver shortly afterwards became a special operative of the United States government in its new version of X-Factor (see X-Factor).
    Quicksilver and Crystal again attempted a reconciliation, and this time they were successful. Quicksilver left X-Factor and again became affiliated with his wife's team, the Avengers. However, their happiness was short-lived, because Crystal seemingly perished in the Avengers' battle against Onslaught (see Onslaught). In actuality she, along with other members of the Avengers, had been transported to an alternate reality. During her absence, the High Evolutionary asked Quicksilver to become the leader of a small band of his Knights of Wundagore, animals that the geneticist had endowed with human intelligence and humanoid-like forms. Quicksilver accepted and now leads the Knights in battles against injustice. Quicksilver and Crystal were happily reunited after she and the other missing Avengers finally returned to their native Earth.

Height: 6'
Weight: 175 lbs.
Eyes: Silver
Hair: White
Strength level: Quicksilver possesses superhuman strength primarily in his lower body as part of his body's adaptations for running. With his upper body he can lift (press) approximately 1000 pounds. He can leg press approximately one ton under optimal conditions.
Known superhuman powers: Quicksilver is a mutant who possesses the superhuman capacity to think and move at great speeds. His entire body is adapted towards the rigors of high-speed running. His cardiovascular and respiratory systems are many times more efficient than those of a normal human being. He metabolizes an estimated 95% of the caloric energy content of foodstuffs (normal human use is about 25%). The chemical processes of Quicksilver's musculature are so highly enhanced that his body does not generate fatigue poisons, the normal by-products of locomotion, which force the body to rest. Rather, his body constantly expels waste products during his accelerated respiration through exhalation. His joints are smoother and lubricated more efficiently than those of a normal human being. His tendons have the tensile strength of spring steel. His bones contain unknown materials significantly more durable than calcium to withstand the dynamic shocks of his feet touching the ground at speeds of over 100 miles per hour. Quicksilver's practical reaction time is about five times faster than a normal human's and the speed at which his brain processes information is heightened to a level commensurate with his bodily speed, enabling him to perceive his surroundings while traveling at high velocities. Quicksilver's lachrymose is more viscous than normal, thus preventing rapid evaporation and replenishment of surface fluids on his eyeballs under the influence of high wind velocity to occlude his vision.
    Quicksilver has been timed at speeds of up to 175 miles per hour, approximately three times faster than the fastest land animal, the cheetah. He has sufficient energy reserves to enable him to run at this average speed for about four hours, whereupon he must reduce his speed, replenish his body's store of energy, or do both.
    Quicksilver has used his powers of acceleration for various feats. He has plucked an arrow out of the air from a standing start, after the arrow left the bow and traveled a distance of about 20 feet. He has dodged machine gun fire, but presumably he was able to see the path of the bullets change as his assailant was attempting to track him with a burst. He has created cyclone-like gusts of wind, which are able to knock a man off his feet, by racing around in a ten-foot diameter circle. With a 500-foot approach to gain momentum, Quicksilver can run approximately 300 feet up the side of a surface with a 90-degree inclination (such as a building) before gravity overtakes him. With a 100-foot approach to gain momentum, he can run across a body of water for approximately 1000 feet before beginning to sink.

Info from Marvel.com