Writer Peter David’s leading with his fist in SPIDER-MAN 2099 #19—out January 4 with art by Will Sliney—and adding more pieces to the puzzle of the Fist, the deadly offshoot of the dreaded Hand organization.

We caught up to him for a few questions on what to expect when the Fist stands revealed to our hero, Miguel O’Hara.

Marvel.com: Peter, Miguel’s been through a lot recently, of course; what emotions are foremost driving his actions as we head into issue #19? How much self-restraint, if any, does he possess at this time?

Peter David: His head is really scrambled at this point; he literally doesn’t know where to look first. He’s in grieving over [injured fiancée] Tempest. He is furious over the actions of the Fist. He is desperate to try and restore his future to what he wants it to be. He desperately wants to find a way to focus, and he decides at this point that his priority has to be the Fist, and he’s determined to stop them no matter what. And naturally it’s when he makes this resolution and opts to go after the Fist that major things start happening with Tempest that [serve] to distract him.

In terms of self-restraint, he constantly has to rein himself in, but it becomes harder and harder.

Marvel.com: What might we see in his current working relationship with Elektra? How much give-and-take will there be from this point forward?

Peter David: He has definitely heard of Elektra; her reputation has preceded her. He isn’t entirely sure how to view her, because he knows that she could make a valuable ally but he doesn’t trust her. Which is fine as far as Elektra is concerned because she doesn’t trust anyone.

Marvel.com: What interests of your own informed the creation of the Fist? How do they make for antagonists that fascinate you as a writer?

Peter David: We live in a world where fear of terrorists is having major shaping effects on peoples’ views and the world around them. So I thought it would be interesting to explore the idea of dealing with a terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe, and that’s basically where the Fist came from. It seemed to make sense to have their actions in modern day screw up 2099 so that it would impact on Miguel in a very personal manner.

Spider-Man 2099 #19

Marvel.com: They’re calling upon ancient evil now; what other kinds of things might they pull out as Miguel gets closer and closer to his goal?

Peter David: Well, they have definite plans that have already been alluded to in issues past, and Miguel is going to wind up focusing on those as a way of trying to stop the way they screwed up 2099. He’s going to decide that if he can head off what the Fist has in mind, he can restore his world to what it was.

Marvel.com: If the Fist achieve all their goals, what would that look like?

Peter David: Probably “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The Fist has no patience for the United States, mainly because they see it as a land of vast hypocrisy. That America was founded with lofty principles to which the country has utterly failed to live up to. They believe the best thing to do is raze the land; just burn it all to the ground and the survivors, if there are any, can start over.

Marvel.com: You mentioned Tempest; what kind of new wrinkles might we soon see with her?

Peter David: Well, she’s going to come out of her coma very shortly, and she’s going to discover the extent of the damage that was inflicted on her. And then someone very unexpected is going to show up to make her an offer that she’s going to seriously consider.

Marvel.com: What have you been enjoying the most in Will’s art as you’ve headed into this chapter of the saga?

Peter David: His character design and storytelling. Will Sliney’s art is wonderful and I always love getting the pages he sends us in advance.

Fight the Fist with Peter David and Will Sliney in SPIDER-MAN 2099 #19, available January 4!