The timing worked out pretty perfectly for comedian, actor, and Daily Show alum Al Madrigal this spring with the release of Morbius (where he plays Agent Rodriguez) and the launch of his comic series, Primos (which draws inspiration from ancient Mayan and Aztec mythology). These are in addition to a development deal with CBS Studios and his work overseeing the comedy podcast network he co-founded with Bill Burr. Now, with Morbius hitting VOD and the last issue of volume 1 of Primos about to drop (it’s out today), it’s once again difficult to not be impressed by the symmetry and the workload that the ultra-multi-hyphenate is carrying, but he seems pretty happy about all of it.
As a fellow comedian and someone who has known Madrigal for 15 years, I can attest that none of this is the result of luck or something that happened overnight. Madrigal’s success in show business (you may also recognize him in a pivotal and lauded role opposite Ben Affleck in The Way Back) is the result of hard work, planning, and in Al’s case, being ridiculously nice. Like, so nice that he tells us that it (and his chatty streak) drives his wife nuts. But it’s obviously opened up some doors for him. I spoke with Al about all of that, Mayan mythology’s role in his book, the importance of representation, and how hard it is to make something truly unique in a genre in which everything has already been done.
Please explain the MCU/Spider-Verse difference. This sounds like some real-life Dr. Strange-type shit.
Look up “WHIH Newscast.” It is promotional stuff they did for the Avengers movies. I play a pundit opposite Leslie Bibb. And then in Morbius, I play Agent Rodriguez, who I’m told is modeled after “Phil Rodriguez,” who’s a character in the Spider-Verse. And then, in a Farmer’s Insurance commercial, I played Captain America.
If you think about it, JK Simmons, who plays Jonah Jameson in all of the Avengers and Spider-Man movies, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, is in the Farmer’s ads as well. So, a lot of cross-over happening. But yeah, three different characters and the first Latino Captain America right here.
With Morbius hitting VOD, is it a relief that maybe more people have the chance to go in and experience the film fresh without the critical response dominating the conversation?
Morbius was plagued by COVID in a variety of ways. There were six different delays that maybe led to unrealistic expectations being built up over time. I think it’s gotten a bad rap and people should judge for themselves.
Were you a comic book fan growing up?
I read a lot of graphic novels when I was working at the Daily Show. And when I was a teenager, I read a lot of comic books before I started probably going out more than I should have.
Seems like it paid off. I wanna talk about your new comic book, Primos. You do such a brilliant job of weaving ancient Mayan and Aztec lore into the storyline while also filling the page with heroes and villains who are all of Latin descent, at least in the first book. Do you remember a time when you were reading comics as a kid and realized that none of the characters looked like you?
Oh, Latinos were nonexistent [in comics and comic culture]. That’s how this idea started. I met Axel Alonzo, who was then the editor-in-chief of Marvel comics. We were doing a podcast called “Comic Book Live.” We discovered we had a lot in common and became instant friends.
We’ve always talked about the lack of Latinos in comic books. Representation is important. If you don’t see yourself on TV ever, or anyone that looks like you, you can’t help but feel, even subconsciously, like [you are] lesser than. If you’re a huge Marvel fan and you’re Asian and Shang-Chi comes out, that’s major. So, I feel like they’re becoming aware, and actually, Axel Alonzo was one of the guys at Marvel who was responsible for a lot of their diversity initiatives.
Is there extra pressure knowing that you’re, kind of, in a sense, creating the Latino Avengers?
No, because the main thing I want it to be is a good comic. Forget the representation and the ethnicity. I want it to be a compelling story. I want the characters to be unique and that’s difficult to do when you talk about superpowers because everything has already been done.
Part of what makes Primos so unique is how much Mayan and Aztec mythology you’ve woven into the origin story. I assume that’s the product of a lot of research?
It is, but then luckily, I just tripped right into the coolest backstory, so I was able to take this real-life character, an emperor from 603 to 683, named K’inich Janaab Pakal. Ricky Pascal (the protagonist of Primos), is his descendant. So, Ricky Pascal, Gina Pascal, and Javier Pascal all come from this line of emperors.
What was it like to step out of the traditional entertainment world to try to get an idea made in the comic book world?
I was given the opportunity because Axel was able to shepherd me through this. And then I leaned on Elliot Kalan, from The Daily Show who has done this. Paul Scheer, who has written for Ghost Rider, sent me what that outline looked like. And then, as far as learning comic book writing, like anything else, I always think I can do anything because other people have done it. So, why not me?
The art is amazing. And I was curious how much input you have on what the art looks like?
I got a lot of input. I have the best artist ever in Carlo Barberry who did Spawn and Deadpool. I could look at his vision of what I was trying to put out there, and learn from how he was interpreting what I had scripted out. I think that’s what they actually used to do in Stan Lee’s Marvel era. When they would create these characters, they’d actually have the artist draw it all out and they’d fill in all the dialogue afterward.
What’s the dream for this series and these characters? Adaptation to the screen, more volumes?
Obviously a movie franchise or TV series would be incredible. Right now, the plan is to continue building out this world. Adding characters, telling stories from the same universe. While we have a lot of people interested in the current IP, I’m excited to build out the rest of the story.
You mentioned some of the edits that took place with Morbius, does anything about this experience make you less likely to want to be in another comic book movie or hold onto control with Primos if you were to ever try and bring it to screen?
Editing is part of this process. This is a collaborative medium and I feel extremely fortunate to have been a part of it. I love comic books and all the Marvel movies and would welcome the opportunity to continue playing this character. I’d feel incredibly grateful to have Primos make the journey to the big screen. Again, this is a collaborative process. One thing I’ve learned as a producer is to surround yourself with great people and trust them to do their job. I really don’t need to micromanage anything. And we’re making TV and movies. Nothing to be too precious about.
‘Morbius’ is available on VOD and ‘Primos’ can be bought here.
