At the end of ‘AvX: Round 5’ we witnessed Tony Stark make a fatal error and split The Phoenix force into five taking control of five hosts. Emma Frost, Namor, Cyclops, Magik and Collosus now each were host to a piece of The Phoenix force and Marvel EIC Alex Alonso recently discussed this with Comic Book Resources.
CBR: So this week we got introduced to what I keep calling the Phoenix Force Five — Phoenix because they’re empowered by it, Force because they’re a force to be reckoned with and five because there’s one, two, three, four, five of them…
Axel Alonso: We’re calling them the Phoenix Five, Kiel.
CBR: Okay! For a while, you’ve been talking about how the end of each act will be a turning point in the story that shakes the action up in a major way. How does these characters getting empowered like this change the course of the event?
Alonso: The most immediate question is, “Can the Phoenix Force be controlled?” Are these five individuals — any one of them or all five collectively — capable of controlling it? The Phoenix Force is destruction and rebirth, so it’s safe top say they’re going define exactly what that means. And as the teaser suggests, they have a chance to remake the word in their image. But what does that mean? You might be surprised.
CBR: How did the discussions go around who would be members of the five? Leaders like Cyclops and Emma seems like obvious picks, though I look at someone like Magik and wonder what specific role she’ll have to play.
Alonso: We carefully picked these five characters — Cyclops, Emma, Colossus, Magik and Namor — because of their personalities, their power sets, and the windows they offer into pockets of the Marvel Universe — hint, hint. Namor, for instance — you’ll see why we picked him, as Act 2 unfolds.
CBR: So far, the core argument of the series has been that question of whether the Phoenix will be a force of destruction or rebirth. The Avengers have had one idea and the X-Men another. Now it feels like the Phoenix Force has its own ideas and its own agenda for where to go next. How does that concept change the series? Can it contradict what either side expected up to this point?
Alonso: It’s possible that both sides are right. I mean…I can’t say anymore, man! [Laughter] That’s the beauty of the Phoenix Force — within it resides the potential for good and bad.
CBR: Like you said, we’ve had this “No More Avengers” teaser out for Act 2. Is that now the rallying cry for the Phoenix Force and the Phoenix Five? Does that force know the Avengers are the people hellbent on destroying it?
Alonso: All I can say is that the world might not be big enough for the Phoenix Five and the Avengers. If you think of Act 1 [“AvX” #1-5] as a boxing match, it’s safe to say the early rounds went to the Avengers, but the last round ended with a game-changing punch that sent the Avengers staggering to the ropes. That’s where we pick up with issue #6. Cap, Iron Man, Thor and the gang have got to shake it off and figure out just who their opponent is now, and what their next move should be. And let me make one thing perfectly clear: Do not assume the Avengers are the good guys and the X-Men are suddenly the bad guys. I’d wager that the Phoenix Five are going to earn some fans — including people who rooted for the Avengers in round 1.
‘AvX Round 5’ is on shelves now with ‘Round 6’ hitting shelves in two weeks.