Marvel’s Kieron Gillen Reflects On Ending The X-Men’s Controversial Krakoan Era

As we reach the end of the Krakoan Age, what is it like to be part of it and help lead the last chapter?

It’s only really been five years. At the same time, it’s been five years. Five years is like five seasons of a major TV show. And especially for me, who wasn’t there at the beginning, I’m not like Al [Ewing], who was in those early meetings. I’m not like Gerry [Duggan], who’s exactly the same. I’m certainly not like John [Hickman]. I’m somebody who came in halfway through and entered the thing I was a fan of. What John had put together with the Krakoan office was at least a very big reason why I came back to Marvel anyway because I saw what they did, and I was like, “Oh, wait,” when they offered me this Eternals, I was like, “Okay, I think we’ve got space to have some fun here.”

I don’t want to say endings are harder than beginnings … Actually, let’s say it: Endings are harder than beginnings. Doing an interesting start is difficult because you can pose questions, and questions are fun. Trying to decide an answer when there are so many writers, dozens of writers have put their fingerprints on here, and it’s a story that was set in motion there, and that’s what probes my mind.

I said, “Okay, it’s not just my stuff, it’s also everybody’s stuff. It’s John’s stuff. It’s Gerry’s stuff. It’s people who aren’t in the office anymore. It’s people who have just arrived.” And trying to make sure you’ve got space for it all? Yeah, that’s on my mind.” When I was writing “Darth Vader” back in the day, I found myself aware that I was the only person who was going to write the canon scenes of Darth Vader finding out that kind of stuff. And that questioning is what makes you hope you do it right. Because I know that John would mock me mercilessly if I did a crap job. He’ll never let me live it down.

Did the X office take into consideration any of Hickman’s original plans when planning this ending?

And I think it’s up to John! If John ever wants to talk about what he was originally planning on doing … John is the most intricate planner in mainstream comics, I think. At the same time, all plans change when you’re doing it. It’s more like a direction. And I know where I want to take it. This sort of thing happens here in the middle act; this sort of thing happens at the end. These characters do this kind of thing, so it’s really up to John to say that.

Some of it is just implicitly, and just by the nature of the beast, it will resemble some of the stuff John was going to do. And some of the stuff is much more, just little nods. It’s one of those things. It’s stuff that I think only John would realize, as in, “Oh, wait, that’s Kahn.” In fact, maybe not even John would get it. This character’s taking this kind of role; this middle act is a bit like this thing we did halfway through — all that kind of stuff.

It’s not a really easy one to answer. And especially because some of the questions we’re answering only arrived later in the story. That’s the other thing. It’s not something we really overthought about, but it’s also something that was on your mind in a slightly different way.

As we reach the end of the Krakoan Age, what is it like to be part of it and help lead the last chapter?

It’s only really been five years. At the same time, it’s been five years. Five years is like five seasons of a major TV show. And especially for me, who wasn’t there at the beginning, I’m not like Al [Ewing], who was in those early meetings. I’m not like Gerry [Duggan], who’s exactly the same. I’m certainly not like John [Hickman]. I’m somebody who came in halfway through and entered the thing I was a fan of. What John had put together with the Krakoan office was at least a very big reason why I came back to Marvel anyway because I saw what they did, and I was like, “Oh, wait,” when they offered me this Eternals, I was like, “Okay, I think we’ve got space to have some fun here.”

I don’t want to say endings are harder than beginnings … Actually, let’s say it: Endings are harder than beginnings. Doing an interesting start is difficult because you can pose questions, and questions are fun. Trying to decide an answer when there are so many writers, dozens of writers have put their fingerprints on here, and it’s a story that was set in motion there, and that’s what probes my mind.

I said, “Okay, it’s not just my stuff, it’s also everybody’s stuff. It’s John’s stuff. It’s Gerry’s stuff. It’s people who aren’t in the office anymore. It’s people who have just arrived.” And trying to make sure you’ve got space for it all? Yeah, that’s on my mind.” When I was writing “Darth Vader” back in the day, I found myself aware that I was the only person who was going to write the canon scenes of Darth Vader finding out that kind of stuff. And that questioning is what makes you hope you do it right. Because I know that John would mock me mercilessly if I did a crap job. He’ll never let me live it down.

Marvel Comics/Luca Maresca

Did the X office take into consideration any of Hickman’s original plans when planning this ending?

And I think it’s up to John! If John ever wants to talk about what he was originally planning on doing … John is the most intricate planner in mainstream comics, I think. At the same time, all plans change when you’re doing it. It’s more like a direction. And I know where I want to take it. This sort of thing happens here in the middle act; this sort of thing happens at the end. These characters do this kind of thing, so it’s really up to John to say that.

Some of it is just implicitly, and just by the nature of the beast, it will resemble some of the stuff John was going to do. And some of the stuff is much more, just little nods. It’s one of those things. It’s stuff that I think only John would realize, as in, “Oh, wait, that’s Kahn.” In fact, maybe not even John would get it. This character’s taking this kind of role; this middle act is a bit like this thing we did halfway through — all that kind of stuff.

It’s not a really easy one to answer. And especially because some of the questions we’re answering only arrived later in the story. That’s the other thing. It’s not something we really overthought about, but it’s also something that was on your mind in a slightly different way.