Fans of 24 probably did a double take when they saw actor Carlos Bernard holding court with Kiefer Sutherland at a California comic book convention – after all his character, Tony, died after an explosion back in series five. But Kiefer’s one-time sidekick is set to make a mysterious return in season seven and the two counter-terrorist agents were on hand to explain the hows and whys – without giving too much of the game away, of course.
"Obviously the real-time aspect is the real star of the show. So when I was asked what I thought of bringing Carlos back, I said, 'Um, how?'" recalled Kiefer, who was joined at this weekend's Comic Con festival in San Diego by a host of other stars promoting their shows, including Joshua Jackson, star of new sci-fi series Fringe.
The writing team's innovative solution to the problem proved impossible to resist, however. "The way he came back was so extraordinary and unexpected and very '24' and so clever. So we went for it," added the Canadian actor.
Other season seven revelations at the three-day extravaganza, which drew 125,000 film and comic fans, included the arrival of a female president and veteran actor Jon Voight playing a good guy – or, as is the 24 way, possibly a baddie.