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X-POSITION: Bunn Guides Magneto & Deadpool Into “Secret Wars”

Magneto 20 Preview Art from “Magneto” #20 by Paul Davidson

One of the things your series has
frequently used is Magneto’s philosophy on heroes, villains and the thin
line between the two. Now that the series is ending for “Secret Wars,”
would you say Magneto has new perspectives on which one he is, or which
role others apply to him? It seems that after all that’s happened, not
just in his solo series, that he’s no longer either but more along the
lines of an anti-hero.

 
Cull Bunn reveals the “Last Days” for “Magneto” during Marvel’s “Secret Wars” event

Hey Kamose1234! Your question is a great one, because it touches on
something we’re trying to get across in the next couple of issues. In
the “Last Days” arc, Magneto deals
the legacy he will leave behind and how people will remember him. After
all the terrible things he’s done, can he even be redeemed by saving
the world?

Big things are on the way for supporting player Briar Raleigh, and
Justinian has a Q about how she relates to Magneto’s daughter, Polaris.

Mr. Bunn, how do you compare Briar and Lorna’s worldview?

I gotta tell you, Justinian, I
don’t see the two of them in a similar light at all. I think a pretty
good comparison of the two comes to light in issue #20. Before that
comes out, I don’t want to reveal too much about Briar’s worldview. I’ll
say it has some kind of unsettling aspects that we’ve hinted at in
previous issues. You will get to see Briar and Polaris interacting a
bit, though.

Next up, RobinFan4880 asks the question that’s been on every Magneto fan’s mind over the past few months.

How do you think the sudden revelation that Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are not his children will affect Magneto’s character in the long term?

Bunn Explains “Magneto’s” Fight to Stave Off Marvel’s “Last Days”

Hey, RobinFan4880! Assuming Magneto survives the “Last Days” story
(and that’s a big assumption) I’d say there is definitely a void that
would be left behind after the discovery. For a guy like Magneto, a void
like that might be filled with a sense of anger and betrayal. It’s the
kind of thing that could lead to an even angrier Magneto!

Speaking of “Last Days,” MiddlePegasus wants to know how the current “Magneto” storyline came about.

It’s been said a lot that, with “Secret Wars” coming up,
writers were offered the chance to either bring their series to a close
or choose to do a “Last Days” story. Is that what happened with “Magneto,” and if so, what made you decide to do a “Last Days” tale?

 
EXCLUSIVE: Art from “Magneto” #20 by Paul Davidson

Where do you get your information, MiddlePegasus? Do you have spies
working for you in the Land of Flying Horses? That’s “sort of” what
happened, actually. My editor [Daniel Ketchum] and I discussed number of options for issues #19 through #21. In this case, I felt like doing a story
of Magneto at the end of the world would fit well with the overall tone
of the series and give me the chance to wrap up some of the story points that we’ve been playing with all along.

Readers have been eagerly awaiting Polaris’ introduction into the
book. Now that she’s there, Rivka has a question about her dynamic with
Magneto.

One question I have regarding “Magneto” #19 is, why is Lorna so
grumpy and hostile to her father? It’s the end of the world, he’s
trying to save the entire planet and she knows it. He’s burning up from
the inside, he’s hardly able to keep his thoughts together he’s using so
much power. Why would she be so hostile when he answers her, “So save
them”?

I remember many times when my dad was doing something for the benefit
of others – giving his all in pretty stressful times – and I, being
stressed out as well, lashed out a bit. Kids are jerks that way. I mean,
my dad wasn’t even a super villain! Lorna and Erik have a complicated
relationship to say the least. With the world coming down around their
ears, I forgive Lorna’s “grumpiness” a little. Believe it or not, she’s
also pretty worried about her dad, as you’ll see next issue. Thanks,
Rivka!

With “Magneto” coming to a close, TheM0dernAg3 has a more retrospective query.

You got to tear through a lot of Magneto’s history in this
series, everything from his childhood all the way to Utopia-era stuff,
and you got to write the characters that have defined him over the
years, like Rogue, the Maximoffs and Polaris. Looking back at all you’ve
touched on, is there anything from Magnus’ history that you wish you
had time to revisit?

Howdy, TheM0dernAg3! There are probably a few eras of Magneto’s life I
would have liked to spend a little more time on. His time with the New
Mutants and Hellfire Club jump to mind right away. His time with Magda
and Anya in the Ukraine. I would have also liked to do a little bit with
Magneto: CIA Nazi Hunter. Exploring Magneto’s history has been
something I’ve really loved with this series. I get to do a little more
of it in issue #21.

Switching things up a bit, Anna_Marie has a question about your other “Secret Wars” title.

Hello! I really liked the first issue of “Deadpool’s Secret
Secret Wars.” You get to write so many characters in that book, are
there any that you’re particularly enjoying to write or hope to write
again, in less zany circumstances?

You surprised me! With a name like Anna_Marie, I expected a Magneto
and Rogue question! There are so many great characters in that book. The
problem (for me) is that I don’t get to spend enough time with any one
of them. I want more! If I’m naming a couple that are fun for me and
that I’d love to write again, I’d say Thor and Kang are both pretty
great. I also loved writing the brief interaction between the
Enchantress (a long-time favorite of mine), She-Hulk and Deadpool.

Gaveedra-84 wants to know a little bit more about your working relationship with your artists.

You’re working with two different artists on “DPSSW,” Matteo Lolli and Jacopo Camagni. What’s it like working with two different artists on one massive story with dozens of different characters? Do you cater your scripts to each artist, and is it hard to keep it all straight?

Well, Gaveedra-84, it is a little misleading in this book. I only worked with Jacopo on the “Contest of Champions” backup story
in issue #1, so it wasn’t a concern with this book. I have worked with
two artists on a big, sprawling book with lots of characters, though.
One of my earlier projects, “Fear Itself: The Fearless” featured two artists and lots
of characters. With that, I tried to break a script up evenly between
the artists as much as possible. I didn’t change my writing style for
those scenes, but it did mean paying attention to natural scene and
tonal breaks so the book worked seamlessly.

In a similar vein, Polar Ame is curious about how you juggle tone between projects.

Reading your Deadpool work and Magneto work at the same time
always surprises me because the tones are so different. “Magneto” is
sometimes the darkest book Marvel publishes! How do you keep those tones
separate? Deadpool can definitely go dark, but do you have to resist
the urge to put straightforward jokes in “Magneto”?

Hi, Polar Ame! I don’t usually have a hard time switching gears
between different stories or genres or tones. At most, if I need a
palate cleanser, I’ll read a book or watch a TV show or movie that has a
similar tone to what I’m going to work on next. That usually gets me
ready to go!

Next, eagle-eyed NewHeart spotted that you’re also working on a third “Secret Wars” series.

 
It was
recently revealed that Bunn will be spending more time with Magneto and
Polaris as Dennis Hopeless’ co-writer on “House of M”

I saw in the September solicitations that you’re co-writing “House of M” #3 with Dennis Hopeless. Is that true? How did that come about, and what’s your process like when working with a writing partner?

That is correct, NewHeart! Dennis and I have worked together on
projects before, and he asked if I’d be interested in helping him tell
his “House of M” story. Every co-writing experience is different. With
Dennis, it’s very collaborative, lots of phone calls and e-mails going
back and forth. This is definitely his story. He had a great tale in
mind before I came onto the book. I’m putting my own spin on a few
things, though. And it is great to write about Magneto and Lorna (and
all those other characters) in such a different setting!

And lastly, Bl00dwerK is gonna try to get some post-“Secret Wars” info out of you.

What can you tell us, if anything, about your writing duties
post-“Secret Wars”? More Magneto? Maybe an X-Men ongoing (we can only
hope!)?

Unfortunately, Bl00dwerK, I’m sworn to secrecy on that stuff. If I
revealed anything, the answer would definitely be “none”! Stay tuned and
keep your fingers crossed!

Source Comic Book Resource

I was happy to see Bunn mention that working on House of M with Dennis Hopeless will mean working more with Polaris. Hopeless previously mentioned Lorna in an interview when talking about House of M family relationships, but it wasn’t clear whether that meant a hint into how she’ll be written, if it’s an excuse for her not to be in the book (Marvel excluded her from her family in Children’s Crusade, AvX, No More Humans and Axis previously), or something else. This is the first real confirmation we have so far that she’ll actually be in it.

Most of my worry that Lorna might get killed off in Magneto #20 has dissipated thanks to interviews and reading Magneto #18 and #19. There’s still some worry there, but it’s not as strong as it was before.

The response about Briar and Lorna interacting nixes one of a few very awkward theories I had on Briar’s identity.

Bunn’s talk about the forced retcon on Wanda and Pietro makes me think a couple things. I’ve felt it’s likely Magneto will get killed off entirely because Disney and Marvel are trying to undermine and ruin the X-Men franchise on their end, and one of their misguided attempts at this is killing off the Fox films’ two most popular characters (other being Wolverine).

However, another reason may be that it’s inconvenient for Disney and Marvel if Magneto continues to exist and have an impact on Wanda, Pietro and the Avengers books. Easiest way to prevent that is to kill Magneto off so they don’t have to acknowledge he exists.

It also makes me wonder if Polaris knows about the forced retcon, or more importantly if she’ll find out during Magneto #20 – and if that’s the case, how she’ll react.

I liked the interview, gave lots of food for thought. 🙂