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ComicBook spoke to writer Christos Gage about Battleworld to learn what he has planned and how the multiverse ties into it all. Gage discussed what it’s like to write a comic that includes so many characters, which heroes he was excited to work on, the different worlds in the multiverse they come from, the big bad of Battleworld, collaborating with artist Marcus To, and more. We can also exclusively reveal the first look at interior pages from Battleworld #1.
ComicBook: You’re starting to become the multiverse expert after your run on Weapon X-Men. Except this time you get to play with the larger Marvel Multiverse sandbox. How do you approach tackling a comic with such a large roster of characters?
Christos Gage: Yeah, initially it’s like being a kid in a candy store and you want everything. But then you have to figure out what your story’s really about, and tailor the character selection to that. In the case of Battleworld, I decided the common thread would be characters with some big regret they wish they could do over, some trauma or failure, or something they’d really like to change. So there’s Hank Pym, who obviously had some low points while in the grip of mental illness; a very young Spider-Man, for whom the loss of Uncle Ben and his self-blame for it is still extremely raw; and a couple from dystopian futures, like King Thor and Days of Future Past Storm. All the major characters fit into this mold. Once you figure out what story you’re telling, the character selection gets easier.
Which characters have you enjoyed exploring the most? I know there are some long-lost heroes like the original Star Brand that you were excited about revisiting.
I was indeed very excited about Star Brand! And he has been great to explore. The one that surprised me was Kushala, aka Spirit Rider, who is both the Sorcerer Supreme and Ghost Rider of her era, the mid to late 1800s. I also have enjoyed writing Warbird, who is Carol Danvers from a period when she had just gone through treatment for alcoholism and was rejoining the Avengers. Whereas in the current Marvel time period Carol is extremely capable, a strong leader, and generally has things together, the Warbird version is in a very different place, and it’s been both challenging and rewarding to write a character who reflects the very recent rock bottom she hit while still making sure she feels like she could become the Captain Marvel we know today.
