I recently reached out to David Rodriguez, one of the writers of the IDW Skylanders comics, and asked if he could do a Q&A interview regarding Skylanders Malefor who had previously debuted in the comics back in early 2015. He was allowed to do the Q&A, and me and a couple of fans from the
Skylanders Malefor DeviantArt Group asked him several fan questions about Skylanders Malefor and his Return of the Dragon King comic debut.
 |
| Standard comic cover of Skylanders Issue #8: Return of the Dragon King Part 2 by Fico Ossio |
Below is the following message by David Rodriguez answering the given questions provided by Skylanders fans of Malefor:
Hello Everyone! My name is David A. Rodriguez and I am a Design Specialist at Vicarious Visions, the Activision studio responsible for bringing you Skylanders: Superchargers! I am also the Narrative Lead for the project. That means I work with multiple teams on the project to construct the story, cinematics and mission dialogue for the entire game. In addition to that responsibility, I co-write the Skylanders comic series for IDW with famed comic writer, Ron Marz. And yes, all of those comics are indeed in-canon!
But today I'm going to do my best to answer as many of your questions about Malefor and the Return of the Dragon King story arc as possible. I'd also like to thank Alison and all of you for inviting me to participate in this Q/A.
All right, enough preamble. Let's get to your questions!
jjman65
1. The description for the graphic novel said that Malefor was a purple dragon like Spyro but, it was never mentioned during the story arc. Is there a reason for that?
There was no specific reason it wasn't mentioned. Spyro and Malefor's Skylander history is intact. But with SO much going on in the RoTD story arc, we thought it best to keep the main arc of Malefor's return and revenge streamlined and even then we could barely fit it in the book! The main reason it was mentioned on the graphic novel description at all was so that fans would know that we were officially bringing Malefor into the Skylanders universe.
2. Were there any ideas that didn't get into the story arc or ones that Activision said no to?
Activision was totally behind the Malefor story arc and were very excited that we were fleshing out what started in those three bios in the very first Skylanders game. We were pretty much given free reign to resurrect the character and make him as awesome as possible.
And you know, destructive.
Exceedingly destructive.
3. Will we see more of Calliope in the future since she's an ally of the Skylanders now?
I hope so. Not only do I like her as a character but, as some of you know, she's very important to me personally.
Drek95
1. Is Count Moneybone somehow related to Malefor? His new armor's style really reminds me of the Underworld's Ruler and they are both Undead related so he might have helped with the King's return.
Well, on one hand you have a Count who calls himself Lord of the Underworld and on the other you have an Undead Dragon King. So they may have some indirect relation that has yet to be revealed. But if I had to venture a guess, I'd say they wouldn't get along too terribly well.
They have sharing issues.
2. Did Skylands' Spyro meet Malefor before...? Eon seemed to hint at that but it might have simply been a reference to the Legend's series.
Ah, Drek, I feel bad having to duck another specific answer for you, but this is one that I'll have to leave you guys wondering about for now. What we do know, however, is that Spyro's memories before arriving in Skylands ARE somewhat fractured. So, many things are possible.
3. We know Skylands is endless but there are countless small and big islands so it's almost impossible Malefor didn't get crushed on one of them. Since it would be pretty easy for him to get rid of the Yacht once on land, is there any chance we'll see more of him in the future...?
David: Whew! So glad that I didn't have to go 0-3 with you. Hopefully this last answer makes up for the first two.
You will definitely get to see more of Malefor in the future! In fact, I have a feeling that guy is going to pop up sooner than you'd expect.
Sponge Dragon
What will become of Malefor now that he's defeated?
Well, he's going to do what super-villains do, Sponge Dragon. He's going to lick his wounds, make a list of everyone who he thinks did him wrong and then he's going to come up with a new plan to make them all suffer.
Because he's a bad, bad dude with nothing else to do but sit around and think up evil stuff to do to people.
MarielKeybash96
Why does Malefor wear armor?
To hold his battered body together. The destructive magic that Hex unleashed in their battle did an incredible amount of damage to Malefor. The armor that he wears stores magical energy which makes him even stronger than he used to be. However it is also necessary for him to wear it to even leave the Underworld.
And you know, it looks REALLY cool.
 |
| Concept art of Malefor in the IDW Skylanders comic series drawn by Fico Ossio |
LostSunburn
During the fight with Malefor in the arc, Malefor states that he and Spyro fought before. However, after Malefor's defeat, Spyro says he doesn't remember anything. Is this an intentional detail we may see in the future, or some sort of plothole?
Plothole? There's no such things as plotholes in Skylands.
Right?
Who's with me?!
Ahem. Totally intentional. One that I hope to have the chance to explore in the future.
Plothole...pffft.
Someone get me a strategy guide.
LunyaTheDragon
1. What is exactly the continuity with the interactions with Malefor? No need for specifics - but did Cynder get defeated first, then Hex beat Malefor, or the other way around, or something else entirely?
So, the timeline, as I understand it, is as follows. Malefor's minions steal Cynder's egg and he raises her to be super evil. She is later defeated by Spyro and freed from Malefor's control. Then, some time later, Malefor sets his sights on Hex and is soundly defeated.
2. Flynn seemed pretty devastated on the way he had to give goodbye to the Dread-Yacht. Does he still hold some feelings towards Hex for destroying it, or is aircraft destruction common enough when dealing with villains that it's not too big of a deal?
I think Flynn understands the necessity of using the Dread-Yacht as a weapon in this instance. And it's been blown up, crashed and repaired so many times by now that Sharpfin must keep a pile of spare parts around just for Flynn.
And you know, Flynn doesn't really manage to hold onto any one thought for any extended length of time that doesn't involve Mexican cuisine.
3. During the scene where Malefor attacks the Skylanders protected by the shield-wielding Skylanders, a shape of a skull can be seen among Malefor's flames. Is it a result of him absorbing powers from Hex, or are skull shapes a characteristic of his fire powers?
Good eye! That is indeed part of Hex's powers blending into Malefor's flames.
CrystalBlazier
1. Did you do research on Malefor from The Legend of Spyro series before you gave him a reimagined (and better fully developed) personality in Skylanders?
First of all, thank you for the awesome compliment. It was a huge responsibility to bring this character back and I'm happy that he's been so well received.
I've played the original Spyro games, but it's been awhile so I had to dig into the history quite a bit. Luckily, one of the producers of the Skylanders series (Mike Graham) also worked on the Spyro games for years so he was a great resource in making sure I had a firm grasp on the history before creating the new fiction around his return.
2. What inspired you guys to finally bring Malefor into the spotlight at last?
It all started with the bios really. When I first started working on the franchise I read all the Skylander backgrounds and thought it was really interesting that Spyro, Cynder and Hex each had this common hook in their past. When the comic series kicked off, our editor (David Hedgecock) wanted to know if we had any ideas for the first 3-part comic story arc.
It had to be something big and so I pitched him the Malefor idea and then our team at Activision got onboard and a short...8 or 9 months later...Kablam!!
A super-villain is reborn. :)
3. What did Malefor think of Cynder when he raised her to be his devoted servant? I know that after she was freed and began fighting for good, Malefor must've felt some form of betrayal/resentment towards Cynder as she became one of the three Skylanders to have caused him more pain and frustration than anyone else.
Well, Malefor is no fan of Cynder, that's for sure. As you've said, she, Hex and Spyro have caused him more pain and frustration than anyone in Skylands. And Malefor isn't someone that handles defeat very well. As to whether he has feelings besides hate and resentment toward Cynder...well...that might be a story worth exploring at another time.
4. Why did Calliope turn to Malefor for help in search of her lost family instead of the Skylanders?
It was more of Malefor seeing someone with a need and taking advantage of the situation before she could turn to someone else. And when you're desperate you often make bad decisions. Like our poor, misguided fairy.
5. I know Hex dealt major damage to Malefor in their first encounter, including being responsible for the complete loss of his wings, tail and possibly other parts to his body. Did the battle banish him to become an undead spirit that he had to be resurrected back to life through the powers of Skylanders?
He wasn't quite turned into a spirit, but he wasn't quite whole either. His battle with Hex nearly destroyed him and left him a weak shadow of his former self. It took him years to recover from that defeat and even then he still needed the powers of Cynder, Hex and Spryo to fuel his armor.
5. I noticed that Malefor has a very arrogant personality that he almost constantly boasts about his superiority and how powerful he is. If his arrogance was present before his battle with Hex, what made him believe that he was an unstoppable dragon king?
Well, the thing about arrogance is that it doesn't really require solid, rational evidence to back it up. And just like any great hero, a great villain doesn't ever accept defeat. Malefor considers any failure a temporary setback. He has a goal to conquer and rule and anyone who stands in the way is merely a temporary obstacle.
6. Why does Malefor want to rule Skylands as its king?
Malefor wants to be King of Skylands because he believes he is the only one fit to rule. If there is anyone above him, that would mean accepting that he is not the greatest and most powerful. Which goes back to his incredible level of arrogance.
 |
| Skylanders: Return of the Dragon King Comic Bundle Cover drawn by Fico Ossio |
ShaloneSK
Why did Malefor crown himself the Undead Dragon King?
Probably because there weren't a lot of people lining up to do it for him.
And because it sounds super-scary.
IgniteTheBlaze
1. Why did Malefor decide he was going to rule Skylands instead of destroy it, like his "The Legend of Spyro" self would've? Also to add on to that question, does Malefor still feel the need to "bring about the great cleansing" and destroy the world to bring about a new world's birth?
While they obviously share many things and have lots in common, Skylanders Malefor is his own character, with his own motivations and desires that are separate from his LoS counterpart. This Malefor has suffered defeat at the hands of the Skylanders one too many times for his liking and he won't be happy until he's crowned above all of them.
2. In the comic we only see Malefor use normal fire and purple fire, but is he still able to wield all the elements of Skylands since he is a magical purple dragon like Spyro?
Malefor's exact history and abilities haven't been fully disclosed yet, but I hope to get to that in the future!
3. Does Skylanders Malefor have any minions/followers? And if so, what kind?
He used to have a bunch of them. He's kind of short on them on now though.
And he just lost Calliope.
Maybe he should get a subscription to Minions Monthly like Kaos!
HeyItsHotDog
Did Malefor originate from Skylands or is he from another world like Spyro?
Hey...wait one second...Spyro's from another world?! Where's that strategy guide I asked for 10 questions ago?
AtomicPhoton
If there was another Legend of Spyro character you could redesign for the comic, who would it be?
To my knowledge, we don't have any plans to revive any other LoS characters and bring them into Skylanders. But if I got to pick, I would totally like a crack at Hunter. :)
Matteomax
Were any other older Spyro characters considered for the story arc?
There were so many characters in
Return of the Dragon King that it never occurred to us to try and bring more of them in. And like we talked about earlier, Malefor is really bad at sharing. Even screen time!
Trix
How long has Malefor been hiding in the caverns recovering from his battle with Hex?
Since right after he got beat up. :)
Thank you very much, you've all been great!
In all seriousness, thank you for inviting me to play with you guys for a little while. And a sincere thank you to all of you for your continued support of the comic book series and the Return of the Dragon King storyline in particular. It has been a great honor to bring such an incredible villain back to life!
Take care everyone and I hope to hear your thoughts on the upcoming game and a whole new year of Skylanders comics! - David Rodriguez
