"This Is Going To Be A Really Good Show": 'Buffy' Star James Marsters Full Of Confidence About Marvel's 'Runaways'

20 years ago, Buffy the Vampire Slayer blazed on to our TV sets — and television has never been the same since! Introduced in Season 2, James Marsters played the iconic role of Spike, Buffy's nemesis-come-lover; in his latest role, he's about to join the MCU as part of the cast of Marvel's Runaways. Over the weekend, he revealed his thoughts about the cast...

An Intriguing Dynamic

Runaways is, at heart, a tale of intergenerational conflict. It stars a group of kids who discover a horrific secret: their parents are supervillains! In order to catch the right vibe, #Marvel has mixed a tremendous blend of raw, new talent with skilled and experienced professionals. Playing the parents (a.k.a. the Pride) are figures like Kip Pardue (Mad Men, Ray Donovan), Ryan Sands (The Wire, Scorpion), and of course James Marsters himself. Marsters seems to be impressed:

"The people playing the parents are all very experienced - resumes as long as your arm - but have not lost their child-like willingness to be playful, which is essential."

Of course, the fun conceit of Runaways is that the adults are the bad guys — it's a neat riff on every teenager's moments of anger and belief that their parents are "evil". Meanwhile, Marsters is just as impressed with the younger stars, who include Rhenzy Feliz (Casual), Virginia Gardner (Glee, Law & Order: SCU), and Gregg Sulkin (The Sarah-Jane Adventures, Faking It).

According to Marsters, these young cast members are seriously promising:

"The actors playing the younger characters all have great instincts and a great attitude, and when we sat down for the table read, the takeaway from everyone was ‘My god, all the young people are fabulous... this is going to be a really good show!’ was the consensus."

A show like Runaways is character-driven, and depends upon the quality of relationship between two generations of actors. That makes it something of a unique proposition, and adds a layer of creativity and originality to the show that will differentiate it from everything else out there. Of course, Marsters is highly unlikely to rubbish his own show, but the quotes carry a real sense of excitement and enthusiasm. It's clear that James Marsters — whose a history in some of the most iconic series in television history speaks for itself — believes Runaways has real potential.

Assessing the whole cast, he commented:

"I can’t spot a weak link, I’m really excited to see how it goes forward."

This is music to our ears. Runaways is based on one of the most creative and popular ideas in the last two decades of comic book history. Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona made history when they came up with the generation-savvy series, subverting so many of the 'rules' of superhero comics (there are no costumes, and no code-names). Fans have been eager to see these kids from Los Angeles enter the #MCU for years; if James Marsters is right, the show is sure to be a hit!

(Source: Gamesradar)