Marvel’s Runaways have finally made it to New York City — and just in time for New York Comic Con. Head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb, executive producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and stars Rhenzy Feliz (Alex Wilder), Lyrica Okano (Nico Minoru), Virginia Gardner (Karolina Dean), Ariela Barer (Gertrude Yorkes), Gregg Sulkin (Chase Stein) and Allegra Acosta (Molly Hernandez) stopped by the convention in anticipation of the new series, which arrives on Hulu next month.
Loeb opened the panel by leading the audience in a chant of “Hulu, Marvel’s Runaways.” He then invited the cast onto the stage.
“I wanted to travel. I wanted to go someplace and live a place that sounds really cool to me,” shared Feliz, who lived in LA. However, “it’s amazing. I love it. I love LA.”
“We’ve been working on this for over two years,” Schwartz said. “We couldn’t be more thrilled. It’s such an LA-centric show… it felt like it had to be set in LA.” Savage said it was important that the show shoot in LA, in the same way that the New York shows film in the city.
“It was my favorite comic,” Schwartz shared. He called writer Brian K. Vaughan “my people” and that he felt as though Vaughan “was speaking to me” with the comic.
“We were incredibly lucky that Brian is also somebody that knows quite a bit about not just writing comics, but writing television,” Loeb added.
After some debate, Loeb cued a full episode of the series, to much applause.
“She’s my best friend, she’s so good, we hang out every weekend,” Barer said of Gert’s dinosaur friend Old Lace.
“There’s a lot of rainbow glowing that happens,” Gardner laughed.
“Chase obviously has anger issues, and throughout the season… the fistiguns are going to come out,” Sulkin revealed.
“I hope I get to play with some magic,” Okano teased. “The Staff of One, maybe?”
“It’s a Marvel show! I want a power!” Feliz laughed. “I’m strategic! I think! These guys don’t.”
“The next episode retells this story, this time from the point of view of Pride,” Schwarz revealed.
“Wait till you see all parents getting to action,” Loeb teased.
“There are no villains in our show,” Schwartz added.
Loeb then rolled a teaser from the second episode of the series, which features a cameo from Old Lace.
Produced by Marvel Television and ABC Signature, Runaways stars Rhenzy Feliz as Alex Wilder, a loud-and-proud nerd; Lyrica Okano as Nico Minoru, a budding wiccan with a carefully crafted goth facade; Virginia Gardner as Karolina Dean, whose model-perfect exterior disguises an eagerness to explore her identity and desires; Ariela Barer as Gert Yorkes, a brash, purple-haired social justice warrior; Gregg Sulkin as Chase Stein, a lacrosse-playing heartthrob with flashes of engineering brilliance; and Allegra Acosta as Molly Hernandez, the youngest member, known for her positive outlook and deep yearning to belong.
They’re joined by Ryan Sands, Angel Parker, James Yaegashi, Kevin Weisman, Brigid Brannagh, Annie Wersching, Kip Pardue, James Marsters and Ever Carradine. Runaways debuts Nov. 21 on Hulu.