Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!
Marvel’s in a celebratory mood these days. In November, the House of Ideas recognized Howard the Duck’s 50th birthday with a special one-shot, and in February 2024, Wolverine gets a mini-series in recognition of his 50th year in publication. Also celebrating in February? Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, who turn 60 and kick off an all-new mini-series, Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver, on February 14, 2024. Helming this story is none other than Steve Orlando, writer of Wanda’s recently wrapped Scarlet Witch series.
Read on to learn what you can expect in the pages of Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver, as well as a sense of what else Steve has coming in the final months of the Krakoan era.
Courtesy of Steve Orlando’s X page
AIPT: Welcome back to X-Men Monday, Steve! Before we get too deep into all things Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, let’s do what we can to calm the nerves of X-Fans who only read comics starring mutants.
Steve Orlando: Happy to!
AIPT: Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver — what’s the elevator pitch and is there an X-Men connection?
Steve: Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver pits Wanda and Pietro against the Wizard and his new army — the Frightful Four Hundred! And while the Wizard might not have stood a chance before, he now finds himself newly empowered and perhaps driven mad by one of the most powerful climactic forces in the Marvel Universe. Why now? Because Wanda and Pietro are getting along better than ever, they’re more powerful than ever… which makes them more dangerous than ever — or at least, that’s what the Wizard’s angel thinks.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
As for X-connections, our villains are intent on dividing and conquering when it comes to the twins. Which makes it very convenient when a letter with Magneto’s last wishes arrives to drive them apart. But that being said — this is definitely a book centering around Wanda, Pietro, and their unique blended family. It’s their book above all, before any Krakoan connections.
AIPT: A lot to unpack there — which we certainly will! But first, X-Fan Chenny was curious to learn what your favorite part of writing this story has been.
Steve: Having Pietro back has been a blast — his presence is always welcome. And like any siblings, any family, he and Wanda know how to fire each other up better than anyone else. So even though they’re fighting at the start, I love their interactions, because they feel real and feel lived in. And as well, it’s been even more of a blast exploring Pietro’s powers in new and different ways.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Well, that, and giving Wanda a new perspective on chaos…
AIPT: X-Fan Sasha was happy to hear you like Pietro very much and wanted to ask how Pietro will be characterized in this series after his long time in comics limbo. Sasha added he’s much more than Wanda’s twin or Magneto’s son.
Steve: You can certainly expect his characterization to build off his previous appearances in Scarlet Witch — after all, he appeared in multiple issues of the solo, and has also been appearing in Uncanny Avengers. He’s targeted in Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver because of what HE can do, and who HE is, as well as what makes both him and Wanda unique.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Speaking of Wanda, X-Fan Barhoum said you’ve been writing the Scarlet Witch and her family for a good amount of time now. Has it changed the way you see her?
Steve: I think as creators, our perspective on characters is always evolving. The CORE of who they are doesn’t change — but as we challenge that core, we come to learn more about our characters. So of course, Wanda’s shown me a lot in the past few years. And we’ll continue to explore her victories and pitfalls together.
AIPT: You mentioned the twins’ father earlier. X-Fan Munchkin Marauder was wondering if the abuse Magneto put them through and their complicated views of him will be acknowledged in this mini-series. Is this something you’re keen to explore?
Steve: I think it’s fair to say Magneto’s last wishes for the twins certainly inflame both Wanda and Pietro’s views on Magneto. While we’ve seen, before Scarlet Witch in books such as S.W.O.R.D., that Wanda has been willing to move on and rebuild, Pietro has been less so. And of course, Magneto DID kill him — so it makes sense that he’s been less enthusiastic about his adoptive father.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Let’s circle back to that mysterious villain. X-Fan Vih de São Gonçalo saw you say that Wanda will have a Darkseid-level villain. Can you provide more details about that? And X-Fan MARQUES wanted to know if the villain is a threat to the multiverse. (This villain sounds terrifying, Steve.)
Steve: Details would spoil it — but I can tease, of course! The villain is someone who has appeared before and faced down one of Marvel’s most iconic teams. And their power is certainly one that touches all creation. Though the word THREAT is perhaps a matter of perspective — they may not think they’re a threat, per se. But they do feel threatened by Pietro and Wanda.
AIPT: Russell Dauterman delivered one stunning Scarlet Witch cover after another. Russell’s back doing covers for this mini-series, as well as character designs for the Wizard and the Frightful Four Hundred. What’s it like collaborating with and redefining these characters with Russell?
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Steve: It’s a dream! With any collaboration, I always say it’s important to give your co-creators space to do their work. To let them cook, as they say. With Russell, a modern master, my job is to provide inspiration through a given issue’s visuals, and then get out of the way so Russell can hone in on a moment from the issue and bring it to life. This goes for the Wizard and the Frightful Four Hundred as well — we give Russell the top notes, the key bits that will push the story forward. And from there, he’s free to run wild with his designs and take them in whatever direction he knows is best. That’s how the great work happens!
AIPT: And what can you share about collaborating with the mini-series’ artist Lorenzo Tammetta?
Steve: Lorenzo is endlessly inventive and the perfect collaborator — he takes every page as a new, exciting challenge and never fails to overcome it in new, energetic, and inventive ways. The world of Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver is a wild one, with new threats and new armies to design at every turn. But Lorenzo is fearless! And that comes through in the visuals — in issue one alone he channels elemental fury like never before and expresses superspeed with a hyperkinetic vigor I could never have imagined until I saw it on the page.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Now, if you know comic fans, you know they love characters’ messy personal lives and family connections. So a few Maximoff extended family questions. First up, X-Fan Julian St. Croix wanted to know what your thoughts are on Quicksilver’s relationship with Crystal over the years. Where do you think they stand today?
Steve: Well, as of Uncanny Avengers, Pietro has certainly found himself a new love interest in M, even if they’re not exactly sure what the terms of that relationship are.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Crystal and Pietro have been through a lot in the past, almost anything that can happen to a couple has happened to them, even by comic book standards. Though they’re no longer married and have both moved on, I think Crystal remains important to Pietro as does Luna, of course. His issue is, at times, expressing that. Just because they’re no longer married doesn’t mean they don’t still have a connection, as sometimes happens in real life with one’s ex. Crystal and Pietro still know each other, good and bad, better than almost anyone else.
AIPT: X-Fan Alex @616POLARISZ_ said that while this comic is about Wanda and Pietro, can we expect to see their younger sister Polaris at some point? Alex can’t even remember the last time the three of them were together.
Steve: This is definitely Wanda and Pietro’s book — but assuming things work out with the ongoing ORCHIS threat and the twins’ own struggles, I do hope there’s room for a reunion.
AIPT: X-Fan Billy-Vell asked if there’s any chance that Billy and/or Tommy might pop up in this mini-series. We don’t have much of Pietro interacting with his nephews.
Steve: There’s always a chance! But once again — Pietro and Wanda are the stars of the book. If it makes sense for Billy or Tommy to appear, I’d love for it to happen!
AIPT: Finally, X-Fan KingdomX has loved your X-Men Unlimited work with Steve Foxe filling in the gaps of Fall of X. Can we anticipate any additional X-work from you as the Krakoan era comes to a close?
Steve: Thank you! X-Men Unlimited is my main X-gig running through the end of the Krakoan Era — BUT it’ll run right up until the end. And our main story hasn’t even started! We’ve got an Arakko holiday special coming up, and from there we kick off the main arc — one that features Thunderbird and Moonstar in the lead, as well as another classic mutant. And they’re up against a villain that’s as ancient as they come.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
AIPT: Arakko holiday special, eh? Excited to learn Bei’s holiday traditions. (Based on the above image… they look violent!) But on that note, Steve, thanks as always for stopping by X-Men Monday to chat!
Remember, X-Fans, Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver #1 goes on sale February 14, 2024. Here’s an eXclusive look at a few pages, illustrated by Lorenzo Tammetta with colors by Frank Williams.
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Courtesy of Marvel Comics
As we wrap up, if you haven’t taken the 2023 X-Men Monday Survey, you better do that fast because it’s officially closing at midnight. Hundreds of X-Fans have voted and there are some clear winners across categories — but in these final hours, anything’s possible!
Until next time, X-Fans, stay exceptional!
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.