Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch's Movie Origins Revealed, & They're Not Inhumans

[Lorendiac]

Yes because denying who you are to avoid prejudice, instead of fighting for equality makes a great hero.

I think my point was that when you're dealing with large numbers of severely schizophrenic cases (such as a crowd of typical civilians of the MU), you may need to dumb things down in order to avoid starting a mass riot by pushing all their buttons.

In other words: It seems that if you're wearing a costume and you walk up to a crowd in a farming town and you say to them: "Hello, I'm a superhero, and I can control the weather," they will say: "That's nice! Glad to meet you! We need some rain for the crops!"

But if you are wearing the exact same costume, and you say to them: "Hello, I'm a superhero, and I can control the weather because of my mutant powers," they will immediately start screaming: "Get away from us, you monster! We don't need your sort in this nice decent community we got here!"

(Huh. You know, that might have the makings of a pretty funny fanfic, if I handle it right . . .)

[vitruvian]

I thought this was known. I think it's more shady of an origin because you have two Romani kids who are being experimented on by Nazis.

Of course, in case they have it set up so that they were volunteers, not inmates of a camp. Presumably they had no idea the HYDRA guys were Neo-Nazis.

[vitruvian]

I don't really get how this makes them not Inhumans. They get latent powers within them unlocked, that's what an Inhuman is, the staff could just be an alternative to the mist.

By that logic, do you assume that the Fantastic Four, Hulk, and Spider-Man are all really Inhumans? It seems just as logical.

[vitruvian]

I think they're guessing, but the comic words it interestingly. The doctor says the Infinity Gem in Loki's scepter (or I assume that's what it is) "unlocks" their powers, and he also mentions that the fact that they're the only two candidates who are related should yield interesting results.

One possible reading of that is that they have Inhuman genes that were activated by the scepter, which is why they both managed to survive the procedure when everyone else died.

Or they just have some of the same genetics the Kree were playing with when they created the Inhumans, but through another lineage. After all, in order for them to create a subspecies that was consistently superpowered when exposed to a certain substance, they probably had something to work with in the raw material.

And we've certainly seen some 'gifted' superhumans, particularly in Agents of SHIELD, who have no hints of Inhuman ancestry, and the clincher I would think, no particular resistance or connection to the Inhuman artifacts. E.g., the MCU version of Creel, the Absorbing Man is most definitely superhuman, but when he comes into contact with the Diviner, it does not have a positive reaction to him; on the contrary, he needs to perform some fancy footwork with his powers in order to survive the experience. If he got his powers from Inhuman genetics, you'd think it would have gone shiny for him like it did for Raina and Skye, but no. So, I think we've got examples of inborn and accidental powers that have nothing to do with the Inhumans, even apart from aliens and the super-soldier serum.

[vitruvian]

Maybe it's all Magneto's fault!

I remember that way, way back in "Uncanny X-Men #150" (published in the early 1980s), Storm said to Magneto, with considerable justice, "If we are hated and feared, it is in large part because of you!"

I believe he was the first high-profile self-declared "mutant" to deliberately do things that would garner lots of headlines in the Silver Age comics, and he quickly formed a villainous group with the catchy name of "The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants." That may have strongly shaped the initial public perception of what sort of people "mutants" really are.

Just think -- on the theory I'm developing, it seems probable that if Storm had simply spent her entire career introducing herself to people in terms of "I'm a weather-controlling witch" instead of "I'm a weather-controlling mutant," perhaps she would have become the darling of American liberals who felt absolutely obligated to prove that they were not prejudiced against a person who was a) black, b) female, c) confident and powerful, and d) claimed her powers had something to do with "the traditional magic" of her African ancestors.

But Ororo Munroe made one fatal mistake -- she frequently used the word "mutant" to describe herself, and that made all the difference!

Vanisher probably contributed a bit, too, given the way he must have had the Secret Service and POTUS practically frantic in his very first appearance.

[SickAlice]

I'm out of the loop on this but was this a concern people had? The movies always mix things up and that's sort of what's expected. Even though it would be funny if something happened without explanation in a movie and a little caption on the bottom of the screen said something like:
* as seen in the now classic Hilarious Hot Dog People #14 - Joss " Hold The Mustard " Whedon *

Actually yes, I want exactly that in the upcoming film now that I mention it.

[Lorendiac]

I'm out of the loop on this but was this a concern people had?

I can't speak for anyone else -- but you may notice that earlier in this thread I pointed out that I, for one, really was not losing any sleep over whether or not the movie versions of Wanda and Pietro would turn out to have Inhuman ancestry.

[FlashingSabre]

So are their powers from the Scepter, or did the scepter just amplify powers that they already had?

[Darth Phoenix]

In the comic world i hope we get something clever like they are half Eternal.

[Sighphi]

That scepter apparently has a soul gem and that thing gave those two powers.
What the films turn that into is still up in the air.

[Captain Wessex]

the problem with people hating and fearing mutants and not the Avengers is why the X-Men are better off in their own movie-verse at this point. frankly, it'd be better if they were all in their own universe in the comics too, so the public could just hate'n'fear all powered people because they're all mutants and this logic gap wouldn't exist.

[Star_Jammer]

This is superb. They're not Inhumans, as the discovery of that is happening elsewhere.

[vitruvian]

In the comic world i hope we get something clever like they are half Eternal.

They seem to be going for a retcon that passes the test of Occam's Razor very well...

They were given to the Maximoffs by the High Evolutionary.

All the stories that they've believed before about their parentage and nature as mutants were told either by the High Evolutionary, or one of his creations, the cow-woman Bova.

So whatever their true origin, it's a good bet the High Evolutionary knows what it is, and there's a good chance their powers are the result of his experimentation.

Sometimes it's best to keep things simple, rather than introduce new complications like the Eternals - and the High Evolutionary and his lab on Wundagore Mountain are, if nothing else, at least preexisting complications to their story.

The other preexisting aspect of their story that has potential to be used here, but seems less likely considering they're looking for answers on Counter-Earth, is the influence of the Elder God Chthon. If that were to be used, it could turn out that their powers were actually always magical in nature, much like those of Salem's Seven.

[Darth Phoenix]

They seem to be going for a retcon that passes the test of Occam's Razor very well...

They were given to the Maximoffs by the High Evolutionary.

All the stories that they've believed before about their parentage and nature as mutants were told either by the High Evolutionary, or one of his creations, the cow-woman Bova.

So whatever their true origin, it's a good bet the High Evolutionary knows what it is, and there's a good chance their powers are the result of his experimentation.

Sometimes it's best to keep things simple, rather than introduce new complications like the Eternals - and the High Evolutionary and his lab on Wundagore Mountain are, if nothing else, at least preexisting complications to their story.

The other preexisting aspect of their story that has potential to be used here, but seems less likely considering they're looking for answers on Counter-Earth, is the influence of the Elder God Chthon. If that were to be used, it could turn out that their powers were actually always magical in nature, much like those of Salem's Seven.

Trading out Mags as a dad to make them mutates or Inhumans still feels wrong to me. I just picked Eternals since they are a powerful underused Marvel line mostly due to Wanda's moments.

Magic is an OK side idea it still fits Wanda to me more than her brother due to when he lost his powers.

[davew128]

They may sneer at Sunfire, but they cheer for Johnny Storm (who has essentially the same powers, as I understand it).

They don't have the same powers nor do they work in the same way. Johnny is a tremendous power source but its not radioactive in nature like Sunfire's. Johnny can't project radioactive or concussive blasts like Shiro but he also is pyrokinetic which Shiro isn't.