'Marvel Rivals Infinity Comic' Writer Paul Allor Unleashes Ultron on the X-Men's Hellfire Gala

Once a year, the X-Men welcome dignitaries from around the world to their island nation of Krakoa for the Hellfire Gala, a high fashion event that celebrates the achievements of mutantkind. In MARVEL RIVALS INFINITY COMIC (2024) #7, available to read now on Marvel Unlimited, Ultron crashes the party—and he didn’t come alone. When a drone army descends on their home, Emma Frost will lead the charge to save her people alongside mutants and human heroes alike, including Storm, Captain America, Namor, Black Panther, and Magik, for a story set in Marvel Rivals’ ever-expanding Multiverse.

Speaking to Marvel.com, MARVEL RIVALS INFINITY COMIC (2024) writer Paul Allor offered a glimpse at what’s in store for the heroes of Marvel Rivals in the next chapter of the hit Infinity Comic. They explained what makes this particular battle so very personal for the X-Men, while teasing a fun side story featuring the Thing, Rocket Raccoon, Squirrel Girl, and Jeff the Land Shark. They also warned of the “excruciating choices” to come, promised some laughs along the way, embraced Emma’s imperiousness, and so much more.

MARVEL.COM: Set the stage for us: what do readers need to know before they dive into the second chapter of MARVEL RIVALS INFINITY COMIC?

PAUL ALLOR: If we did our job right, hopefully nothing! This is a new standalone story in the Marvel Rivals universe, with new characters, a new setting, a couple new artists, but the same sense of humor, high-octane fun, and infectious joy. 

MARVEL.COM: As its title suggests, MARVEL RIVALS INFINITY COMIC draws from the Marvel Rivals video game. Tell me a little about the process of developing a story set in this constantly evolving world.

PAUL ALLOR: It starts, of course, with the game itself, which is primarily focused on the fightin’ but also showcases a rich world with an incredible tapestry of characters, heroes and villains, all at loggerheads. 

So we used the story of this new season as a jumping-off point, while also going deeper into the characters, as they face an existential threat, and must make some excruciating choices in deciding how to deal with it.

MARVEL.COM: Like the game, MARVEL RIVALS INFINITY COMIC boasts an impressively huge roster of characters. How did you decide who will be on the focus for this chapter?

PAUL ALLOR: Well, I definitely didn’t decide on my own. It takes an international village to raise a comic, and I worked with Marvel Comics, Marvel Games, and NetEase in choosing the cast. For me, it was all about choosing characters who would bounce off each other in interesting ways and fuel the humor and drama that keeps the story going in between the punching and hitting.

Plus, we wanted to show off the new characters, of course, and maybe a fancy costume or two.

MARVEL.COM: What is one of your favorite dynamics from this chapter, and why?

PAUL ALLOR: While the Hellfire Gala is going on, four of our characters—The Thing, Rocket Raccoon, Squirrel Girl, and Jeff the Land Shark—are elsewhere on the island, enjoying some nice rest and relaxation. That group was an absolute joy to write, and I love what the art team did with them.

Beyond that, I had a lot of fun writing Captain America’s interactions with both Storm and Emma Frost. Because this version of Captain America is from the future, in some ways he knows more about the X-Men, and the threats they face, than they know themselves. That leads to some interesting conflicts about how to deal with the threat posed by Ultron. Things get incredibly heated, in a way I think readers will really enjoy.

MARVEL.COM: In this chapter, you got to work in Emma Frost, Marvel Rivals’ newest playable character. What was something surprising you encountered while writing the White Queen?

PAUL ALLOR: Mainly how much her imperiousness rubbed off on me. Ever since I wrote this story, I’ve been walking around my apartment sneering at all my houseplants and condescending to my vacuum cleaner.

MARVEL.COM: What did the Hellfire Gala setting allow you to do with this story, that perhaps you couldn’t in the first chapter?

PAUL ALLOR: Cuter costumes, obviously! And it’s a much more intensely personal location for many of our characters. Their home is being attacked—their sanctuary, the place where they’re supposed to feel safe. The mutants would do anything to protect it—even the unthinkable.

MARVEL.COM: How worried should we be for Krakoa in the face of this threat from Ultron?

PAUL ALLOR: Three words: very, very worried. Ultron represents an existential threat to Krakoa and to all of mutantkind.

MARVEL.COM: Tell me about working with Luca Claretti, Daniel Scalisi, and Ig Guara. What did they bring to the series?

PAUL ALLOR: How lucky am I to be working with three such amazing artists? Their work is so dynamic, and they all brought such incredible energy and amazing character work. And the humor! I laughed out loud so many times while getting the line work for this story.

Plus, they were all very game about drawing 10,000 Ultron drones in every chapter. So… many… Ultron… drones…

And then Dee Cuniffe does an amazing job tying it all together with his gorgeous colors.

MARVEL.COM: What are you most excited for readers to see in MARVEL RIVALS INFINITY COMIC?

PAUL ALLOR: One particular scene with Jeff the Land Shark. You’ll know it when you see it.

MARVEL.COM: This one is for me and all the other Jeff fans out there: what mischief is everyone’s favorite Land Shark up to this time around?

PAUL ALLOR: Besides the aforementioned mystery scene, Jeff spends most of this story hanging out on the beach, soaking in the rays, swimming in the ocean, and collecting lots and lots and lots of fish. As well he should. The little dude literally saved all of reality in the last arc; he deserves some down time!

MARVEL RIVALS INFINITY COMIC (2024) #7 is now available to read on Marvel Unlimited! Subscribe by April 16 to receive an exclusive Thing skin for Marvel Rivals.

Want to read more about the heroes of Marvel Rivals? Join Marvel Unlimited for instant access to 30,000+ comics on the Marvel Unlimited app or on the web, with digital issues spanning Marvel Comics classics to ongoing series!