Today we’re talking to writer Rick Remender and executive editor Tom Brevoort about Marvel NOW! and Uncanny Avengers #1! You got Avengers in my X-Men! You got X-Men in my Avengers! It’s a Reese’s Cup of superhero goodness! It’s on sale October 10th!

Asked what draws this strange mishmash of characters together, Remender promises a dance party. But not really. The word of the day is chaos. In the fallout of Avengers vs. X-Men, the two groups need to find common ground again, and this group will serve as that venue for healing. Remender notes that, based on the circumstances surrounding their union, the members of this team aren’t necessarily “vetted.” This is a team designed to initiate harmony between two groups very recently at war with each other, but that doesn’t mean they’re all going to get along on day one or even terribly soon. Rogue, for instance, has a great deal of animosity for the Avengers. Remender even suggests that she’s more of the Wolverine of the team than Logan himself. He also points to her relationship with Scarlet Witch as being particularly rich with contention.

Brevoort promises a much more unified Marvel universe, with the Uncanny Avengers leafing the vanguard for more integrated stories between two segments of the shared world that didn’t necessarily mesh before, even in line-wide events. this is absolutely an Avengers team operating out of the Avengers Mansion. They’re also what Brevoort likes to call an “advocacy group” to combat the wide-spread hysteria and innuendo surrounding mutants. Remender hopes to summon up some of the original X-Men themes originally set forth by Xavier. It’s a lot about the image being presented to the public. Or as Brevoort says, “changing hearts and minds.”

It’s a change of pace for Remender who’s been imbedded with the more covert operations of Venom and Secret Avengers and Uncanny X-Force. “It’s a lot more shaking hands and kissing babies.” He even suggests it’s a bit of personal therapy, mirroring his own transition from smaller-scale creator owned books to a very high profile book at the spear tip of Marvel NOW!

The first threat for the group is the newly awakened Red Skull, who represents the very opposite of what the Uncanny Avengers hope to advocate. The villain will have his own team in the vein of Xavier’s original X-Men, but geared not towards harmony but anti-mutant sentiment. “The goal was not to make the Red Skull relevant, but to make him the threat he deserves to be.” Remender has brainstormed with the other Marvel NOW! writers about integrating all of these story lines, and Red Skull plays prominently in their plans, even if the endgame isn’t fully realized for another year or so. The direction for the character isn’t subtle or grounded either. Brevoort calls him “operatic” and “unabashedly reprehensible.”

Asked about the appearance of the book as being a return to the core tone and sensibility of the early Marvel universe, Remender and Brevoort agree that there is an effort to find the quintessential iterations of the characters involved. Brevoort suggests that while venturing out into strange new territory is healthy for these properties, it’s just as important to periodically return to the core values and essence for such iconic stories. There’s a bit of that happening here.

On the subject of costume designs, especially with regard to the female characters, Remender calls the typical stripper gear and Jane Fonda getups “gross.” So he’s pleased that there’s more functionality and practicality to the costume designs presented throughout Marvel NOW!

The recurring theme of the call was balance. Remender promises an equal ratio of soap opera to action, as well as an emphasis toward the integration of X-Men and Avengers themes, from situations to enemies. “It’s not just mixing but mashing.” Not that he plans on putting Magneto in Ultron armor.

We already mentioned Red Skull, but who are some of the other major antagonists? Hold on to your butts…

Kang and Apocalypse.

Together.

Here’s a preview of artist John Cassaday’s pages for Uncanny Avengers #1, due to hit shelves on October 10th! Oh, and there’s a Skottie young variant in there too!