Interview: Scott Snyder Talks Post-Convergence and What’s After BATMAN: ENDGAME

We’ve talked to Scott Snyder a bit lately aboutBatman: Endgame. We know some big things are coming. When DC invited us to talk to several creators about the books post-Convergence, we knew the main points in BATMAN would still be shrouded in secrecy. Regardless, we took advantage of the opportunity to see what we could find out besides that fact we should prepare for something crazy.

COMIC VINE: Post-Endgame? We’re going to see some changes in the Free Comic Book Day issue. Something big is going to happen?

SCOTT SNYDER: Something huge is happening in that issue. You will get to the last page and be unequivocally, hands down, “This is the craziest thing this team has tried. Period.” I promise you. I’m not exaggerating. I’m not hyping it to you. It is the absolute fact truth.

CV: Where does that pick up after Endgame?

SS: Right after it. It’s like real time. Endgame ends in BATMAN #40 in April. In May, it’s about a month later. When the Free Comic Book Day issue hits, it takes place exactly right at that time period where it’s been about a month since Endgame.

CV: What can you say about it besides it’s going to be the “craziest thing”?

SS: What I can say is…for me, Endgame, originally when I came up with it during Death of the Family, was the other part of the story, in some way. It was probably going to be my last thing. That was how I felt. When I do this story, it has everything in it. It’s kind of my take on the characters—what makes Batman special? Is it his mortality, his humanity, the fact that he can die? He doesn’t do things that makes him more than us. It was my final piece on him.

What happened was, I had an idea. I was like, “I have just the craziest story. This would be almost like writing ‘ALL-NEW BATMAN.’” And we actually discussed calling it ALL-NEW BATMAN, honestly, because the thing we’re going to do makes it so different. Then the line changed. What happened was they brought in creators who I’m good friends with and who I’m inspired by and editorial changed and Mark [Doyle] came into the Bat-Offices and he’s made something really special with them.

Not to be hokey and sound like a company-man, you know I’m not and I’ve certainly been critical of DC in the past when I felt they were on the wrong path. I’ve been vocal about those things internally and publicly. There really is a spirit right now and I think you can see it reflected in the June line up. There’s exuberance and progressiveness and a sense of empowerment to creators to let them do stories that are bolder. You see it in just those titles. You see it in BLACK CANARY and MIDNIGHTER and with what’s coming in WE ARE ROBIN and with what Pat [Gleason] is doing with Damian. These are not books that could have come out three years ago or two years ago. I started feeling like, “You know what? I want to be part of this.” That means trying something on BATMAN I’ve been thinking about but would be really really out there.

I’m going into my fifth year in Gotham, if you include DETECTIVE COMICS. For me, that means if I didn’t do this story and do something this crazy, I would regret it a lot more than trying it and failing. The audience right now seems to want us to do things that are personal and daring. This story is exactly that. For Greg and I, this is very close to our hearts. It’s also completely transformative. I can promise you Gotham will not look the same after Endgame, the cast will not be the same, the mythology will not be the same, and that will be true of all the Bat-books. Meaning, what happens in Endgame, will be across the line. It will affect every book that has Batman, the Joker, and all those characters in it.

CV: Can you reveal the name of the arc or is that giving too much away?

SS: No, I can’t give away the name of the arc because I feel like that will hint too much as to what’s coming. I can tell you that it will be a big one. It culminates probably at issue 50, with another…huge sort of transformative moment, which we want. It’s issue 50. You have to celebrate that, right? Basically my feeling is, you take the mythology and stretch it sort of like a rubber band, as far as you can, to two points on either side that are personal and things that have literally never been done in the seventy-five years…with two characters. Those are the twin pillars of the story. By 50, it has to snap back. The story has a lot to do with that. Thematically, it’s a lot like a new periodic table and a new chemical is being created. There’s a new sense of possibility of the wonder and terror of how far you can pull things before they’re going to restore themselves.

CV: Have you thought beyond 50 or are you just focusing on this story?

SS: No. It’s a very interesting feeling because I’ve always said we would leave, really thought we would leave with Endgame. And now, we decided to stay through to 50 because we felt like the company and the line has been so fun. We’re just playing it by ear, honestly. If 50 comes and our time is up with fans, that’s okay. I’ve been able to do more with this book than I ever thought I would. I got to redo Batman’s origin in a way that made it personal for me and also about the fears I feel my kids worry about in the city today. We got to do our big Joker opus. I got to introduce a brother for Bruce and do an arc that was about growing up in the city. These are not things I ever thought I’d get to do in my life.

I’d be happy to get to that point and say, “Thank you,’ and be off the book. If fans want us to stay and if Greg wants to stay passed that, then I would certainly consider it. I’m having the best time of my life on the book. We’re having the most fun ever on Endgame and the story after. We found a new way of working together where we talk on the phone a lot now. I make the scripts a lot looser so I’ll call him up and walk him through the story. I’ll write but more lightly because he’ll know what’s coming. We’re on the phone all the time gabbing. I was literally on the phone with him in the conference room in this building right before I came in. We’re just having a ball. As long as you guys will keep us, if you want us passed 50, we might stay. Maybe we’ll try and do it. If not, we still couldn’t be more grateful to everyone for keeping us this long.

CV: One more thing about post-Endgame, any villains you can mention or characters?

SS: It’s a new villain. It’s a brand new villain. I don’t want to do anything with any rogues anymore because for a while. In Endgame, it really brings the mythology of Batman, as you know it, and spins it around. A lot of the characters you want to see or maybe don’t want to see or you don’t expect to see, you’ll wind up seeing in Endgame in a certain way. In that respect, I want to put those characters aside and let other people use them and try to create new things for myself. So new villain.

There’ll be a big crossover with the other cast, though. It’s going to be a really diverse cast in BATMAN. The characters from WE ARE ROBIN play a big part. Duke Thomas plays a very very big part in the story. Harper is in it in a big way. She becomes really prominent. Julia’s in it in a big way. It’s a really fun cast. It’s a vibrant, different cast. I hope you guys will stay with us for this one. My feeling is, you’ve been rewarding books, and our book, for trying things that are close to us but also risky. This one is easily the riskiest we’ve done. I hope you guys like it as much as we do because we’re really excited about it.

We’ll have to wait for the end of Endgame and the Free Comic Book Day issue to find out more. The title of the next arc will be in that issue and we’ll know what this new direction is.

Here's the solicit for 41

BATMAN #41

Written by SCOTT SNYDER

Art by GREG CAPULLO and DANNY MIKI

Cover by GREG CAPULLO

THE JOKER Variant cover by SEAN MURPHY

On sale JUNE 10 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.

The all-new Batman makes his debut! Who is he, and what happens next? Find out here as a new era begins in Gotham City!

Is this all new Batman will be rip off from Arkham Knight, a guy who wears armor suit and use gun ?

@boynerdgeek: Doubt it.

Well this interview ended up having more info than Newsarama's, but I still feel like Scott is being a bit too vague for his own good. I mean, I want to be surprised, sure. But hyping it up 2 or 3 months in advance and not really telling us all that much (not even a name) while doing it just feels counterintuitive.

What I really loved in this though, is when he mentions he's been critical of DC in the past. That there's a precedent that's been set of him not being a kiss ass. But that now there's an energy and a vibe that makes him feel excited about the projects the company is doing as a whole. That's got me excited.

Hmm, very intriguing. Is Bruce going full-on Iron Man because of what happens in the final part of Endgame, perhaps? There's definitely a lot more armor plating going on in that Issue 41 cover.

So, Chappie's gonna be the new Batman?

"The all-new Batman makes his debut! Who is he, and what happens next? Find out here as a new era begins in Gotham City!"

The "Who is he" part is scaring me a bit. I hope they're not thinking of replacing Bruce :(

I have grown to like Snyder's Batman run but I think he is kinda doing stories that are way too huge. I don't have a problem reading amazing Batman stories but I think it seems like every single one of them is too long(this one is going to be 10 issues) and is always groundbreaking. There are times when I want to read a calmer and still energetic, action packed and a mysterious Batman story.

When i say on the forums that Snyder isnt the right guy for Batman and should be off soon, they say if it sells good why should they make a change..now i wonder why make huge changes about Batman then? I was sick of him using too much sci-fi high tech elements as if it is Iron Man and using too much supernatural horror stuff as if it is Wytches, now it seems like it was just a begining and DC gave the Snyder the freedom to go all in...bye bye to our lovely street level crime fighter and his detective stories..

I really hope Its Bruce in that batsuit.

Oh man I hope they stay after 50 I've been loving everything they do and couldn't imagine anyone else on the title at this point. Super excited to see what happens next.

im pretty excited and wonder what is up their sleeve. I would like penny 2 to play a big role,maybe even harper in the suit...but I also have like a feeling maybe Alfred dies at the end of endgame. I mean batman has basically lost his right hand man.

i feel that bruce is gonna use gun this time. the guy with armor in that peek is bruce

I'm intrigued... It could go either way. I'm glad to see Snyder pushing himself and shaking up the status quo.

I wouldn't throw it in just yet. It's highly, highly doubtful this is something that will stick, if it is indeed what we are thinking. In fact, Snyder himself kind of alludes to it "snapping back" in issue 50... which, if I am understanding it correctly, probably just means that it's going to change back to Batman's regular status quo come issue 50.

QUOTE: "Basically my feeling is, you take the mythology and stretch it sort of like a rubber band, as far as you can, to two points on either side that are personal and things that have literally never been done in the seventy-five years…with two characters. Those are the twin pillars of the story. By 50, it has to snap back." -Snyder

In other words, it sounds to me like it's only going to be a temporary change for his next story arc.

@batman2000516: nah...it is someone new we never know. Kind like 1990's new Batman is Azrael

I'm a little worried tbh.

That cover doesn't get me excited.

So cool! That suit looks amazing!

@-daydream-: if your looking for street level detective stories you should check out Detective Comics. The book is well written and has astounding art and layouts. Plus Manupal/Buccellato creative team is sticking around post convergence. There are so many Batbooks that it seems like you really can get whatever you want by just finding the right one.

If you want to only read street-level crime fighting, just read Detective Comics or Batman Eternal. It's not like there's this great dearth of Batman books that means if one book goes in an unorthodox direction you don't personally like, you're forced to stick with it.

"Well, at least they didn't replace him with a woman! Hur hur"

This. I'm loving Snyder's run right now and this looks very exciting and I like that Snyder is taking a fresh new take on Batman but I hope it's Bruce.

Exactly.

Is it just me or does it seem like Scott is always playing up this change in character and dynamic and blah blah but after each arc I don't feel like Batman is different at all. Invincible changes way more after a story arc than Batman does. Thoughts?

I really hope he doesn't do any more damage.

Agreed on that point. Batman in his latest issue reads the same as his Batman who first faced the CoO. That's not a bad thing by any means, but it's true that the changes he hypes don't tend to manifest.

@rustyroy: But Joker killing Bruce wayne or vice versa or both killing each other in an epic battle to the death would be the perfect way to end Endgame. Then people can stop saying Snyder sucks for ending his stories in an anticlimatic way.

That would be horrible.

I've loved every bit of Scott Snyder's run so far, particularly his work with Greg.

But if he takes Bruce Wayne out of the cowl, I'm OUT!! It will be like Grant Morrison all over again, and the whole reason I've loved what Snyder has done on Batman is that it's the exact opposite of what Morrison did with Bruce.

When I first saw that picture I thought it was Blue Beetle then I read the interview and was like what!?!Anyway change hardly last in comics any way so good or bad in the long haul doesn't matter cause it will just be rebooted/retcon to the next guys liking.

@kervan21: Same here my friend.If Bruce isnt Batman, im out

Scott Snyder has yet to fail. I always love his work on Batman. I can't wait for June!

Way to falsely and aggressively generalise the critics of Aaron's She Thor gimmick, that's totally what most fans' problems are. It's not like there's anything deeper to their complaints right? -_-

I really hate Free Comic Book Day issues.....

I totally thought that guy was a new Blue Beetle...doesn't even look like Batman

It's the Bat Blue Beetle. =P

Usually love this book and I'll reserve my judgement. Usually Capullo's work is stellar but the armor here looks great....until you get to the bugs bunny ears. Oy

Very interesting concept, but not very much into the armor. I say either Alfred or Gordon will be the ALL-NEW BATMAN; Alfred being the most likely.

At the end of Endgame Joker will kill Bruce but realize the error of his ways, he will then put on the Batsuit and claim himself the Superior Batman

I'm excited and scared for June!

@lvenger said:

Because I totally mentioned Thor. Get a grip.

tooo much hype dammit. Reveal It

hopefully it doesnt turn out to be disappointing.

~MiB

i know, i follow up both Batman and Detective comics every month since 90s, and thats why i like the work put in Detective comics more now, but i am against the idea of 'get whatever you want by just finding the right one', so there has to be a Batbook for sci-fi/supernatural stuff lovers? with this logic there has to be a street level Superman Comics, a horror Flash comics etc etc...what sucks is, because i am a hardcore Batman fan i will continue to follow Batman, sales wont drop and people will never realize they are in a wrong direction

@-daydream-: I can understand that rational. Direction is pretty relative for me so I'm all for it. I've always thought batman was a fairly unique in the sense that his stories work in so many different contexts and tones that just doesn't work so well for other superheroes. I certainly would be interested in a horror Flash story arc but a horror Flash ongoing would be a more difficult sell for me.

Whole 'changing everything' stuff is good only when they stay true to the spirit of the character. IF they turn Batman into Ironman....well that means he is not Batman anymore. Risky is fine, just don't go ''Oh totally change everything '' and expect it to be great because as much as change can be a fresh air, it might also alienate many ( New 52 was the biggest example for me as I don't know who half of the characters are anymore. Strangers just using the same name. )

Whenever I hear about ''groudbreaking change ! '' , I always prepare myself for the worse and be cynical about it, saves me heartache later on.

I've noted before that in my opinion Snyder seems more concerned with leaving his stamp on the character and continuity/canon sometimes at the expense of a good story.

Despite the critical acclaim CoO received I believe it to be the case there, and more so with subsequent stories and characters like Harper.

This "New Batman" thing is concerning to me as someone who has had issues with the changes Snyder has introduced so far. Still, I've been enjoying endgame and I'm curious to see how it will play out.

@kervan21 said:

Any chance you could clarify?

I am totally with you...and why do we even care if its Bruce Wayne in the suit or not..even if its Bruce in the suit, it wont be 'Batman'

i am ok with story arcs with different tones sometimes, but instead of a story arc, it seems like an ongoing for me...from #1 up to today this Batman seems way too out of tone

Snyders never let me down, he's one of the best writers of the era. I also love manipul and the detective arc. There's really a bat book for everyone. But if your a Snyder batman fan then just trust he will make it good no matter who is behind the cowl/helmet.

i've been enjoying Endgame so far... it hasn't blown me away but its good for what it is. with all of you talking about a new Batman comes around in the later issues... well now thats just scary...

I'm not the person who needs to be sold on this. I've been buying and reading Scott Snyder's Batman since Detective. Bruce can go from being Batman to Toucan Man and shoot lasers out of his dick for all I care. It's staying on my pull list regardless.

are you a Batman fan or Snyder fan?

lol whatever i'll still buy it