Warning: Contains spoilers for Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver #2!
Quicksilver is one of the fastest heroes in the Marvel Universe, clocking in at speeds over Mach 10. Speed affects every part of his life, making it difficult for him to integrate with “normal” people, and a new reveal shows another surprising downside. While Pietro can consume information and learn skills in the blink of an eye, his retention lags behind and he sometimes loses information within mere hours.
In Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver #2 — by Steve Orlando, Lorenzo Tammetta, Frank William, and Joe Caramagna — Pietro is attempting to face down the Frightful Four Hundred and turns to the Inhuman Maximus’ old lab for information. Within moments, he’s read practically everything in the library, but with the caveat that “what he learns isn’t permanent.”
Pietro can absorb and understand the information in seconds, yet “speed-reading” means he’ll only retain it for days, at the most. While he often only needs mere moments to act on what he learns, it means pulling from any previously gained knowledge may be impossible after only a few hours.
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Quicksilver’s Speed Negatively Impacts His Memory
Over the years, Quicksilver has acquired a great number of different skills, ranging from mere hobbies like playing the piano and sculpting to learning languages, but he often uses his speed of thought (as much as the speed of his feet) to win fights. The example in Maximus’ library is a common scene. He’s able to read texts, glance at maps, and generally synthesize written information in less time than it takes others to turn a page. Yet if a mission isn’t completed within a certain window of time, this “speed reading” technique renders that knowledge useless and inaccessible again.
It’s unclear whether Pietro has any control over which information he retains or loses, or how much he would need to slow down in order to keep something in his mind long-term. Quicksilver’s relationship with his speed is all-consuming, and it touches every part of his life. Even slowing down enough to eat at a standard pace is agonizing. If his long-term memory is dependent on that sort of effort, most of what he learns won’t stick around, meaning he’ll need access to the same information again or some other way of recalling it. Either way, it’s an inconvenience.
Pietro’s Speed is a Blessing and a Curse
On any occasion when he loses access to his speed, Pietro is desperate to get it back. While life as a speedster is often complicated and puts a strain on his relationships, it’s a core part of his identity. He doesn’t want to be without it, and forgetting things quickly is a tradeoff he’s obviously willing to make. Having information for hours is still a significant period of time for him, as he can accomplish so much in a fraction of the time it would take someone else. Nevertheless, Quicksilver‘s super speed has a significant, negative impact on his memory.
Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver #2 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver #2 (2024) | |
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