‘The Gifted’ Season 2 Primer: Where We Left Off

“The Gifted” returns Tuesday, September 25 on FOX for its second season. In a world where the X-Men and Brotherhood are seemingly no more, it's up to the Mutant Underground and the Inner Circle to pick up the pieces and fight for mutants – though their tactics greatly differ. Should mutants live peacefully with humans or should “take their rightful place” as the dominant species? With war seemingly coming from all sides, it looks like any peace within the universe of “The Gifted” is a long way off.

After a Season 1 finale that saw the defeat of the Watchdog program and the Mutant Underground divided, with several of their members leaving with Esme Frost, the characters have gone through a lot, to say the least. 

With Season 2 just around the corner, here’s a refresher on where we left off with all of our main players on "The Gifted."

Reed Strucker (Stephen Moyer)

A former prosecutor that specialized in the incarceration of mutant criminals, Reed and his family are now on the run after discovering that both his children are mutants. Eventually, he finds out that he himself is also a mutant, whose X-Gene was repressed by his scientist father. Reed has taken his place among the Mutant Underground, now fighting for the people he used to help put away. But with the loss of his son Andy to the Inner Circle, how will he react? 

Caitlin Strucker (Amy Acker)

The matriarch of the Strucker family, Caitlin wants her family to be safe above all. That desire has transferred into the Mutant Underground, as she naturally took on a leadership role, one that over time was accepted by the rest of the group, despite Caitlin herself not being a mutant. Now, just like Reed, she must deal with her son leaving. Will this make her a stronger part of the Mutant Underground, or cause her to lose focus? 

Lauren Strucker (Natalie Alyn Lind)

A mutant with the power to create force fields, Lauren also can create massive destruction when she combines her powers with her brother, Andy - much like their ancestors, Andreas and Andrea Von Strucker, could as the duo known as Fenris. Lauren always looked out for Andy and they grew even closer once his powers manifested. Eventually though, the siblings clashed over their ideas on peaceful coexistence with humans. When Andy left, Lauren was devastated. 

Andy Strucker (Percy Hynes White)

After his torment at the hands of bullies reached a breaking point, Andy’s destructive telekinetic powers activated, acting as a catalyst for the entire series. After joining the Mutant Underground, Andy began to learn how to control his skills with the help of his sister, Lauren. However, his constant anger would still cause damage around him. Finding a place to focus that rage with the Hellfire Club, Andy left the Mutant Underground and his family behind. 

Thunderbird/John Proudstar (Blair Redford)

A Mutant tracker and one of the leaders of the Mutant Underground, John Proudstar is a former Marine who strongly believes in the X-Men’s cause. After the death of both his love, Dreamer, and his best friend, Pulse, Thunderbird has found comfort in the arms of Blink. Following the destruction of their headquarters, it's up to Thunderbird to help with the rebuilding of the Underground. 

Blink/Clarice Fong (Jamie Chung)

Clarice is a teleporter and former Brotherhood ally that was rescued by the Mutant Underground. She left the group for a time after realizing Dreamer implanted memories in her of a false romantic history with Thunderbird. When she learned Sentinel Services murdered her foster parents, Blink returned to the Underground, eventually truly falling for Thunderbird. After stopping the Frost sisters from torturing a man, Blink solidified herself as a member of the Mutant Underground.

Polaris/Lorna Dane (Emma Dumont)

Once a leader among the Mutant Underground, Polaris has magnetic powers, much like her father, who was a powerful member of the Hellfire Club. During her capture by Sentinel Services, Polaris learns she is pregnant with her boyfriend Eclipse’s child. Once rescued, Polaris started to see a different outlook on the war they are fighting. With influence from the Frost sisters, Polaris used her powers to cause a plane carrying Dr. Campbell, who had been experimenting on mutants, to crash, killing many other people as a result. She then decided to leave with the Frost sisters and embrace her heritage, taking members of the Underground, including Andy Strucker, with her.

Eclipse/Marcos Diaz (Sean Teale)

With the power to manipulate photons, Eclipse is one of the leaders of the Mutant Underground. Eclipse is in love with Polaris and is the father of her unborn child. It’s that love that briefly forced him back into his old life as an enforcer for a drug cartel, using its information network to rescue Polaris. A firm believer in the X-Men’s cause, he refused to leave the Mutant Underground with Polaris. Knowing that the woman he loves, and his future child, are on the opposite side of the war they are fighting will no doubt profoundly affect Eclipse going into Season 2.

Jace Turner (Coby Bell)

Jace Turner’s daughter died during a mutant rights march gone wrong, the infamous 7/15 incident, leading him to hunt and jail mutants as part of Sentinel Services. His mistrust for mutants grew to a point where he worked with Dr. Campbell and his Watchdog program, which turned mutants into mindless weapons for the government. After failing to capture the Mutant Underground at their headquarters, Turner quit Sentinel Services after being set up as a scapegoat for their failures. 

The Frost Sisters (Skyler Samuels)

Esme, Sophie, and Phoebe Frost are triplet telepaths that used their abilities to manipulate the Mutant Underground—with the forceful Esme initially infiltrating the group—resulting in the deaths of many Sentinel Service agents. Firmly believing that they should be ruling over humans, not living peacefully with them, they were able to convince one of the Mutant Underground leaders, Polaris, to join their cause - along with Andy Strucker and other Mutant Underground members who departed with them. 

Reeva Payge (Grace Byers)

No, we didn't meet Reeva Payge in Season 1 of "The Gifted," but she's set to make a big impact in Season 2, so there's no time like the present to make an introduction! A leader in the Inner Circle, Reeva is ruthless in her efforts to fight for her people. She leads an elite band of followers and has a soft spot for her new recruits, but is still capable of extreme violence in defense of her vision. 

“The Gifted” Season 2 premieres Tuesday, September 25 at 8:00pm ET/PT on FOX.

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