Comics Guru Brian Michael Bendis Talks 'Powers,' PlayStation, and a New Spider-Man

Celebrated comic book author Brian Michael Bendis practically needed superpowers to transfer his popular cop drama/superhero epic Powers from the page to television. The project was originally set up at FX in 2011, and while the network funded a pilot with a cast that included Jason Patric, Lucy Punch, and Charles S. Dutton, they ultimately declined to move forward with the series. That blow would have felled a normal guy, but Bendis — who has written action-packed adventures for such beloved heroes as Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Iron Man — persevered and revived Powers with the aid of an unlikely partner: Sony’s PlayStation gaming console.

Co-created and executive produced by Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, who also co-created the comic book, the 10-episode series launches on March 10 exclusively on the PlayStation Network. (The first three episodes will premiere concurrently, with a new episode to follow every subsequent Tuesday.) Set in a world where superheroes uncomfortably co-exist alongside everyday humans, District 9’s Sharlto Copley stars as Christian Walker, a de-powered hero currently employed as a detective in the Powers Division of his city’s police force. Yahoo TV spoke with Bendis about finally seeing Powers come to fruition, color-blind casting, and whether Donald Glover should be the next Spider-Man.

Powers traveled a long and winding road to the small screen. How did you feel when you watched the first episode and finally experienced your universe brought to life onscreen?
My experience is very different obviously, because I was on set when they rolled cameras for the first time, and I was in the writers’ room putting cards up on the wall. So I had a very unique point of view prior to seeing the episode. But I cannot think of any downside of this whole experience, and I’m wired to only find the bad side. I don’t know how to deal with these good feelings I have! [Laughs.] It’s been a fifteen-year journey and that’s a big chunk of my life, so I’m just glad there’s a show at the end of it. And I think we’re at the point where people actually believe me when I say that that the show exists. Last year, I had a good friend of mine pull me aside and go “Stop talking about the show — nobody believes you. Behind your back, people go, ‘Jeeze, this guy thinks he has a show.’”

Related: Here’s How Much PlayStation’s First Original TV Show Cost to Make

The pilot reminded me of a gritty ‘80s cop series like Miami Vice rather than a superhero show — I mean that as a complement.
Or Hill Street Blues! That’s been one of the biggest struggles about the show, which is “What’s the tone?” It’s got to be a really good cop show and have all these superhero elements in it as well, and the superhero stuff throws people sometimes. They’re like, “Is it a superhero show?” And it’s not! It’s a cop show that has superheroes in it. That’s a very, very big difference. David Simon’s book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets was a big influence on the comic. After reading how he spent a year with the Baltimore police department, I went on ride alongs with any cop that would have me, trying to figure out what I was going to do with all this material I was building. Powers is what it ended up being.

In fact, the superheroes are almost tangential to the world in the first episode. We just catch glimpses of them and usually only from afar.
If there were superheroes in the world, we would rarely ever see them, but would hear about them constantly — much like celebrities. Beyoncé’s not going to walk by your room today and if she did, your whole day would be about that. It would become “The day that Beyoncé walked by.” It’s the same thing with superheroes. If Spider-Man were to swing over your head on his way to something, that would be your whole day; you would just go home after that. And that’s what the comic has always done. Walker stays on the ground, and when the superheroes come in, they bring the color. And when they leave, they take it with them.

There’s been an ongoing debate in fanboy circles about color-blind casting when it comes to established comic book characters. Did you encounter any resistance in casting Susan Heyward, an African-American actress, as Walker’s partner Deena Pilgrim, who is white in the comic?  
Susan came in, and did an audition tape like many other people. And she won the part from her very first audition, against people who looked very much like the comic book version of Deena. But [the choice] was unanimous amongst the producers, the network, and the studio. I was in the room when the decision was made and I’m so happy to tell you that [race] was never even brought up. The best actress got the part. There’s so much nonsense in this world that I love telling people that: Nobody brought it up. As the father of two African-American daughters, I’m thrilled that nobody brought it up, and that we’ve added a little something to the strong, female women of color ratio on TV. My kids are way too young to watch Powers right now, but when they’re old enough, that’ll be nice to show them. So the best actor got the part and, by the way, that happened with every role. It just so happens that they don’t look like how we drew them.

Given that, are you onboard the “Donald Glover for Spider-Man” campaign for the announced Spider-Man reboot? There’s even been a rumor that the new Spidey could be the character you created, Miles Morales, instead of Peter Parker.
I consult on those movies as part of Marvel Studios’ creative committee, so I’ve got a non-disclosure agreement that’s as big as your head. I’m not allowed to speak of it in any way. But here’s the real answer for now, no joke: When Sony and Marvel made their announcement [about a new Spider-Man movie], the name “Miles Morales” was trending on Twitter worldwide for a day and a half. That was one of the greatest things that has ever happened in my life — the fact that the conversation was happening, and that he was trending over Peter Parker. However it shakes out, the job of creating Miles was a difficult one. Very rarely do you know if you did well or not, but that felt good. I took pictures of his name trending!

Related: Donald Glover Will Leave the Spider-Man Campaigning to Fans This Time

The premiere of Powers sets up the “Who Killed Retro Girl” story arc that kicks off the comic book series, with a few obvious tweaks. How closely will the rest of the narrative follow what’s on the page?
The Retro Girl storyline plays out very differently from the comics, so what I’m excited about is that people who are die-hard fans of the book aren’t going to know what’s going to happen or when it’s going to happen. If you think you’re going to know everything and you don’t? I can’t think of anything better.

Like many Powers fans, the storyline I’m most excited to see is the millennia-spanning Forever arc that stretches back to the dawn of time. Please tell me that will at least be a standalone 90-minute movie.
My goal also is to have the show on the air so long that we can do the Forever arc, to [executive producer] Charlie Huston’s great dismay. He does not want to do it. But if we get a fifth season, nothing would make me happier than an hour of monkeys having sex with each other on PlayStation. That’s how you can end your article. [Laughs.]

Powers premieres Tuesday, March 10 on the PlayStation Network.