Runaways (comics)/Characters: Difference between revisions

{{spoiler|At the end of the first story-arc it is revealed that Alex [[The Mole|has been working against the group the whole time]]. He had discovered the nature of their parents activities a year ago and, instead of being repulsed, decided to help his parents. He discovered that the Deans and Hayes, the two non-human couples of the Pride, were planning to betray the rest of the group so that they and their children would live in paradise, instead of all the adults surrendering their positions to their children. Alex manipulated the rest of the kids into discovering the nature of their parents as part of his plan to defeat the machinations of the Deans and Hayes, and betrayed the runaways in their final confrontation with the Pride. However, ultimately, Alex and the Pride as a whole were defeated by the runaways and he was killed in the battle. Later issues reveal that he is now trapped in [[The Nothing After Death]], and is attempting to earn his way out by helping the runaways back on Earth by passing messages to Molly.}}

 

 

* {{spoiler|[[The Atoner]] - Only after his death, unfortunately. He doesn't seem to have managed to contact anyone else, and may be stuck there with the Gibborim indefinitely}}.

{{spoiler|Near the conclusion of the first story-arc she begins to develop romantic feelings for Chase, who reciprocates, and they become a couple for the remainder of their time together. She is self-conscious about her appearance, being shorter than average and slightly over-weight, but how this is portrayed [[Depending on the Artist|varies by the artist]]. It is revealed that, in the future, Gertrude will become a super-hero named "Heroine," and will become leader of [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|The Avengers]] until she is killed by Victorious (see "Victor" below). However, due to the actions of her future self [[Timey-Wimey Ball|the timeline has been changed]], and Gertrude instead died while still a young runaway. Dying in Chase's arms, she transferred telepathic control of Old Lace to him.}}

 

 

* [[Badass Bookworm]]

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.

 

 

* [[Covers Always Lie]] - Similar to the Gert example above, one of the covers by Jo Chen depicts her [http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080107134006/marveldatabase/images/0/03/Runaways_Vol_1_3_Textless.jpg 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).

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.

 

 

* [[Abusive Parents]] - The original group all had supervillains for parents, but his were the only ones who treated him this way.

Nico was a normal [[Perky Goth|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 [[Subverted Trope|does not always]] [[No Periods, Period|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 {{spoiler|being tortured by her great-grandmother, the Witchbreaker}}, this seems to be coming true. {{spoiler|She becomes the leader of the group after Alex's death.}}

 

 

* [[Combat Stilettos]] - She actually used them against Victor.

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 ({{spoiler|though this no longer seems to apply as of volume 3}}). Serving as the voice of innocence and child-like good-nature, numerous characters nonetheless explain that Molly is much more intelligent and mature than she appears, but [[Obfuscating Stupidity|she hides it well]].

 

 

* [[Ascended Fanboy|Ascended Fangirl]] - Shown both in her original crush on Wolverine<ref>"Can I touch your hair, Wolverine? My friend Karolina said that you use gel, but I think it just grows that way 'cause you're a mutant, oh, and I'm a mutant, too! I used to have a poster of you and Doop in my bedroom when I was little, but I think you're even cooler than Doop, and I liked that one time when you and the other X-Men met the Fantastic Four and..."</ref> and in her visit to the X-Men in Vol 3 #10, where throughout the tour she (again) slips into overexcited motormouth mode.

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."

 

* [[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.