Uncanny X-Men Questions *Spoilers*

[Nix Uotan]

Thought to make a single thread for us fans to ask Mr. Bunn questions about his Uncanny X-Men run. So, first up, there will be spoilers as said in the title. Anyone that wants to avoid those should then avoid this thread. Anyway, with that out of the way, hope it's alright to ask some questions.

Mr. Bunn, got to say that I'm loving this book. I like the make up of the team and their mission is cool. So, I have two questions if it's alright to ask them:

1. The first bunch of villains of this arc is the Dark Riders and I got to say that I love their use here. What made you choose them? These are guys who hadn't been used much in a long time so were you a fan or did you research them and liked them?
2. The recent issue introduced a character with a somewhat controversial past in Xorn. Shen Xorn who got introduced in Chuck Austens run as the original Xorns twin brother who hasn't been seen in quite a while. What made you want to use him? I might be in the minority but I quite like Shen Xorn so was disappointed when he disappeared but I'm so excited about him being possibly on the team.

Anyway, really looking forward to issues of Uncanny X-Men. It's my top X-Book that I'm reading!

[blanchett]

I had seen the previews, so I knew the Dark Riders were coming. They are interesting in relation to the present situation of the Terrigen Mist as not only are the founding members Inhumans, but at least some of them were originally members of the Inhuman royal family. Fair to say this is why you are revisiting these characters that haven't appeared in some time?

Hey, Derek.

I think I mentioned somewhere that when I first started working on this series, I sat down and listed all the X-Men that I might want on the team. I then set about winnowing that list to a manageable grouping. Then I did the same thing with villains. I created this sprawling list of all the bad guys I'd like to use in "Uncanny X-Men." Suffice it to say, the list is pretty long. Mojo, the Hellfire Club, the Brood, the Reavers, the Nasty Boys... and on and on and on. The Dark Riders were near the top of the list -- primarily because I remembered liking their designs. The fact that they hadn't been used in a while was a bonus. It wasn't until a little later that I started digging into the backgrounds of the characters that I remembered that they had a connection to the Inhumans as well, and I felt that (thematically at least) they would be perfect for the first arc.


Apocalypse's views do seem somewhat in alignment with how Inhumans ran their society, at least prior to the release of the mists worldwide -- i.e., your place in society is dictated by your raw power. Do you think the Dark Riders are devotees to Apocalypse or just extremist Inhumans?

The Dark Riders are devotees to the teachings of Apocalypse. They have been force fed his doctrines for a long, long time, and it has twisted their brains in some monstrous ways. In this arc, however, they are "in the wind" so to speak. They are operating on their own, without a mastermind figure. That may make them even more dangerous, though, as they are acting with their own terrifying moral codes as their guides. They are trying to get back into the good graces of Clan Akkaba by making a violent, bloody statement against the mutants. The Terrigen Mist situation soured them into action. Not all of them are Inhumans, but for those that are, I feel like Apocalypse's teachings have been all consuming for them, overriding any previously entrenched philosophies.

First one was answered in a recent X-Position.

[Nix Uotan]

First one was answered in a recent X-Position.

Ah right, thanks for that! Can't believe I missed that

[Darthfury78]

Will there be some interactions between members of the X-Men and Peter Parker?

[Cullen Bunn]

Thought to make a single thread for us fans to ask Mr. Bunn questions about his Uncanny X-Men run. So, first up, there will be spoilers as said in the title. Anyone that wants to avoid those should then avoid this thread. Anyway, with that out of the way, hope it's alright to ask some questions.

Mr. Bunn, got to say that I'm loving this book. I like the make up of the team and their mission is cool. So, I have two questions if it's alright to ask them:

1. The first bunch of villains of this arc is the Dark Riders and I got to say that I love their use here. What made you choose them? These are guys who hadn't been used much in a long time so were you a fan or did you research them and liked them?
2. The recent issue introduced a character with a somewhat controversial past in Xorn. Shen Xorn who got introduced in Chuck Austens run as the original Xorns twin brother who hasn't been seen in quite a while. What made you want to use him? I might be in the minority but I quite like Shen Xorn so was disappointed when he disappeared but I'm so excited about him being possibly on the team.

Anyway, really looking forward to issues of Uncanny X-Men. It's my top X-Book that I'm reading!

When I first started working on the book, I made a long list of villains I might one day want to use. The Dark Riders were on that list somewhere because I always kind of liked them even though I remembered only a little bit about them. When I started delving into them a little and realized they were comprised of mutants and inhumans, they seemed like a perfect fit.

Xorn is a character who fascinates me for a number of reasons. His design. His powers. the way I perceive his personality. The inherent mystery the surrounds him. His convoluted history almost put me off of him, mainly because there's a danger of trying to over-explain and lose readers who aren't familiar with him. But I'm going to take his reintroduction to the world pretty slowly here.

[Cullen Bunn]

Will there be some interactions between members of the X-Men and Peter Parker?

No plans for that in the immediate future.

[MYCMTSC]

Mr. Bunn, will you be using any other classic villain teams after Apocalypse Wars? I actually did not like the Dark Riders until your opening arc of Uncanny so I'm intrigued to see what other effective uses you have for some older X-Villains.

[Cullen Bunn]

Mr. Bunn, will you be using any other classic villain teams after Apocalypse Wars? I actually did not like the Dark Riders until your opening arc of Uncanny so I'm intrigued to see what other effective uses you have for some older X-Villains.

Stay tuned.

I'm definitely interested in classic X-villains.

[Adam-X]

Just because you're so amazing at writing characters - I am just going to throw it out there and ask (and hope against all hope!) - is there any chance Adam-X might appear somewhere in Uncanny X-Men? I'm willing to beg, plead, throw money at you, whatever it takes.

[nx01a]

Will we be seeing any brand new characters debuting?

Also... Help ^Adam-X^ out. Give the X-Treme some love.

[DreadnoughtHelldiver]

I'm a huge fan of Emma Frost, Cyclops, Rachel Grey, and Dani Moonstar. Any chance we see any of them in Uncanny?

[Bl00dwerK]

Mr. Bunn: Do you have any idea if maybe Mr. Land or another artist has considered a new costume for Fantomex? I'm a fan, but wouldn't mind a new look...

[Some Guy]

Bunn: just wanted to chime in and say you're a damn excellent writer. I haven't read too much of your stuff yet, but you've yet to disappoint me. You've quickly earned a the status of "if I see his name on a book, I'm confident I'll enjoy it."

Side note: any chance of bringing in Rachel Grey or Hope Summers? Not sure if there's an editorial mandate to ignore them in favor of Teen Jean, but I think it's strange that rather important characters have all but disappeared from the X-cast and since you don't have a red head on the team there would be no confusion visually for readers who they are.

[Park Slope Pixie]

Thanks for giving us by far the best x-book on the market right now. I'd like to see Emma show up. Or Pixie. And M eaten by Sauron. kthx.

[Adam-X]

Will we be seeing any brand new characters debuting?

Also... Help ^Adam-X^ out. Give the X-Treme some love.

Things about to get desperate with some said begging...