Earlier this year in the 16-part “Avengers: No Surrender,” which ran through Avengers #675-690, the title characters demonstrated what it means to be Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The epic adventure united the ranks of three separate Avengers squads into one big team to battle two warring cosmic entities with sinister designs on Earth. The story also added to the larger Marvel Universe by introducing a new hero named Voyager, as well as the current “Immortal” incarnation of the Hulk.

Al Ewing, Jim Zub and Mark Waid were the writers of “No Surrender,” and after completing their ambitious epic they immediately began brainstorming a follow-up. That spiritual sequel, Avengers: No Road Home, a 10-part weekly miniseries kicks off in February with art by Paco Medina and Sean Izaakse. In the tale, Voyager brings together the Hulk, Hercules, Hawkeye, Spectrum, Vision, Scarlet Witch and Rocket Raccoon (yes, you read that right) to battle a powerful evil.

CBR spoke with Ewing, Zub, and Waid about creating their story, the characters they're most excited to return to, the surprise character that arrives at the miniseries' halfway point, and how the recent passing of Stan Lee impacted their work.

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CBR: What was it like getting the band back together for No Road Home and breaking the story for this follow-up to "No Surrender?"

Jim Zub: The day the final part of “No Surrender” arrived in stores and we sent rounds of congratulations, Tom Brevoort let us know that he was interested in having us build another big Avengers weekly storyline -- if we were up for it. Minutes later, we’d all committed to diving back in to the fray. At C2E2. Mark, Tom and I met up and did a bit of brainstorming, and then we pulled together an in-person story summit at the Marvel offices in mid-May.

When we built “No Surrender,” I was honestly really intimidated. Al and Mark have put out some of the best comics at Marvel over the past few years, and I didn’t want to be the weak link in the chain of this crazy, weekly storyline. Thankfully, we all got along and the whole thing came together well. This time, the comradery was instant. We all know what we’re capable of and feel comfortable incorporating each other’s ideas together to find a story we can all be proud of.

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Mark Waid: The first thing we settled on was to not duplicate ourselves. With “No Surrender,” we told the biggest story we could imagine, with the biggest cast the books could handle without bursting at the seams. This time, we wanted to pick one Big Bad and make the challenge to the characters a little more personal.

Al Ewing: Working with Mark, Jim, Tom and Alanna [Smith] – not to mention the rest of the gang – on the first one was so much fun that the decision to essentially do it again (but different) wasn’t a decision so much for me as an inevitability. The immediate idea was, as Mark said, to go the opposite route – which meant getting into something smaller and more magical instead of the big cosmic of the first go-round. And, as before, the whole thing’s got a lot bigger than the initial ideas – it’s mutated and evolved as we’ve gone, which is the bit I always enjoy, seeing what bits fall off when the rubber hits the road and which parts rattle into exciting new configurations.

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In No Road Home, you're dealing with a smaller cast of characters that features many of the high-profile players of "No Surrender," but also includes some new faces like Spectrum and Rocket Raccoon. SHow did this cast come together? And which characters are you especially enjoying writing this time out?

Zub: Nailing down the cast was a real battle royale in the Marvel boardroom. We all agreed that we wanted a smaller and tighter cast than “No Surrender,” but figuring out who stayed on and who got bumped was really difficult. We all have our favorites. So there was a lot of back and forth discussion about which characters needed to be there to make it all work, which characters had plot lines we wanted to carry through this story, and which ones provided variety to the powers and personalities on the team. The crew we got kicks butt, and the dynamics between them is a ton of fun.

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CB [Cebulski] was in the room during all this, and he was invaluable at bringing a fresh set of eyes to the whole process. He was the one who recommended throwing in a curveball with Rocket Raccoon, and that worked out incredibly well. I love writing Rocket’s sardonic tone and figuring out ways for him to cause trouble.

Writing Wanda in Uncanny Avengers and “No Surrender” was a lot of fun, so picking up with her story again here feels really natural. We’ve got some great scenes for the Scarlet Witch in this story, especially at the mid-point where the story goes to some unexpected places.

EXCLUSIVE: Art by Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco and Jesus Aburtov

Waid: I could write Clint Barton until my fingers fall off, and surprisingly -- because I don’t normally enjoy writing villains -- our Big Bad’s dialogue seems to come to me effortlessly. We ended up with a good, relatively unique “voice” for that character.

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Ewing: I get to write Spectrum and Rocket and Hawkeye again, and have a go at Hercules, too, so I’m very happy. We even get some noir captions for Rocket, which I always enjoy.

And, of course – the Hulk. It’s an interesting challenge writing the same horror character in a heroic context; he’s with the team, but he’s never quite on the team. He’s generally operating at cross purposes. (Because he’s generally very cross.) In fact, out of all the Avengers, his best friend here is Rocket -- and his worst enemy is Clint, with whom he’ll be having some words.

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Your cast will grow around the midpoint of No Road Home with the introduction and perhaps return of a mysterious character. What can you tell us about them? Is their return comparable to how "No Surrender" brought the Hulk back?

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Zub: We’re sworn to secrecy right now. All I can say is that Tom brought up the possibility when we had dinner at C2E2 and I thought he was joking because the suggestion was so out there. When it actually came through and we got the green light to go ahead with it, I was stunned. This character is extra-special to me, and the fact that I get to contribute to their adventures here and involve them in this crazy story we’ve come up with, it’s unbelievable. Can’t wait for readers to see what we have planned.

Is it big like the Hulk’s return was? Yes. For me, personally, it’s bigger.

Waid: It’s Batman. I find that incredibly exciting. I’ve wanted to write him for such a long ti—hang on. Please hold. I have Tom Brevoort on line one. I’ll be right back.

Ewing: I, for one, welcome our new shark-repelling overlord.

Last time, you guys had a lot of fun playing with established Marvel villains and creating new ones. What can you tell us about the antagonists of No Road Home? Does this series give you another chance to add some new threats to the Marvel Universe?

Zub: The core villains of No Road Home are new, but they’re tied to a part of the Marvel Universe that’s been around since the late '60s. I brainstormed the main concept and the “leader,” and then Al went research crazy and started throwing big mythic stuff into the mix, with Mark wisely polishing it all to a mirror shine.

EXCLUSIVE: Art by Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco and Jesus Aburtov

Adding new pieces to the Marvel Universe is one of my absolute favorite things. Building new antagonists that can go toe-to-toe against gods and cosmic powered heroes is an absolute thrill. Paco and Sean have brought their A-game to every scene with these new villains. It’s epic.

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Waid: I’m back. I would like to take this opportunity to issue a retraction on my previous statement. Tom Brevoort would also like me to take this opportunity to issue a retraction on my previous statement and would very much like me to start taking my Lamictal again quickly. What was the question? Oh, right -- the new Big Bad and his or hers or their (we’re not saying yet) underlings. Maybe the scariest villain I’ve ever had the opportunity to write. And when you learn what’s at stake should they win, you’ll get the same chill.

Ewing: Well, I was possibly a little hasty earlier, and I’d like to reaffirm my allegiance to this shared universe and its non-chiropteran heroes.

As for these baddies, they’ve got some pretty nasty plans for everything and everybody. But they’re not just a nightmarish force of evil -- they’re fleshed-out characters as well. Readers might even find themselves sympathizing with these villains… well, some of them at least.

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"No Surrender" was very much about showing the Avengers as Earth's Mightiest Heroes because their home planet was at risk. The title for this story, No Road Home, suggests you're taking your cast away from Earth. So, what can you tell us about where your Avengers head out to and what kind of trouble they get into during No Road Home?

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Zub: The cast is smaller but the scope, in many ways, is larger. Voyager sees a horrific evil arriving/returning to cause havoc and before she can even warn the Avengers, a group of very powerful beings is laid to waste. Our heroes are brought together under the crunch to figure out what this evil wants and how to stop it. That quest is going to take them to some unexpected locales and put them through the wringer, with the very distinct possibility that some of them won’t survive.

Waid: We did want a smaller cast so that we could have more personal moments, but by the end of the story, you’ll see -- hang on. Brevoort.

Ewing: We’ll be seeing some locations that’ll be familiar to Marvelites old and new – from the classics to the modern day – and one locale in particular is probably going to make your head explode. As for trouble – this is going to be something of a tempering fire for our cast. They’re not going to all come out of it the same as they went in.

EXCLUSIVE: Art by Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco and Jesus Aburtov

No Road Home reunites you with Paco Medina and Sean Izaakse who you worked with on “No Surrender" and on other occasions as well. What's it like telling this story with Paco and Sean?

Zub: Paco and Sean are top flight superhero artists and on No Road Home they are delivering the absolute highest quality of their careers so far. We certainly didn’t hold back on the epic scope of this story, so they’re just going for broke in every scene. Thankfully, we have a solid lead time built into the schedule so both of them can have the time they need to deliver that quality without burning out.

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Sean and I have been partnered up on so many books together (Pathfinder, Thunderbolts, Uncanny Avengers and Champions) so that brings a lot of confidence. Watching his skills grow with each project is the best.

Waid: I’m back. What impresses me most about these two guys besides their stellar draftsmanship is their humility -- the envy they have for each other’s pages as they come in and how complimentary they are to one another. I always say that everyone working on a series is part of one big team, no room for ego or jealousy, but boy do they take that to heart.

Ewing: This is only my second time working with Sean, but I love everything he brings to the table. It’s a delight seeing how he handles everything, from the layouts to the final inks.

As for Paco -- what can I say? He’s great! Working with him again is a heady mix of nostalgia for the past and eagerness to see the future, because every page he draws is better than the last one. I can’t say how much I’m looking forward to dialoguing the pages that are coming in (at least, the ones I wrote) – it’s always a pleasure, because his stuff just instantly works, in a way that’s hard to describe until you put words on it. And while we’re at it -- can we get a shout-out for Juan Vlasco’s gorgeous inks and the dazzling hues of color artist Jesus Aburtov?

Actually, if we are mentioning nostalgia, I did end up including a one-panel cameo or two from some old favorite characters, all the way back to the Contest Of Champions days. So watch out for that.

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We're doing this interview the day after Stan Lee's passing. In light of that how does it feel to be working on the adventures of a team and many characters he co-created?

Zub: “No Surrender” was built around the broader concept of Marvel Legacy. and that theme came up in all kinds of different ways. No Road Home has key moments that reflect Marvel’s 80th Anniversary happening next year so it’s a tribute to Stan and all his phenomenal collaborators who built the creative sandbox we get to play in.

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I wrote my final scenes for No Road Home last week and, when I sent in those pages in, I had a rush of nostalgia. Now that feels even more surreal. Stan Lee’s legacy is woven into everything we do with these characters and the stories he and the Bullpen created that continue to inspire and entertain. The Avengers are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and if we do our job well, we’ll make sure you never forget it.

EXCLUSIVE: Art by Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco and Jesus Aburtov

Waid: Surreal is the word. I know this is easy to say, and I know that a lot of people are saying similar things, but I can promise you -- completely by accident, the last issue segment I began writing only hours before I heard about Stan, a segment long-planned, takes on an immense new resonance in honoring The Man and that which he has given us over the past eight decades. I actually broke down at one point.

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Ewing: I’m still processing it, to be honest. I think we all are. I never properly met Stan, but just through being such a huge part of the culture and the subcultures I grew up in, he influenced and changed my life in any number of ways. It feels especially strange to be writing the Avengers and the Hulk right now -- especially given my habit of going right back to the source on these things, which means I’ve spent the last year or more immersed in Stan’s dialogue.

I think there are a lot of things coming out -- already written, drawn, produced -- that are going to be seen as tributes to him, before the actual tributes make it to the press. And like Mark and Jim say, that’s accidental, but it’s also the natural consequence of Stan’s voice being right down deep in the atoms of Marvel.