New York Comic Con is officially here for its 10th Anniversary! A lot of things have changed over the years, but one thing has remained the same: the Main Stage is where the biggest and most popular events happen. Syfy’s 12 Monkeys has the distinction of being the very first Main Stage event of the Con. The room itself wasn’t packed to the brim as other panels are, such is what happens on Thursday, but it was definitely attended by a sizable and dedicated fanbase.
To celebrate the upcoming second season, the show’s main cast and crew came to Comic Con to talk all things 12 Monkeys. Here are the most important things revealed from NYCC 2015’s first Main Stage event!
No One Is Fully Evil
As all fans know, 12 Monkeys is a show filled with a ton of violence and death. A lot of characters get their hands bloody, especially Todd Stashwick’s Deacon. Yet despite the high body count, the cast is wary to actually call their characters “good” or “evil”.
“[Deacon] doesn’t see himself as evil at all,” Stashwick told the audience. “He kills people to save even more people.”
Barbara Sukowa echoed similar sentiments for Katarina Jones.
“Jones is so complex. She’s good, and she’s bad. She just feels superior to everybody. But anorexic in the humor department.”
Kirk Acevedo was much more perplexed by the question for his character José Ramse.
“No…the question is so bizarre,” Acevedo stammered. “Ramse’s not a bad person. He’s trying to save the world.”
Time Travel Will Take Greater Focus
When Season 2 begins in April, fans will notice that time travel will play an even bigger role. Developer Terry Matalas confirmed that new eras will come into play.
“We have the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s,” said Matalas. “Maybe even new places in the future.”
Star Aaron Stanford echoed similar sentiments, much to his excitement.
“They’re actually using the time machine this year. It’s fantastic.”
Characters Are Changing
People who watched Season 1 will notice some very different characters throughout Season 2. At the current time, it looks like nearly everyone will change.
“Cole has definitely changed,” declared Stanford. “He’s not as calloused, but still believes in his mission and wants to start doing it differently.”
Stashwick teased that his character and Cassie, played by Amanda Schull, will alter their relationship too.
“Deacon and Cassie definitely have a different relationship. She might not need him anymore.”
Sukowa, after revealing that we will see a much more open Jones, gave the best response of the panel.
“Jones will get laid this season,” said Sukowa to a cheering crowd.
More Answers Are Coming
While Matalas did his absolute best to keep spoilers at a minimum, he was willing to reveal a few more tidbits about next season.
“You will know this season what the Red Forest is,” said Matalas. “An even bigger threat than the plague will appear too.”
A bigger threat than the plague?!
We will also see different versions of characters from different times, like Deacon and Emily Hampshire’s Jennifer. Matalas revealed we’ll see a major event for Jones as well.
“We get to see Jones experience the death of her daughter.”
Deference Is Paid To The Movie
Considering how popular the movie is, the cast was fully aware of the challenge they faced stepping into these roles.
“It’s intimidating,” declared Stanford, who’s character was previously made famous by Bruce Willis. “I try not to look at it as stepping into his shoes. I pack it away and don’t deal with it.”
Schull was much more positive about the experience.
“We’re really lucky! We get to do so many hours of these characters, while everyone in the film had a fixed time.”
Speaking Of Bruce Willis And Brad Pitt…
In what seemed completely unintentional, the panel turned to the film’s star Bruce Willis several times. The consensus? The old stars aren’t what they used to be physically.
“I can beat Bruce,” declared Stanford. “He’s getting old!”
Acevedo simply added to the pile.
“Aaron, I want you to look into the camera, and say, ‘Bruce, I will beat you to death.'”
Brad Pitt wasn’t left out either for Hampshire, who plays the female version of Pitt’s Jeffrey.
“I can beat him too. I’ll go for the eyes.”
12 Monkeys, in all of its time travel glory, will return April 2016.
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Luke Kalamar is Pop-Break.com’s television editor. Every Saturday afternoon you can read his video game column, Remembering the Classics. He covers Game of Thrones, Saturday Night Live and The Walking Dead (amongst others) every week. As for as his career and literary standing goes — take the best parts of Spider-man, Captain America and Luke Skywalker and you will fully understand his origin story.
