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The Shadowhunters WonderCon panel was full of surprises, deafening screams of Malec fans, and unplanned kisses on stage.
Shadowhunters has two episodes left in its first season and just got renewed for a second one. To start the panel, fans got a glimpse of upcoming episode 12, featuring the upcoming nuptials between Alec and Lydia. Magnus, invited by Izzy, storms in, and then…you’ll have to watch to find out. Notice however, the title of the episode is “Malec” and not Alydia (Lydec?), so make your own inferences.
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Katherine McNamara (Clary), Dominic Sherwood (Jace), Alberto Rosende (Simon), Emeraude Toubia (Izzy), Alexander Daddario (Alec), Harry Shum Jr. (Magnus), Isaiah Mustafa (Luke), Showrunner Ed Decter, and Executive Producer McG were on all hand to chat everything about the Shadow World.
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Here are the highlights:
A Lot of Relationships Are up in the Air
There’s obviously tension between Jace and Alec. Sherwood says that level of emotion and animosity doesn’t come without passion. The love that Alec and Jace feel for each other is so complete that when their relationship reaches a head, it’s because they love and care about each other.
Alec is also lying to himself and hiding from his inner feelings for Magnus. With all the distractions and issues going on, he has a lot to think about, but according to Daddario, he”makes the right decisions in the end.”
And of course, there’s that twist in Clary and Jace’s relationship, and what the future holds for them. McNamara teases it’s a balance between paying homage to the books and also approaching the material with a new perspective.
The Cast Loves Action Scenes
The big physical scenes are “quite cathartic” and some of Sherwood’s favorite parts of the show. Rosende has to practice getting kidnapped quite a bit, and “the training for that is quite intense.” Toubia joked that she extensively practices running on the treadmills in heels, aka the Beyonce workout. Decter said the cast doesn’t ask for more love or dramatic scenes, they ask for more fights, to which Mustafa replied, “I’d just like more scenes.”
Magnus’ Beauty Takes Work
It’s no doubt that Magnus has style and flair, but Shum Jr. has a love/hate relationship with hair and make-up, as he spends about two and a half hours in the chair getting ready. And all the glitter? It gets EVERYWHERE.
As for the upcoming episodes, we’ll see more of Magnus’ backstory and how despite his outward flirtatiousness, he’s actually built many walls around himself and it’s a big deal for him see someone for more than their exterior (we’re talking you, Alec). Is that enough for him to break up a wedding?
Downworlder Transformations
With Simon leaving the mundane world and both him and Luke becoming a Downworlders, they both went through significant transformations in the season. Simon has started to understand the Shadow World more, become more confident, and now realizes there’s no romantic threat for Clary. For Luke, the wolf is out of the bag. In becoming the new leader of the pack, Mustafa says, “As the layers were pulled back, he got worse and worse as a detective and better and better as a werewolf. ”
Girl Power
Both Toubia and McNamara commented on the special relationship between Izzy and Clary — how two powerful, strong, intelligent young women can be friends and have a sisterly relationship and never be in competition with each other.
The Cast is up for Anything on Stage
When McG asked if there was any girl who wanted to kiss Jace, pretty much every girl in the audience raised her hand. McG then brought up a random girl from the crowd and Sherwood kissed her. On the lips. Every Jace fangirl’s heart simultaneously melted and burned with jealousy. Later, another female fan was brought on stage to intercept a Malec kiss, receving a peck on one check from Shum Jr. and one on the other from Daddario. Is this the best panel of all time or what?
Characters the Cast Would Like to Play (Besides Their Own, of Course)
Mustafa: Valentine
Shum Jr.: A Silent Brother
Daddario: Valentine or Izzy (collective “aww” for the latter)
Toubia: “Each day I feel like playing somewone different”
McNamara: Sebastian because it’d be”fascinating to play a villain”
Sherwood: Meliorn
Rosende: Magnus. “All that power and the glitter.”
McG: Alec
Decter: Magnus
Random girl Sherwood kissed (who is now sitting on stage in a state of bewilderment): Sebastian
Everyone Say What They Love About the Character On Their Left
Mustafa (on Magnus): His flair
Shum Jr. (on Alec): His “bow and quiver”
Daddario (on Izzy): Her sass and how it causes a lot of problems for Alec
Toubia (on Clary): How she’s willing to do everything for the people she loves
McNamara (on Jace): His passion for whatever he does, for the people he loves, or for doing what’s right
Sherwood (on Simon): His dental routine
Rosende (on Luke): His wisdom. And his biceps.
McF (on Schecter): When they go to Starbucks, people think he’s Dr. Evil
Show Crossover Ideas
When asked what shows the cast would like to see mashed with Shadowhunters, the answers ran the gamut:
Mustafa: Agents of S.H.I.E.LD., or Friends, so everyone could go to Central Perk
Rosende: Game of Thrones
Decter: Dr. Who
McNamara: Harry Potter, to see how the characters would sort
Toubia: Novelas
Daddario: A Food Network show
What’s to Come in the Future
The cast was quick to acknowledge the fans and how there wouldn’t be a Season 2, let alone Season 1, without them. McG teases there will be some surprises from Lady Midnight and that Sebastian will be in the series, but that may require being picked up…again. An action-packed second season is in the works, with many beloved things from the books to be shown in a completely different way to surprise fans. And of course, there will be a big finale with a “substantial cliffhanger.”
Shadowhunters is on Tuesdays 9pm on Freeform.
Check out all our WonderCon coverage here.