What does this mean for William Baker in terms of both powers and raison d’etre?
FVL: Again, I can’t really give too much away, but we are enhancing Sandy’s power set considerably. Paolo Rivera’s amazing cover to #615 is a big hint in what direction. Basically, Sandman is a guy with total mental control over his body’s molecules on the granular level. We’re taking that idea to its natural conclusion. BF: The Sandman’s “re-villainization” a few years back is still a controversial subject for many readers. His road to redemption, beginning in Marvel Two-In-One #86, certainly struck a chord with many. How would you define the essential tragedy of the character and why do you think the audience continues to have such sympathy for him despite his past? FVL: I do have a lot of sympathy for the heroic Sandman. He was a crook before he got his powers, but all crooks aren’t villains. (Just as all authority figures aren’t heroes.) Part of the reason he makes a good hero is that the typical villain motivation, money, doesn’t really affect him: He’s made of sand! He can’t eat
