So Who Is Julian McMahon Playing On ‘Marvel’s Runaways’?

We’re only halfway through the first season of Marvel’s Runaways, but the charming comic book adaptation has already delivered some shockers. Comic book fans will note that while the show captures the spirit of Brian K. Vaughan’s cult classic, it’s already made quite a few changes to canon. For instance, here Molly is an orphan, Nico has a deceased sister named Amy, and the parents aren’t cardboard cutout bad guys. But the biggest shake up to Runaways came yesterday, in Season 1, Episode 5, “Kingdom.” Fantastic Four star Julian McMahon made his debut as a mysterious character seemingly pulling all the strings. But who is he?

***MAJOR SPOILERS FOR MARVEL’S RUNAWAYS EPISODES 1-5, AND RUNAWAYS, THE COMICS, AHEAD.***

Okay, ready for it? Here’s everything we know, everything we’ve been told, and everything we’re hoping for the new guy on Marvel’s Runaways.

So What Do We Know So Far?

Yesterday’s all-new episode, “Kingdom” introduced McMahon as a shadowy new figure who was instrumental in organizing the Pride. The episode opens on a flashback, to when Geoffrey Wilder was still in jail, and Catherine was his girlfriend/attorney. McMahon’s character offers him a deal: a wild sum of money for a derelict strip mall in Compton. In order to secure this deal, Geoffrey convinces his friend to take the fall for him so he can get out. The promise is Geoffrey will look out for his pal’s ailing relative. This helps spark the current day plot, where Alex is kidnapped as comeuppance for his father’s perceived betrayal.

At the end of the episode, we discover that the gross, decrepit, dying man whom the Pride has been attempting to save via sacrifices is McMahon’s character. The ritual apparently transfers life energy to McMahon’s body. We also learn that he is Karolina’s biological father, not Frank Dean, and that he is desperate to meet his daughter for the first time.

Why Is This Shocking?

This is a huge departure from the comics, where both Frank and Leslie Dean are not only movie stars, but secret aliens from a planet called Majesdania. In the comics, the Pride has a deal with the Gibborem, three ancient giants, who want to destroy all life on Earth and rebuild paradise with only six people. This twist suggests that maybe McMahon is playing a twist on the Gibborem (hence the name of Leslie’s church) or that the Majesdanians are the ones pulling all the strings. We will have to wait and see.

What Else Has Hulu Told Us?

Well, here’s where things get even more intriguing. When Hulu announced that Julian McMahon would be joining the show, they only said he would be playing a “pivotal” character named “Jonah” who would be aiding the Runaways in their fight against their parents. That doesn’t jive with what we’ve seen so far, but again, we’ll have to see.

So We’re Sure He’s Not Playing Victor Von Doom Again?

That would be fun, right? If you don’t get the joke, Victor Von Doom actually has a part to play in Runaways’ lore. A future member of the team, Victor Mancha, believes he is Von Doom’s long-lost son. And since McMahon played Von Doom, it would make for a sly tie-in. Alas, unless the Disney/Fox merger goes ahead, there’s no way to make a Marvel’s Runaways/Fantastic Four crossover legally work.

Stream Marvel's Runaways on Hulu