Continue reading our exclusive interview with writer Don Payne as he answers some of the tougher questions about what we did and didn't see on the big screen in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Did you translate any of the Storm family history from the comics in order to be able to decide where their father is, for example? Johnny and Sue referred to their mother in the first film and their father here. In the movie universe, both of their parents are dead. I know their family backstory in the comics is a little different, with their mother being killed in a car crash and their father going to jail. But I think it's nice to see that these two characters had to grow up through tragedy depending on one another. They're very close, despite their squabbling. And I think the scenes between them are some of the best emotional scenes in the movie. Whose decision was it to include Frankie Raye? Mine. Tim wanted Gen. Hager to have an Aide who Johnny could have a little romantic story with. I thought it would be great if she was Frankie Raye, especially with the character's link to Galactus in the comics. Did you write the character with the intention of her becoming Nova later on down the line? I never wrote her with the intention of her becoming Nova down the line. But the door is open now, I guess! Was there a moratorium on bringing in other characters from the comics? None that I ever heard of. There are just restrictions on characters whose film rights are controlled by other companies -- like Sub-mariner. It would be great if we could use him, since he's such a big part of the FF mythology. But he's off-limits. It�s funny � everyone talks about Frankie Raye being in the movie, but I haven�t heard anyone mentioning Roberta, the FF�s receptionist. (Although she went from being a robot in the comics to a hologram in the movie, I think it�s still a nice little nod to the fans.) You're involved in the film and television industry. Did your interaction influence your writing of the Fantastic Four as celebrities, or did that evolve from who they were in the first film? It really didn�t have anything to do with me being from the film and television industry. It was just a reflection of our celebrity-obsessed culture. We have a love/hate relationship with celebrities. Our obsession with them is what makes them popular, rich, and famous, but it also ruins any semblance of a normal life for them that the rest of us take for granted. You've written a lot of comedy. Do you want to try to break out of that genre to write something else? Yes, absolutely. That�s one of the reasons (apart from being a lifelong fan of the FF!) that I wanted to write this movie to begin with. It wasn�t a comedy � it was an action-adventure film which happened to have some comedic elements. The next project I�m working on, based on my original spec script, happens to be an action-comedy family film with supernatural elements. So I�m not doing much at the moment to keep myself from being pigeonholed. But, certainly, I intend to work on projects with very different tones. Having seen the film, is there a particular scene or sequence that you're most proud of? One of the sequences I�m most proud of is the Johnny/Surfer chase. Unfortunately, as that was the teaser trailer of the film, everyone had pretty much seen it by the time the movie opened. But I still love the fact that it ends with the Surfer pulling Johnny into space to snuff out his flames. That�s a big ace up your sleeve. I also really liked some of the moments before the wedding. There�s a nice little emotional moment just between Johnny and Sue that worked well. And, I have to say, I liked the scene where Johnny asks Ben about intimate details of his love life with Alicia. That was one of the first things I had pitched to Marvel years ago � even before the Silver Surfer was going to be in the film. It was a question that I believe a lot of people might have briefly thought about in the back of their minds at some point, and it was funny that Johnny would actually ask it. Was there anything in there that you were worried about that you were later surprised to find worked, or worked better than you hoped? You�re always concerned with how everything is going to play. You just never know until you see it. I knew that the London Eye sequence was going to be a challenge, because the thing is just so freakin� big! But Tim and company did an amazing job making that sequence come alive. Were you able to objectively enjoy the film at all? It�s always hard to step back when you�re so close to it. At first, you only see the things that are being done differently than you�d imagined when you were writing it. I�d say the best time is always the second viewing, because you can get a little distance from it. I was able to see it on opening day with my extended family, who vary in ages from 5 to 70. The theater was packed with other families, fanboys, and regular movie-goers, and the crowd loved it. It was a real thrill to see so many people of different ages enjoying it, and I knew at that point that the movie really worked. I could finally sit back and enjoy the ride. (And everyone in the theater applauded at the end!) Why does Doom, in the movie, hide behind his armor after his skin is no longer scarred? The armor serves a real practical purpose in the story, although this may not have been completely clear in the final film. As you may recall, Reed discovered that it was a tachyon pulse which was the link between the Surfer and his board � it was the telemetry between them which gave the Surfer his powers in a kind of symbiotic relationship. The Surfer�s entire silver coating emanated this tachyon pulse, allowing him interact with the board. After the FF severed that link, Doom secretly constructed his own tachyon pulse emitter so that he could link with the board and tap into its power. (That�s what Doom was working on when Sue interrupted him, what he activated in the chamber containing the board, and what Johnny ultimately fried at the end of the movie.) Doom channeled the tachyon pulse from the device throughout his armor, so that he could emanate the pulse from his entire body � like the Surfer. So that�s your answer. (Also, it�s not a bad idea to be wearing protective armor when you�re flying around the sky on a surfboard.) Do you think Johnny was appropriately upset about Sue�s accident? Johnny was more upset over his sister�s death � at least in the screenplay. I believe a bigger reaction moment for Johnny was actually shot. In the script, as soon as he saw that Doom had impaled Sue, Johnny went after Doom in a rage, but was swept aside. When Sue died, Johnny was deeply affected. But I believe some moments had to be sacrificed for time and pacing, and I understand that. Still, I think you can see the depth of Johnny�s loss when he discovers that Sue�s been resurrected. There�s a nice little moment between them in the film when he comes back and finds she�s alive. Has Doom put on the mask for the final time, or will fans be enjoying Julian�s face again? Honestly, I have no idea. I guess we�ll find out if there�s another sequel. �Let�s all go for a spin��. Any comments? Ha! Actually, I didn't write that particular line. It was added in post-production. It was a surprise to me as well. That also goes for the Thing saying�"My bad."� And the bit where�Ben burps in the bar.� But, I have to say, based on the response I saw in the theater, kids really�seem�to love�that burping bit. How do you think the comic book genre is being handled by Hollywood? It�s a mixed bag. For every X2, Sin City, or Rise of the Silver Surfer there�s a� well, another superhero movie that doesn�t work so well. I don�t want to get specific. People work hard on these films, and there are many reasons why the final product doesn�t always come out as great as it could be. But no one sets out to make a bad movie. I�d say the ones that work the best are the ones that are true to the spirit of the comic book source material. You don�t want to lose sight of why the property is so popular to begin with. There are a lot of new comic book properties being worked on; do you think there is a danger that the more general audience will get tired of them, or that the quality will degrade, to the point that they the genre goes out of style? I hope not. Honestly, I don�t think they will, because although most (but not all) comic book properties feature super-powered characters, the comic book genre actually encompasses many different genres and styles. Batman Begins, Sin City, Spider-Man, and Fantastic Four are all extremely different in tone. As long as you make the characters and their situations unique, I don�t think audiences will grow tired of the genre. Although it's early to talk about stories for a third film, did you write elements into this story with the intention that they could lead into another sequel? There were some things like that in the script -- and even shot -- that were cut out. I was sorry to see those go. But sometimes you have to cut stuff you like if it slows down the movie. I think some of them are still in the novelization. So go out and buy it now! Are you able to specify any of those scenes that were cut? In the final wedding scene, Alicia mentions wanting to introduce Ben to her stepfather, but warning him that her stepfather can be "a little difficult sometimes." So that was a wink to the fans. What villains would you love to see in the third film? If there is a third film and if I�m involved � and this is just me talking, as I�ve had no conversations with the studio or Marvel about any of this � I�ve always loved the Inhumans, the Skrulls, the Puppet Master, and Annihilus and the Negative Zone. Those are my favorite FF villains, so I�d love to see them on the big screen some day. Our thanks to Don for his insight and his time!