Aaron Taylor-Johnson Finally Reveals Why 'Quicksilver' Was Killed Off In AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

It's been just under a year since Age Of Ultron came out. In a new interview, actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson reflected on his time playing Pietro Maximoff and why the decision was made to lay him down to rest.

By McGee - Apr 01, 2016 07:04 AM EST

Filed Under: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Last year, Marvel gave us Ant-man and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Two films that weren't quite as great as the previous year's outings, but still managed to satisfy audiences all the same. Ant-man delighted audiences with its cast and outstanding visuals. Many were curious to see how the film would hold up. Film director Edgar Wright left the project after eight years and production troubles ensued in his absence (many directors came and went before Marvel eventually settled on Peyton Reed). Age of Ultron entertained its viewers with the debut of the Vision and an epic Hulkbuster battle. In the days leading up to the film's release, fans were interested in one particular aspect of the film...the character of Quicksilver.

20th Century Fox had already cast actor Evan Peters for the role in X-Men: Days of Future Past. So you can imagine the confusion when Aaron Taylor-Johnson was also cast for the same role in Age of Ultron. Each studio technically held the rights to the same character. Fox, through the rights they had for X-Men...and Marvel Studios, through the rights for all characters relating to the Avengers. There were legal technicalities and stipulations to adhere to. Marvel could show Pietro as long as there was no mention of Magneto, and he wasn't referred to as a “mutant.” Similarly, Fox was free to include Quicksilver in Days of Future Past, but Singer would not be allowed to mention their connection to The Avengers, The Inhumans, or any other Marvel Studios property.

Evan Peters was lauded for his performance in Days of Future Past and was indeed considered by many to be one of the highlights of the film. For Age of Ultron however, many fans were shocked and left scratching their heads as to why director Joss Whedon had killed off his Quicksilver. Was it because Marvel Studios feared that the general public would confuse the two?

While promoting his film Nocturnal Animals, Aaron Taylor-Johnson talked at length about the subject. During an interview with Dateline, Johnson addressed having to share the role. "I love Evan [Peters]. We became mates on the set of Kick-Ass. His portrayal was brilliant. I'm glad he gets to continue on as this wonderful character. I'm just sad I won't be able to act with Elizabeth [Olsen] anytime soon." Johnson went on to joke "the three of us should do [a remake of] Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. That'd be fun."

On the subject of why his character was killed off in Age of Ultron, Johnson revealed there were a number of factors. "Right. So Joss spoke to me early on about where he wanted to take Pietro. From the beginning, he liked the idea of lulling the audience into a false sense of security. A lot of people thought Hawkeye was gonna bite it. My character was new, so surely he wasn't going to die, right? To paraphrase Pietro, the viewer wouldn't see it coming. So shock value was definitely one of the two reasons why they killed me off." When asked what the second reason was, Johnson initially seemed reluctant to answer. Later on, when asked the question again, he finally spilled the beans. "Alright, look. Here's the real reason why. During the middle of filming, Joss Whedon had to go explain to the President of Marvel why we were going over budget. He was going to have dinner with him at his mansion in Miami and I tagged along. After a few Mimosas and a moment of weakness, I slept with Kevin Feige's wife. A few minutes later, Joss came upstairs and joined us. And that's why he isn't doing Infinity War. Kevin walked in on the three of us and went ballistic. He threw us out of his house and threatened to ruin our careers."

Dateline reached out to Kevin Feige to get his side of the story. "Me and my wife have an open marriage. I don't mind if someone wants to be my Eskimo brother, I just ask that you don't go behind my back. Last year at the Golden Globes, Jeremy Renner came up to me intoxicated and said he wanted to strike his arrow into my wife's quiver. I told him I was fine with that provided I could be in the room and watch. Maybe join in. We Hollywood moguls are very reasonable people. Maybe if Tom Hardy had asked Kevin Tsujihara for his blessing before taking his daughter to the Phi Phi Islands in his yacht, he'd still be in Suicide Squad."

So what do you guys think? Should Aaron Taylor-Johnson have stayed on as Quicksilver for Captain America: Civil War? Whose side would he be on? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to Earth's Mightiest Heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.

Avengers: Age of Ultron stars
Robert Downey Jr. ... Tony Stark / Iron Man
Chris Hemsworth ... Thor
Mark Ruffalo ... Bruce Banner / Hulk
Chris Evans ... Steve Rogers / Captain America
Scarlett Johansson ... Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Jeremy Renner ... Clint Barton / Hawkeye
James Spader ... Ultron
Samuel L. Jackson ... Nick Fury
Don Cheadle ... James Rhodes / War Machine
Aaron Taylor-Johnson ... Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver
Elizabeth Olsen ... Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
Paul Bettany ... Jarvis / Vision
Cobie Smulders ... Maria Hill
Anthony Mackie ... Sam Wilson / Falcon

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32 Comments

AvengingAngel1022 - 4/1/2016, 9:03 AM

lol you actually there until he gave the "real" reason. Nice one.

AvengingAngel1022 - 4/1/2016, 9:03 AM

had

PantherKing - 4/1/2016, 9:03 AM

Until I saw "Eskimo brothers"

AlexdoxA - 4/1/2016, 9:07 AM

So Edgar Wright was surely fired for proposing a different type of Cornetto Trilogy?

McGee - 4/1/2016, 9:24 AM

@AlexdoxA -

Actually...that did happen!

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/ant-man/kevin-feige-admits-he-fired-edgar-wright-from-ant-man-because-he-slept-a118022

AlexdoxA - 4/1/2016, 9:26 AM

@McGee -

billnye69 - 4/1/2016, 9:13 AM

He died cuz he's slower then Flash.

TheBigLebowski - 4/1/2016, 9:36 AM

LMAO!!!! Didn't see that coming.

CommanderShepard - 4/1/2016, 10:08 AM

LMAO....Joss and Aaron in a devils triangle with Kevin Feige's wife....laughing so hard I have tears....

CommanderShepard - 4/1/2016, 12:15 PM

This has to be said: @McGee for Editor!!

No one brings you the inside scoops and behind the scenes action like McGee!

Please make this happen @NateBest!!

DukeAcureds - 4/1/2016, 12:18 PM

That's how you do an April Fool's article.

Props, McGee.

TucksFrom2015 - 4/1/2016, 6:31 PM

Luigi - 4/1/2016, 8:36 PM

Haha, I got a third way through when I realized... oh yeah, it's April 1st... and the author is McGee. Lol

Gryphon - 4/2/2016, 8:36 AM

@McGee

I was reading this article. Seemed real at first, then not so much. Laughing at it, and realizing what it was i thought, "what sick-minded editor came up with this april fools joke". Then i scrolled down and saw the pic of Bruce McCullough. Then it all made sense. Hilarious, and well done

StupidSexyLockon - 4/2/2016, 5:15 PM

He got killed off because he isn't black and because everyone was bitching like women on their periods when Pietro was announced for AOU.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson Finally Reveals Why 'Quicksilver' Was Killed Off In AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

It's been just under a year since Age Of Ultron came out. In a new interview, actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson reflected on his time playing Pietro Maximoff and why the decision was made to lay him down to rest.

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