Marvel's Runaways star Gregg Sulkin describes the series' second outing as "very action heavy," a promising description for those who thought it took a little too long for the Runaways to actually run away in Season 1. But good action demands a good story, and Sulkin says the series will also step things up on the narrative front.
"We've taken the drama and suspense of Season 1 and developed these emotional relationships to see the depth the characters actually have," he told Newsweek at New York Comic Con. "When you hide out and you spend hours and days with people, you have no choice but to converse about things that you are thinking about, or worried about, so you are going to see a lot of vulnerability."
For Chase Stein, Sulkin's character, that vulnerability will manifest itself in second-guessing the decision to run away in the first place. "He's the one who's, like, 'Is this right? Have we taken this too far? Do we turn back? Is this 100 percent what we want?' Because of the family dynamic between him and his dad, there's some stuff that happens that causes him to rethink," Sulkin said.
Chase can look to his girlfriend during this tumultuous time. Gert Yorkes, played by Ariela Barer, describes the dynamic as "them learning to be vulnerable in new ways."
"He wants to step in naturally and be the leader of the group and protect the group," Sulkin said. "Partly because his girlfriend is in that group, and he wants to take care of and protect her, a woman who does not need taking care of and protecting. It's a great dynamic, and it's great for young audiences to see that."
Sulkin added, "There are some very funny moments in Season 2 where we highlight Gert's desire to be independent and Chase's reaction to that."
Barer agrees. "He wants to be this protector, masculine figure for her, but he also understands where she's coming from, so he isn't so glued to the idea," she said, explaining that the honeymoon phase was expedited because of the couple's living situation.
"He's more humble than just needing to be the protector and that he can adapt to whatever he needs her to be at times. When Gert is going through her things, they can 'ebb and flow' together in new ways that I don't think they even knew how to do last season," Barer said.
Just like Chase, Gert will also be vulnerable this season, albeit in a much different way. Her new circumstances are causing her to struggle with her anxiety. Considering that when Season 1 starts, the group has nowhere to stay and no money, this is a realistic plot point.
"Her anxiety this season, it was very important to handle it with respect and for it not to take away from her as superhero. It's explored in a way that lets her be a strong person and shows that there is strength in having these mental illnesses or roadblock, but being able to overcome," Barer said.
"Gert didn't have any mental illness in the original comics, but being a feminist in 2002 and 2018 is so different," she continued. "I think it's more of a reflection of what feminism and women are going through right now. It's an important thing to show a strong character who is not defined by this mental illness, is not weakened by it, but doesn't deny it."
Marvel's Runaways Season 2 arrives December 21 on Hulu.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Autumn Noel Kelly started as a staff writer for Newsweek in 2015. She covers anything in the comic book world—TV ... Read more
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