History: Pietro Maximoff is the son of Magneto and his former wife, a gypsy named Magda. Prior to Pietro's birth, Magda fled Magnus, terrified by his bizarre powers and his doctrine of mutant domination. Seeking refuge, Magda came upon the citadel of Wundagore in the Balkan Mountains of Transia where she gave birth to Wanda and Pietro. Still afraid her estranged husband might hunt them down them, she gave the twins up for adoption and walked into the frozen mountain wilderness to perish.
Django and Marya Maximoff, cared for Pietro and Wanda as if they were their own. As adolescents, the twins discovered they possessed unusual abilities. Wanda could cause strange phenomenon to occur simply by waving her hands, and Pietro was able to move faster than the blink of an eye. When Django stole food to feed his starving family, enraged farmers killed him and Marya. Using his phenomenal speed, Pietro took flight with his sister. For the next few years, Wanda and Pietro wandered central Europe, surviving however they could.
While visiting a small town, Wanda accidentally caused a house to burst into flame with her then-uncontrollable hex-casting abilities. Superstitious townspeople took up arms against her, mistaking her for a witch. Despite Pietro's attempts to defend his sister, they were overpowered and about to be killed when Magneto came to their rescue. Pietro began to believe it wasn't safe to be a mutant in a human-dominated world and was thus pressed into Magento's service along with his sister. For months, Wanda and Pietro served their new master out of a sense of obligation -- and for fear of reprisal, aiding Magneto in minor terrorist campaigns against humanity.
However, it wasn't long before Pietro became disillusioned -- he didn't hate humans and only wanted for mutants to be able to feel safe from persecution. This along with Magneto's treatment of him and Wanda as just another pair of soldiers to further his cause made Pietro reconsider remaining with the master of magnetism. He and Wanda eventually left and joined the Avengers where Pietro discovered the truth regarding his parentage, conversely so did his father (Magneto). Magnus confronted the twins, hoping to sway them to join his newly formed Brotherhood of Mutants, but Pietro denounced Magneto for his callous treatment of them, choosing to fight by his sister's side as a member of the Avengers.
For a time, the twins were nearly inseparable, but their relationship began to strain. Pietro had few friends and tended to hang around the edges of Wanda's social circles. He was very protective of her and interfered in her romantic relationships, believing that none of her boyfriends were good enough for her. This led to disagreements and discourse, even when they were performing their duties for the Avengers. It was strongly suggested that he leave the team due to their incessant arguments and squabbles.
Pietro complied and considered his options. His beliefs didn't match those of his father's, in fact he didn't trust his father at all which left the Brotherhood out and he couldn't stay where he was. So, where do yo go if you're a mutant in need of secrecy and want to be able to continue the "good" fight? That's when Charles Xavier and the X-Men sprung to mind and Pietro gathered up his belongings and took off for Westchester. |
