Runaways (comics)/Characters

This is the list of characters from the Marvel comic book series Runaways.

The Original Team
Alex Wilder

""If [being an adult] means turning into the people who raised us...I hope I die before I get old.""

The leader of the group, he possesses no super-human powers, but his keen intellect and his possession of his parents' Abstract make him a formidable strategist. His parents were mob bosses who ran the more traditional criminal ring of the Pride, with prostitution, drugs, murder, and whatnot. He is introduced while playing an Avengers MMORPG and has an affinity for classic television series, and begins to bond with Nico when he learns that she enjoyed the copy of The Prisoner that he had lent her. He is the most vocal of the group in their need to oppose their parents.

The casting call for the movie specifies: "Very smart, natural leader, in need of a father figure. Male, African-American, must play 16-18"


 * Badass Normal
 * Black and Nerdy
 * The Chessmaster
 * Pop-Cultured Badass
 * The Strategist
 * Teen Genius
 * Pop-Cultured Badass
 * The Strategist
 * Teen Genius
 * Pop-Cultured Badass
 * The Strategist
 * Teen Genius
 * Teen Genius

Gertrude Yorkes (Codename: Arsenic)

""I've known our parents were evil since I was five. This perverted little gathering just confirms it.""

Like Alex, she has no real powers, but her Time Travelling parents left her a very special inheritance: A genetically engineered, psychic dinosaur named Old Lace, who follows her every command. Unlike the rest of the group, Gertrude and Nico had been close friends for years and spent time together beyond the once-a-year Pride meetings, and she often serves as a voice of reason and (relative) maturity for the group. Forward-thinking even as a child, Nico recounts that when they were little kids Gert once took all of Nico's pony dolls and hid them in the woods, explaining that they deserved to be free.

The casting call for the movie specifies: "Chubby oddball, smart and verbal. Female, must play 16-18"


 * Badass Bookworm
 * Covers Always Lie: Jo Chen's covers depicting Gertrude generally have her looking nothing like she does in the comic at all.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Future Badass: In one timeline, she grew up to lead the Avengers, but...
 * Future Me Bores Me: She still didn't think too much of that future.
 * Hollywood Pudgy when drawn by anyone other than Adrian Alphona.
 * Even moreso with Jo Chen's take on her. It doesn't really look like she tried. (The art is still beautiful, however).
 * Jewish and Nerdy
 * Kuudere
 * The Kid with the Remote Control
 * The Lancer
 * The Snark Knight
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair (Dyed, obviously)
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair (Dyed, obviously)

Karolina Dean (Codename: Lucy In The Sky)

""I wish we'd never learned about any of this! I was much happier being kept in the dark! I...I hope our parents do kill us now! I...I...I can fly? I CAN FLY!""

Karolina at first appears to be a clichéd Valley Girl child of celebrity parents (tall, blond, attractive, and always fighting for "a cause"), but she is actually the most confused and internally conflicted member of the group. After discovering the nature of the Pride, Karolina learns that she is an alien from the planet Majesdane, which had exiled her parents to Earth for criminal activites. Solar powered, she also gained the power to fire energy blasts from her hands and generate forcefields. The revelation that she is not even human, along with more personal crises of identity, lead to severe depression, although her newfound ability to fly does provide her with some joy.

The casting call for the movie specifies: "Conventionally beautiful, with an unchecked ego. Female, must play 15-18"


 * Covers Always Lie - Similar to the Gert example above, one of the covers by Jo Chen depicts her flying in her de-powered form, which she is unable to do. (Again, the art looks very nice, but doesn't add up with the character's abilities).
 * Detached Sleeves - The armsocks from the first arc.
 * Driven to Suicide - She tries to commit suicide-by-vampire (in exchange for Molly being spared, but still) during the Teenage Wasteland arc. She gets better by the end of the first volume.
 * Flight
 * Gayngst
 * Human Alien - Is virtually indistinguishable from a human girl, unless she powers up.
 * I Just Want to Be Normal
 * Light'Em Up: That suicide-by-vampire mentioned above?
 * Lipstick Lesbian
 * The Chick
 * The Heart - Chase definitely thinks of her in this role, pointing out how everyone was that much worse to each other when she was temporarily Put on a Bus.
 * Tomato in the Mirror

Chase Stein (Codename: Talkback)

""Hey, I may not be book smart, but I am street smart." "Which street? Sesame...?""

Chase is the third normal human in the group. His Mad Scientist parents had a number of inventions, which he puts to good use over time, but he mostly serves as the group's wheel-man (or, you know, giant robot frog-man). His relationship with his parents was much more hostile and confrontational than he rest of the group, and he takes their newfound homelessness in stride. He serves as the heart of the team, as well as much of the early comic relief, but he has a real mean streak which pops up from time to time.

The casting call for the movie specifies: "A rebel, ignores rules and authority, wounded inside. Male, must play 16-18"


 * Abusive Parents - The original group all had supervillains for parents, but his were the only ones who treated him this way.
 * Badass Normal
 * The Big Guy - Shares the role with Molly - arguably develops shades of The Lancer later on.
 * Book Dumb: Chase gets straight C's and has the lowest general knowledge of the group, but is quite street smart, and more than capable of cobbling together simple, yet effective plans, under pressure.
 * Hidden Depths
 * Jerk Jock
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Knife Nut: Chase is very fond of his switchblade.
 * Multiple Choice Past -
 * The One Guy - Very briefly, in between  and Victor's introduction.
 * Opposites Attract: With Gert
 * Playing with Fire - The Fistigons, gauntlets stolen from his parents' lab. They're destroyed, but he finds some more of his parents' tech in Volume 3.
 * The Slacker
 * Playing with Fire - The Fistigons, gauntlets stolen from his parents' lab. They're destroyed, but he finds some more of his parents' tech in Volume 3.
 * The Slacker

Nico Minoru (Codename: Sister Grimm)

""I'm not a leader. I'm a den mother. And not a very good one.""

Nico was a normal Goth teenager when everything kicked off. Imagine her surprise to find out that her parents were dark sorcerers, and she has inherited their powers. During their escape, she absorbs her parent's magic staff, "The Staff of One". It allows her to do anything, cast any spell she can think of, but each spell only works once. To summon the staff, her blood must be spilled - she carries a small knife to for just that purpose (which she detests, since she is not, and never has been, a cutter), but does not always need to use it. Her powers are only limited by her imagination. It is implied throughout the series that the staff is only the tip of the iceberg of her power, and she might be able to control magic without it one day; after, this seems to be coming true.

The casting call for the movie specifies: "Uniquely beautiful, nurturing but guarded. Female, Asian-American, must play 16-18"


 * Combat Stilettos - She actually used them against Victor.
 * Elegant Gothic Lolita
 * Perky Goth - until Angst happens.
 * Ethnic Magician - Her and her parents, although there's not much focus on it.
 * Even the Girls Want Her
 * Fatal Attractor
 * Green Lantern Ring & Literal Genie - The Staff of One, often a source of Mundane Utility.
 * It's also a partial subversion, as the One bit is literal: It will only perform an action once. If Nico wants to repeat something, she has to use a different phrasing.
 * Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: Though Nico is not attracted to girls, she gets very touchy-feely with her lesbian friend Karolina.
 * Hot Witch
 * Ship Tease - on-again, off-again with Karolina. Vol. 3 issue ten goes a little nuts with this.
 * Squishy Wizard
 * Team Mom
 * The Hero - Once the team reformed, although she doesn't think of herself as one.
 * Took a Level In Badass - Whatever the Witchbreaker did to her has affected her powers in ways that have yet to be fully explored. The most dramatic example is how the Staff of One reacts to people: before, anyone could try to use it. Now, if anyone besides Nico so much as touches it, it.
 * Try Not to Die - Catch phrase.
 * Words Can Break My Bones - Nico can use the Staff of One to create any magical effect she can describe (usually in one or two words). However, each description can only be used once.

Molly Hayes (Codenames: Princess Powerful, Bruiser)

""I'm a mutant but not a bad one like Magneto a good one like Doop and the X-Statix and when I grow up I'm gonna join the X-Men and get married to Wolverine so you better not act prejudiced around me. 'Kay?""

The youngest member of the group, 11-year-old Molly's parents were mutants. They thought she did not inherit the X-Gene from them, but during their escape her eyes glow an eerie purple and she gains super strength. She has limited invulnerability and super strength, but using these abilities are extremely tiring and can only be sustained for a short time before she requires a nap. Serving as the voice of innocence and child-like good-nature, numerous characters nontheless explain that Molly is much more intelligent and mature than she appears, but she hides it well.

The casting call for the movie specifies: "An innocent, wide-eyed and overprotected. Female, must play 8-10"


 * Ascended Fangirl - Shown both in her original crush on Wolverine and in her visit to the X-Men in Vol 3 #10, where throughout the tour she (again) slips into overexcited motormouth mode.
 * Badass Adorable
 * Cute Bruiser
 * Ensemble Darkhorse: Something of a fan-favorite within the series.
 * Must Have Caffeine - Or anything with enough sugar to fuel her powers. Nico once magically gave her enough of a sugar rush to topple a giant.
 * Mutant
 * Nice Hat - Despite being on the run, she manages to have a whole collection of adorable hats. Xavin lampshades it.
 * She presumeably gets them from the same Infinite Fashion Budget the Runaways get all their clothes.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: Many characters call her out on it, saying that she acts much younger than she really is.
 * Pint-Sized Powerhouse - Noticing a trend?
 * Power Strain Blackout - In early issues, she would black out from exhaustion after a throwing a single punch. As she got more used to it she wouldn't pass out, but would still need a nap after using her powers.
 * Precocious Crush - on Wolverine, until he managed to scare her and she promptly Worf-Effected him
 * Super Strength
 * The Big Guy
 * Wise Beyond Their Years - "The girls I live with are just mutants. You guys are my friends."

Later Members
Victor Mancha

""You're a villain, and your ringtone is stupid." "You don't know what you're talking about, little girl! That's a Rick Jones song!""

An Ordinary High School Student who the team basically kidnaps after a visitor from the future tells them that he will grow up to become a Big Bad called Victorius, who will murder all of the superheroes in the world. He joins the team to learn about himself and (hopefully) prevent himself from becoming what everybody fears.


 * Anime Hair: Depending on the Artist, this can range from mild to completely ridiculous.
 * Ascended Fanboy
 * Brain Bleach -
 * Genius Bruiser - It's easy to forget, since he mainly sticks to his long-range abilities, but he's definitely super-strong. One time a villain called the Swarm threw a mailbox at him, and he effortlessly punched it out of the way, flattening it in the process.
 * Gratuitous Spanish
 * Future Me Scares Me - He's never actually met his Bad Future self, but the idea is more than enough to scare him.
 * Half-Human Hybrid
 * Human Mom, Nonhuman Dad
 * Logic Bomb -
 * The Smart Guy
 * Shock and Awe
 * Tangled Family Tree - As  he's related to half the Marvel Universe, including three of the Young Avengers.
 * Technopath - To an extent.
 * Teen Genius
 * Twofer Token Minority - "My mom was Mexican, you racist dipstick. My dad was
 * Teen Genius
 * Twofer Token Minority - "My mom was Mexican, you racist dipstick. My dad was

Xavin

""Only one word befits such an opponent: outstanding.""

- Xavin reacts a little differently than the others to a Kaiju tearing up LA.

A Shapeshifting Super Skrull in training from the Planet Tarnax VII. Being a Skrull, for whom changing shape (and gender) is of no more importance or difficulty than changing the color of your hair, Xavin is sometimes male and sometimes female. He/She (Even the characters become confused over the proper pronouns to use) possesses all the powers of the Fantastic Four and joins the team as the result of a bargain made long ago between his and Karolina's parents.

""My father killed a family of screaming Majesdanians in front of me when I was five. I cried so, I was left with the corpses for three days.""
 * Abusive Parents - X's parents are both dead, but what little we hear of them suggests this.


 * Action Girl - Half the time
 * Arranged Marriage - Karolina's parents sold out their own home planet to the Skrulls after being exiled from it, and offered them K's hand in marriage as a bargaining chip. While both Xavin's and Karolina's parents are dead, Xavin attempted to use this as a way to end the war.
 * Child Soldier - Before coming to Earth.
 * Love Martyr: To Karolina, despite their relationship being rather loving and healthy, this may be due to the fact that Karolina is one of the few good things in her life.
 * Gender Bender
 * Green-Skinned Space Babe - Starting in volume 3 - before then, Xavin defaulted to male when in Skrull form.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold - By far the hardest to get along with but always places everyone else's needs above his/her own.
 * Fantastic Racism - Xavin...doesn't exactly think of machines as equals. The way she treats Victor ranges from unthinkingly calling him the 'house android' to being an outright Jerkass (particularly in the Civil War crossover). However, in later issues they seem to be getting along decently enough. In Secret Invasion, Xavin even begs Victor to protect the others and run away before the other Skrulls can get them.
 * Xavin is also a target of this trope from Majesdaneans after Skrulls destroy their homeworld. One calls his relationship with Karolina "perverted."
 * In Love with Your Carnage - He admires the Kingpin of all people for keeping New York on a tight leash, despite being a Badass Normal in a city full of superheroes.
 * Proud Warrior Race..it depends. OTOH, s/he has no illusions about what full-scale war is like.
 * Shapeshifting
 * Sixth Ranger
 * Superpower Lottery - Xavin possesses the shapeshifting ability that all Skrulls have as well as the powers of the Fantastic Four, which the Skrulls obtained through genetic engineering. The only drawback is that s/he has trouble using multiple abilities at once due to hir lack of training.
 * Barrier Warrior
 * Flight
 * Invisibility
 * Playing with Fire
 * Rubber...again, it depends
 * Super Strength
 * Cover his/her body with orange stone similar to that of The Thing.
 * Cover his/her body with orange stone similar to that of The Thing.

Klara Prast

""I have always just...I thought that was how plants grew. Because you asked them to. On our farm in Bern, I would speak and the crops would listen. But the roses...the roses would speak back.""

A young immigrant girl from 1907 with the ability to control plants whom the team encountered when they had been flung back in time. When Karolina and Molly learned about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the (adult) man her parents had married her to, they convinced her to come back to the present with them. She is close with Molly, being the two youngest runaways, but her unfamiliarity with the present and her own abusive history make their relationship vastly different from "normal" friendship.


 * Abusive Parents: They thought her power was unnatural and were happy to arrange a marriage for her (even if her husband was old enough to be her father).
 * Fish Out of Temporal Water: Mostly averted. The only indications that she is from another time are her old-fashioned views of homosexuality and the occasional mention of her husband. She adapts pretty quickly to most of the modern world and enjoys playing Wii.
 * Green Thumb
 * Innocent Flower Girl: In a sense
 * Mutant
 * Punny Name: Chloroplast.
 * Sixth Ranger
 * Talking to Plants

The Pride
The Pride is made up of six married couples who are the parents of the six original "runaways." In The Eighties, they were chosen by a trio of giants called the Gibborim to form the Pride. The Pride would sacrifice young innocents and feed their souls to the Gibborim, who would use the power gained to purge Earth of all humanity. In return, the Gibborim gave them twenty-five years of wealth and power and promised six members of the group a place in the new "paradise" that Earth would become. The other six would perish along with the rest of humanity. When Janet Stein got pregnant, she and her husband decided to donate their seat in the Gibborim's new paradise to their child. Each of the other couples in the Pride then chose to have one child each and give them their spots in the Gibborim's paradise rather than worry about possibly living forever separated from their spouses. The group's past and future are contained in a coded book called "The Abstract."


 * Archnemesis Dad & Evil Matriarch: They think they're going what's best for their kids. With one exception the kids beg to differ, and view The Pride's members as this.
 * Cosmopolitan Council
 * Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The members of The Pride are all Happily Married, and each couple loves their particular child. Katherine Wilder also mentions wanting to save her mother from the Gibborim.
 * Evil Parents Want Good Kids
 * Family Values Villain: Although those particular values may differ (i.e. the Deans are liberal and the Yorkes conservative and all of them vary in strictness), they all frequently express typical parental attitudes in between being ruthless supervillains.
 * Happily Married
 * Heir Club for Men: Although gender was a non-issue.
 * Kill All Humans: Their overall plan.
 * Knight Templar Parents
 * Villain with Good Publicity: All of them.
 * West Coast Team: A big part of the premise is that they are set up in an area where there is no real superhero presence, because as far as anyone knows, there are no supervillains set up there- the Pride are much better at keeping their activities secret than anyone else in the Marvel Universe.

Geoffrey and Katherine Wilder ("The Thieves")

""I know you think I'm a monster, Alex, but someday you'll understand that everything I did was done out of love.""

The parents of Alex. They are two mob bosses whose organized crime syndicate controls all of Los Angeles and, apparently, California. Though they are.


 * Badass Normal: Geoffrey in particular. No one has done more damage to those kids than he has.
 * Bad Boss: Both of them, but especially Geoffrey.
 * Bald Black Leader Guy: Geoff
 * Bald of Evil: Geoffrey
 * Badass Beard & Beard of Evil: Geoffrey
 * Big Bad: Geoffrey is the leader of The Pride, in the first arc..
 * Diabolical Mastermind: The two of them control almost all of LA, and have agents everywhere else.
 * Evil Sounds Deep: According to Nico she would "recognise Mr. Wilder's baritone anywhere."
 * Fake Brit:.
 * Former Teen Rebel: From punk-ass bank robbers to Diabolical Masterminds.
 * Jive Turkey: Somewhat fit this in their youth.
 * Knife Nut: Geoffrey seems inordinately fond of the sacrificial knife used in the Gibborim's rituals.
 * Knife Fight:.
 * Large and In Charge: Geoffrey
 * Manipulative Bastard: Geoffrey again.
 * Man of Wealth and Taste: Both Katherine and Geoffrey favour expensive suits.
 * Pop-Cultured Badass:.
 * Scary Black Man: Geoffrey is very intimidating.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: Geoffrey to Alex
 * You Have Failed Me: Geoffrey to Lt. Flores.

Dale and Stacey Yorkes ("The Travelers")

""The future is still ours.""

The parents of Gert. They were recruited by the Gibborim when their time machine broke down in The Eighties, which they consider the worst decade of the millennium. At some point in their travels, they went to the 87th century and created a deinonychus who they would psychically link to their daughter Gert. They are  They wield various weapons from different time periods including a samurai battle axe (from an "alternate past"), an ornate musket, and a glove that bursts into flames.


 * An Axe to Grind: Dale uses one during their first run in with the kids
 * Badass Moustache: Dale
 * Evil Redhead: Stacey
 * Future Slang: Occasionally
 * Goggles Do Nothing
 * The Masochism Tango: Dale and Stacey argue constantly, and often appear to be at one another's throats, but they really do love one another.
 * Time Travel
 * Time Travel for Fun and Profit: They steal valuables and then sell them in other times.
 * Steampunk: Their costumes and equipment seem inspired by this genre.
 * Steampunk: Their costumes and equipment seem inspired by this genre.

Frank and Leslie Dean ("The Colonists")

""We're heroes! We've dedicated our lives to making this world a better place for those kids!""

The parents of Karolina. They are extraterrestrials from the planet Majesdane, who were exiled to Earth for unspecified criminal activity. They took their new surname from actor James Dean and became Hollywood actors. When Karolina was born, they made her wear a med-alert bracelet at all times, which in actuality suppressed her Majesdanean form and made her appear human. At some point before the events of the series, the Deans fended off a Skrull invasion of Earth by giving them the coordinates to the planet Majesdane and arranging a marriage between their daughter and Skrull prince/princess Xavin, who they hoped would die before he/she could take their offer.

""But what's in it for us? Beyond the usual entertainment value of wasting Earthlings of course?""
 * Aliens Are Bastards
 * Arms Dealer: Frank is in negotiations to buy Skrullish weapons when he gets the call about Karolina.
 * Arranged Marriage: They set up K and Xavin's in the process of selling out their home planet.
 * Blondes Are Evil: Leslie
 * Expy: Of General Zod and Ursa of Superman- they are criminals from another planet who have sun-powered abilities on Earth, and Alex even starts to compare Karolina's bracelet to kryptonite before being cut off.
 * Fantastic Racism: Towards humans.
 * Flight
 * Granola Girl / Soapbox Sadie: Part of their personas
 * Hitler Ate Sugar: When Karolina insists her parents don't eat meat, and thus cannot be evil, Gert's response is "Neither did Hitler."
 * Human Aliens: As are all Majesdaneans.
 * Light'Em Up
 * Light Is Not Good
 * Psycho for Hire: To the Gibborim.


 * The Starscream:
 * Stepford Smiler: Both but especially Leslie. They're Brady Bunch on the outside and homicidal on the inside.

Victor and Janet Stein ("The Wise Men")

""My son and I have had our differences, but I love Chase more than life itself. Literally.""

A pair of scientists who supposedly invented a tool to easily remove the plastic wrap from CDs. In fact, they are the Pride's main scientists and have created x-ray goggles, weaponized gauntlets called the Fistigons, rocket boots that Chase dubbed the "Footstigons," and several transport ships called Leapfrogs. Victor often beats his son for reasons such as bad grades. Despite this, he claims to truly love Chase and wants him to get a place in the Gibborim's post-apocalyptic paradise. He has also been shown hitting his wife. He has


 * Abusive Dad: Victor
 * Badass Labcoat: Definitely.
 * Blond Guys Are Evil: Victor
 * Domestic Abuser: Victor (though to what extent we don't know)
 * Evil Genius: For The Pride as a whole.
 * Gadgeteer Genius
 * Goggles Do Nothing: They've created X-Ray specs before, but the ones they're wearing don't seem to do much.
 * Hair-Trigger Temper: Victor
 * Hand Blast: Victor fires a laser from his watch.
 * Mad Scientist
 * Meaningful Name: Victor Stein's name is likely inspired by Victor Frankenstein.
 * Nerd Glasses: Victor
 * Perma-Stubble: Victor
 * Sticky Situation: Janet's gauntlets fire glue, as Alex unfortunately discovers.
 * Tricked-Out Gloves: Janet's fire glue. Then there's the Fistigons, which they invented, which are a Power Fist that enables chase to turn himself into a walking flamethrower.
 * Unusual Weapon Mounting: Victor has Frickin' Laser Beams in his watch.

Gene and Alice Hayes ("The Outcasts")

""Yes, to the parents of the year.""

A pair of telepathic mutants who are doctors by profession. They had originally thought that Molly was not a mutant. They both have a sadistic side, once telepathically forcing a rival gang leader to watch as they butchered his crew.


 * Cursed with Awesome: Applies to nearly all mutants in the Marvel Universe.
 * Fantastic Racism: Towards humans (despite originally believing Molly to be one).
 * Glowing Eyes of Doom
 * Meaningful Name: A mutant named Gene?
 * Mutants
 * Psychic Powers
 * The Starscream:
 * Telepathy

Robert and Tina Minoru ("The Magicians")

""Faith is a complicated thing, sweetie.""

A pair of dark magicians who are abducted by the Gibborim on their wedding day. Tina wields the Staff of One, which is taken by Nico. Robert is usually seen reading a spellbook when casting magic. According to the Witchbreaker, Robert fought something called his "Grimshape" by the time he was Nico's age. The Minorus were somehow acquainted with a Monk Theppie, a.k.a. "Mother," a male magician who worked for the California Witchcraft Community and coveted the Staff of One.


 * Boom Stick: Tina wielded the Staff of One before Nico stole it.
 * Ethnic Magician: Averted. Though the Minorus are Japanese, their powers are not derived from Japanese culture.
 * Evil Sorcerer
 * Religious Bruiser: Both are very Catholic.
 * Spell Book: Robert's Weapon of Choice

The "New Pride"

A group formed by  and several of Alex's friends from an online MMORPG. They are armed with gadgets and magic talismans left behind by the original Pride.


 * Stretch: An overweight boy who lives with his grandmother and role-plays as scantily clad superheroines. He wielded a sword made out of the same metal as Karolina's bracelet, allowing him to cut through her force-fields.
 * Hunter: A boy with overgrown hair. He is a technological expert who was able to briefly hack into both Victor and Leapfrog.
 * Lotus: A girl who often dresses in archaic-style dresses and loves Renaissance fairs. She quickly gets the hang of magic and
 * Oscar: A temp worker who is often fired for playing online RPG's at work. He figures out the decoder ring and partially translates the Abstract. He is

Minor characters
The Gibborim

""We are the Gibborim, and we hunger.""

The six-toed giants that create the Pride in order to gain sacrificed human souls, regain their power, and eventually purge the Earth of humanity. They are the Half-Human Hybrid descendants of fallen angels. When  Both   and  later seek their help in resurrecting deceased loved ones for which the cost is one human sacrifice. Unable to gain sufficient human souls,  They run into, who speculates that they, like him, did evil things in the hope that their father would be proud of them.


 * Bad Boss
 * Bigger Bad
 * Fallen Angel: Or rather, the children of fallen angels.
 * Freud Was Right / Freudian Excuse: Their conversation with after   reflects Freud's theory that God and the father figure are ultimately the same thing in one's mind.
 * Kill All Humans: Their plan.
 * Our Giants Are Bigger

Cloak and Dagger

A pair of superheroes who gained their powers after being forcibly given drugs. Like the main characters, they were once teenage runaways and avoid the Adults Are Useless theme that pervades the series. Cloak has a mystical cloak that allows him to draw others into a hellish dark dimension. He can also teleport himself and others through the dark dimension and become intangible. He has a hunger for light that he gets either from Dagger or from the people he absorbs. Dagger has the power to generate blades of light that can, according to Nico, show you your sins. Cloak and Dagger are enlisted by Lt. Flores, a Pride agent in the NYPD, to find his bosses' children.

Later on, Cloak is accused of trying to kill his partner Dagger. . He seeks out the Runaways and asks them to investigate the attack on Dagger, claiming that he was framed. Dagger's attacker turns out to have been


 * Absolute Cleavage: Dagger
 * Cleavage Window: Dagger again
 * Dark Is Not Evil: Cloak.
 * Eldritch Abomination: The main characters see these when Cloak teleports them to New York using the Darkforce.
 * Running Gag: The anger of Moral Guardians over Cloak and Dagger's origin story, thinking that it glorifies drug use.

Topher

A teenager who is on a crime spree with a pair of adults. The Runaways meet him when they foil their attempt to rob a convenience store. Topher tells them that the two adults are his parents who were in a Freak Lab Accident, gaining superpowers and going insane. His parents then forced him to join in their crime spree.


 * Shout-Out: To Joss Whedon
 * Shout-Out: To Joss Whedon
 * Shout-Out: To Joss Whedon

Lt. Flores

A lieutenant in the LAPD. He is also a minion of the Pride, which does not seem to be a secret within the LAPD. He enlists the superheroes Cloak and Dagger to help find the Pride's children, which displeases them. He later tracks the Runaways to the first Hostel and is buried when Nico collapses the cave on top of them. He is pulled out of the rubble by his fellow officers but executed by Geoffrey Wilder.


 * The Mole: Within the LAPD
 * Too Dumb to Live

Excelsior

"Turbo: "The whole point of our organization is showing young people there are healthy alternatives to dressing up in costumes." Chamber: "No offense, luv, but have you caught a glimpse of yourself [in costume] lately?" Turbo: "It's like my mom always said, Jono. 'Do as I say, not as I do.'""

"Darkhawk: "We're adults now, Mickey. We can handle the responsibility.""

A team of now-adult superheroes who began their careers as teenagers. The group is formed with the mission of stopping other teenagers from going down the same path. While they originally resolved to carry out their mission without resorting to their superhero identities, they soon decided that using their powers was necessary. The Runaways have a disdainful attitude towards them, seeing their message as "Do as I say, not as I do." Excelsior soon got its own Spin-Off comic, though the name of the team and the comic was changed to "Loners" due to copyright issues.


 * Michiko "Mickey" Musashi/Turbo: A young woman who uses Powered Armor. Now works as a journalist.
 * Phil Urich/Green Goblin: A man who stole the Green Goblin Powered Armor to become a superhero. Like Mickey, he begins working as a journalist.
 * Johnny Gallo/Ricochet: A mutant with Super Speed and aiming ability.
 * Chris Powell/Darkhawk: Gained powers from an extraterrestrial amulet but retired from superheroics when the accompanying nightmares became too intense for him to stand.
 * Julie Power/Lightspeed: A former member of Power Pack whom Karolina is mistaken for earlier in the series. Capable of supersonic flight. Now hopes to become an actress.
 * Johnathan Starsmore/Chamber: A mutant able to fire energy blasts from a chamber in his chest. However, his powers have destroyed much of his body and he is constantly glowing.
 * Rick Jones: A former sidekick to Captain America. Recently wrote a successful book about his experiences, which allows him to sponsor Excelsior financially.

The Upward Path

"Lillie: "They ain't the Sinners, but neither are they saints. Us as has to make a living have run afoul of them -- and not all come out alive.""

A group of superheroes from 1907. Their methods cause some in-universe Values Dissonance with the main characters. They use torture as well as allow civilians to join them in combat, two things most superheroes in the 21st century do not do.

""I fight to end this injustice.""
 * The Adjudicator: A religious, gun-wielding superhero whose appearance is likely inspired by The Punisher.

""Magic is a thing of the past. I'm the Difference Engine. I'm the future.""
 * Expy: Of the Punisher.
 * Black Maria: A superheroine with a nun-inspired costume. The nature of her power is unknown but involves her touching the heads of her victims, causing a halo-like light to shine around them. A similar halo also appears around her own head.
 * The Difference Engine: A superhero who is either a robot or a man in Powered Armor. He can fire explosive shells from arm-mounted cannons and contains an advanced (for the time period) computer. His primary weakness is water.

"(To Nico): "Don't ye be callin' us [Sinners], chink! We's the Upward Path, the city's protectors, and we'll kick you all the way back to Mott Street with the other burny blowers!""
 * Steampunk
 * Oh My Gods / Thank the Maker: "For Babbage's sake..."
 * Nightstick: A superhero with a police-inspired uniform. He is often relied upon to control his hot-tempered partner, Daystick.
 * Daystick: A superhero with a police-inspired uniform. He plays the Bad Cop to Nightstick's Good Cop (or Slightly-More-Levelheaded Cop).

"''"Every generation weakens. Until the world turns on them, as it will on yours.""
 * The Witchbreaker: A magician with a miko-inspired costume. She tortures witches, aiming to bring out their true potential. She is


 * Ethnic Magician: Her costume is based on that of a Miko.
 * Tough Love: She is concerned about her descendant's success.
 * Training From Hell: "The more pain you learn to take..."

The Sinners

""And their group is called the Sinners because they're solid citizens, right?""

A criminal gang of Wonders (people with superpowers) led by. They travel on a luxurious train called the Mineola. They are the main enemies of the Upward Path.

""They don't call me Maneater for any reason other than the obvious.""
 * Maneater: A cannibalistic giant with a jaw so strong that it hurt Xavin's Thing-like fist when he punched it. Nico defeats him by magically turning him into a vegan.

""Kid Twist has never missed.""
 * The Dragon: To
 * I'm a Humanitarian
 * Super Strength
 * Kid Twist: A marksman with two revolvers. He can hit any target he's seen and his bullets follow their victims like heat-seeking missiles.

""Men have fought over me for centuries...it's very dull.""
 * Forget-Me-Not: A beautiful, centuries-old woman who can use her scent to cause men to fall in love with her and fight over her. She is usually seen lounging on a couch or bed, almost never standing upright.


 * Living Aphrodisiac
 * Love Is in the Air: Jealous, violent love.
 * Really Seven Hundred Years Old
 * Villainesses Want Heroes: She seems especially attracted to the Adjudicator.
 * Morphine: A chemist who fights by throwing syringes. It is unclear if he has any superpowers or if he is simply a brilliant scientist.
 * Goldbrick: A muscular man with gold-colored skin.
 * Ratdog/Ratbag: A large, half-man, half-rat creature. Called "Ratdog" in "Dead End Kids" but called "Ratbag" in the Secret Invasion tie-in.
 * Daphne: A woman whose elbows branch off into three forearms each. They are apparently very strong. She is only named in the index for the Runaways/ Young Avengers Secret Invasion crossover.

The Street Arabs

A group of superpowered "Wonders" who live on the streets. They remain neutral between the Sinners and the Upward Path but have done jobs for both sides.

""No more scroungers' work for Eddie Gunnam; not with a' power of this.""
 * Eddie Gunnam/The Swell: The leader of the Street Arabs. An otherwise ordinary man who obtains an enchanted walking stick that brings him good luck. He pried the stick from the hand of a dead man who had been struck by lightning five times. The stick was destroyed when it blocked a bullet from Kid Twist that otherwise would have killed Eddie.


 * Lillie McGurty/Spieler: A young girl who is able to fly if she hears music, even if that music is in her own head. She falls in love with Victor, who begs her to come with them in the future..

"(To Victor): "I'll kill you before I let you take [Lillie] from me!""
 * Heroes Want Redheads: Victor and Lillie
 * Fiery Redhead: Lillie
 * Just Friends: Lillie's view of her and Tristan's relationship. Tristan has a different view.
 * The Slow Path
 * Tristan: A man with incredible strength fitted with mechanical wings. He is in love with Lillie, but she puts him firmly in the friend zone.

""I say what Hoyden said, mainly because she said it.""
 * Creeper: A tiny man with a close bond to Hoyden. He often rides on her shoulder. He is killed by Kid Twist.

"(To Kid Twist):"I'm partial to brains myself. But you just emptied your gun into a dead man so I doubt this'll be much of a meal.""
 * Incredible Shrinking Man: Creeper's power is apparently being very, very small. He is probably like that permanently as he has never been shown at any other size.
 * Dead George Pelham: A brain-eating zombie. He is impervious to most kinds of physical harm.

"Creeper: "This coming from the girl that put six bulls in the hospital for callin' her a tom.""
 * Not Using the Z Word: He is never called a zombie.
 * Megan the Hoyden: A tomboyish young girl whose power is super speed. She is killed by Kid Twist.

"(On his shirt) "Eat dis ya bums!""
 * Tomboy
 * The Big Guy
 * Yellow Kid: The "most notorious" member of the Street Arabs. He is seen generating blasts of yellow light during a fight, though it is unclear what they do. His profile in the Runaway's Secret Invasion tie-in says that his thoughts generate words on his shirt and that he was seen in a Manhattan bar nearly a century after "Dead End Kids." A Shout-Out to the very first comic strip character.


 * Jacob: A fiddler who lives with the Street Arabs. He plays to allow Lillie to fly. He has no known powers though the appendix of the Secret Invasion issue says his music has "unique qualities."
 * Professor Duck: A Chinese scientist who crafted Tristan's mechanical wings. He is not a Street Arab but is liked and respected by them. It is unclear if he has any powers but he was able to recognize a time travel device from the future.

Majesdanean soldiers

A group of four Majesdanean soldiers who travel to Earth to capture Karolina Dean, intending to punish her for her parents' role in the Skrulls' invasion and destruction of planet Majesdane. To avoid further bloodshed, Karolina decides to surrender to them.


 * vaDanti: A former university student from Majesdane. VaDanti was off Majesdane visiting his sister deHalle when the planet was destroyed by the Skrulls. Though not a proper soldier, he joins the group searching for Karolina Dean. He is taken prisoner by the Runaways where he explains who they are and why they want to capture Karolina.
 * deHalle: vaDanti's sister and a sergeant in the Light Brigade, an elite Majesdanean military unit.
 * vaRikk: A lieutenant in the Light Brigade and the group's pilot and navigator. He is also deHalle's ex-boyfriend and it seems that their breakup was less than amicable.
 * vaDrann: The leader of the Majesdaneans hunting for Karolina. He is named only in the index of the Runaways / Young Avengers Secret Invasion crossover.


 * Expecting Someone Taller: vaDrann says this about Karolina when they finally meet face-to-face to discuss her surrender.
 * Fantastic Racism: Towards Skrulls.
 * Human Aliens
 * Oh My Gods: Majesdaneans seem to worship the sun. They use expressions such as "What the sun?" and "I swear by the sun."
 * Sins of Our Fathers: Their motive for hunting Karolina is that her parents started the war. She had no control over any of it, and even agreed to give up her life on Earth to stop it, but they don't care. Their planet has been destroyed, their species is almost extinct, and they need someone to blame, however warped the logic.

The Wrecking Crew and Excavator

The Wrecking Crew is a group of four Marvel Universe supervillains that have fought many different Marvel heroes. The Wrecking Crew was started by Wrecker, who had gained Super Strength and an enchanted crowbar from the Norse god Loki, enemy of Thor. He later magically distributed that strength to three fellow criminals, who dubbed themselves Thunderball, Piledriver, and Bulldozer.

Ricky Calusky was an orphan who lived with his grandparents. However, when he found out his father was Piledriver, he ran away to join the Wrecking Crew. He took the name Excavator and carried an enchanted shovel, which he broke over Molly Hayes' head. Since the Wrecking Crew's strength is distributed evenly among its members, taking in Excavator meant less power for the original four members, which left them weaker and made them reluctant to accept Ricky into their crew.

After the Pride is defeated, the Wrecking Crew is one of many supervillain bands that tries to take over their territory in LA. They are defeated by the Runaways while trying to rob a bank.

Hunter Stein

Chase's uncle and Victor Stein's brother. Hunter runs Track Consolidated Construction and Containment, which designs facilities to contain superpowered people who are either criminals or unable to control their abilities. Hunter would frequently visit his brother and the two would argue. Chase suspects that Hunter wanted to be let in on the Pride's criminal activity. Chase also remembers running over Hunter with his van, though it is unclear how reliable his memory is.

After the defeat of the Pride, Hunter inherits the Malibu beach house that the Runaways are staying in. He offers to take care of the Runaways, but they refuse.

Flag-Smasher

Mainly a member of Captain America's rogues gallery. Flag-Smasher is an anarchist supervillain dedicated to the elimination of national governments, which he believes will bring world peace. He appears during the Civil War tie-in when he visits the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. When SHIELD agents attempt to search him because of his above-average physique, he attacks them. He is subdued by the Runaways, who are then captured by SHIELD themselves.


 * Bomb Throwing Anarchist