The cast of Shadowhunters hit the Wondercon stage on March 25, 2016 with  fans of both the books and the show awaiting their arrival. Not one fan was let down for their chance to meet their favorites and some fans left with a little more than any fan could possibly imagine. Here is my experience with the Shadowhunters cast and some teasers from panel. 

I was excited to learn that the main cast would be in attendance at Wondercon this year and quickly bought my Friday badge to sit in on a Q&A panel. Being an avid con goer to Comic Con San Diego, this was my first time attending Wondercon and I had no idea what to expect. I have to say I had newbie luck when it came to navigating my way through Wondercon.  After picking up my badge, I quickly got into the line for Shadowhunters autographs.

A two hour wait later, the lotto for autograph wristbands commenced and fans were hoping for a little luck on their side.  Thanks to a friend I made during the two hour wait in line, I was able to get a wristband (after failing at getting one twice). I literally hugged the girl and squealed internally as the reality of meeting them all sunk in. Quickly making my way to the exhibit hall, I once again lined up with fans and patiently/nervously awaited the Shadowhunters cast.

Expecting a swarm of fans, I was surprised how low key the fans were with the cast, which allowed them [cast members of Shadowhunters] to fully interact with fans. Freeform and the cast of Shadowhunters, on top of autographs, allowed fans selfies with them, along with videos while going through the autograph line. This is something that I never witnessed with a con before. I had only experienced the “No phones and get moving!” hustle of autograph panels of SDCC.

When it got to my turn, I was greeted by a very smily Matthew Daddario (Alec Lightwood). He was happy to see that I came out, commented on how sweet I was and took a selfie with me (as you can see, he still had that smile on his face). Next to Matthew, was Dominic Sherwood (Jace Wayland) who was excited about season 2 and thanked me for the support. He was more than enthused to take a selfie as well and was shocked by the selfie flash on camera. “Oh I forgot they do that!” He laughed and Matthew seemed in awe of the technology (you have to love Matthew and his lack of knowledge with technology/social media).

Next in line were the two beauties of Shadowhunters Emeruade Toubia [Isabelle Lightwood] and Katherine McNamara [Clary Fray]. Emeruade was so beautiful in person (she’s already beautiful in the show as well) and sweet. She hated the fact that her phone did not have a forward flash and mentioned she needed an upgrade. Katherine is always a ray of sunshine and so sweet. She asked, of course, if I was looking forward to the finale. To this, I said “Yes, should I plan a viewing party with my cousins?” She got excited and exclaimed, “Yes, post please and tag me in the photos!” Katherine has been one of the cast members to go above and beyond for her fans like sharing photos, liking tweets and interacting with fans on personal level. Katherine is a breathe of fresh air and makes you instantly happy when you see her. “Tell them hi! (my cousins)” She said before we took a selfie together.

Lastly, there were everyone’s favorite werewolf, warlock and vampire: Isaiah Mustafa [Luke Garroway] Harry Shum Jr. [Magnus Bane] and Alberto Rosende [Simon Lewis]. Isaiah was a perfect gentleman and had an infectious smile. Harry Shum Jr. was just what I imagined. He was excited to meet each fan in the line and asked where I was from. I told him San Diego and he was so thankful for the trip up to meet them. “What time did you wake up to get here?” He asked. My response, “6:00 a.m.” Harry was appreciative for my efforts to get there and took a selfie with me. Alberto Rosende was so cute and sweet when talking with fans. Being last in the row, he was able to greet fans coming up through the line as he waited. He talked about social media, and how they were enjoying themselves and waving to everyone coming by. When it came to my last stop, he was kind enough to make a video “shout out,” to my cousins ( co-creators of BGeeky blog) that could not make it out.

Lastly was the Shadowhunters Q&A panel with the cast. Freeform treated fans not only to a little bit of swag, but a teaser clip of Episode 11 properly titled “Malec.”  Fans erupted in cheers as Magnus Bane [Harry Shum Jr] crashed the wedding between Alec Lightwood [Matthew Daddario] and Lydia Branwell [Stephanie Bennett]. Then the cast was brought out one by one onto the Wondercon stage to answer questions from panel moderator and fans. Here are some teasers from the Q&A here.

Some highlights of the panel, was McG [Shadowhunters producer] asking fans “Who wants to kiss Jace?” In which hands went flying up. I looked at Dominic’s reaction which was similar to my own of  “What is going on and is this for real?” McG  called on a lucky fan and brought them on stage, then all madness erupted when Dominic Sherwood [Jace Wayland] went straight for the fan and locked lips. A very stunned fan remained on the stage with the cast, which causes audience members to chuckle at their facial reaction of pure shock.

Matthew Daddario [Alec Lightwood] once again seemed to be very confused to what was going on. Until Harry Shum Jr. and himself were called on by McG after a fan was envious of the Dominic/fan kiss to get a kiss of their own. The fan was treated by a Malec kiss on the cheek by Matthew and Harry.

The cast of Shadowhunters definitely left their mark on Wondercon, leaving fans with everlasting memories and excitement as we approach the Season 1 finale. I know we are excited here at BGeeky blog for Season 2.

With ending this article, I do want to state an overall theme from the panel. Shadowhunters wants to surprise fans of the book and of the show. They will change things around as they see fit to keep the audience on their toes, which is understandable.  Who wants to watch a show that the viewer knows just about everything that will go on? Shadowhunters wants to take the foundation from the book series and make it their own. Something that as a fan of the books, condone and hope others will follow in the acceptance of the show.