By Emily Hewitt
What’s in store for the characters of Villains of Valley View this season? D23 got the inside scoop from Isabella Pappas (Amy Madden) and Kayden Muller-Janssen (Hartley) on the pleasures and perils that fans can look forward to in Season 2 of the hit series., debuting June 15 on the Disney Channel.
The new season follows Pappas’ character Amy who struggles to balance her life in Texas with deciding to take on her new role, leader of supervillains, in Centropolis.
“In the first two episodes you really get to see her kind of struggle over this decision,” Pappas tells D23. “It’s kind of what her family’s owed but then, at the same time, it would mean losing everything that really matters most to her.”
As an impulsive person, Amy grows into herself throughout Season 2 by learning to put her loved ones first, Pappas shares.
“She realizes, as the episodes go on, that she’s hurting her family and she has to deal with the fact that maybe she needs to feel a little bit guilty. Maybe she needs to change just a little bit,” Pappas says.
Along with Amy jumping in and out of the supervillain lifestyle, her parents, Eva and Vic Madden, will also get caught up in villainous activities that even Amy thinks are too extreme.
Amy’s loyal best friend, Hartley, meanwhile, continues to grow throughout the season as she goes on more supervillain excursions with the Maddens.
“The stakes are raised not only for Amy and the family, but also for Hartley,” Muller-Janssen says. “A lot of new threats come to town, which means a lot more messes that Hartley needs to clean up.”
Another familiar face this season? Hartley’s grandmother, Celia, who will continue appearing at precisely the wrong times when the Maddens are up to their villainous activities—providing even more comedic relief.
“I am concerned for Celia because I do not understand how she has not caught on yet. I’m at the point of thinking maybe she really does know that they are villains, but is trying to play it down because there has been one too many situations of her being in the middle of a villain altercation,” Muller-Janssen shares.
There’s a new supervillain in town who will play a big role in Season 2. This new threat will leave viewers on the edge of their seat as it is unclear if Amy will come out on top, according to Pappas.
“It was really cool to see a villain that was of our age,” Pappas says. “It’s more of an even chance because they’re sort of on the same playing field.”
Not only do the Maddens have to battle supervillains in Centropolis, but they also must face relatable real-life challenges, such as getting jobs, unraveling their family’s history, and being responsible.
“The things that they are going through emotionally and physically are things that we would actually go through when we were in high school or maybe kids nowadays,” Muller-Janssen says. “This season definitely just raised the stakes and also has a lot more life lessons to learn and very beautiful heart-to-heart moments that are going to be really lovely for everyone to see.”