In the Marvel Comics universe, the ancient mutant En Sabah Nur, more popularly known as Apocalypse, has been both friend and enemy to mutantkind, all in his quest to test his fellow mutants so that the strong may survive and carry on the species. However, as he took a new throne in the kingdom of Arakko, he wants to find a successor to carry on his work. In the miniseries X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse, the long-lived mutant has taken 12 of his brethren to compete for taking this mantle and task.
We spoke with Steve Foxe recently about the conceit of X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse, his first experiences with the character, working with the team behind the book, and what writing the character provides for him creatively. Steve Foxe is one of the X-Men line’s most nimble, stalwart writers who is able to combine that mix of action and insight that makes the merry mutant Marvel comics so compelling.
Editor’s note: This interview was conducted before the debut of X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse. Due to technical issues, we had trouble getting the interview to post. Now that has been resolved, we are publishing the interview in full, with minor changes to reflect the time that has past between now and the interview. We have also left in some of the spoiler-free comments Mr. Foxe makes for those who haven’t read the miniseries yet and who plan to pick up the trade paperback, on sale now.
X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #1 cover
FreakSugar: Before we talk about the book itself, do you remember the first Apocalypse story you ever read?
Steve Foxe: Oh man, that’s a tough one. I definitely encountered him on the Animated Series and via video games and toys before reading any comics with Big Blue in them…but I want to say it was probably “The Twelve,” which I know is a WILD first story to read for him. That’s around the time I started buying every book consistently instead of picking things up when I could at the store as a kid, so it’s either that or some random issue of Age of Apocalypse. We don’t directly reference “The Twelve” here or anything (can you imagine asking readers in 2024 to be intimately familiar with that storyline?), but that is obviously why there are twelve competitors in Heir. It just felt right!
FS: Where do we find Apocalypse at the beginning of the miniseries?
SF: Broadly, Apocalypse has a few very good reasons—both positive and negative—to believe that he needs someone to carry on his work on Earth in his place.
For centuries leading up to Krakoa, Apocalypse served as the fire in which mutantkind was tempered. Krakoa changed that dynamic, but now Krakoa isn’t around. In his eyes, the mutants of Earth need someone to hold them to his standards once more, even if that someone may not be him personally. Thus—an heir.
X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #2 cover
FS: The list of candidates to be Apocalypse’s successor, in my mind, has some surprises. Will you be digging into why each name made the list?
SF: Absolutely. No one was chosen capriciously, and no one was forced on me—my editor Annalise Bissa and I spent a good deal of development time going back and forth narrowing down the cast. It was important to me that everyone have an in-world justification for accepting Apocalypse’s invitation, and you’ll see that in flashbacks scattered throughout the four issues. We also wanted to balance different eras of X-Men history, different moral alignments, etc. Some make sense at a glance, like Rictor, who had a mentor/mentee relationship with Apocalypse during the Krakoan era, while others will become more apparent only as the book goes on. (And some were chosen because I never got a chance to write them anywhere else and had been dying to, but only if I could REALLY justify it in the story itself.)
FS: The candidates are competing to be Apocalypse’s successor. What does that mean, exactly, in terms of the competition itself and what it means to be Apocalypse’s heir?
SF: As far as the competition itself, Apocalypse is testing the rigor of the candidates on every level: their physical strength, their commitment to doing what needs to be done, their adaptability, their mental fortitude. There are trials of power, surprise obstacles (and party-crashers), death traps, and—in my favorite sequences—psychic gauntlets for the final contenders. When we say “heir,” we really mean “follow in Apocalypse’s footsteps.” This is literal—the mutant who wins will carry on his mission, and those are big blue shoes to fill.
FS: Apocalypse has gone under some changes in recent years, most notably during the Krakoan Age. Who is Apocalypse to you, in your mind?
SF: I think the beauty of the Krakoan era for me is that it revealed Apocalypse to be a mutant of purpose. Since his debut, we’ve understood his mission of survival of the fittest. But with the revelations of Okkara, we now understand why he has that philosophy—he wanted to bring his people home, and make sure they were ready for the dangers that awaited them when that reunification finally came. That’s a brilliant recontextualization that adds to his history without requiring any of his past stories to get tossed out. I think he has obviously pursued that goal with maniacal single-mindedness at times, and there are plenty of moments where he has lost the ability to justify his actions, but I respect the noble core of his drive. That’s what makes him such a compelling, rich, lasting villain.
FS: Following up on that, with Apocalypse being such a larger-than-life character, how do you approach writing him, creatively?
SF: Oh god. I was so intimidated. There are characters you relish the chance to write and there are characters that I, at least, approach the way you would a sleeping bear. And you’ll see, he’s actually a very fleeting presence in the first issue—we build up to him. There are expectations with characters like Apocalypse—his voice is defined. It is not casual. You want to feel the boom, the intimidation, the gravity when you read his words. More than the vast majority of X-characters I’ve written, I really had to psych myself up to write Big Blue. Luckily, Netho Diaz nailed his take on Apocalypse and the qualities I described above. There are times where he hardly seems to fit into the frame. Once those pages started coming in, that’s when I knew we were onto something.
X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #3 cover
FS: The early art looks phenomenal. What’s the collaboration with the creative team been like?
SF: I can’t say enough good about Netho’s work on this book. Doing any group book is a challenge for an artist, and we have about 15 principal characters plus cameos and detailed settings. And Netho always pushed it farther. There is so much huge action in this book because he just went above and beyond. Annalise and I were always gobsmacked at the pages coming in. It’s my favorite feeling as a writer, because not only am I entertained personally—I also know that, regardless of what readers might think of the book’s writing, they’re going to be blown away by Netho’s work.
FS: You’re no stranger to writing X-books. What draws you most to crafting stories in the X-Men’s world?
SF: I’ve said it before, but the X-Men really were my gateway to comics, and to a lot of why I love reading and writing in general. I have a Cyclops tattoo and I have literally never not read X-Men comics since I was a child—they’ve just always been a constant for me. And sure, I could say I relate to the “hated and feared” aspect, but I’m also just invested in the soap opera and the character journeys and the cool powers and costumes at this point. From the cartoon to the toys to the comics, the mutants brought me into this world. I genuinely never expected to get to contribute to theirs, and now that I’ve gotten to do SO much, all I can do is just be immensely grateful. It’s very likely that Heir and Blood Hunt: Psylocke will be my final X-stories for the foreseeable future, and I’m stoked to go out on such an epic blowout that also changes the status quo for a key X-character.
Is there anything you can tease about what we can expect in Heir of Apocalypse?
SF: While you can absolutely come to Heir fresh, I also took this opportunity to provide an epilogue to the Krakoan era. This summer is a transitional period, and I’m a transitional writer—I wrote hundreds of pages of the end of the Krakoan saga and now I’m part of this pre-From the Ashes moment. And within Heir, you will see many of these characters reckon with what it means to lose the promise of a mutant homeland—that’s the trauma that drives them to even consider following in Apocalypse’s footsteps. So if you were a fervent follower of the Krakoan books and want a series that’s going to unpack that fallout, Heir will hopefully scratch that itch. But again—that’s all by way of fleshing out motivation. If you’re coming to this brand-new, I promise we give you everything you need to know in these 90 pages, brought to life by Netho just SMASHING every single panel out of the park.
I’ll also tease that there’s plenty of Archangel in this book. I know that some Warren fans still hold a grudge against me for Dark X-Men (sorry!) and/or wondered why he wasn’t among the twelve candidates to become Apocalypse’s heir. In my eyes, his story of possible ascension was definitely told in Uncanny X-Force, but Warren has a substantial part to play here, and I was really excited to write more of him alive and well for a change.
X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse #4 cover
FS: If you had a final pitch for Heir of Apocalypse, what would it be?
SF: There is no fake-out—one of these twelve mutants will emerge from this series completely changed, with a new design, a new name, and a new mission as the Heir of Apocalypse. You don’t want to miss out on the foundation of a brand-new direction for this character—and potentially a brand-new threat for the X-Men for years to come! (Also, I can’t say enough that Netho just DEMOLISHED this book—if nothing else, come for him!)
The X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse trade paperback goes on sale February 18, 2025, from Marvel Comics.
From the official trade paperback description:
For centuries, Apocalypse tested the mutants of Earth to guarantee that only the strong would survive. Now, as he takes his throne on Arakko, another must rise in his place and ensure the mutants of Earth do not grow weak in his absence! Twelve mutants chosen from among the X-Men’s greatest heroes — and villains — will compete for the honor, but only one can become the Heir of Apocalypse! Among them stand Cable, Exodus, Emma Frost, Forge, Mirage and Wolverine — but when a thirteenth contender crashes the tournament, endangering the lives of thousands in the process, will any survive to carry on in Apocalypse’s footsteps? Not if Mister Sinister has anything to say about it! Meanwhile, Archangel takes it upon himself to make sure no one else suffers at the hands of En Sabah Nur!