SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Marvel's "Civil War II" #3, on sale now.
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 in comics receiving 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 Community, each week Alonso will shake things up with special guest stars, exclusive art reveals and more!
RELATED: The Full Marvel NOW! 2.0 Lineup (So Far)
Marvel made mainstream news this past week through one of the most reliable of means: a major character death. And it was indeed a big one in many ways, as Bruce Banner -- the original and most famous Hulk, a longtime fixture in pop culture as a whole -- died in Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez's "Civil War II" #3, as a preemptive strike executed by Hawkeye, due to a dire vision from Ulysses, the future-predicting Inhuman at the center of the story. Alonso talks about the motivation and repercussions of both killing off Bruce Banner, and also making Hawkeye -- himself one of Marvel's most recognizable heroes at this point -- the character responsible. This week also saw the release, following a leak, of the Marvel NOW! "Previews" catalog, giving fans a glimpse of the new series set to debut this fall post-"Civil War II." There are a lot of lingering questions -- like where are the X-books, anyway? -- and Alonso shared some early hints and insight, including discussion of Bendis and Alex Maleev's "Infamous Iron Man," putting Doctor Doom in an Iron Man armor, and the rise of some rather obscure antiheroes. Plus, answers to your questions, direct from the CBR Community.
Albert Ching: Axel, Marvel made big news this week with the death of Bruce Banner in "Civil War II" #3. It's a big move, clearly -- Bruce Banner is one of the most famous Marvel characters of all time -- and one that got mainstream attention, due to the profile of both Banner and the perpetrator. Can you take us behind the scenes of that decision and what went into it? Did it spark internal debate, or was it viewed as a natural move given the overall story direction?
Axel Alonso: At a retreat, Brian pitched the scene as a pivotal moment in the story -- a major turning point that would cause some heroes to reconsider their position and maybe cross lines. We had a long conversation about it, agreed to sleep on it, then revisited it the next day, after everyone had plenty of time to contemplate it and discuss it with each other in smaller groups. When we reconvened the next day, we dove back in, considered all the ramifications and ripple effects well past "Civil War II," and decided that we were in.
Even before "Civil War II" started, you stated it's a story where readers will think they're siding with one character, before changing course mid-series. This has to be at least part of what you were hinting at then -- are the course of the next few issues are defined by this moment? Is this the turning point?
<>Alonso: It's a turning point. The first turning point. There will be other moments when heroes -- and fans -- will be forced to reconsider what side they're on.
Well, there are still four issues left to go. And the choice of Bruce Banner also feels conspicuous because, as rare of a thing as this is becoming for a character that's been around for more than 50 years, Bruce Banner has never really been killed off before. Did that extra layer of significance factor into the decision?
Alonso: Of course.
Getting back to the mechanics of it, the person who kills Banner is also significant -- Hawkeye, another character the entire world knows due to the Marvel Studios films. As you read the issue, he has reasons for what he did, and obviously the story will continue to be told, but was putting Hawkeye in this spot a controversial choice within Marvel?
Alonso: We did not make the decision lightly. But Hawkeye had his reasons -- and we are going to peel back the skin on that onion slowly. They factored heavily into our decision.
On the other side of this, what does this move say about the confidence Marvel has in Amadeus Cho as the current, "Totally Awesome Hulk"? That's a status quo that's sticking around post-"Civil War II," and now he's unchallenged, from a reader perspective, in that position. Is this a sign of confidence?
Alonso: It certainly solidifies Amadeus' position as the one Hulk of Marvel Universe, and how he reacts to the news of Banner's demise is going to be a very... interesting story. Cho was very close with Banner, so there's that. And he just saw what happened to the last Hulk, so there's that. And he can't be too happy with Hawkeye, right? So what's going to be his next move?
Let's move into the Marvel NOW! lineup reveal. There are a lot of books and a lot to talk about -- we'll talk about it more next week in San Diego -- but let's start with this, one of the things folks are most curious about: The status of the X-titles. In the Previews magazine, there are no specific X-Men titles listed other than "Death of X," which definitely worried X-Men fans. What insight can you share on the status of those books and their exclusion in the magazine?
Alonso: The Previews magazine teases the future of the Marvel Universe, and part of that future is "Death of X," but we aren't prepared to reveal what that means yet.
Well, that'll keep the speculation going. Another noticeable thing is there are a lot of new #1s, but it's not everything. It's about half and half, and a lot of books are continuing on with their prior numbering -- which makes sense, given how early most are in their run. What can you say about that philosophy? Marvel released almost all new #1s after "Secret Wars," but this is about half, which feels like a comprise for people who might get overwhelmed with all the new #1s.
Alonso: We decided that any title that was undergoing a significant shift that presented a jumping-on point for new readers -- a new creative team, creative direction, or both -- warranted a #1 on the cover to announce that. So Margaret Stohl coming to write "Captain Marvel" in the aftermath of Carol's starring role in "Civil War II" -- that fit the bill for a #1. On the other hand, great series that underwent no seismic change, like "Amazing Spider-Man," "Daredevil" and "Totally Awesome Hulk," stuck with their regular numbering.
One of the big new series announced late last week was "Infamous Iron Man," from the creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, starring Victor Von Doom as Iron Man. Readers know what that team is capable of -- how did this book come about? Like the new "Invincible Iron Man," you can see it's a direction that's been teased at least somewhat since Bendis came on Iron Man last year.
Alonso: "Infamous Iron Man" -- like Riri Williams -- was an organic outgrowth of "Civil War II." As events in "Civil War II" came into focus, we pivoted, and pivoted hard. Brian's already ambitious goals for Riri became bigger, and Doom, who has been playing a major role in "Iron Man," stepped forward to slip into a new suit of armor. It's the latest step on Doom's long road to redemption that started at the climax of "Secret Wars"... or is it? Either way, it's a series headlined by one of the most sinister figures in the Marvel Universe.
Those are two very different characters to be leading Iron Man books, but both are outgrowth of what Bendis had been doing, and Bendis is writing both series. Is it fair to say these books will have a close relationship to each other?
Alonso: Yes, both "Infamous Iron Man" and "Invincible Iron Man" will work in tandem, much like the current "Captain America: Sam Wilson" and "Captain America: Steve Rogers" titles. While either can be read alone, following both give you a sense of the full picture.
One of the biggest surprises of the lineup, even though it was teased in the prior images, is seeing Slapstick, Solo and Foolkiller all having their own ongoing series. Those are characters who, before their recent appearances in "Deadpool" were D-list at best. What motivated Marvel to elevate these characters, in particular, to anchoring their own books?
Alonso: What motivated us was the response to "Deadpool and the Mercs for Money!" Slapstick, Foolkiller and Solo all lend themselves to the type of over-the-top, humorous, ultra-violent adventure that Deadpool owns the patent to, but each is unique enough to tell a solo adventure that brings something new to our line. "Deadpool" built its own little sandbox in the Marvel Universe, and we want to play in it. Our catalog rolls deep.
And it's cool to see Fred Van Lente back at Marvel, co-writing "Slapstick" with Reilly Brown.
Alonso: Always happy to see Fred in the mix, and I'm excited about his collaboration with Reilly Brown, who co-writes and provides layouts for newcomer [artist] Diego Olortegui. This book will have a very unique look, alternating between grounded and gritty and technicolor cartoony -- sort of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" meets "Punisher MAX."
Let's wrap with a couple of fan questions from the CBR Community. mrjinjin asks, "Any Marvel NOW! plans for Weirdworld and the characters left in it?"
Alonso: Weirdworld remains an active territory within the Marvel Universe, one that any character might stumble into and have an adventure in at any time, so we'll certainly see more of it in the future.
Then znano asks, "What is the status/eta on the "Deadpool Bad Blood" Graphic Novel by Rob Liefeld?"<?b>
Alonso: We should be announcing a release date very soon.
We'll wrap with scouse mouse, who's been paying close attention: "Elektra, Cable and Quake featured prominently in the Marvel NOW! poster but have not had a significant announcement this week. Are we right to assume they're being held back for a future announcement and any idea of the timescales for their reveal?"
Alonso: Yes.
Have some questions for Marvel's AXEL-IN-CHARGE? Please visit the AXEL-IN-CHARGE Q&A thread in CBR's Marvel Comics community. It's the dedicated thread that CBR will pull questions for next week's installment of our weekly fan-supported question-and-answer column! Do it to it!