Marvel Universe's mutant population is defined by change because genetic evolution has endowed them with power, but these past few years have embraced the mutants' metaphorical change. Starting with founding their nation of Krakoa in 2019, they've gone on to redefine fields like medicine, political relations, fashion and transportation. In Planet Size X-Men #1, they even changed the face of space exploration by terraforming and colonizing Mars.
In X-Men #1, written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by Pepe Larraz, the titular heroes were tasked with defending Earth. Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine (Laura Kinney), Synch, Polaris, Rogue and Sunfire wowed the citizens of the Big Apple with a fantastic new headquarters and a battle against a mysterious new foe. However, the new line created events that would ripple across the Marvel Universe. To discover just how big of an impact X-Men #1 had, CBR spoke with Duggan about his initial plans for the cast of X-Men, the scope, scale and the consequences of Krakoa's new band of superheroes. Also, included in this interview is an exclusive sneak peek at pages from X-Men #2, drawn by Larraz and colored by Marte Gracia.
CBR: In X-Men #1 a new team set out to perform the classic mutant hero mandate of protecting a world that "fears and hates" them, but now they're doing that as representatives of a powerful and often controversial nation. What does that mean for the team's larger mission?
Gerry Duggan: The X-Men love humans. They love Earth. They did a restoration job on our neighboring planet, but this is still their home, and it's one that they're willing to fight for.
You've got an interesting collection of veteran and fan-favorite characters. Who are some team members that get the spotlight early on?
I thought Sunfire needed something, he's served so many different masters and causes. I love this team. I know what happens over the first year, and they're the perfect circuit of characters to star on the big stage right now. This book and Planet-Size X-Men were collaborations that happened during the lockdown. We weren't sure what the world would look like outside your window, but we worked like hell to make sure that there was something inspirational and hopeful in your X-Men team book.
Part of the fun of this book has got to be the chance to pit your cast against a variety of antagonists, not just the ones that target mutants. So, what can you tell us about the threats these X-Men will face early on?
Blowback. There is always blowback. The first 12 issues are pretty carefully constructed to tell the biggest X-Men story we could conceive of. The X-Men are going to change the universe...again.
This book is going to be ginormous and fun, but we're pulling on some very important story threads. New enemies will come into dangerous orbits, and matters will boil over in this book and affect the entire Marvel Universe. It's been a privilege to be asked to have this much fun. I've never had an idea that wasn't made better by Jonathan, our editors, and of course Pepe. We have big stuff planned -- hope you survive the experience!
Finally, how does it feel to be back working on a book with Pepe Larraz? It looks like this is the perfect setup for him to show off his incredible skill at depicting action and character acting.
It's the Pepe show. Whatever you need, Pepe has it. Impeccable designs, unmatched action, and Oscar-winning acting on these characters. I was lucky enough to have one rodeo with Pepe and that would have been enough, that we got to drop PSX # 1 and X-Men together is truly an embarrassment of riches for me. What [Colorist] Marte [Gracia] accomplishes over Pepe is just breathtaking. They're the best one-two punch in comics.
