The Runaways season 2 ending completely shakes up Hulu's original live-action Marvel TV series. The premise of Runaways follows six teenagers who on one fateful night discover their parents are murderers - among other things - and try to reveal their evil doings before and after running away.
The goal of showrunners Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage has been to largely stick to the Brian K. Vaughn source material, but expand on it and make some changes when necessary. The first season of Runaways was completely set up to the kids actually deciding to leave their regular lives behind, and season 2 picks up directly after these events. After a generally positive reception to the show's freshman season, excitement was reasonably high to see what would come next - and most agree that Runaways season 2 is another hit.
Related: Screen Rant's Runaways Season 2 Review
Just like in the comics, in Runaways season 2's story sees the kids quickly find an underground bunker they call the Hostile, meet another runaway Topher, and have to stay out of sight from their parents and the cops that are after them. Meanwhile, the parents are focused on finding their kids by whatever means necessary and must navigate the untrustworthy relationships they've formed with each other. At the center of this all once again is the dig site that served as the stage for the season 1 finale, but this year everyone is more concerned with what is at the bottom. And as it turns out, the answers dramatically impact the overall season, the finale, and Runaways' future.
- This Page: Runaways Season 2 Twists - Aliens and Gibborin Hosts Explained
- Page 2: Runaways' New Teams Explained
Runaways Season 2 Reveals The Alien Magistrate Family
The second half of Runaways season 2 deals with the fallout of the team's second fight at the aforementioned dig site. It was revealed that not only is Jonah's ship buried in the giant hole, but that there are other Gibborin (the alien race Jonah is part of) stuck in there. Jonah says he just wants to get his ship out of the hole and leave, but that does not happen. Both the parents and kids have had enough of Jonah and momentarily work together to blow up his ship, with Nico Minoru (Lyrica Okano) delivering the final blow to kill Jonah - after learning he is responsible for killing her sister Amy.
Jonah's death and destruction of his ship didn't end the alien storyline though, and instead was used to propel it forward. In the final few episodes of the season, Karolina comes into contact with another alien named Xavin, who is a Xartan and not a Gibborin. As she explains at the start of the Runaways season 2 finale, Xavin believes she and Karolina make up the two halves of an ancient prophecy of love that will bring peace to the entire universe. Xavin stowed away on The Magistrate (aka Jonah) and his family's ship, who she believes to be central to the prophecy. They are an exiled and royal family who force Xavin to work for them upon being discovered. The family featured four members during their travels, but only Jonah escaped the ship before it crashed on Earth. The other three were trapped in the ship.
When the Runaway team learn of Xavin's arrival, they are understandably hesitant to take on more allies at this stage in the game. They've just rescued a pregnant Leslie Dean (Annie Wersching) and don't love the idea of an alien and Pride member being under their roof. Leslie is the first person that Xavin tells what is actually going on though, as it is revealed Leslie's baby is of the royal lineage. Xavin warns her that the Magistrate family will come for it. This warning comes as a shock, as everyone believed Jonah and anyone else on the ship had died when it exploded. Xavin then shares that the explosion didn't kill them and instead simply saw the various Gibborim aliens bond to a nearby host. This gives them the ability to take control of the host body while concealing their true identity.
Runaways Season 2's Gibborin Hosts Revealed - Except One
The Gibborin have to fight for control of the host, allowing for the real person to still regain control for a certain amount of time. The biggest reveal is that Jonah is now living in the body of Victor Stein (James Marsters). This was hinted at with Victor as he would be a kind, loving husband to Janet Stein (Ever Carradine) when Jonah was in control, and then revert back to his stern, no-nonsense attitude when it really was Victor. He also revealed he was getting white flakey skin just like the Magistrate's prior body. The strange behavioral shifts were also shown for Tina Minoru (Brittany Ishibashi) and Stacey Yorkes (Brigid Brannagh) earlier in the season, and the finale confirms they too are Gibborin hosts. Stacey appears to have become the host for the mother of the family, while Tina has been taken over by one of their kids. The three of them all arrive at the Stein house to end of Runaways season 2, but are sure to remind viewers that the fourth and final member of their family is not currently present.
The Magistrates believe that just as they had to fight for control of their host bodies, the fourth member of their family is still struggling to do so and is why the prince isn't with them. They are under the assumption that he is not in the body of another parent because all three of them have already gained control of their hosts and revealed themselves. Instead, they believe he may be in the body of one of the kids. Runaways season 2 doesn't give any real specifics about the qualifications for the Magistrates' new host bodies. All three of the revealed hosts are from different family bloodlines, so that could be a requirement or a coincidence - aka a great storytelling device to build more distrust through the families. They also don't explicitly state that the new host bodies must be of the same gender as the original Gibborim form, but that does appear to be a guiding principal, if not simply a preference.
The Magistrate took possession of Victor's body, while his wife became the new Stacey. Tina is one of their children, but the original gender isn't specified. If the host does need to be of the same sex though and the Magistrates belief that a kid is the host is correct, then the most likely option is for Alex Wilder (Rhenzy Feliz) to be the prince. This could give Runaways season 3 a chance to do something different than the mole arc that Alex gets in the comics, while still stripping the team of one of their leaders. However, one more possibility worth mentioning could be that the prince is actually Leslie's baby. There was not a lot of set up to her pregnancy at all, and she went from barely showing to appearing ready for birth in a matter of days. This is undoubtedly the biggest unanswered question of the season, and no doubt a thread that season three will explore.
Page 2: Runaways' New Teams Explained
The New Pride At The End Of Runaways Season 2
As part of the Gibborim's takeover of several main characters, the Pride has a brand new look and positioning when the season ends. They began the season with eight members - both Wilders, both Minorus, both Yorkes, Janet Stein, and Leslie Dean - but that number is significantly smaller now. The Magistrate is now leading the charge, and Gibborim versions of Tina and Stacey are still involved, but are not completely themselves, as discussed earlier. They aim to unite the family of Magistrates and build a new vessel to leave Earth after their original ship was destroyed.
However, the new look Pride is already changing their approach and kidnapped three individuals: Karolina, Chase Stein (Gregg Sulkin), and his mother Janet. They have all been abducted and put in healing pods, waiting to be chosen as sacrifices for the Gibborim to steal life force from. The Gibborim must replenish their life force over time to keep the human body in a state that makes it possible to be a host. With Karolina, Chase, and Janet the early abductees, their futures appear to be grim. That said, considering the Magistrate is still running the show and his relationship with Karolina, she could be safe. If Chase and Janet have any hope of being freed, it may be up to Victor to regain control of his own body and rescue them.
But what about the remaining five members of the Pride team? Geoffrey (Ryan Sands) and Catherine Wilder (Angel Parker) have been arrested following a set up by Alex. Robert Minoru (James Yaegashi) was bleeding from the neck last time Runaways showed him, but he appears to be safe after "Tina" indicates he is being treated for his medical emergency. Dale Yorkes (Kevin Weisman) and Leslie look to have disassociated themselves with the Pride - at least for the time being.
The New Runaways Team
This brings us to the new Runaways team, which has also seen their numbers fall. Alex is still around and handles the finale's revelations the best of the bunch - maybe adding more evidence to him being the Magistrate's prince. Nico and Molly Hernandez (Allegra Acosta) have emotional breakdowns over the split dynamic of the group, as they worry they may never see those they care about - Karolina and Gert Yorks (Ariela Barer) respectively - again. Karolina and Chase's whereabouts are already known, while Gert has been put in the care of her father. Her return to the Runaways group may not happen anytime soon, as Dale's prepared for a cross-country road trip between himself, Gert, and Old Lace in an effort to get away from Stacey.
Oddly enough, Leslie is now in position to be a part of the team too. The group went out of their way to save her from the Church of Gibborin and have placed her under their care. With Karolina being taken by Jonah and Leslie's years of experience with him, she could become a useful ally. The same can be said for Xavin, who was instructed by Karolina to protect Leslie and the baby while she was away. Her absence will be a bit longer than originally anticipated, but Xavin is surely going to do all she can to protect the mother of her betrothed. She also has plenty of knowledge about the Magistrate family and tried to stand up to Jonah before, so she will undoubtedly be involved in whatever plan they cook up to try and rescue Karolina.
For the time being, it will be up to this group of five to try and defeat the Magistrate family, rescue those who are trapped, and hope they can return their loved ones to their regular personalities. It won't be too surprising if Gert and the remaining members of the original Pride team also become allies though, as almost every family has a personal interest in the matter - or just may want to get rid of the Gibborim once and for all. All will be revealed in Runaways season 3.