Evil Is(n't) As Evil Does

Before they were Avengers, the mutant brother and sister known as Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were cooperative if unwilling members of Magneto's first grouping of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants*, and only because they were obliged to honor the debt that Wanda felt she owed Magneto for once saving her life while in Europe:

*It took awhile for the Brotherhood to actually call themselves "the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants" by name--the cover to The X-Men #4 notwithstanding, they were originally only referred to by others as "the evil mutants" or "Magneto and his evil mutants," and didn't formally adopt an actual name for their group until later. (Can YOU recall the first instance when they were tagged in a story as "the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants"?)

While this flashback obviously depicts the superstitious villagers assuming the worst of Wanda, in their defense it does seem as if this woman has deliberately set fire to their homes (her startled cries aside) without cause--nor does a later portrayal of the incident in The Avengers clarify the scene.

However, a later retelling by writer Roger Stern adds some important context, by not only clearly indicating that the damage wasn't intentional on Wanda's part, but also by including Pietro in their obligation to serve Magneto.

And so, not long after Magneto commits acts of incursion on the world stage, he begins gathering other mutants in order to eventually form an army of such beings banded together in his service--evil mutants, as Charles Xavier declares them to be.

We have colorist Stan Goldberg to thank for the coloring "error" in regard to not only Wanda's costume but also Pietro's. Yet it appears to be intentional on Goldberg's part, reportedly having to do with the need to balance the elements on a cover in order to make it look pleasing overall for everyone--in this case, not having two characters clad in bright red standing next to each other (which, when addressed, trickled down to Pietro's costume coloring being changed accordingly, as a result of the change to Wanda's), a practice briefly acknowledged in a subsequent X-Men letters page:

Though both Pietro and Wanda are definitely seeing red in terms of the company they're now keeping.  Magneto would briefly abandon his intention to seek out other mutants when he returned from his captivity by the Stranger--but in this early period he was completely committed to it, while demanding absolute fealty with an iron fist. And so Wanda and Pietro found themselves alone in a nest of vile personalities (with terrible table manners, to boot), not wishing any association with either their leader or his other subordinates.

Yet the pair were still between a rock and a hard place--uncomfortable with being in Magneto's service, but nevertheless feeling bound to carry out his orders, which inevitably brought them into conflict with the X-Men. As we'll see, their moral dilemma became easier to suppress whenever it was clear that one of them was in danger of being harmed by these other mutants tasked with stopping them; even so, the X-Men came to believe that Pietro and Wanda didn't really have their hearts in being part of Magneto's criminal agenda.

As the X-Men's conflict with their evil foes escalates, the Angel is captured and brought to what happens to be our first look at Magneto's orbital base, Asteroid M. Yet Quicksilver and his sister have already begun to intercede with Magneto in an attempt to convince him to back off from his search for the X-Men and their headquarters--though Magneto makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he won't be swayed.

Eventually, the X-Men are successful in reaching Asteroid M and are determined to find and free their comrade. But during the conflict, there are signs of a widening rift growing between Magneto and the brother and sister he's kept on a tight leash--giving the X-Men the opportunity to turn the tide in their favor.

But having been daunted by the X-Men once again, there are two other prospects that Magneto means to bring to his side:

While I've gone on record to disagree with the assertion that the Sub-Mariner is a mutant, Magneto is nevertheless convinced of it, and so he intends to conscript Namor before Xavier can reach him and extend the same offer--and he is successful, though not in the long run. In addition to Namor's regal bearing that frustrates Magneto's attempts to bring him under his control, Namor develops a certain amount of sympathy for Wanda's harsh treatment by Magneto and consequently severs the budding alliance between them. And when the X-Men arrive, and Magneto's plans have been foiled, the team leaves the door open for Wanda and Pietro to hopefully take advantage of someday.

As for the Blob, the X-Men have previously met and fought with the circus attraction, who by the end of their battle had his memory of the encounter wiped by Xavier. But in an altercation with Magneto, the Blob's mental block is broken, and he chooses to join forces against the X-Men. All the while, Wanda and her brother grow more weary of their servitude--most especially Wanda, who has been fending off the advances of Mastermind.  (While the X-Men have been busy with giving us our first look at a most unique apparatus which went on to merit its own sizable chamber.)

But when Magneto chooses to sacrifice his new ally in order to wipe out the X-Men at a stroke, he proves once again to be his own worst enemy.

The breaking point for Wanda and her brother finally comes with the arrival of the Stranger, who has Magneto virtually salivating to bring into his circle. Yet Magneto has severely misjudged the nature of this being--as well as the extent of his power.

Meanwhile, the X-Men arrive to investigate the threat, and once again Pietro and Wanda are compelled to engage them. But it will be their final clash--and the final battle they undertake for Magneto, at least for the near future.

Yet Magneto, as you might guess, hasn't finished with this pair, and will return for them when the time is right. But if they should ever waver in their resolve to reject him, they only need to recall a time in the past when they were in his camp of their own volition, and came to regret it.

COMING UP:

Flash back four months (our time), where Wanda and Pietro approach the Fantastic Four for help with their situation! If only they'd called for an appointment...