As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand on screen, the mammoth publisher draws on plots, characters, and key storylines from their decades-long storehouses. The latest film in particular, Ant-Man and the Wasp, introduces a character created by John Jackson Miller over 15 years ago.
The Wisconsin native is best known for his run on Iron Man comics in the early 2000s, during which time he created the southern baddie Sonny Burch. This black market tech dealer, portrayed by Walton Goggins, recently made his cinematic debut in the MCU’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. Burch was initially created as a villain for Tony Stark’s Iron Man, but in the feature film he can be seen stirring up trouble for Team Pym. As this character plays a relatively big role in the film, Miller was invited to the red carpet premiere and earned a credit on the film.
This is not the first time Miller’s role in the expansive history of Marvel Comics has been portrayed on screen. His character Christine Everhart, played by Leslie Bibb, made her debut in the first MCU film, Iron Man, in 2008. As the interconnected world of the MCU continues to grow, Miller’s characters and story elements will likely continue to be translated into film.
Outside of Marvel, Miller has also worked on such titles as Planet of the Apes, Conan, Sword of the New World, Sword & Sarcasm, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Overdraft: The Orion Offensive, along with video game series Halo and Mass Effect. More recently, he has authored novels for both Star Wars and Star Trek, including Star Wars: Empire, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, Star Trek: Titan, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Prey.
On CBS 58 Sunday Morning, Jacob Kittilstad sat down with Miller for a conversation about his role in the MCU and the enduring popularity of comic book characters. Head over to CBS 58 for the full video interview.