Runaways is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series features a group of teenagers who discover that their parents are part of an evil crime organization known as "the Pride". Created by Brian Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, the series debuted in July 2003 as part of Marvel Comics' "Tsunami" imprint. The series was canceled in September 2004 at issue #18, but due to high numbers of trade collection sales, Marvel revived the series in February 2005.
Originally, the series featured a group of six kids whose parents routinely met every year for a charity event. One year, the kids spy on their parents and learn they are "the Pride", a criminal group of mob bosses, time-travelers, wizards, evil scientists, alien invaders and telepathic mutants. The kids steal weapons and resources from their parents and learn that they themselves inherited their parents' powers; Alex Wilder, a prodigy, leads the team while Nico Minoru learns she is a powerful witch, Karolina Dean discovers she is an alien, Gertrude Yorkes learns of her telepathic link to a dinosaur, Chase Stein steals his father's fistigons (fire gauntlets) and x-ray goggles, and young Molly Hayes learns she is a mutant with incredible strength. The kids band together and defeat their parents and atone for the sins of their parents by fighting the new threats trying to fill in the Pride's void. Later, they are joined by the cyborg Victor Mancha, the shape-shifting Skrull Xavin, and the plant-manipulator Klara Prast.
Since the original group's introduction, the Runaways have been portrayed as a somewhat dysfunctional yet loving family. Series creators Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona left the series at issue 24 of the title's second volume, which ended at issue #30. The series was cancelled in November 2009 after issue #14 of Volume 3, but the characters have been seen in other comics. On September 1, 2017, Rainbow Rowell and Kris Anka revived the series, which ran for 38 issues.
A live-action adaptation of the series was in development for several years, leading to the Runaways television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It debuted on Hulu in 2017.
Publication history
Series creator Brian K. Vaughan pitched Runaways in 2003 as a part of Marvel's Tsunami imprint, the goal of which was to attract new readers, particularly young readers and the manga audience. Marvel editorial staff agreed to it immediately, prompting Wizard Magazine to name the series as "one of the best original concepts from Marvel in thirty years." The Tsunami imprint turned out to be unsuccessful, and the series ended at issue #18. After the series' sales in digests, Vaughan pitched the idea again to Marvel, who accepted it.
Writer Brian K. Vaughan has claimed that he had only planned to write Runaways for six months/issues, but because of the popularity of the series and new ideas from Vaughan, Marvel decided to continue issuing it on a monthly basis. In 2007, Brian K. Vaughan announced his departure from Runaways, deciding to leave the series at the top of its game. Longtime Runaways-fan Joss Whedon was hand-picked by Vaughan to write an arc and finish the second volume; although Whedon had declined at first, he later accepted.
In 2008, writer Terry Moore, alongside artist Humberto Ramos became the new creative team for the third volume. In Blair Butler's "Fresh Ink" segment on the cable television station G4 show Attack of the Show Marvel revealed that Kathryn Immonen and Sarah Pichelli were the new creative team. They began with issue #11 of Volume 3, which will "start with a prom and end with a death"; Marvel editor Nick Lowe said that "It feels so right and so wrong at the same time? To be honest, and no offense to Joss or Terry, I hadn't felt this way since Gert died." The story ended with a major cliffhanger that was resolved in other comics.
After three years, the Runaways returned in the story arc "Pride Comes Before It", in issues 17 to 19 of Daken: Dark Wolverine. They appeared in Avengers Academy #27–28. Since then, Victor Mancha became a regular character in the robot-themed comic Avengers A.I.,Avengers A.I. #1 while Nico Minoru and Chase Stein became part of the cast in Avengers Arena,Avengers Arena #1 and its sequel Avengers Undercover.Avengers Undercover #1
In February 2015, it was announced that a new Runaways series would be launching during Marvel's Secret Wars crossover written by ND Stevenson and drawn by Sanford Greene, featuring a new cast set on Battleworld. The lineup of the new team included Molly Hayes and a team of all new members. Additionally, Nico Minoru was featured in A-Force. Nico was also used on a second run of A-Force, this time based in the mainstream Marvel Universe, but was cancelled after ten issues.
In May 2017, Marvel released teasers with the characters of the Runaways. In June 2017, it was announced that Marvel would release a new Runaways series written by Rainbow Rowell, and illustrated by Kris Anka. The new series was released in September 2017. In August 2021, Marvel celebrated the title's 100 issues with co-creator Adrian Alphona returning for a special giant-sized Runaways #38, final issue of Rowell's run. In 2023, a six-issue arc resolving one of the cliffhangers from that issue written by Terry Blas and drawn by Bruno Olivera was published as part of the Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic series on the Marvel Unlimited app.
Fictional team biography When Alex, Chase, Gert, Karolina, Molly, and Nico witness their parents ("The Pride") sacrifice a girl in an occult ceremony, the group runs off. As the story progresses, the children learn of their heritage and abilities, and steal resources from their parents, including futuristic gauntlets, a dinosaur, and a mystical Staff. Using these resources, they manage to remove their parents, who were aided by their benefactors, the Gibborim, from their criminal hold of Los Angeles. Alex, concealing his true loyalty to his parents, betrays the other Runaways to the Pride; in the final battle with the Pride, Alex is incinerated by the Gibborim.
With the Pride defeated, Nico becomes the de facto leader, and the other Runaways now vow to prevent other villains from filling in the void left by their parents. When an older version of Gert time travels to the present, she begs the Runaways to find a boy named Victor Mancha and stop him before he grows up to become a villain in her time named "Victorious". He betrayed her and then murdered every hero on the planet. It is at this point she dies, but the Runaways decide to comply with her wish. The Runaways track down Victor and discover that his actual "father" is Ultron who created Victor as a sleeper agent for the Avengers. The Runaways foiled this plan, but Victor still fears this future may come true. They take Victor in after realizing that he is in the same boat as they are. A shape-shifting alien Skrull Xavin arrives on earth and demands Karolina to leave with them. After a brief confrontation with the Runaways, they explain that Karolina is their fiancée as arranged by their parents and they must go to stop the fifteen-year war between their races. During the wedding ceremony, a fight breaks out between the two races and they barely escape before Majesdane is destroyed. They return to Earth, where they join the team and help rescue Molly along with the rest of the Runaways from the New Pride. Right before the Runaways defeat a new incarnation of the Pride and Alex's resurrected father, Gertrude is fatally wounded. Before she passes, she transfers her power to control Old Lace to Chase.
In the Civil War crossover event, the Young Avengers travel to Los Angeles to help the Runaways fight off the government agents and Flag-Smasher. The two teams encounter Noh-Varr, who works for S.H.I.E.L.D. and attempts to capture the teenagers. Chase then hatches a plan, without the consent of the rest of the team, to sacrifice himself to the Gibborim, but the team comes to save him, which then causes the Gibborim to be obliterated.Runaways v2 #24 When the Runaways are accidentally time-displaced in 1907, they encounter the deceased Runaway Gertrude Yorke's parents. After defeating the Yorkes and deadly gang war, plant-manipulator Klara Prast joins the Runaways when they return to the present. Upon returning from 1907, the Runaways find themselves in New York helping the Young Avengers during the Secret Invasion, where the Skrull Armada has invaded seeking Hulkling. Xavin pretended to be loyal to the Skrulls to protect her friends during an attack, but helps them retreat away from the battle.
The Runaways are hunted by several remaining Majesdanian soldiers with the desire to capture Karolina for the problems caused on their planet; in a twisted turn of events, however, Xavin shape-shifts into Karolina and leaves with the Majesdanians.Runaways v3 #1–6 The Runaways also prevent a zombie epidemic in Los Angeles.Runaways v3 #7–9 Molly also visits the X-Men in San Francisco and reconciles with Wolverine. The team is attacked while staying in Chase's parent's beach house. Old Lace is critically wounded saving Klara, whose powers cause foliage to keep the house from crumbling, but trapping everybody. A man alleging to be Chase's uncle appears and tries to help, but is followed by the military. The team runs away, but Chase separates and is critically wounded in a car accident while running across the street chasing a figure reminiscent to Gertrude.Runaways v3 #11–14
The reunited Runaways later formed an uneasy alliance with Daken in order to take down Marcus Roston, a superpowered criminal with ties to the Pride. Then they appeared again at the Avengers Academy asking for help in finding Old Lace, who has been banished into a secret dimension.
The Runaways partially disbanded afterwards, with Victor joining Hank Pym's Avengers A.I. team while Nico and Chase were both captured by Arcade and forced to fight for their lives in Avengers Arena, later joining other teen superheroes who survived Arcade's games in Avengers Undercover. After Nico's brutal death, dismemberment, and subsequent resurrection in Avengers Arena, she is traumatized and has a hard time assimilating back with the Runaways. Chase seemed fine by his experiences in MurderWorld and relished his newfound fame. Chase returned to take care of Karolina, Molly, and Klara. By the end of Avengers Undercover, however, the Runaways seem to be together once again.Avengers Undercover #10 Some time after the events of Avengers Undercover, Nico joins the A-Force before returning to Los Angeles.A-Force v2 #1 After Victor's time with the Avengers A.I., he is recruited to work with Vision and moves in with him and his family in DC in The Vision (2015).The Vision #8
Some time later, Chase used the Yorkes time machine to go back in time and save Gert before she was killed by Geoffrey Wilder. The plan partially works but Gert is still gravely injured. Nico managed to heal her and they went in search of the past members of the team in the hopes of reforming. Karolina had become a college student, living off her parents' royalties and in a relationship with Lightspeed from Power Pack, and Molly went to live with her grandmother and study middle school. Both turned down the offer to rejoin the team, but Gert accepted, becoming Molly's adopted sister living under her grandmother's rule. The pieces of Victor Mancha had been sent by the Avengers to Chase, and he managed to reactive him thereby triggering the "Victorious" program but not completely rebuild him. After rescuing Molly and Gert from her mad scientist grandmother's house, the team reformed and began to live on a derelict underground Pride Hostel, with Nico and Chase magically becoming Molly's legal guardians.Runaways (2017) Volume 5 #7 Romance blossomed between Nico and Karolina and between Gert and Victor.Runaways (2017) #12