Hulu's first Marvel TV effort Runaways has proved both a critical success and a hit with US audiences, with a second season confirmed before the first had even ended.
Based on Brian K Vaughan and Adrian Alphona's comic book series, the show follows six youngsters who must unite against a common enemy: their parents, who happen to be notorious supervillains in an organisation called Pride.
While we wait to see if the show will ever include that big Alex Wilder twist from the comics, here's everything we know so far about season two.
Runaways season 2 release date: When's it coming?
Hulu renewed the show for a 13-episode second season just before the season one finale premiered in the US. An official release date wasn't released, but since the first season started on November 21, 2017, we can expect a similar timeslot for the second season, although Hulu might not drop the first three episodes straightaway like it did with the first season.
As for UK audiences, Syfy finally began airing Runaways in the spring of 2018, with season two expected to follow later in the year.
In June, Comic Book Resources reported that the cast were using Instagram stories (how modern!) to reveal behind-the-scenes antics from set, confirming that filming was underway.
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Runaways season 2 cast: Who's coming back?
Given that the show is about them, Rhenzy Feliz (Alex Wilder), Lyrica Okano (Nico Minoru), Virginia Gardner (Karolina Dean), Ariela Barer (Gert Yorkes), Gregg Sulkin (Chase Stein) and Allegra Acosta (Molly Hernandez) will all be back.
As will their parents – so that's Angel Parker and Ryan Sands as Alex's parents Catherine and Geoffrey Wilder, Annie Wersching and Kip Pardue as Karolina's mother Leslie and adopted father Frank Dean, Ever Carradine as Chase's mother Janet Stein, Brigid Brannagh and Kevin Weisman as Gert's parents Stacey and Dale Yorkes and Brittany Ishibashi and James Yaegashi as Nico's parents Tina and Robert Minoru.
No word yet on whether James Marsters will return as Chase's father Victor though, after he attacked his son and his wife shot him. "We cannot confirm nor can we deny Victor is dead. We have shown on the show the ability of people to escape death. We've also shown that people really die," executive producer Josh Schwartz told EW.
Julian McMahon will also return as the villainous Jonah, leader of Pride and Karolina's biological father, who after a near-death experience, is now whole again (kind of) as Pride sacrifices youths to let Jonah use their life-force to keep him young.
Related: Runaways' Julian McMahon reveals why he returned to Marvel after Fantastic Four
Runaways season 2 plot: How does season 1 set it up?
The climax of the first season delivered the moment everyone was waiting for when the teenagers finally became the Runaways of the comic books, with them all mostly wearing the outfits from the source material at the end.
As well as being accused of kidnapping Molly, the group are also framed for the murder of Destiny Gonzalez (Nicole Wolf), who was sacrificed by the Pride after joining the Church of Gibborim, meaning they are wanted fugitives.
But it's not all plain sailing for their parents either as they are mostly turning against Jonah after discovering that the thing in the hole under Los Angeles is actually alive, while the group are also split over the reveal that Leslie knew all along that Jonah had killed Nico's big sister Amy. Oh, and Jonah might be whole again, but the finale hinted that not all is right with him and he might need more sacrifices soon.
Executive producers Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are fully aware that there are a lot of questions left to be answered. "We felt like there was a lot we were answering, but we also wanted to make sure there was a lot of fun questions," Schwartz told EW.
"What's starting to come together at the end of the season is this new alliance of Pride vs Jonah. The Wilders are outsiders right now and don't really trust anybody, so they're this third faction. Then, you have Jonah aligning with Frank Dean, who is either newly woke or newly evil, it's hard to say, and whatever the next version of Victor Stein is going to be when he gets out of that box."
Schwartz added that they still don't know how the dual stories of the Runaways and their parents will play out in the second season, but "still plan on keeping the Pride very much part of the show" and teased: "Our tagline for season 2 is: Every kid turns into their parents."
Related: Marvel's Cloak & Dagger show boss wants a Runaways crossover
Savage added that comic fans will be pleased to see the arrival of the hostel in season two. "There's still some design questions that will need to be thought of and figured out, but it'll be really interesting," she explained. "The show will feel very different next year. We'll see exactly what form the structure takes, but they're definitely going to have a hideout next year."
There's also the possibility that season two could explore one of the comic book's most celebrated storylines. Gert dies (twice!) in the comics, so could her demise also transfer into Runaways' second season?
Ariela Barer has said she's keen to be killed off, "as long as I can come back to life like she does in the comics. That plot line is so beautiful and an amazing exploration of Gert and Chase's relationship."
In 2008, Marvel.com voted Gert's death as No. 6 out of the 10 best deaths in Marvel Comics history.
Runaways season 2 trailer: When can we expect it?
The first trailer for season one didn't drop until October 2017, but given the show's success, we could expect to see some new footage at Comic-Con in July. Nothing confirmed yet though.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
