All good things must come to an end. Unfortunately, the same can be said for Marvel’s Runaways, which will air its farewell season on December 13. The show, which focuses on the idea that “every teenager thinks their parents are evil… but what if they really were?” follows six- you guessed it- runaways with different superpowers (or abilities) as they band together to try to stop their corrupt parents. Season 2 was already a wild ride- characters switched sides, unexpected pairings were revealed- and season 3 will be even more so. I was able to get the details on the final episodes from the cast, executive producers, and showrunners themselves, and it seems like aliens, nefarious parents, and religious cults were only the beginning of the Runaways’ problems.
As Stephanie Savage, executive producer and co-showrunner, stated “when the season picks up, it’s kind of where we left everybody off, not a lot of time has passed. We’re at a state of high jeopardy where the Runaways are separated from some of their friends. There are aliens that are living inside parents and one alien is… somewhere.” The kids have to rescue their captured friends, evade Jonah and his family, all while they’re dealing with the difficulties that come with growing up and growing into their powers. Executive producer and co-showrunner Josh Schwartz added “it’s by far the biggest season we’ve ever done in terms of the stakes of the show, casualties on the show, visual effects, magic, [the] dinosaur, aliens… it’s awesome. Huge.”
One of the best things about this show is its multidimensional and relatable characters. Schwartz said, “I think why the show connects with people on such a level is because they see themselves in- maybe not every one of the characters- but they’ll find somebody that they’ll go ‘oh that’s like me and I see how they are surviving in a world that doesn’t make any sense to them.’” Ariela Barer finds her character, Gert Yorkes, as relatable as many fans do; “I see my younger self in her… I want to give her advice and I want to say ‘it’ll be okay you’re fine’ … and I think what’s most relatable is this generation of teens cares so much about all the right things and Gert just cares so much- that’s such a relatable thing, wanting to help and maybe not always doing the right thing, but wanting to do the right thing and learning and doing a better thing the next time.”
As they become more independent, a lot of the Runaways are dealing with internal issues that don’t necessarily have to do with their powers. Allegra Acosta (Molly Yorkes) says that Molly has to grow up pretty quickly this season as she figures out how to her emotions in check and not overreact while battling with her innocence. Nico Minoru (played by Lyrica Okano) is in a battle against her biggest ally and biggest threat; the Staff of One. The magic Nico channels is connected to a mysterious witch named Morgan Le Fay who tries to pull Nico towards the dark side. However, Nico isn’t as hardcore-goth as she looks on the outside- Okano noted “She’s a softie- she feels so much and she doesn’t know how to express it… I relate to that because as a teenager I didn’t know how to deal with all the feelings that I had… [you tend to] build a hard shell.” Chase Stein is isolated from the Runaways at the start of the season and will have to work to get back on their good side while wrestling with his own emotions. Gregg Sulkin, who portrays Chase, stated that “his whole life he’s had to bite his tongue [so] there’s a lot of pent up frustration and anger… you really see Chase stepping into who he is and who he’s going to become.” Poor Alex Wilder not only has to deal with saving the world but also with his parents being arrested. Rhenzy Feliz, who plays Alex, said “he’s a little colder… before he was more open to people coming into his life and as it’s gone on, he’s put walls up [so] he’s guarding himself.” Karolina Dean feels betrayed by the Church of Gibborim, now relying on her gut instead of her faith. She’s growing into her own even more this season. Virginia Gardner (who portrays Karolina) expressed “in season one she was afraid to embrace her sexuality and embrace who she is and her powers and kind of afraid of having that voice… [now] she’s calling more shots, she steps up and takes the leader role for a while and you see her unafraid and unapologetic to be herself.” All of the kids are older and “[getting] a bit closer to their parents this season… in one way or another that family dynamic is brought back in which they have to team up a few times. I think part of growing up is understanding why your parents made the mistakes they made and learning to forgive and some of that starts to happen this season,” as Gardner declared.
Of course, you can’t have a superhero show without superpowers- and it sounds like the characters’ are a step up from last season. Schwartz disclosed “It’s a coming of age story, so as these kids continue to grow up and come into their powers they’re starting to discover new things- some things [that] are good like Gert discovering other connections she has with Old Lace and sometimes it doesn’t go so well… all of a sudden Nico has become too powerful in that she can’t control her powers. I think for everybody, their powers are manifesting in different ways. Molly wants to be a vigilante- she wants to go out there and really use her powers – and other characters want to stay more hidden, so all of those things create conflict within the group.” Their powers are a metaphor for growing up, and as they develop you get to see characters’ traits manifested in them. Chase’s Fistigons have been upgraded, Gert comes to terms with what being a superhero means to her, magic and science collide, and each character is forced to decide if they’re ready to kill. Alex acts logically and doesn’t think twice, Nico is ready to sacrifice everything to protect her loved ones, but Molly is more hesitant (“she kicks people’s asses but genuinely doesn’t want to kill” Acosta affirmed). Sacrifice is a huge theme this season, and as Nico moves towards the “whatever it takes” mentality she begins to understand that her parents gave up their morals in order to protect her.
Image: Marvel/Hulu
Speaking of superpowers… we’re finally getting a Cloak and Dagger crossover! That’s right, Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson are coming to LA! At first, there’s apprehension to new people coming into the close-knit circle that is the Runaways (particularly with Nico whose trust issues cause her to be more uneasy with new people) but they eventually fit right in. What Cloak (Tyrone, played by Aubrey Omari) and Nico are struggling with overlap, every power goes together in some way, and some power might even merge. The cast instantly clicked with the C&D cast- Gardner explained that “the way that Olivia [Holt, who plays Tandy] does her effects [is the same as how they do mine] and I was like ‘oh somebody else gets what it’s like to have lights glued to [them] and [be] plugged into a wall.’”
Another aspect of Runaways that fans love are the relationships. Fear not- there’s still hope for Gert and Chase (AKA Gertchase)! “Expect the SLOWEST burn- the slowest warm tingle, not even a burn. You have to put in hard work to regain someone’s trust and they’re also fighting aliens and fighting Morgan Le Fay” Barer said, while Sulkin added, “I think Chase is so in love with Gert that she can do anything and he’ll still love her… they argue but they definitely love each other. Real love is a very tough emotion- you can’t make that disappear, even if you tried to. It’s one of life’s most powerful forces, in my opinion. Chase definitely has the love bug.” The show is also great at portraying healthy relationships; “I think [Gert and Chase] is a very important relationship for TV audiences to see in the sense that we may be playing into stereotypes for many years and I think hopefully people watch their relationship and realize that two people who are so different… can still be in a relationship through communication. I think the show has done a great job in educating our youth. Kids need to be watching healthy relationships on TV,” Sulkin said. However, it’s not looking as optimistic for Nico and Karolina. Karolina has always been the light to Nico’s dark, but Nico is sinking further into the darkness (Okano said “I know the fans are nervous and they’re right to be”). And, of course, Karolina’s betrothed fellow alien Xavin is still in the mix. The love triangle stays strong, plus there’s a new baby introduced (“which I had to hold a live baby for and that was a lot of pressure. I was holding this little life and was like ‘if I drop this thing, I’m so fired.’” Gardner confessed).
One thing’s for sure- season three of Marvel’s Runaways will have you laughing, crying, and on the edge of your seat the entire time. It will be a shame to say goodbye to a show that is important to so many people in its diverse cast and representation of mental illness and sexuality. Fans began season one with stereotypical teenagers and were able to see them find themselves and become multifaceted individuals who will most definitely be missed after the show is over, but season three has the qualities of a perfect send-off to our favorite six runaways.
Check out season 3 of Marvel’s Runaways on Hulu when all episodes drop on December 13.
Image: Marvel/Hulu