Quicksilver: Pietro Maximoff Appreciation 2021

[teapartyofthedead]

You know what would have been a good outlawed tie-in. Quicksilver and Luna doing that sidekick registered thing. Seeing her want to become an Avenger like her parents, and well need to start somewhere.

Seeing Luna and Pietro spending time together would be balm for the soul. They don’t have nearly enough pages together, and it would be nice to establish if Luna is still an eternal eight year old or allowed to be a teenager hero at last. She’s never spoken to her cousins either. Considering she’s a royal too, Luna could offer a lot of advice and sympathy about navigating court politics.

When was that? I've mostly read him in Avengers comics

Avengers Academy by Christos Gage. He’s one of the teachers, and mentors one of the students, Finesse.

[GenericUsername]

Thank you so much for giving me the emotional lowdown on Wanda's situation during her show. You definitely cleared things up for me! I don't wanna get too personal here, but how the hell do you know so much about these mental conditions? Did you in a previous life submit an article to the American Psychologist? It's crazy how much knowledge you have. I used to HATE on Episode 7 of WandaVision because I was annoyed Wanda kept insisting she was fine when she really needed help. But you explained to me denial is a big part of mental illness, so now Episode 7 is actually one of my favorites of that show. I sure wish the series consulted you on how to handle Wanda in Episode 9! I think they would have avoided some of the problems I had with what I considered to be a really poignant and heartfelt finale for the series if you were there to help them wrap things up.

I have generalized panic disorder with depression. And I will tell you, the brain is a jerk. Mental fog is a common thing. And I think denial was her way of dealing. I remember when I first realized what was going on with me, I thought I was never gonna get to a better state. Like I was gonna fall off the deep end and never come back. They might have been trying to cover that despair and fear of first dealing with depression.

Wanda has one thing over me, powers that by their nature are hard to control. So she has a bit more to deal with. I just hope she can learn some control so something in her life isn't so difficult to wrestle with.

[CosmiComic]

Seeing Luna and Pietro spending time together would be balm for the soul. They don’t have nearly enough pages together, and it would be nice to establish if Luna is still an eternal eight year old or allowed to be a teenager hero at last. She’s never spoken to her cousins either. Considering she’s a royal too, Luna could offer a lot of advice and sympathy about navigating court politics.



Avengers Academy by Christos Gage. He’s one of the teachers, and mentors one of the students, Finesse.

Should I check that one out? I'm reading the mainline Avengers book right now

[teapartyofthedead]

I have generalized panic disorder with depression. And I will tell you, the brain is a jerk. Mental fog is a common thing. And I think denial was her way of dealing. I remember when I first realized what was going on with me, I thought I was never gonna get to a better state. Like I was gonna fall off the deep end and never come back. They might have been trying to cover that despair and fear of first dealing with depression.

Wanda has one thing over me, powers that by their nature are hard to control. So she has a bit more to deal with. I just hope she can learn some control so something in her life isn't so difficult to wrestle with.

My own mental health issues (major depression, general anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder) is one of the reasons why I sympathize and get defensive of Wanda and Pietro. It’s always so disheartening how many people will use their mental health issues to dismiss or villainize them, both in the comics and on social media. I wish Marvel would make these writers consult with psychologists and psychiatrists to fact-check their stories. I always think of how Jean calls Wanda a textbook narcissist in the Teen Jean Grey solo, or having Wanda call Pietro a sociopath in her solo. It wasn’t meant to explore their character or evolve their storylines, but as condemnation.

[GenericUsername]

My own mental health issues (major depression, general anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder) is one of the reasons why I sympathize and get defensive of Wanda and Pietro. It’s always so disheartening how many people will use their mental health issues to dismiss or villainize them, both in the comics and on social media. I wish Marvel would make these writers consult with psychologists and psychiatrists to fact-check their stories. I always think of how Jean calls Wanda a textbook narcissist in the Teen Jean Grey solo, or having Wanda call Pietro a sociopath in her solo. It wasn’t meant to explore their character or evolve their storylines, but as condemnation.

I feel the same way. Comics straight up demonizes it. Unapologetically too. I hope they get better at handling it.

[teapartyofthedead]

Should I check that one out? I'm reading the mainline Avengers book right now

It will have absolutely no bearing on modern Marvel in any way, but I do recommend it. The students are recruited not because they’re were particularly heroic, but as a a form of intervention. They were considered at risk youths that could become villains if they weren’t guided down another path. That’s why their teachers are heroes with villainous pasts, like Hank Pym and Pietro. It has a lot of heart, interesting moral conflict, and dark sense of humor. You can see why Marvel tapped Gage for other projects like the Netflix Daredevil show.

[CosmiComic]

It will have absolutely no bearing on modern Marvel in any way, but I do recommend it. The students are recruited not because they’re were particularly heroic, but as a a form of intervention. They were considered at risk youths that could become villains if they weren’t guided down another path. That’s why their teachers are heroes with villainous pasts, like Hank Pym and Pietro. It has a lot of heart, interesting moral conflict, and dark sense of humor. You can see why Marvel tapped Gage for other projects like the Netflix Daredevil show.

Cool. I want to catch up with modern Marvel while also getting to know new heroes who might be big in the future

[CosmiComic]

I feel the same way. Comics straight up demonizes it. Unapologetically too. I hope they get better at handling it.

Without excusing their actions, why are mentally ill characters condemned but consciously evil characters like Magneto forgiven?

[teapartyofthedead]

I feel the same way. Comics straight up demonizes it. Unapologetically too. I hope they get better at handling it.

As more people pay attention and become fans of the Maximoff twins, I hope they push for more sensitive and nuanced portrayals of their mental health from Marvel. If nothing else, we know Marvel will eventually do the right thing if enough fans demand it if only to protect their bottom line.

[teapartyofthedead]

Without excusing their actions, why are mentally ill characters condemned but consciously evil characters like Magneto forgiven?

Max does suffer from mental health issues, he doesn’t just act evil because he’s evil. He suffers tremendous PTSD and depression from surviving the Holocaust (his family was slaughtered by the Nazis before his eyes, and then he was sent to Auschwitz before escaping with Magda, then seeing his daughter burn to death by an anti-Semitic and anti-Romani mob), which guides his actions as a protector to mutantkind. It takes him thinking he killed Kitty Pryde before he realizes how far he had gone in his crusade to give mutants safety, by his fear and rage controlling him for so long. It’s the heart of his character motivation. He doesn’t deserve to be portrayed how Grant Morrison did in the early 00s.

[CosmiComic]

Max does suffer from mental health issues, he doesn’t just act evil because he’s evil. He suffers tremendous PTSD and depression from surviving the Holocaust (his family was slaughtered by the Nazis before his eyes, and then he was sent to Auschwitz before escaping with Magda, then seeing his daughter burn to death by an anti-Semitic and anti-Romani mob), which guides his actions as a protector to mutantkind. It takes him thinking he killed Kitty Pryde before he realizes how far he had gone in his crusade to give mutants safety, by his fear and rage controlling him for so long. It’s the heart of his character motivation. He doesn’t deserve to be portrayed how Grant Morrison did in the early 00s.

To be clear, I like Magneto but he seems to flip flop too mich and be forgiven because mutants are going extinct every year. It's kinda why I've fallen away from the X-Men to mainly the Avengers, but I may be off base

Hopefully future portrayals are more consistent

[GenericUsername]

Max does suffer from mental health issues, he doesn’t just act evil because he’s evil. He suffers tremendous PTSD and depression from surviving the Holocaust (his family was slaughtered by the Nazis before his eyes, and then he was sent to Auschwitz before escaping with Magda, then seeing his daughter burn to death by an anti-Semitic and anti-Romani mob), which guides his actions as a protector to mutantkind. It takes him thinking he killed Kitty Pryde before he realizes how far he had gone in his crusade to give mutants safety, by his fear and rage controlling him for so long. It’s the heart of his character motivation. He doesn’t deserve to be portrayed how Grant Morrison did in the early 00s.

Definitely, Mags has had his own struggles with that and with a wicked temper too. And it's hard to blame him for some things at some times. He also has almost two versions of himself like Wanda. Where at times he's humanized more than others.

Without excusing their actions, why are mentally ill characters condemned but consciously evil characters like Magneto forgiven?

I can't really say what Marvel's or comics' deal with making mentally ill characters villains and choosing not to humanize the diseases. But it's likely just ignorance on their part.

They have at times done better, but that's also been very recent and very brief and needs lots of work.

[CosmiComic]

Definitely, Mags has had his own struggles with that and with a wicked temper too. And it's hard to blame him for some things at some times. He also has almost two versions of himself like Wanda. Where at times he's humanized more than others.





I can't really say what Marvel's or comics' deal with making mentally ill characters villains and choosing not to humanize the diseases. But it's likely just ignorance on their part.

They have at times done better, but that's also been very recent and very brief and needs lots of work.

Maybe the increased focus doe to Wandavision's popularity will push them to do better

[GenericUsername]

Maybe the increased focus doe to Wandavision's popularity will push them to do better

I am far from wanting to hold my breath on that one.

[Albert1981]

I have generalized panic disorder with depression. And I will tell you, the brain is a jerk. Mental fog is a common thing. And I think denial was her way of dealing. I remember when I first realized what was going on with me, I thought I was never gonna get to a better state. Like I was gonna fall off the deep end and never come back. They might have been trying to cover that despair and fear of first dealing with depression.

Wanda has one thing over me, powers that by their nature are hard to control. So she has a bit more to deal with. I just hope she can learn some control so something in her life isn't so difficult to wrestle with.

Again, I'm very sorry that you had to go through such difficult experiences. That's very sad and I'm glad that you got and are getting the help you need. I really appreciate you sharing such painful stories with us on CBR. I'm glad you know that we're a loving, sympathetic and understanding bunch! Yeah, the mind is a powerful thing. It can make the body act weird for no reason. I wouldn't mind if Wanda seeks professional help in the future in the MCU. Don't know how they're going to do that. At least Marvel and DC has dealt with substance abuse (very closely associated with mental illness) in a more productive way.