Fringe Brings the Funny (and a Few Awwws) to Comic-Con

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It wasn't all madness and mayhem at Comic-Con today.

In fact, we had the Fringe Division on our side in Ballroom 20, where the lively cast and creative team of Fox's sci-fi thriller provided plenty of laughs, insight about season three, and even a tear or two (we're talking to you, Joshua Jackson).

Read on to hear what the cast--including John Noble, Anna Torv, Lance Reddick and more--said about their dual characters, and what lies ahead...

John Noble (Walter): This year's most notable Emmy snub, who garnered the loudest applause today, told us after the panel that "Walternate" is a "dangerous man" who "became hard" and "formidable" after his son is stolen. Physically, Walternate is no softie either: John told us he actually lost weight and trained to play a more convincing younger Walter. (Hear that, Emmy voters? What are you waiting for?!)

Anna Torv (Olivia): "'Our' Olivia just wants to be the best, but [Alt] Olivia just wants to win," Anna said about her dual characters. Practically speaking, she added, "It's exhausting getting the wig on and off."

Joshua Jackson (Peter): Josh caused a collective "aw" from the audience when he talked about Peter's return to Walter after being "betrayed on the most fundamental level": "Sometimes blood isn't thicker than water…Sometimes when you're forced to make a decision in a snap, you make the most honest decision…just pure emotional response, and his emotional response was to come home." Again: Awww.

Blair Brown (Nina Sharp): "I kept hoping someone in the finale would step over an arm," she said about her Alt…appendange? "Her arm is there. I am actually over there. Just not the rest of me."

Lance Reddick (Broyles): "I'd like to see the alternate Broyles relationship with his wife explored," the erstwhile Lost and Wire star shared with fans. Currently, Alt Broyles' loyalty lies with Walternate, who he views as "a great patriot and a great mind," but "he's a bit of a maverick, so I guess we'll see just how that loyalty and relationship plays out."

Jasika Nicole (Astrid): Compared to her nurturing personality in this universe, Alternate Astrid "is a little like a machine in a certain way," Jasika said, adding that her sister's autism offers her a special insight into her new role, which opens "a whole world of possibilities to me."

Leonard Nimoy (Walter Bell): Nimoy wasn't at Comic-Con (he's always here in spirit, though, right?), but when asked about his retirement, show runner Jeff Pinkner said, "He's now retired twice. He's our Brett Favre." If Nimoy changes his mind again, Fringe has "another story to tell" about William Bell.

New Characters: With a whole new universe at their disposal, the show runners are excited about bringing new actors on board. In the first episode of season three, Lance Reddick's Wire costar Andre Royo (Bubbles) guests. We'll also meet Olivia's mom, played by the lovely Amy Madigan.

Fringe returns Sept. 23 on Fox.