Since I hear a lot of these questions over and over again, I thougt Id just answer a few and be done with them. These things never get covered in interviews, so it seemed a good place to get this stuff out there because for some reason people want to know.
So here we go.
Justin asks: I really liked your work on Uncanny X-Men, especially with what you did with Polaris. You turned her from a character that was always in the background who I hardly ever noticed into one of my favorite characters and you managed to give her character a nice edge.
One thing I was wondering is how the decision to make Polaris Magnetos daughter again came down? Was that Morrison or your idea? Because, I know the storyline had its roots in Morrisons New X-Men 132 back in September 2002.
I believe it was Grants. But the roots went much further back, though others can tell you specifically when and where, what issues, what the circumstances were, which page, what panels, what characters, the costumes they were wearing, who lettered it, and possibly even the type of printer it was printed on.
There was a storyline done years ago where she was revealed to be Magnetos daughter, but then it was undone, or proven not to be true, or only happened in one of Scarlet Witchs continuity-scrubbing bubbles, or something. Maybe in the Neal Adams Roy Thomas run. I researched it at the time, but Ive since forgotten. I needed to memorize someones phone number, and thats the only brain space I had available.
Apparently Grant made a decision to go back to it, but Im not sure whose actual idea it was: his, Marvels, or Gods acting through them both as a conduitI assume his, because he was Grant Morrison, and he had the power, the power of Hoodooall I can tell you is that the germ of the idea wasnt mine.
I had intended to use Polaris in my run from the beginning, keep her much as shed been when Id read about her in X-Factor and other places, then eventually marry her off to Alex, happily ever afterat least until some other writer came along and made them related to Satan. It was a surprise to me when she appeared in Grants X-Mencrazy, muttering to herself, and wandering in the radioactive mud. Wed just had coffee the previous day, and she seemed fine. Just shows how you can miss the little signs.
Once shed appeared as Nutso Profundo I had to rewrite some of my scripts, and went with Lorna the edgier, more volatile and unpredictable Looney Tunes with a heart of gold. It made a certain amount of sense, and I agree with you, she became more interesting than she had been. CURSE YOU GRANT MORRISON AND YOUR GENIUS! He was always making me look bad for my lack of imagination. I think he did it on purpose.
If Lorna had been on Genosha when it was destroyed, that kind of devastation likley would have changed her, deeply, although Im sure she still could have had kids, a marriage, and sold Tupperware in her spare time if only I had let her. I decided not to, because Im a dick, that way.
So it wasnt planned, it wasnt actually my idea, but I ran with it and thought it was a good direction and an interesting one. And, tellingly, people both credit, and blame me for the change.
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=195337
