Marvel continues to shine a spotlight on Runaways with an official cast photo and logo. Even though the series had previously been shrouded in mystery, Marvel and Hulu are finally peeling back the curtain on their first collaboration. This partnership marks the fourth network/streaming service to gain a Marvel-related property after ABC, Freeform, and Netflix all have or are planning on having multiple series at their disposal. For the Hulu/Marvel partnership however, they have decided to take on an IP that has long been in the mix for getting the live-action treatment.
Runaways was initially thought to be part of Marvel Studios' movie plans, but the project has now turned to television - or specifically streaming - to get off the ground. This marks the latest push from Marvel to put out content targeted at younger viewers as it features more heroes to which they can more closely relate. Now fresh off the first Runaways teaser dropping and the show being picked up to series, the cast has assembled for the first time.
Marvel officially launched Runaways-related social media pages today and used both Facebook and Twitter to unveil the first cast photo and logo for the series. For fans of the comic run by Brian K. Vaughn, the photo is reminiscent of the cover of the series' omnibus (shown above) and gives fans the best look yet at these new heroes. Pictured from left to right are Ariela Barer (Gert Yorkes), Lyrica Okano (Nico Minoru), Rhenzy Feliz (Alex Wilder), Gregg Sulkin (Chase Stein), Virginia Gardner (Karolina Dean), and Allegra Acosta (Molly Hernandez).
As great as it may be to see the cast standing together in a look that draws directly from the comics, the photo does not do much in terms of revealing new information. The same can be said for the logo, which closely resembles the logo from the comics as well. However, if there is something to take away from the social media posts in particular, the caption is sure to catch the eyes of those familiar with the teenage heroes: "Where’s a velociraptor emoji when you need it?"
That's right, the caption is directly teasing the inclusion of the group's famed "mascot" and loyal companion Old Lace. This is the first time that there has been any reference to Old Lace appearing in the show. Due to the dinosaur's prominence in the comics, something would have felt off if he was not included, but there are justifiable reasons if Old Lace was not included. As a dinosaur, bringing Old Lace to life on TV could eat up a lot of the show's VFX budget. Maybe they will only use him sparingly, but this is exciting news nonetheless.
Next: Runaways’ Characters & Marvel Universe Connections Explained
Runaways is expected to premiere on Hulu sometime in 2018.