X-Men Monday #139- Steve Orlando Interview

[Rift]

Come on, Hellion, Surge or Wind Dancer. Hellion and I think Surge were in X-Men Legacy, but that doesn't count as a mainline book.

[Saithor]

He can tell them he'll make an event out of it that will have a crossover in every book! Surely they'll say yes then.

Uh...crossover title, Harem X! Make loads of money for Marvel

[Kingdom X]

At least with Wanda, the story she was doing her crime in was essentially blatant character assassination done so that they could enforce a Joe Quesada editorial mandate and the character had actually had a long set of fans and history well before that, to the point where that story was guaranteed to piss people off (Disassembled to, since they decided to add retconning Wanda into being crazy, not having magic, and having not gone through most of Byrne's run to also killing off a bunch of lower list Avengers as well). Nova was literally introduced for the sole purpose of being a villain who would genocide 16 million mutants as her opening gambit (I swear if I see another comment anywhere that Bolivar Trask is the person truly responsible for Genosha I will lose it).

I feel like no one is saying that Nova isn’t a terrible person. Orlando doesn’t even seem to be saying that. We know Jean turned on her empathy, but according to these interviews she’ll still be as bloodthirsty as ever. Based on initial solicits it seems like they have no choice but to team up with her to solve whatever problem they’re presented with, but having to use a villain to save the world does not equal giving them a redemption arc.

[Saithor]

I feel like no one is saying that Nova isn’t a terrible person. Orlando doesn’t even seem to be saying that. We know Jean turned on her empathy, but according to these interviews she’ll still be as bloodthirsty as ever. Based on initial solicits it seems like they have no choice but to team up with her to solve whatever problem they’re presented with, but having to use a villain to save the world does not equal giving them a redemption arc.

Oh, I'm not arguing that. I am interested in what Orlando does with her, as long as it isn't something like what they attempted with Apocalypse. I was more commenting on the comparing Nova to Wanda.

[Souther]

Considering where X-Men Red had left her and the fact Grant Morrison already had Nova on a future team during the last part of their run, which people shouldn't overlook so easily, I think Steve Orlando has the right idea.

You can't make Cassandra Nova an actually good person, I would say, but that's where the right approach has to come in: She's one of those characters that can be extremely dangerous even when she's on your side. Someone who can spoil things and cause a lot of damage along the way. It seems Orlando understands that, so I am more open towards her participation in the book after reading the interview.

Just like how Mr. Sinister being part of Krakoa hasn't turned him into a very nice and peaceful guy, you know?

[RamaBird]

I feel like no one is saying that Nova isn’t a terrible person. Orlando doesn’t even seem to be saying that. We know Jean turned on her empathy, but according to these interviews she’ll still be as bloodthirsty as ever. Based on initial solicits it seems like they have no choice but to team up with her to solve whatever problem they’re presented with, but having to use a villain to save the world does not equal giving them a redemption arc.

Isn't that why Hellions became so popular though? Nanny is a murderous villain and she became rootable thanks to that story.

Just like how Mr. Sinister being part of Krakoa hasn't turned him into a very nice and peaceful guy, you know?

Sinister never committed genocide. Granted he was a nazi and that got over looked. Saying she isn't being redeemed but then saying she's out to save mutant kind, doesn't really go together. Again, that's like writing a story where Hitler is still evil but is out to save minorities. To me, Nova reaches that level far more than any other villain.

That said, I also prefer the old dark version of Sinister instead of this goofball they give us now. I miss when villains didn't all have sob stories.

I do like the writer so I'll give this story a chance but I'm skeptical about it.

[Saithor]

Isn't that why Hellions became so popular though? Nanny is a murderous villain and she became rootable thanks to that story.



Sinister never committed genocide. Granted he was a nazi and that got over looked. Saying she isn't being redeemed but then saying she's out to save mutant kind, doesn't really go together. Again, that's like writing a story where Hitler is still evil but is out to save minorities. To me, Nova reaches that level far more than any other villain.

That said, I also prefer the old dark version of Sinister instead of this goofball they give us now. I miss when villains didn't all have sob stories.

I do like the writer so I'll give this story a chance but I'm skeptical about it.

Okay, wait one. I might overexaggerate my hatred for Sinister for comedic effect and because I find him being on Krakoa distasteful and hypocritical of the Quiet Council, but let's be clear. Nathaniel Essex worked as a nazi doctor in Auschwitz experimenting on jews, poles, romani, LBGTQ people, the mentally ill, soviet prisoners, and whoever else may have been interred there by the Nazi's because of their eugenicist beliefs. Sinister may not have masterminded it, and he may not have killed sixteen million people like Cassandra Nova, but he helped aid, abet, and committ and attempted genocide of multiple minority groups.

[Lady Midnight]

Ariel might be able to help Kate travel...

[Kingdom X]

Isn't that why Hellions became so popular though? Nanny is a murderous villain and she became rootable thanks to that story.

Hellions had an entirely different set up though. That book was supposed to be about the rehabilitation of mutants who aren't fitting into Krakoan society. Wells didn't accidentally humanize those characters, it was his goal from the start. Orlando has already acknowledged that someone like Cassandra can't be redeemed and unlike Hellions, she'll be the odd one out as a murderous villain. Context is key.

[Saithor]

Hellions had an entirely different set up though. That book was supposed to be about the rehabilitation of mutants who aren't fitting into Krakoan society. Wells didn't accidentally humanize those characters, it was his goal from the start. Orlando has already acknowledged that someone like Cassandra can't be redeemed and unlike Hellions, she'll be the odd one out as a murderous villain. Context is key.

Also while Nanny is a murderer, her crimes seem to come from geniune mental illness issues and she at least has had some traumatic events in the past, some humanizing elements, and her being around is also about Orphan maker as much as her, while Cassandra Nova killed sixteen million, and has had much less humanization than Nanny did ever since.

Also Nanny threatened to kill Sinister. That automatically makes her better.

[LordUltimus]

Cassandra killed sixteen times more mutants than Wanda ever did. Just saying.

[Lady Midnight]

He said “ someone who has never been in a main line X-Men book before” so to me that’s not Thunderbird.

That could be lots of people. But here’s who I hope it is in no particular order:

Chance, Skein, El Aguila, or LightBright.

He said "not only do we get to bring in someone who has never been in a main line X-Men book before — a contemporary X-Men book, I should say — but we get to bring in a character who I believe is pretty historic as far as representation goes and those things are both exciting to me."

So I believe that caveat of it not being a contemporary X-men book is the giveaway that it's Thunderbird. Maybe not, though. That's just the first character who sprang to mind for precisely that reason.

Orlando says no one has guessed the 9th character. https://twitter.com/thesteveorlando/...26356067475461

He specifically says later on that it's not Jessie Drake, but given how much Thunderbird was being guessed I'm sure that it's not Thunderbird either.

Orlando also mentioned an Alpha Flight character...
Stitch has never been in an X-Book...

Just sayin'