The superhero teenage rebellion will commence in November when Marvel's Runaways debuts on Hulu. Based on the acclaimed graphic novel created by Brian K. Vaughn, the series is created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (The O.C.) and will be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, as the series takes place in Los Angeles, it will only tangentially connect with the various MCU television series on Netflix, Freeform or ABC.Runaways has a huge cast led by six teenagers, who discover they are children of super villains calling themselves the Pride. The teens, who are cast to look remarkably comic book accurate to the characters on the page, are teen prodigy Alex Wilder (Rhenzy Feliz), a wiccan named Nico Minoru (Lyrica Okano), a blonde with light powers named Karolina Dean (Virginia Gardner), Gert Yorkes (Ariela Barer), Chase Stein (Gregg Sulkin), and the youngest of the group Molly Hernandez (Allegra Acosta). The Pride consist of Geoffrey (Ryan Sands) and Catherine Wilder (Angel Parker); magicians Tina (Brittany Ishibashi) and Robert Inaru (James Yaegashi); bioengineers Dale (Kevin Weisman) and Stacey Yorkes (Brigid Brannagh); successful actors Leslie (Annie Wersching) and Frank Dean (Kip Pardue); and Victor (James Marsters) and Janet Stein (Ever Carradine). Julian McMahon, who portrayed Doctor Doom in Tim Story's Fantastic Four films, has also been cast as Jonah, an ally of the Runaways.With the teaser trailer released in accordance with The Runaways panel at New York Comic Con, here's our breakdown of Marvel's Runaways' trailer and what both a fan of the comics and a newbie can expect from the newest Marvel series on Hulu:
ALEX WILDER AND FRIENDS
The first character we meet is Alex Wilder, the only son of Geoffrery and Catherine Wilder. We hear Geoffrey counsel his child prodigy son as he looks at a picture of his friends on his cell phone: "The kids that know you when you're young, no one will ever know you like that again. Don't give up on that." Alex seems to long to be reunited with these kids, who are the children of his parents' circle of friends.
In the comics, Alex is bitter and not looking forward to this annual reunion with the children of his parents' friends, who are all roughly his age. This is the first instance we can see where the Hulu series is diverging from the source material. It seems like the TV series reverses the comics' intention so that it's all the other kids who seem reluctant to reunite with Alex.
ANNUAL FAMILY GET TOGETHER
Soon, the families arrive for the annual family party Alex's parents host at their affluent Los Angeles home. The kids all arrive at the front door together in a group and ask Alex with attitude: "You gonna let us in?" Alex's father wonders if their annual ritual is a good idea but Catherine scoffs that the last thing teenagers are interested in is what their parents are doing.
We see the preparations for what is obviously no mere dinner party in the Wilders' exotic chambers of a basement. Other members of the Pride put on red robes and prepare arcane rituals. Finally, we see an attractive teenage girl in a white bathrobe seated and waiting patiently. Stacey Yorkes tells the girl that "it's time." Soon, the Pride assemble to the main hall around a table and disrobe the girl. In the back of the shot is a book on display: this is the Abstract, which contains the entire history of the Pride and is incredibly important to the series.
SEEING SOMETHING THEY SHOULDN'T SEE
Upstairs in the main house, the kids wonder where their parents are and Nico asks why her mom's purse is there. This again plays differently from the comic book, where the kids believe their parents are having a party in the basement, leaving them alone to entertain themselves. Alex finds a hidden control that opens up a secret doorway in the bookcase, and remarks "This is some Narnia s#!%!" In the comic, Alex knew all about the secret passageways of his home and leads the kids into them to spy on their parents.
THE RITUAL OF DEATH
What the kids see is a scary ritual where their parents kill the teenage girl as a human sacrifice to the beings who the Pride owe allegiance to. In the comic, the kids witness the murder through a two-way mirror, but in the series, the kids see everything from an overhanging balcony. The table also glows, signifying the ancient power behind the Pride. We also see the parents turn around and look up to see that their children now know the truth about their 'parties'.
THE RUNAWAYS
A montage of shots begins after what will be a pivotal moment when the kids realize their parents are evil and decide to become Runaways. We see a shot of Molly, the youngest, running past pet cages and being chased. In the comic, Molly is a mutant with super strength, but since Runaways is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she can't be a mutant. Maybe she is Inhuman, or another explanation for her apparent glowing eyes. There's also a shot of Alex entering the dining room and all of the adults turning to face him in a creepy way.
THE STAFF OF ONE
We see Tina Minoru, Nico's mother, removing an object from a glass case on the wall. The object is the Staff of One, a powerful mystical item that will eventually become Nico's main magical weapon. In the comic, the Staff of One bonds with Nico physically in a very unusual way; it remains to be seen if Runaways will depict this or do something different.
One of the cool things about Marvel's Runaways is how aspects of it evoke Harry Potter, with most of the kids inheriting items intended for them by their parents choosing to use them to fight their parents and for good.
THE FISTIGONS
We see Chase making repairs to some kind of item. These are the Fistigons, powerful gloves created by his parents who are both brilliant engineers. In the comic, Chase is a dumb jock, but the TV series has changed him to also have engineering genius to be more like a chip off the old block. The comic books' Fistigons can emit and manipulate fire; we don't yet know if that's their ability in the series, but we do see Nico's eyes staring at a fire at the beach later in the trailer, so perhaps the Fistigons started the fire.
We also see Chase charging into a room and screaming "Get away from her!" before throwing a punch. It's not clear who he's punching but in the comics, a 7th Runaway briefly joins the group and romances Nico before revealing he's not what he seemed to be.
KAROLINA
There is a shot of Leslie Dean, Karolina's mother, sitting on a bed in a posh white bedroom holding Karolina's hand, while Karolina's arm is seen to be pallid and emaciated. Karolina's light powers are shown in another shot of her looking at her glowing hand, while there is another shot of Karolina tied up and kidnapped in the back of a van. Karolina is one of the most powerful of the Runaways and she has perhaps the most sci-fi backstory of the group.
A DINOSAUR?
We see Gert with her back on the floor in total fear as the snout of what looks like a dinosaur looms over her. This is indeed a dinosaur, named Old Lace in the comics, but what kind of dinosaur and what its ties to Gert and the Runaways are will be one of the crazier and more fun aspects of the series, if the Runaways depicts Old Lace like it is in the comics.
NICO AND ALEX
This wouldn't be a story of attractive children of super villains engaging in teenage rebellion without a little teenage romance. Nico and Alex are the comics primary couple, at least in its early volumes, and the shot of Nico and Alex holding hands shows that the TV series is also picking up this relationship. Alex the boy genius and Nico the teenage wiccan have a spotty romance, and it will be interesting to see in what directions the Hulu series takesit.
A FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND
A brief but compelling shot in the trailer is the Pride at carrying a casket at a funeral. The comics do have a body count, and that includes some of the main teenagers who make up the Runaways. Who is in the casket? Is it one of the Runaways or one of the Pride? Who does the TV series kill off in its first season? The answers to all questions will come when Marvel's Runaways begins streaming on Hulu on November 21st.