The Cosmic Fallout of "Infinity"

Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso developing storylines as envisioned by Skottie Young

Fridays on CBR mean Axel's In Charge.

Welcome to MARVEL A-I-C: AXEL-IN-CHARGE, CBR's regular interview feature with Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso!

An editor with years of experience who's brought out comics to both critical acclaim and best-selling status, Alonso stepped into the chair at the top of Marvel's Editorial department and since then has been working to bring his signature stylings to the entire Marvel U. Anchored by regular question and answer rounds with the denizens of the CBR Message Boards, each week Alonso will shake things up with special guest stars, exclusive art reveals and more!

This week, the finale of Jonathan Hickman and company's "Infinity" event has landed, and with the final battle between Thanos and the Avengers barely in the rear view, the landscape of Marvel's Cosmic heroes and villains has been shaken up. To that end, Axel gives a quick post-mortem on how the event will bleed into the incoming "Inhumanity!" cycle of stories while taking your fan questions on everyone from the Guardians of the Galaxy to the Watcher to Killraven. Below, Alonso gives clues as to where the "Infinity" fallout will have the biggest impact including "All-New Invaders" and Marvel UK's "Revolutionary War." Read on!

Kiel Phegley: Axel, this week saw the big finale of "Infinity," and on top of a lot of other changes, the book certainly shook up the rulers of many planets across Marvel's cosmos. How did Jonathan Hickman and the rest of the team conceive of the many epilogues of the book? Are those seeds for future "Avengers" plans or Marvel stories in general?

Axel Alonso: Both. But really, they're less about setting up specific stories for the future and more about setting up some pieces in the Marvel Cosmos for some time to come.

Specifically, the character of Thane had a big turning point at the end of the story. This character can't stay off the table for too long, can he?

Alonso: No. He couldn't.

Of course, the immediate impact of "Infinity" will be felt in the pages of "Inhumanity." This event ended with Black Bolt and Maximus launching their plan to spread the seeds of their race across the earth, though most of what we've heard about Matt Fraction's story focuses on the regular people who will be affected by this. Where do the Inhuman king and his brother factor into "Inhumanity"? I can't imagine everyone who receives their "gift" will be too happy with the pair.

Alonso: Black Bolt and Maximus leave a huge vacuum behind them. You'll see this vacuum immediately in "Inhumanity" and "Inhumanity: Medusa" and then in "Inhuman." As far as the new characters, most new Inhumans will break out of their cocoons with no idea who the Blackagar brothers are. As for whether they're happy with or mad with their gift, I'd say there will almost be as many responses to people waking up Inhuman as there are new Inhumans. Some will see their lives ruined; some will see their lives made. Heck, if I woke up with super powers I don't think I'd be mad!

MORE ON "INFINITY": Cheung Brings "Infinity" To An Epic Conclusion

Looking at some fan questions related to the cosmic side of Marvel in the wake of the event, Spidey616 wondered, "Speaking of Guardians of the Galaxy, has Iron Man left the team/book or will we still be seeing him in the title?"

Alonso: All the answers to your question can be found in "Guardians of the Galaxy" #11, Spidey616, the first part of

"The Trial of Jean Grey."

He follows up with a question on something we've been wondering after in the column for a while: "Know you can't wait say much about the upcoming Jason Aaron/Mike Deodato Jr. project that was teased with that mysterious image of the Watcher's death, but can you confirm if it related to the group The Unseen that was seen in the first Point One issue framing sequence?"

Alonso: We haven't confirmed the creative team yet, so almost everything you're asking about is suspect. But based solely on that one image, it'd make sense for that to be building on that "Point One" story, wouldn't it?

fullmulletjacket had a question on the creative side of Marvel cosmic: "Is there any chance of seeing some of the old school legacy creators doing anything in marvel now? I know you brought Claremont back for a short story but I'd love to see him doing something long form again. Also, I noticed Starlin's Stormwatch is ending. It would be nice to see him flesh out some of the lesser known cosmic heroes at marvel like he did back in the day."

Alonso: As Jim has mentioned elsewhere, he does have a few things cooking with us. The rest of your question covers such a broad spectrum of creators that it's tough to address. We'll turn to classic creators when we've got something cooking for which we think they'd have something unique to bring to the table.

Spidergreen12 followed up a recent cosmic query with a new one: "Just recently I asked you if there was anything solid planned for Gladiator or him and the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. Now I would like to know if there are any plans for Ronan the Accuser. He's yet another great character in Marvel's cosmic catalog and Infinity is reminding fans just how bada** he is. Are they any other big plans for him or even maybe an appearance in Robinson's 'All-New Invaders'?"

Alonso: There's more Ronan on the horizon, yes. The Shi'ar know that the Kree are violating the Galactic Council's laws about coming to Earth. You'll see this in issue #1 of "All-New Invaders." But there's a reason they are keeping it secret! As for Gladiator, you'll have to wait and see.

The aptly named cosmic fan THANOSRULES asked, "Some time ago there was some buzz that someone , possibly BMB , was going to bringing back Killraven. Any plans for this character to return to the Marvel U?"

Alonso: Keep your eyes on "All-New Invaders." James Robison has some pretty cool Martian invasion plans percolating.

On a different front, Derek Metaltron had two questions, starting with, "As an Englishman I'm really happy to see the Marvel UK characters get a spotlight in the Revolutionary War one-shots, especially Captain Britain! I was wondering whether there are any plans after this for Brian Braddock and company? I would love to see some more of MI-13 or an Excalibur reunion."

Alonso: Let's get through "Revolutionary War" first and see if there's even a Britain to be Captain of...But here's a look at the cover to "Revolutionary War: Omega" for a bit of a clue.

He also asked: "I'm also a big fan of Eric O'Grady, the douchey Ant Man Secret Avenger turned evil LMD double. Rick Remender looked like he killed him off at the end of his run, but I've noticed that Hank Pym happens to be hanging about with a range of Androids and LMD's over in Avengers AI? Is there any chance that Eric could return in those pages to be reunited with his love-hate sorta mentor? With an Ant Man flick incoming I'd love to see all three Ant Men (and maybe Cassie Lang too) back in the land of the living by 2015!"

Alonso: No immediate plans for Eric -- but, hey, you never know.

Finally, let's go old school as capesNmasks asks, "Huge fan of the World War II super heroes from "the Twelve" mini series. Any plans for them in the near future?"

Alonso: Nothing on the horizon at the moment.

Have some questions for Marvel's AXEL-IN-CHARGE? Please visit the CUP O' Q&A thread in CBR's Marvel Universe forum. It's now the dedicated thread for all connections between Board Members and the Marvel Executive staff that CBR will pull questions for next week's installment of our weekly fan-generated question-and-answer column! Do it to it!