Meet the new 'Avengers' on the block

SURREY, England — For these Marvel rookies, it's all in the hands and the feet.

The superhero sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron (in theaters May 1) gives a proper introduction to the two newest powered folks in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, orphaned siblings Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Or, if you're dealing in nicknames, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

Wanda is a telekinetic who can move objects with flicks of her wrists and fingers, the result of "playing around a room trying to figure out what it looks like to move energy," says Olsen, 26.

And her movie twin brother is one of the speediest dudes on the planet, which meant lots and lots of running for Taylor-Johnson, 24. "I'll come in and go, 'Hey, what am I doing today?' " he says. " 'I run in, say something and then I run out? OK!' "

When audiences and Avengers such as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) meet the pair, however, they're not exactly dripping in heroism. The Maximoffs, natives of the fictitious Eastern European locale Sokovia, lost their parents at age 10 when the family's apartment exploded. The two became volunteers for a nefarious science experiment conducted by the evil organization Hydra.

They also don't really like the Avengers that much. To them, the heroes represent the establishment and "the Man," according to executive producer Jeremy Latcham. The Maximoffs soon align themselves with the villainous robot Ultron (voiced by James Spader) until they figure out who the good guys really are.

"You want somebody who's going to have a very different attitude about Cap, Iron Man and Thor," says director Joss Whedon. "So when they conflict, it gets to show you new colors of the guys you love as well as the people you haven't met yet."

The filmmaker wanted younger faces in the cast to freshen up the mix of characters, and Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, who initially appeared a 1964 X-Men comic book, were particular favorites of his over the years.

"The closeness of their bond is something that I find interesting and lovely," he says. "These people don't look at home and hearth because they just have each other. Everything else has been taken from them, and their response to that is intense and passionate but also cogent and political."

Co-stars in last year's monster movie Godzilla, Olsen and Taylor-Johnson had to figure out the needed yin and yang between the two siblings.

Pietro is "quick at everything," Taylor-Johnson says. "Everything moves too slow for him, so he gets agitated and frustrated. Whereas Wanda's the more thoughtful processing type who controls and slows him down."

Adds Olsen: "She has this ability of sensing and understanding more than just what's in front or what's ahead. She's more grounded and rooted in a slower way."

Wanda also has an ability to get into the Avengers' heads, digging up their internal pain and struggles while also experiencing them herself.

"It's really awesome in a superhero film for someone to feel so deeply, when almost the opposite is true for superheroes (who are) able to handle their arm getting cut off or whatever," says Olsen.

Even though they were rookies in the Avengers cast, Taylor-Johnson reports that the pair was met with a "really welcoming" atmosphere instead of tests or initiations.

Olsen acknowledges being suspicious one night early in filming when the A-list gang invited her out for an afterwork bite to eat. "I was so expecting to show up and no one be there," she says. "But we all ended up having dinner, which was a lot nicer" than being pranked.