In reflecting on their NEW X-MEN (2001) run, Morrison shared that the one character they wanted to do more with was Siryn. Morrison wanted to give Siryn a place on the team, drawing from her Celtic heritage as “a fighting Irish woman” on the X-Men. Nevertheless, Morrison is grateful they got to do stories with their other favorite characters, and particularly that they got the chance to work Multiple Man into their overarching story.
Morrison’s run on NEW X-MEN (2001) ended with an adventure in a dystopian alternate future, with a variant of Beast taking on a terrifyingly antagonistic role. Despite this, Morrison doesn’t necessarily see Beast as a villain in and of himself.
“I always saw him as vulnerable,” Morrison pointed out. “The thing about Hank McCoy is that he was always presented as the loquacious, happy-go-lucky character and then he became a little darker when Jim Starlin turned him into the furry Beast, but then he became happy again in AVENGERS. Basically, I’m looking at this bipolar kid. It’s not so much that he’s a villain; he just falls into bad situations and that makes him more human.”
Morrison noted that Beast’s poor choices and attempts to overcompensate made his heel turn all the more heartbreaking, but they still don’t see him as an out-and-out Super Villain. Hickman concurred, describing Beast as “the sweetest guy” with “the best heart” who was put in a “series of impossible decisions” that has broken him somewhat. Without going into specifics, Hickman also noted Moira MacTaggert wasn’t originally intended to be a major villain in DAWN OF X, but that her role changed as the story developed.
With that, the discussion closed with a few fun fan questions regarding Cyclops’ dancing prowess. Morrison donned their own pair of ruby sunglasses to offer their take on Scott Summers’ dance moves, with Hickman deferring to Morrison’s expertise.
