Wednesday Q&A: Christopher Yost

On the eve of the Messiah War, the X-FORCE writer explains why 90’s villains are making a comeback and much more

Posted Mar 4, 2009 12:00 am

Updated Mar 9, 2009 11:06 am

By Kiel Phegley The sharp shrapnel stylings of Stryfe return to the X-Men Universe in March 25's MESSIAH WAR PROLOGUE, but the ensuing battle over the fate of mutants means much more than a rematch for Cable and his villainous clone. Tying together threads from 2007's blockbuster X-event "Messiah CompleX" and the ongoing saga of both CABLE and X-FORCE, the Mike Choi-drawn one-shot kick starts a whole new time-traveling chapter in the life of Hope, the young, red-headed mutant who may be the last chance for future generations of X-Men.

MESSIAH WAR
PROLOGUE

Since he and his writing partner Craig Kyle came aboard the X-Franchise with NEW X-MEN, Christopher Yost's work has dealt with the legacy and future of mutantkind in a big way. Adding the high-impact, high-stabbing action of X-FORCE didn't stop that as the writers pulled out all the stops in resurrecting fan favorite villains including Bastion and the Vanisher. But with MESSIAH WAR PROLOGUE bringing Stryfe to the forefront for the first time in years, Yost offers plenty in the way of explaining why now stands as the perfect time for these characters to make their move as well as how writing a crossover while heading up Marvel animation projects helps he and Kyle up their game on the whole.

Marvel.com: The last time you guys participated in one of these big crossovers, you were somewhat young turks compared to guys like Ed Brubaker and Peter David who had danced that dance many times before. With Messiah War, you're the established crossover pros while Duane Swierczynski is doing this for the first time. How has that dynamic changed the way you write if at all? Christopher Yost: I'm not sure crossover #2 makes us "pros" yet, but hopefully we're getting there. "Messiah CompleX" was a great experience, probably the best case scenario for a relatively new writer(s) coming in to something like that. It's a little daunting, but everyone made it easy. With "War," it's just us and Duane, and if anything, the process has been even easier. Coordination is really tight, and Duane's been amazing. The entire story sprung out of CABLE, and Duane put forward the initial premise. It's been fun for Craig and I to play in his sandbox—his post-apocalyptic, end of the world sandbox. I wouldn't really say it's changed how we write; given [that] Craig and I are a writing team, we're already used to that kind of back and forth collaboration. We've got stuff we want to put forward, but it's always [hopefully] the best ideas that win in the end.

X-FORCE #13

Marvel.com: "Messiah CompleX" was a very intense, immediate story of a last, desperate grab for many folks who wanted to ensure or control the future of the mutant race. With "Messiah War," things are a bit more stable in a sense because Cable has spent time raising and preparing Hope for her role, but I was wondering how much this story has changed that original sense of survival? Christopher Yost: Oh, "Messiah War" gets desperate pretty quickly. As much as Cable's spent his time preparing Hope, I'm pretty sure he's not prepared for what's about to happen. If anything, things get more desperate for Hope and Cable. Bad enough he's got Bishop chasing them to the end of time, but when Stryfe gets involved, everything goes right to hell. This is a few levels past "worst case scenario" for Cable. And when X-Force arrives to "help," things just get worse. Marvel.com: One of the running elements of X-FORCE has been you literally resurrecting a lot of villains from the 90's and beyond. For you, what thematic significance do mutant-hating foils like Bastion and Graydon Creed hold for today that made now the time to bring them back into the story of the X-Universe? Christopher Yost: The past never dies. It's always coming back to haunt the X-Men, [the] New X-Men, X-Force—that's the thing. It's always darkest before the dawn. Well, dawn's not here yet. And for us, this was the greatest part of "M-Day" and "Decimation." Of course the enemies of mutantkind are going to strike when our heroes are at their lowest. And they're not going to let up. They're not going to allow mutants to get back to their heights, no matter what. This could be their only chance, and they're going to go all the way.

CABLE #13

Marvel.com: In a more plot specific sense, what specifically made now the time to draw Stryfe out of the woodwork and strike back at Cable and company? Obviously, the emergence of Hope is a big motivating factor, but are there elements to his timing that we've yet to see in full? Christopher Yost: It was inevitable, in some regards. Cable wanted to hide Hope and keep her safe, but Bishop ruined that plan. Now he's on the run, fighting through time—someone's going to notice. Bishop has his reasons for bringing Stryfe into this, but he's playing a dangerous game. They don't call Stryfe the "Chaos Bringer" for nothing. Marvel.com: While a big part of your half of the Messiah War story focuses on X-Force, I was wondering how you guys and Duane approached Cable as a character. What's it like for him to see the team he created in name and so many of his former teammates coming after him? Cable doesn't seem the nostalgic type, but that's got to get to a guy. Christopher Yost: In these particular circumstances, when he sees Wolverine's X-Force, he's ticked. Not because of the name, or what their general mission statement is, but that right now, they're messing things up. They're putting Hope at risk. Cable doesn't want their help. As much as he may need it. Remember, it's been like 10 years since he's seen Warpath or Domino, or any of the X-Men. He's a different man in many respects. He's fighting to save the future of all mutantkind. Cable's not the kind of guy to get hung up on names.

X-FORCE #14

Marvel.com: We know that this crossover won't pull in all the X-books or even all of the members of the X-Men, but what kind of role does Cyclops play in Messiah War? His often strained relationship to Cable and his overarching control of X-Force seems to place his influence front and center. Christopher Yost: Cyclops is huge—he's the one that sets everything into motion. And neither Wolverine or Cable are happy about how it goes down. You'll see in X-FORCE #13 that the decisions he's making are hard ones, ones that will put him at odds with even Wolverine. If the team makes it back, expect a whole lot of people to be unhappy with Scott Summers. Marvel.com: Both you and Craig have a long and varied background writing for animation. How does writing super heroes across the two media strengthen your work as a whole? What specifically does your animation background give you as far as working on monthly comics? Christopher Yost: The great thing about animation is that we get to expose millions of viewers to the stories and characters that we love; the great thing about comics is that we get to tell stories that we can't necessarily tell in animation. Being in both worlds is very satisfying. Animation also requires stripping down characters to their purest forms. We get to play a lot more with the history in the comics, but you just don't have time for it in a 22-minute episode.

CABLE #14

Marvel.com: Over the past two years, you've also been heavily involved with the "Wolverine and the X-Men" series which in some ways casts a similar dire eye on the X-Men's world as the "Messiah" events do. Would you say that the kinds of stories told in the comics post-HOUSE OF M helped to influence how that series developed for television? Christopher Yost: I think you'll see some X-Force influence in there, and you may see some W&TXM influence in the comics. But in general, some of the greatest X-Men stories in comics, film or animation are those where the X-Men are the underdog. The world hates and fears them, people want them dead, and the X-Men are the only one who can save the day. The concept is as great today as it was in the 60's. Check out the official Marvel Shop for everything X-Men! Download episodes of "X-Men: Evolution" now on iTunes!

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