Even as a comic book, ‘Runaways’ always did things a bit differently. If anything, the book’s tendency to play fast and loose with the tropes of the superhero genre was part of its appeal. This willingness to toy with the audience’s expectations was, thankfully, something that became part and parcel of the television adaptation that debuted on Hulu last year.
The Hulu series subverted longtime fans’ expectations in a number of ways, from the introduction of Nico’s sister, to any number of character dynamics. But the biggest change was the progression of the plot, which saw the titular runaways spend most of the season at home, covertly investigating their parents. (The comics, by contrast, had them run away following the events of the pilot episode.) But now that they’ve fled, the second season promises its own departures with regard to just how the kids’ life on the run is depicted. As head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb explained to ComicBook.com:
“We pick up minutes later. The idea is, where do they go now? Every one of us as some point has that sort of romantic idea that running away is going to be this great thing, that we’re not going to have to listen to our parents, that we’re going to be able to sleep as late as we want, eat whatever we want, and then by day three, when you’re on the street and it’s cold and one of the things that Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz have done really well is looking at the nature of what’s going on with homelessness and living on the street and what it’s like and how these kids have to combat that given the fact that only a day before they were living in Brentwood mansions and could phone for anything.”
While it might be going a bit far to say that Brian K. Vaughan’s ‘Runaways’ comics romanticized the idea of running away from home, they didn’t exactly take the most realistic approach either. And since this is a more realistic approach, it won’t be surprising that some characters will handle the transition better than others. According to co-showrunner Stephanie Savage:
“Every character handles it really differently, and certainly someone like Molly has a little bit more of an advantage in the street with her powers and her ability to speak Spanish than someone like Chase, for example, who’s been in like a lacrosse-bro bubble for his whole life. So it’s fun to see how each of them who maybe at home had more of a power advantage in their community, that changes when they’re in the street.”
Be sure to check back with ScienceFiction.com for more on the upcoming second season of ‘Runaways’ as it becomes available!
The entire first season of ‘Runaways’ is currently available to stream on Hulu. The show stars Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer, Gregg Sulkin, Allegra Acosta, James Marsters, Ryan Sands, Annie Wersching, Brittany Ishibashi, and Kevin Weisman. It will return for a second season on December 21, 2018.
