Earth may be at its center, but the Marvel Universe is a delicate balance of ancient galactic empires. It's the job of groups like the Guardians of the Galaxy to help maintain that harmony, but recent events have irrevocably shattered the status quo and fragmented the team's ranks. Now Marvel's premier cosmic heroes are metaphorical firefighters desperately trying to douse the many political conflagrations raging across the cosmos. But even while they do that, a threat of unprecedented scale is rocketing toward Earth.
It arrives in April in Empyre #1, by writers Al Ewing and Dan Slott, and artist Valerio Schiti, in the form of the Kree and Skrull empires have united under one flag and emperor, the fan-favorite hero Hulkling. Ewing is also the writer of Guardians of the Galaxy, which features art by Juann Cabal and Chris Sprouse, so his plans for both books will have a huge impact on Marvel's cosmic universe.
CBR spoke with Ewing about some of those plan, including the apparent death of the Guardians' leader, Star-Lord, the prophecies of the reborn Olympian god Athena, his take on Emperor Hulkling, and what the cosmic order might look like once Empyre wraps.
CBR: In Guardians of the Galaxy #2, the reborn Athena does a sort of tarot reading for Hercules and the Guardians. Can readers trust her predictions? And does Athena's reading offer clues to just your plans in Guardians? Or does it involve Empyre as well?
Al Ewing: Her predictions for the future are pretty vague, and one of them has come true already, so I think it's a definite "yes" that readers can trust them. They're all relating to things that will definitely be happening down the road - things that are as set in stone as anything can be in comics. I don't plan, exactly -- I plant certain things in stone in the future, bits of poetry or metaphor that become the destination, and then I work out the path to get there. And this is an example of that -- I knew how Issue 2 ended, I know how later bits will end. Including Empyre. Make of that what you will - but there will come a time, if you follow Marvel Space as a place, where you know what all these tarot cards were referring to.
The other big event in Guardians #2 is Peter Quill is gone, at least for now. What can you tell us about how that impacts the Guardians' immediate future in issue #3 and a little bit further down the road?
It's a massive blow to the morale of the team -- both teams, the team that was left on Halfworld and the ad-hoc team that went to stop Olympus. And over the course of #3, #4, #5 and #6, we'll see what that does to everyone. The cover for Issue 4 is probably pretty telling -- there's immediate division.
We're doing a thing -- or rather, that's how things have turned out - where we seem to have two-issue bursts of frenetic action and then we need an issue where the characters get to breathe so it can all catch up. So in Issue 3, we'll see exactly how all this affects everyone -- especially Gamora. And we'll be getting more of that emotional development down the road.
The solicits for upcoming issues of Guardians suggest Moondragon will get some spotlight, and you're known for taking continuity and using it to fuel modern and relevant stories. So which aspects of Heather Douglas' past are you interested in exploring?
Obviously, the main aspect of Heather Douglas we're exploring is that there's more than one of them. Basically, the Moondragon we're following in Guardians is a Moondragon from a different dimension to the main Marvel Universe -- a better dimension. It's a reality where everybody is better, more perfect, more heroic. Moondragon 616, for want of a better designation, is our own badly flawed Moondragon -- the one who was possessed multiple times by the Dragon of the Moon -- and you have to assume that when she sees a perfect version of herself, married to a perfect version of her dead love, she's going to have certain issues. We're going to explore that and see where it leads.
In your debut issue of Guardians we saw the state of the Kree Civil War, but you haven't had a chance yet to really check in with Skrull space. Will we see the Skrulls in Guardians soon? And what can you tell us about how Hulkling claiming the throne in Incoming has impacted the Skrulls as a galactic power?
We are going to be seeing Skrulls, and answering those questions, very soon -- immediately after Empyre, in fact. I don't want to spoil Empyre before its time, but what I will say is that it will create, and has already created, certain consequences for galactic politics. What I'm trying to do right now is push for more creative tissue in space -- to make Marvel Space an actual place, with people and politics and metaphorical changes of season, rather than a random encounter table that might throw up Kree or Skrulls or Zn'rx or Badoon on any given roll. And Empyre, it turns out, is a big part of that, because it leads to some serious changes of the weather in terms of the great Space Empires of Marvel.
What kind of role will the Guardians title play in setting the stage for Empyre? And how involved will the team and the book be once the mini-series begins? Will there be an Empyre tie-in to Guardians?
Guardians hasn't played a huge role in setting the stage for Empyre, but we have seen that stage-setting referred to - for instance, we've heard tell of the new Emperor of the Kree calling for a ceasefire, and if you put two and two together, that sounds like something Hulkling would do. What we're going to see in Guardians is more of an aftermath - not so much a tie-in, because that'd be like a comic about the forest tying into a comic about a single tree, but definitely growing out of the event, in that Empyre will have consequences and Marvel Space will have to deal with them. So issues 7 and 8 are set at a diplomatic conference -- the first of its kind, in a brand new location. But if wouldn't be an issue of Guardians if everything didn't go wrong.
In Empyre you're getting a chance to write two of the Marvel U's biggest super-teams, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Which members of these teams are you especially enjoying writing for this series?
Every time I write a new FF member, they become my favorite FF member. Case in point: The Thing. Just a couple of days ago I wrote a scene with Ben, and there's a reason he's one of the most beloved heroes Marvel has. I get a lot of "who's strongest" questions, being the writer of Hulk, and looking online I see a lot of people bragging -- or more likely complaining -- that their hero is, or isn't, displayed as strong enough. That they're getting jobbed, or winning in a single blow, or having "feats," or whatever. Ben isn't famous for winning fights; he's famous for not losing them. The Thing's strength is not that he can punch harder or lift more, or even take more punishment - it's that no matter what you do, he will never stay down. That, to me, means more than simple feats of strength.
On the Avengers side, it's always nice when I really get to take a proper look at Iron Man. Remembering, of course, that I love heroes most for their flaws and faults -- and Tony has some major flaws.
Another character at the heart of Empyre is the ruler of the titular force, Hulkling. What's it like for him to be in this position of leadership and leading forces against the planet where he was raised and the love of his life resides?
It's hard. Leadership is difficult, and he's got a lot of choices ahead of him, and we'll see what he makes of them. I don't really want to drop too many spoilers at this point. I think Hulkling's fans are a little nervous, but I think most of them know I'm a fan too, so I hope I have at least a little trust. And if I don't have it at the start, I will by the end.
We know the Kree-Skrull Alliance and Earth are the focal points of Empyre, but will we see how the other major galactic powers like say the Shi'ar and the Badoon react to what's going on?
Maybe not during the event itself -- we've got a tight focus -- but we'll definitely see in the aftermath. That diplomatic conference I mentioned? It's going to be a doozy, and I'm not just saying that because of all the free murder. Did I say murder? I meant coffee. There'll be lots of free coffee. But be aware, the bomb is for delegates only. Did I say bomb? I meant buffet.
Finally, Empyre feels like it's going to be labor of love between you, Dan Slott and Valerio Schiti. Can you talk about any of the ideas they've had that influenced you?
Dan had the major idea that formed the basis of the thing, which was bringing back the [REDACTED] to [REDACTED] because [REDACTED]. I think he also suggested bringing back [REDACTED], which is great because I realized [REDACTED] is actually [REDACTED]'s [REDACTED], so there's that whole layer of [REDACTED] drama going on there. But as I remember it was Joe Quesada at the retreat who said we should [ENORMOUS, PARAGRAPH-SIZE REDACTED].
Valerio, on the other hand, I can talk freely about. He's wonderful. His designs for the Kree-Skrull ground soldiers, Hulkling's imperial outfit, and obviously [REDACTED] are absolutely perfect, and every page he drops into the inbox has some beautiful new element that I love.
I'd like to finish up with a big thanks to the Guardians readers for giving us such a great launch! I hope you stick with us - we've got a lot to do, and every Marvel Space hero is potentially part of the big plan.