In a recent interview at the Hollywood premiere of Iron Man 3, writer/director/creator/purveyor of awesome Joss Whedon seemingly let slip a juicy bit of intel regarding Avengers 2.
I’ve got these two characters, two of my favorite characters from the comic book, a brother-sister act. They’re in the movie.
Whoa.
If this is true, and not an instance of Whedon screwing with us, then all signs point to the inclusion of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch – a brother/sister duo long associated with the Avengers. Although both characters are technically mutants, and would thus appear to have their film rights tied up with the rest of the X-Men at Fox, both characters are also unique in that Marvel and Fox appear to share the film rights. So long as Marvel does not refer to Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch’s parentage, or to the fact of their being mutants, the company appears able to use them.
But while these characters are clearly the most obvious candidates for inclusion, there’s another brother/sister team associated with the Avengers that could also factor easily into Avengers 2. While the two of them aren’t nearly as prominent in Avengers history, the role that they both inhabit in the Marvel Universe is certainly a familiar one to fans:
The brother/sister team of T’Challa and Shuri share the Black Panther mantle in Marvel’s current continuity, and it’s well known that Marvel is looking to integrate the character into the Marvel Film Universe. Recent tweets from actor Morris Chestnut have indicated that Marvel may be gunning to include the Panther character in Avengers 2.
So, while Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch might seem like the obvious contenders here, don’t put it past Joss Whedon to appear to be confirming that so as to lead nosey fans in precisely the wrong direction. That’s sort of the guy’s specialty.