Speed first appeared in Young Avengers #10 (March 2006), with his civilian identity, Thomas Shepherd, being introduced. His first appearance in full costume as Speed was in Young Avengers #12 (August 2006). He was created by writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung.
The creation of Speed and the entire Young Avengers team was part of a major Marvel initiative in the mid-2000s to introduce a new generation of heroes deeply connected to the legacies of classic Avengers. This occurred in the direct aftermath of the devastating Avengers Disassembled storyline, which had shattered the classic team. The concept of young heroes rising to fill the void left by their idols resonated strongly with readers. Speed's design and powers were an intentional homage to Wanda's brother, Quicksilver, with his white hair and super-speed abilities, while his rebellious and sometimes abrasive personality provided a stark contrast to his uncle's often arrogant demeanor. Heinberg and Cheung masterfully wove the character's origins into one of the most complex and emotionally charged histories in Marvel comics: the saga of the Scarlet Witch's lost children.
The origin of Thomas “Tommy” Shepherd is one of the most convoluted and mystically intricate in Marvel history, deeply tied to the magic of the Scarlet Witch and the demonic machinations of Mephisto. His journey from a magical construct to a fully realized hero is a testament to the enduring power of family and identity.
The story of Speed begins long before his birth, with the love between the Wanda Maximoff and her synthezoid husband, The Vision. Desperate for a family, Wanda used her reality-altering hex powers to magically conceive twin sons, Thomas and William. For a time, they lived a happy, albeit unusual, life as part of the West Coast Avengers. However, it was eventually revealed that the energy Wanda used to create her children was derived from fragments of the soul of the demon lord Mephisto, which he had lost in a prior battle with Franklin Richards. Upon discovering this, Mephisto reabsorbed the soul fragments, effectively erasing Thomas and William from existence. The trauma of losing her children was so immense that fellow witch Agatha Harkness cast a spell to make Wanda forget she ever had them, hoping to spare her the pain. This trauma, however, festered in her subconscious. Years later, a stray comment triggered her memories, shattering her psyche and causing her to lash out with her immense power. This mental breakdown led directly to the events of Avengers Disassembled, where she killed several teammates and destroyed the Avengers. Following this, the souls of the lost twins were reincarnated into two separate families. William Kaplan was born to a loving family in New York, eventually developing magical abilities and becoming the hero Wiccan. Thomas Shepherd's path was far darker. He was born to Frank and Mary Shepherd in Springfield, New Jersey, but his life was troubled. His powers manifested early, leading to him accidentally vaporizing his school. He was subsequently taken by the nefarious Corporation, a clandestine organization that performed brutal experiments on him in a high-tech facility, attempting to turn him into a living weapon. His salvation came with the formation of the Young Avengers. After the Vision's new synthezoid body accessed files from his original memory banks, he discovered the “Avengers Fail-Safe Program,” which listed potential next-generation heroes, including Tommy. The Young Avengers, accompanied by the Super-Skrull Kl'rt (who was temporarily posing as Longshot), located the facility where Tommy was being held. They broke him out, and his immediate resemblance to Wiccan and Quicksilver was undeniable. Initially volatile and distrustful due to his traumatic upbringing, Tommy was hesitant to join the team. However, his shared connection with Billy and the allure of a real family eventually convinced him to stay, and he adopted the codename Speed. His journey then became intertwined with his brother's as they sought the truth about their connection and the whereabouts of their long-lost mother.
In the MCU (designated as Earth-199999), the origin of Speed's counterpart, Tommy Maximoff, is significantly streamlined and different, unfolding primarily in the Disney+ series WandaVision.
Following the death of Vision at the hands of Thanos in Infinity War, a grief-stricken Wanda Maximoff unleashes a colossal wave of Chaos Magic, creating an alternate reality in the town of Westview, New Jersey. This reality, known as the “Hex,” reshaped the town and its residents into the setting of classic American sitcoms. Within this fabricated world, Wanda magically created a new version of Vision and, through a spontaneous and rapid magical pregnancy, gave birth to twin sons, Tommy and Billy.
Unlike their comic book counterparts, the MCU's Tommy and Billy were not reincarnated souls but direct magical constructs, entirely dependent on the existence of the Hex and Wanda's power to sustain them. Their growth was supernaturally accelerated; they aged from infants to ten-year-olds within a matter of days. Tommy's powers manifested during a Halloween episode, where he displayed superhuman speed, mirroring his comic uncle Quicksilver (who also made a strange, alternate-reality appearance in the series). Tommy was portrayed as the more rambunctious and impulsive of the two twins, eagerly embracing his newfound abilities.
The tragedy of their origin is that they were tied to the Hex. When Wanda finally made the heartbreaking decision to dismantle her false reality and free the people of Westview, the Hex dissipated, and with it, her husband and her two sons. In her final moments with them, she thanked them for choosing her to be their mom. As she sat alone in the aftermath, she heard the faint cries of her sons echoing from somewhere across the multiverse, setting her on a dark path.
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it's revealed that Wanda's study of the demonic book known as the Darkhold has corrupted her. Her primary motivation is to use its power to “dreamwalk”—possess an alternate version of herself in another universe—specifically to be with a version of Billy and Tommy who are real. She targets America Chavez, a hero with the power to traverse the multiverse, to achieve her goal. She eventually succeeds in reaching Earth-838, where she confronts that universe's Wanda and her very real sons. However, the 838-Tommy and Billy are terrified of the corrupted “Scarlet Witch,” not recognizing her as their mother. This horrified realization is a key factor in Wanda breaking free from the Darkhold's influence and sacrificing herself to destroy it across all realities. The existence of the Earth-838 twins confirms that “real” versions of Speed and Wiccan exist in the MCU's multiverse, leaving the door open for their eventual reintroduction.
While both versions of the character are defined by their speed, their powersets and personalities diverge, reflecting their different origins and experiences.
Thomas Shepherd is an incredibly powerful superhuman, classified as a mutant. His abilities are derived from a combination of his genetic makeup and the mystical nature of his soul's origin.
As a young boy created by magic, the MCU's Tommy Maximoff's abilities and personality are less developed but show clear parallels to his comic counterpart.
WandaVision, he was instantly able to move at superhuman velocities, becoming a blur of motion. He could outrun bullets and circle the entire town of Westview in seconds. His powers appeared to be instinctive and did not require any training to use effectively.Speed's identity is forged through his connections, from the twin he shares a soul with to the team that became his found family.
Young Avengers by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie, the team faced an insidious interdimensional parasite known simply as “The Mother.” This creature would be summoned by magic, kill the caster's parents, and then wear their forms while slowly consuming the caster's life. As a being who preys on the concept of family and parenthood, The Mother was a terrifying and deeply personal threat to a team of heroes so defined by their legacies and parental relationships.This is Speed's introduction to the Marvel Universe. Initially found in a high-security institution, the volatile and amnesiac Tommy is broken out by the Young Avengers. The story arc focuses on his integration into the team, the immediate and uncanny connection he feels with Wiccan, and the slow, dawning realization that they are brothers. His arc in this series is about finding a place to belong and trading a life as a lab rat for a role as a hero. The culmination of the first volume sees the team confront the Kree and Skrull empires, firmly establishing them as a credible and powerful new force for good.
During the first Superhuman Civil War, the Young Avengers refused to comply with the Superhuman Registration Act, siding with Captain America's anti-registration faction. This was a pivotal moment for Speed and the team, as it was their first major involvement in a universe-spanning conflict. They fought alongside their idols and were forced to make difficult moral choices. Speed's role was primarily as a high-speed combatant and rescuer, showcasing his growing power and his unwavering loyalty to his friends and their shared ideals of freedom.
This is the definitive storyline for Speed and Wiccan. Driven by Wiccan's desire to find their mother, the Young Avengers embark on a globe-trotting quest that puts them in conflict with the Avengers, the X-Men, and Doctor Doom. The series definitively answers the question of their parentage, confirming that they are the reincarnated souls of Wanda and Vision's children. For Speed, the journey is transformative. He is forced to confront the legacy of his mother, battle a god-like Doom, and ultimately witness the sacrifice of his teammate Stature (Cassie Lang). The event ends with Wanda's redemption and the return of several depowered mutants' abilities, but leaves the Young Avengers fractured and Speed more mature and sobered by the true cost of heroism.
In this critically acclaimed run, a reconstituted Young Avengers (including Speed, Wiccan, Kate Bishop, and newcomers like Miss America and Prodigy) come together to battle the interdimensional parasite known as The Mother. This series delved deeper into Speed's personality and personal life. It established his romantic relationship with fellow teammate David Alleyne (Prodigy), a significant moment of LGBTQ+ representation. The story's reality-bending, dimension-hopping plot pushed Speed's powers and his trust in his team to their absolute limits.
Young Avengers (2005-2006) #10-12, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways (2006), Avengers: The Children's Crusade (2010-2012) #1-9, Young Avengers (2013-2014) #1-15.