An Eternals Character Could Replace Quicksilver As MCU’s Fastest Hero

Makkari, Lauren Ridloff’s character in Marvel’s The Eternals movie, could replace Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) as the MCU’s fastest hero. Quicksilver, despite being a key member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Marvel Comics, was tragically killed off in the same film that he debuted, Avengers: Age of Ultron. There have long been theories and rumors postulating that Quicksilver would somehow return to the MCU, but none have come true yet.

The Marvel movies are about to get a new speedster in the form of a gender-swapped Makkari, who is set to appear in Eternals, the second film on Marvel’s Phase 4 slate. Makkari is a member of a race of super-powered alien immortals created by the Celestials. The Eternals have been living on Earth, secretly sharing it with the humans for thousands of years. Directed by Chloe Zhao, the movie has been described as a cosmic epic that will pit the Eternals against the Deviants.

Related: Marvel Theory: The Hulk’s Endgame Snap Created The Modern Eternals

The official synopsis for The Eternals briefly introduces the main Eternals, and calls Lauren Ridloff’s character “super-fast“. This description confirms that the movie will be accurate to the comics when it comes to Makkari’s powers, but how does she compare to Marvel’s other big screen speedster, Quicksilver? That remains to be seen, but if the comics are any indication, Makkari could easily replace Pietro Maximoff as the MCU’s fastest character.

In the comic books, the Eternals have a shared set of abilities, but some have unique powers, such as Makkari, who can move at supersonic speeds. One of the reasons Makkari is so fast is because he spends so much of his time channeling the cosmic energy into his speed, making himself faster as time goes on. Speed has become a bit of an obsession for Makkari, as the character has been depicted as someone who is determined to be the fastest person in the universe. In an issue of Quasar from the early 1990s, Makkari and several other Marvel speedsters engaged in an epic foot race, and Quicksilver was unable to keep up with the Eternal.

This means that Marvel Comics long ago established that Makkari is faster than Quicksilver, even though Pietro is a much more important character, and someone who’s typically regarded as the Marvel equivalent of the Flash. However, Makkari being able to outrun Quicksilver does make sense. Quicksilver is (or was) a mutant, whereas Makkari is an immortal, nearly god-like being fueled by cosmic energy. Makkari has poured thousands of years of his life into improving his speed, so why shouldn’t he be the faster of the two? The same idea may end up applying to the MCU version of the character.

What would it mean if the MCU allowed Makkari to take Quicksilver’s place? First of all, it’s not good news for those still holding onto hope that Quicksilver could return to the MCU. Though Taylor-Johnson has said that he won’t be coming back anytime soon, rumors of a Quicksilver return have persisted. Marvel may not see much of a need for him anymore if his greatest asset is no longer a unique trait. On the other hand, Makkari taking on this role can have its advantages, as her speed would allow for some impressive slow motion sequences in The Eternals that Age of Ultron unfortunately lacked.

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