Speed (real name Thomas "Tommy" Shephard) is a fictional character from Marvel Comics. He was born from the reincarnated soul of Tommy Maximoff, the son of Scarlet Witch and Vision and the twin brother of Billy Kaplan/Wiccan. He inherited super speed, a quality shared by his former reincarnated self's uncle, Quicksilver.
In his debut, Speed joined the Young Avengers to fighting against the Skrulls.
He was created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung and first appeared in Young Avengers #10 (February, 2006)
History[]
During her marriage to Vision, the Scarlet Witch used her reality-warping powers to create their children William and Thomas from two of the five fragments of Mephisto's soul, as the demon had scattered across the globe after an unfortunate encounter with the powerful mutant child of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman, Franklin Richards. When he reformed, Mephisto took the two lost souls that once belonged to him. However, because Wanda's magic had transformed the boys' souls, the demon was destroyed and he was later, disbursed. Tommy and his brother were later reincarnated as different boys.
Tommy was born to Frank and Mary's Shepherd, normal humans, as he retained his mutant powers. Tommy went in and out of juvenile detention centers. In one of them, he met a girl, Lisa Molinari, who he had some form of a romantic relationship with.
Becoming a Young Avenger[]
After accidentally "vaporized" his school with his super speed, Tommy was arrested and sent to a high-powered correction facility that dampened Tommy's powers. He was trapped there for months and intended to be turned into a weapon before being rescued by the Young Avengers.
After being freed from his cell, Stature (Cassie Lang) noted at how similar Tommy and her teammate, Billy Kaplan, were and that they could have been twins. Their escape plan did not end well as the teenagers ran into armed officers. Holding a grudge against his former captors, Tommy began attacking the doctors and officers there before being stopped by Kate Bishop and Patriot. Later, Tommy joined the Young Avengers in battling their Kree and Skrull adversaries to rescue Hulkling. Becoming Speed, Tommy joined the Young Avengers, and alerted them that the Zodiac was attacking the United Nations.
Civil War[]
Along with the rest of his team, Speed sided with Captain America and the Secret Avengers against the Superhuman Registration Act, which led to the Superhero Civil War.
Portrayal[]
Marvel Cinematic Universe[]
- Tommy and his brother, Billy, appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021), where he was portrayed by Gavin Borders and Jett Klyne. They were a set of twins who were created by Wanda Maximoff in her illusional world in Westview. They were erased from existence due to Wanda bringing the Hex down. In the post-credits scene, she can hear them crying for her.
- In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it is revealed the screams Wanda heard were the Tommy and Billy Maximoff of Earth-838, where they are fully human.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Mary Shepherd - mother
- Frank Shepherd - father
- Scarlet Witch - mother
- Vision - "father"
- Wiccan - reincarnated brother
- Viv - half-sister
- Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver - uncle
- Luna Maximoff - cousin
- Ultron - "grandfather"
- Quentin Keough - maternal "ancestor"
- Lenore Keough - maternal "ancestor"
- Henry Pym - "paternal great-grandfather", deceased
- Django Maximoff - "maternal adoptive grandfather/great uncle", deceased
- Marya Maximoff - "maternal adoptive grandmother/great aunt", deceased
- Ultron - "paternal grandfather"
- Natalya Maximoff ("maternal grandmother"
- Wanda Maximoff ("birth mother"
- Vision ("birth father"
- Virginia ("step-mother", deceased
- Pietro Maximoff - "maternal uncle"
- Ana Maximoff - "maternal adoptive aunt/first cousin once removed", deceased
- Mateo Maximoff - "maternal adoptive uncle/first cousin once removed", deceased
- Crystalia Amaquelin Maximoff - former "maternal aunt"
- Alkhema - "paternal aunt"
- Victor Mancha - "paternal uncle"
- Simon Williams - "paternal uncle"
- Jocasta - "paternal aunt/former grandmother"
- Vivian - "half-sister"
- Vivian 2.0 - "half-sister"
- Vin - "half-brother," deceased
- Talia Wagner - alternate reality "half-sister"
- Luna Maximoff ("maternal cousin"
Allies[]
Enemies[]
- Nathaniel Richards/Kang the Conqueror
- Skrulls
- Super-Skrull
- Kree
Trivia[]
- Tommy was initially skeptical of him and Billy being Thomas and William Maximoff, the reincarnated twin sons of Vision and the Scarlet Witch. The signs that pointed Billy to the conclusion were:
- Cassie Lang noting at how identical the two looks when they stood by side.
- Their names being the same,
- Both twins having powers that mirrored twins Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
- Tommy eventually warmed up to the idea that they were twins and later accepted it after an encounter with Super-Skrull and Wanda confirmed the two are the reincarnated souls of her children.
- He now founded a brother relationship with Billy and a mother-son relationship with Wanda.
- Tommy is bisexual due to his mutual attraction to Kate Bishop and his later relationship with Prodigy.
- Tommy is very similar to his uncle, Pietro, such as their similar powers, personality, and characteristics such as white hair.
Relationships[]
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