'The Gifted' Will Reveal More Character Histories as Season 2 Continues

Fans attending “The Gifted” panel at New York Comic Con today were treated to an early look at the first act of this coming week’s new episode of the FOX series. 

Based on the footage, Eclipse looks to be getting a lot of focus this week, which includes a flashback to events that occurred six years ago and shed light (sorry for the pun!) on his parentage. In the present, we see more of the illness Eclipse and Polaris’ baby is suffering from, as the Inner Circle discuss how whatever’s wrong with her may need her father to help with – leading to an encounter between the Frost sisters and Eclipse. Meanwhile, Caitlin is concerned about Lauren – while Reed is evasive – and Blink speaks to Thunderbird about their impending journey to find the mutant named Erg and a certain group of mutants living in the sewers…

During the panel discussion, Executive Producer/Showrunner Matt Nix said that traditionally, “The world of the X-Men reflects issues of our own world,” and for that reason, they wanted to depict societal divisions more this season. For "The Gifted," that means looking at how everyone in the world of the series is divided over mutant issues, while there are also divisions between the Inner Circle and Mutant Underground... along with the rise of the Purifiers.

On top of that, Nix said they were doing a lot of deep dives into their characters this season, including looks at younger version of Polaris and Blink and the history of the Frosts. The intent was to show “their background and where these people are coming from - really focusing on the characters and what they want and who they are.” 

Grace Byers said that will include Reeva, including her “Past and history, which you will get a chance to see.” From that, we’ll learn, “Why she’s so passionate to take the route that she’s taken." 

Sean Teale and Emma Dumont spoke about the split between Eclipse and Polaris, now that she has joined the Inner Circle. They love each other, but have opposite views on how to best help their people, and Teale noted, “The difference between Polaris and Eclipse are those differing ideologies.” Teale said it's possible Eclipse might start listening "to that voice in his head" and do something more extreme in his quest to be reunited with the woman he loves and their baby. 

Asked how Polaris and Eclipse would react if their child was a human, not a mutant, both Teale and Dumont agreed they’d both love her no matter what, with Dumont saying she actually felt, “They would be grateful if they had a human child,” knowing life would be easier for her. “I think it would be a positive reaction.” 

Jamie Chung said that for Blink, “The ideology of what she truly believes will come into question" as Season 2 continues. Regarding the introduction of the Morlocks this season, she noted, “There’s something really appealing about their society and how they live and are able to be themselves.” 

It’s been revealed by Nix previously that we’ll see Jace Turner become involved with the Purifiers, and Coby Bell said that for Jace, he feels he has no one to help him as he seeks justice for what happened to his daughter when “Along come the Purifiers.” Added Bell, “He goes down a dark, dark path this season,” though he noted, “I don’t think he necessarily agrees with the Purifiers, he just needs them.” 

As for Caitlin, Amy Acker remarked “it’s been a rough road” for her, as she tries to find her son, Andy, while Reed is keeping secrets from her. Acker said Caitlin is “ultra driven to find Andy, but in the meantime has neglected some other members of her family.”

When an audience member asked if we might see Caitlin get “more badass,” Nix replied, “ Yes. You don’t have Amy Acker on your show and say ‘Don’t let her be badass!’”

The next episode of “The Gifted” airs Tuesday, October 9 at 8:00pm ET/PT on FOX. 

Make sure to follow @TheGiftedonFOX on Twitter and like "The Gifted" on Facebook. You can also see more about the show at Marvel.com's section for "The Gifted" Season 2.