Fans of Marvel’s Runaways will have one final season to spend with Karolina (Virginia Gardner), Nico (Lyrica Okano), Gert (Ariela Barer), Chase (Gregg Sulkin), Alex (Rhenzy Feliz), and Molly (Allegra Acosta). Marvel and Hulu are bringing the series to a close with the upcoming third season set to debut on December 13, 2019, a season that cast members believe feels the most like a Marvel superhero show.
During our interview at the 2019 New York Comic Con, Lyrica Okano teased we’ll see “Dark Nico” rising in season three. Okano also discussed – without spoilers! – what’s in store for Nico and Karolina, the addition of Morgan le Fay, and the crossover episode with Cloak and Dagger.
Where do we pick up with Nico in the new season? What’s going on in her head?
Lyrica Okano: (Laughing) “Oh, she’s very stressed out. Karolina’s currently missing. Chase as well, and Gert. For Nico, she takes that responsibility on herself. She’s on a mission to get them back. She’s got a lot on her plate this year.”
How much more will we delve into the darkness of Nico?
Lyrica Okano: “All of it! This season there’s like no holding back. It’s like all of it – magic, science – the two worlds colliding. Everything coming together. All of that will be in season three.”
How far are we getting into the magic element in season three with Morgan le Fay coming in?
Lyrica Okano: “Everything that you ever could imagine that has to do with magic will be shown. I’m not even exaggerating! We did a lot with special effects. It’s action-packed and everything you could ever imagine.”
Cloak and Dagger will be crossing over this season. What can you tease about that and what you were looking forward to exploring by bringing those characters into your world?
Lyrica Okano: “Well, Cloak and Dagger come to the Runaways to help us rescue one of our very own. What else can I say about that without spoiling it? Aubrey (Joseph) and Olivia (Holt), they were such a pleasure to work with and they’re great human beings. I think it was really fun to see our two worlds coming together, seeing how they deal with their special powers and how the special effects are done on their show and that being brought to our show. We have a certain way of how our dialogue is written and then they have their own way. So, seeing that and then working through that together was really, really fun.”
In addition to Cloak and Dagger coming on the show, are there any other superhero team-ups you would love to see?
Lyrica Okano: “I think Ariela (Barer) has said this many times today, but The Avengers. We would love to be in a film with those guys. Please! Yeah, The Avengers – that would be pretty cool.”
Will Nico and her parents be interacting this season?
Lyrica Okano: (Laughing) “Are they okay? Yeah, you’ll see a lot of the Minoru family coming… I’m not going to say anything! You’ll see them interact for sure.”
Is this darkness in her something you wanted to channel? Is it something you like playing?
Lyrica Okano: “Yeah. I mean, it’s a lot of hard work. It’s a lot. For Nico this season it’s all about the Dark Nico rising. And for her, it feels like a teenage identity crisis times a million. So, putting that into me and figuring that internally and then bringing that out in front of the cameras is a lot of work. But it is really fun and it’s cool to explore that.”
How does that affect her relationship with Karolina?
Lyrica Okano: (Smiling) “I don’t know. Could you imagine? It’s not great. It’s got to be hard having a girlfriend that like constantly is in emotional pain and physical pain, and just watching over them. You’ll see…you’ll see.”
What sets this season apart for you from the previous two?
Lyrica Okano: “Well, I will say it’s a whole lot of magic and a whole lot of action. Because Morgan le Fay comes into our season this year, it’s not just the magic that we’ve seen with the staff. It’s otherworldly. There’s so much, but I can’t talk about it.”
What was it like working with Elizabeth Hurley?
Lyrica Okano: “Amazing. I mean, she’s got a huge job on her hands. Morgan le Fay is a pretty iconic character. I was able to have a lot of one-on-one time with her this season. She’s just obviously so professional and so sweet. For her to come into something that we’ve already established as a cast for three years now, for her to come in and do everything that she’s done this season was pretty amazing to watch. A lot of green screens.
[…] It was so nice to see another Brit come into our cast because Gregg [Sulkin] was very excited. When those two were talking it was just like, ‘Oh yeah, I forgot that Gregg was British!’”
If you hadn’t played this character in the Marvel universe, which character would you have liked to play?
Lyrica Okano: “Jessica Jones, but that’s already (done). Like, other Marvel characters that we haven’t seen?”
Yes.
Lyrica Okano: “I don’t know. I feel like I’m always really grateful that Nico Minoru came into my hands because I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wouldn’t want to play any other Marvel character because Nico is just so right for me – at the right time for me. So, I honestly can’t think of any other one. Plus, we wouldn’t be allowed to play another Marvel character, so I didn’t even let that come to my mind.”
Are there characters you’re working with this season you might not have had the chance to work with in the past?
Lyrica Okano: “With Olivia and Aubrey…obviously we were anticipating the crossover to happen for three seasons now and it finally has happened. That’s so great to have that fall into our laps.
But I was pretty involved this season with everybody. I was lucky enough to be able to work with everybody.”
Will we get to see more flashbacks this season?
Lyrica Okano: “Yeah… I mean, wouldn’t it be cool? Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing to see if that were to happen? That would be great. But, yeah, that’s going to happen.”
Is there a scene you can tease from season three that you’re really excited about fans getting to see?
Lyrica Okano: “Yes. There are a lot of scenes that I’m very excited for, but I guess the one that I am allowed to talk about is the Cloak and Dagger episode. That was pretty awesome. And Morgan le Fay…how she gets involved with the Runaways. Those scenes are pretty epic.”
Are there any new settings that come into the Runaways world this year?
Lyrica Okano: “Yeah, lots of new settings. And it’s dark.”
Would you say overall the tone of this upcoming season is darker than it has been?
Lyrica Okano: “Yeah, darker and it’s different but in the most amazing way. Like, we really put everything we could think of, everything that we had, into this season.”
