CHOOSING SIDES

It looks like Canada has a new superhero. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will appear on the variant cover of Civil War II: Choosing Sides No. 5, due out Aug. 31. The new issue is drawn by Ramon Perez and written by Chip Zdarsky — a.k.a. Steve Murray during

Q MARVEL FOUND BOX-OFFICE SUCCESS WITH CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR THIS YEAR, LOOSELY BASED ON THE 2007 COMIC EVENT. NOW, WE’VE GOT CIVIL WAR II. WHY ARE THE MARVEL HEROES AT IT AGAIN?

A There’s a new character named Ulysses, who can predict upcoming disasters. The heroes are split on how to use that type of resource. Do you punish people for crimes they haven’t committed? How much faith can you put in a man who relays this information?

Q HOW DID YOU LAND THIS PROJECT AND WHY DID YOU INCLUDE TRUDEAU?

A My Marvel editor, Wil Moss, asked if I’d be up for contributing an Alpha Flight story for the crossover. My first thought was to put Trudeau in it, ’cause I love that Marvel comics take place in real- world places. It’s fun to take advantage of that, have real- life people interacting with characters like Iron Man and Alpha Flight.

Q SOME OF OUR READERS MAY NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE CANADIAN ALPHA FLIGHT. WHO ARE THEY?

A Canada’s premier superhero team.… The current roster works for the Alpha Flight space program, protecting Earth from cosmic threats under the command of Captain Marvel.

Q DID YOU CONTACT THE PRIME MINISTER?

A Well, I reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office first. But they essentially told me that they couldn’t necessarily endorse the appearance, but that they also wouldn’t stand in its way.

Q HOW MUCH OF A ROLE WILL TRUDEAU HAVE?

A He’s pretty central to the story. It’s only an eight- pager, but he’s on seven of them, giving advice and throwing punches.

Q IRON MAN IS ALSO ON THE COVER. DOES THAT MEAN WE KNOW WHERE TRUDEAU STANDS ON ULYSSES?

A Let’s just say there are disagreements all around. No one is clearly in anyone’s corner, but Iron Man definitely has a history with Trudeau.