The 100 Comic-Con panel explored the aftermath of last season’s cliffhanger and teased what’s to come in Season 4.
Moderated by IGN’s Eric Goldman, the panel included Executive Producer Jason Rothenberg, Eliza Taylor (Clarke), Henry Ian Cusick (Kane), Marie Avgeropoulos (Octavia), Lindsay Morgan (Raven), Christopher Larkin (Monty), and Richard Harmon (Murphy).
Where We Left Off and Where We’re Going
At the end of Season 3, we find out there is countdown to the end of the world. There’s not a lot anyone can do about it, so it’s matter of where does everyone go. The feel is similar to Season 1, just on a bigger scale — the Earth is now the Ark.
Taylor says Clarke does have some optimism at the end of the season. In true Clarke fashion, she will try to get everyone on board to unite against an enemy they can’t defeat. While Clarke’s instinct is to protect everyone and fight until the last dying day, there will be a range of different reactions across the rest of the crew. Rothenberg mentions that they are trying to bring in some more humor and levity this season, in the face of the possible end of the world.
Cusick says Kane has grown a lot over the seasons, and even though last season was especially traumatizing, hopefully his charcter will see what needs to be done and not dwell too much on the PTSD. As a good leader, he should try to put others before him and try to lead them somewhere.
Octavia attempted to bandage the hole in her heart from Lincoln‘s death by killing Pike, but vengeance isn’t always the answer. Avgeropoulos says Octavia will take a dark turn (yes, it is possible to go even darker) and she’ll turn to what she does best — killing people.
Raven, finally freed from A.L.I.E. has gotten her spark back. Morgan says the chip forced Raven to go through an evolution and reincarnation; she’s now stronger mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. She survived a trip to hell and back, and she will come back on a different level, almost like a Raven 2.0.
It’s pretty much humanly impossible to kill your mother twice, but Monty managed to do it last season. Larkin says that since Monty didn’t totally collapse after Mom Death #2, there has to be some optimism. The final bromantic moments between Monty and Jasper gave them both some hope that they haven’t experienced since Mount Weather. And he’s not especially motivated by the death of his mother to protect his chosen family.
Resident Bad Boy Murphy has always looked out for himself and last season he found someone he could actually care about. Harmon says life is nothing without love, and once you find that, you yourself doesn’t matter as much anymore. For the first time, he can see the possibility of a happy ending for Murphy. He’s also finally part of the crew again.
Rothenberg also addressed the fates of a couple of characters whose lives left in the balance. Zach McGowan (Roan) will be joining as a series regular and will be back in a big way. Indra was left on the cross but is also still alive, and Octavia will figure out a way to find her. Luna will also return; in a world that is on the brink of environmental collapse, her crew are the canaries of the coal mine.
Grounders
This season it will be even more important than ever to unite the Grounders and the Sky People, and Clarke will attempt to do that. Clarke now feels like she’s part of them, especially after her connection with Lexa, and she now wants to protec them as much as she wants to protect her own people. Clarke is also starting to own her power this season. “I puled a few levers,” says Taylor.
Changes in Script
In the premiere episode, Kane was written to be Octavia’s dad (it changed and that’s not the case anymore). In Season 3’s finale, Jasper was meant to come out of the City of Light and blow his brains out. But that ending was too dark even for Rothenberg (thank goodness), and that there was more of Jasper’s story to be told.
The Return of Lexa
After the controversy surrounding Lexa’s death, we finally got to see her again in the final episode. But don’t get too excited — she isn’t coming back to the show. The City of Light is gone but the flame still exists, and all the minds of the commanders are in it. The finale was designed so that Clarke would take the flame and go into the City of Light and need her friends in the real world to keep her alive as well as her friends in the City of Light (Lexa) to help her shut down A.L.I.E. The flame is a political symbol; whoever possesses it has power. But Clarke is not the Commander; no one currently is. There are no Nightbloods that want the flame, as far as we know, but Titus did send out Nightbood scouts, so that will come into play next season.
Characters They’d Like to Play
When asked who else they’d like to play, here were their answers:
- Taylor: Monty
- Cusick: He only wants to play Kane
- Avgeropoulos: The horse so she’d survive the longest and run away
- Morgan: Lexa
- Larkin: Kane
- Harmon: Loves the character of Lexa but thinks what Alycia did with the role is untouchable.
If Their Characters Had a Day Off
- Taylor: Clarke would lie on a beach
- Avgeropoulos: Octavia really needs to take a shower
- Morgan: Raven would get a massage
- Larkin: Monty would sit in a quiet corner with Harper and talk about political science
- Harmon: Murphy would find a way to be away with anyone with fists and weep (but in a happy way)
Playing Strong Heroines
Taylor says it’s honor to play a strong female character. She’s played a lot of blonde, slutty best friends, and now she finally gets to play someone smart, strong, dependable and worthy. She says it makes her happy that we’re in a day and age where women can be portrayed like that, and she has Rothenberg to thank for that. Avgeropoulos says she has nieces and nephews and is happy they can watch TV and have someone positive and inspiring to look up to. Morgan says a lot of times, women are put into a box, and women are so much more than that. Women have always been strong, complex, and able at life, and Hollywood is finally catching up.