History Characters / RunawaysTitleTeam

Some time later, Nico and Chase are abducted by the supervillain Arcade and forced into the ComicBook/AvengersArena, where she and other young characters of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse (like [[Characters/X23LauraKinney X-23]] and some of the ComicBook/AvengersAcademy) must kill (or ''be'' killed) in order to escape. [[OurHeroIsDead Nico actually dies at one point during this ordeal]], but thanks to the Staff of One, [[NotQuiteDead her death isn't permanent]]. With the help of Chase and their fellow captives, most (but not all) of them manage to make it out alive.

* AscendedFangirl: Shown both in her original crush on [[Characters/WolverineJamesLoganHowlett Wolverine]][[note]]"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..."[[/note]] and in her visit to the ComicBook/XMen in Vol 3 #10, where throughout the tour she (again) slips into overexcited motormouth mode.

* TransgenderFetishization: Or rather genderfluid. Initially created to act as a romantic/sexual partner for a lesbian character, although CharacterizationMarchesOn indeed as the comic progresses. Otherwise, considered very attractive in their default human form.

* TangledFamilyTree: As Ultron's "son", he's related to half the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, including three of the ComicBook/YoungAvengers and two of the ComicBook/{{Champions|2016}}.

--> "''If [being an adult] means turning into the people who raised us... [[Music/TheWho I hope I]] ''[[HarsherInHindsight die]]'' [[HarsherInHindsight before I get old.]]''"

-->'''Alex''': *wielding [[AllYourPowersCombined Fistigons, The Staff of One, and Old Lace]]* Aren't you [[ArcWords proud?]]

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

--> "''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:''' You think that looks like me? I don't think that looks like me.
-->'''Nico:''' I'd recognize those thighs anywhere.

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

--> "''I'm not a leader. [[TeamMom I'm a den mother]]. And not a very good one.''"

-->'''Nico:''' So you guys are still...together?

-->'''Karolina:''' Um. You're still in the Avengers database. Julie looked you up for me...
-->'''Nico:''' Right. Julie. Your ''girlfriend.''

--> ''"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?"''

-->'''Molly:''' You're a villain, and your ringtone is stupid.\\

%%* GagPenis: To Chase's dismay.

* LogicBomb: He was programmed to be both spiritual and logical, so something that contradicts one while supporting the other, e.g. "Could God make a sandwich so big even He couldn't finish it?" causes him to freak out and shut down. Chase mentions that he has about three statements left that could make him do this, and each one only works once.

-> "''Only one word befits such an opponent: [[WorthyOpponent outstanding]].''"

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. They (even the characters become confused over the proper pronouns to use) possess all the powers of the ComicBook/FantasticFour (though not nearly on the same level as them) and join the team as the result of a bargain made long ago between their parents and Karolina's.

-->'''Xavin''': "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."

--> ''"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."''

* CrossoverRelatives: In ''ComicBook/{{Daken}}: Dark Wolverine'', Daken's evil ex-boyfriend turns out to have been of Stein's HonoraryUncle, giving Daken an excuse to recruit the Runaways in order to help take him down.

Upon discovering her [[WillTheyOrWontThey maybe-boyfriend]] Alex Wilder is actually a mole serving their parents and defeating him, Nico becomes the Runways' new leader. Over the next few years, she and the Runaways clash with the ComicBook/YoungAvengers during the first ComicBook/CivilWar, gain (and lose) a few members, and make it through the ComicBook/SecretInvasion.

Some time later, Nico and Chase are abducted by the supervillain Arcade and forced into the ComicBook/AvengersArena, where she and other young characters of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse (like ComicBook/{{X 23}} and some of the ComicBook/AvengersAcademy) must kill (or ''be'' killed) in order to escape. [[OurHeroIsDead Nico actually dies at one point during this ordeal]], but thanks to the Staff of One, [[NotQuiteDead her death isn't permanent]]. With the help of Chase and their fellow captives, most (but not all) of them manage to make it out alive.

When the Franchise/MarvelUniverse is destroyed by [[ComicBook/SecretWars2015 a final incursion]] with [[ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Earth-1610]], [[AlternateUniverse another Nico]] exists in the [[{{Matriarchy}} Arcadia region]] on [[ComicBook/DoctorDoom God Doom]]'s [[PatchworkWorld Battleworld]], and serves on their team of [[AmazonBrigade law enforcers]] called ComicBook/AForce. Alongside ComicBook/SheHulk, [[ComicBook/TheInhumans Medusa]], ComicBook/{{Dazzler}}, and a {{cosmic entity}} called Singularity, they investigate the wrongful arrest of ComicBook/AmericaChavez and take down the amoral Lady ComicBook/{{Loki}}.

Unfortunately, they soon get drawn into ComicBook/CivilWarII, which ''starts'' with She-Hulk (their leader) being put in a coma. Afterwards, Nico winds up living on her own again, at a loss for anything to do...until Chase shows up with an unexpected guest, kick-starting [[ComicBook/RunawaysRainbowRowell a new Runaways series.]]

* AscendedFangirl: Shown both in her original crush on ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}[[note]]"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..."[[/note]] and in her visit to the X-Men in Vol 3 #10, where throughout the tour she (again) slips into overexcited motormouth mode.

The first new recruit to join the team after it reformed following Alex's death. Victor's mother was Marianella Mancha, a former petty thief, while his father is none other than ComicBook/{{Ultron}}. Victor lived a normal life (or so he thought), attending high school in Los Angeles, with a deep admiration for superheroes across the world. [[LittleDidIKnow Little did he know]], he was [[ReallyWasBornYesterday only a few years old]], implanted with FakeMemories, and was intended to become the ManchurianAgent that would infiltrate ComicBook/TheAvengers and dismantle them from the inside, destined to become the supervillain known as Victorious...

... but then the ComicBook/{{Runaways}} learned of this thanks to the Gert Yorkes of that BadFuture travelling back to warn her younger self. They basically kidnap him from high school, where Victor learned of his powers fighting off the others, and after a hectic fight and chase, Victor is ultimately subdued and taken back to the hostel. Following an interrogation, they learn that his father is ComicBook/DoctorDoom, or so it seemed. In reality, his father turned out to be ComicBook/{{Ultron}}, and it was there where Victor learned of his destiny, and from that moment onward he vowed to never become that person, taking a heroic path instead.

Oh, and since he's the son of Ultron, he's got relatives as diverse as [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]], ComicBook/TheVision, ComicBook/WonderMan, ComicBook/ScarletWitch, and [[ComicBook/YoungAvengers Wiccan]].

* CoolBigBro: Not only has this dynamic with Molly once he joins the team, but with Klara as well. It sometimes has shades of BigBrotherInstinct.

* EveryoneHasStandards: After having been kidnapped for being the son of a supervillain meant to become one in the future, he was willing to play along to find out who his parent was... until they brought up the ComicBook/RedSkull as a potential candidate and seriously considered the possibility that it ''could'' be him. That was the moment Victor refused to cooperate and used force to escape because he didn't want to even entertain the idea that his father could be a ''Nazi''. Fortunately, he was right, as instead his father was the still-evil-but-not-a-Nazi ComicBook/{{Ultron}}.

* FingerInTheMail: His decapitated head is sent to the Runaways by Tony Stark after being killed in ComicBook/TheVision2015.

* HalfHumanHybrid: Part human, part robot His "father" is ''freaking'' ComicBook/{{Ultron}}.

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. They (even the characters become confused over the proper pronouns to use) possess all the powers of the ComicBook/FantasticFour (though not nearly on the same level as them) and join the team as the result of a bargain made long ago between their parents and Karolina's.

* {{Flight}}: Thanks to possessing [[ComicBook/HumanTorch Johnny Storm]]'s fire powers.
* FormerBigot: Xavin used to be a massive Skrull chauvinist, often using dehumanizing language towards their teammates, sometimes unintentionally (like calling Molly a "hatchling") and sometimes not (like referring to Klara as a "stray" or Victor as the "house android".) Seeing their own people destroy themselves in the ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'' caused Xavin to greatly rethink their beliefs.

* {{Invisibility}}: Thanks to possessing [[ComicBook/InvisibleWoman Sue Storm]]'s invisibility powers.

* RubberMan: Thanks to possessing [[ComicBook/MisterFantastic Reed Richards]]' powers.
* ShapeShifting: They can change forms at will. At one point, they transform into Karolina to take her punishment.

* SuperStrength: Comes from [[ComicBook/TheThing Ben Grimm]]'s powers.

* TheFatalist: Between her extremely strict upbringing and the abuse she suffered at Mr. Prast's hands, she used to believe that her sole lot in life was to suffer for being different and then die. She snaps out of this pretty quickly after the ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'' miniseries, where, in the face of near-certain death at the hands of a Super-Skrull, she decides that she'd very much like to live.

A rogue minion of ComicBook/DoctorDoom, and Victor's former teammate from ComicBook/AvengersAI, who later showed up to help build him a new body. In the wake of the J-Team fiasco, Doombot has become convinced that the Runaways need a more mature presence to watch over them, and has moved in to the Hostel to serve that role.

Some time later, Nico and Chase are abducted by the supervillain Arcade and forced into the ComicBook/AvengersArena, where she and other young characters of the MarvelUniverse (like ComicBook/{{X 23}} and some of the ComicBook/AvengersAcademy) must kill (or ''be'' killed) in order to escape. [[OurHeroIsDead Nico actually dies at one point during this ordeal]], but thanks to the Staff of One, [[NotQuiteDead her death isn't permanent]]. With the help of Chase and their fellow captives, most (but not all) of them manage to make it out alive.

* BoobsOfSteel: Her future counterpart in ''ComicBook/BattleOfTheAtom'' is the bustiest and the most physically-endowed woman of her team.

* WetBlanketWife: After Nico slept with him in a moment of weakness, he assumed that they were going to become a normal couple and tried to play the role of the supportive boyfriend, but often ended up annoying her instead.

* FormerBigot: She almost rejected Molly and Karolina's efforts to recruit her because she was uncomfortable being on a team with a black genderfluid alien and a lesbian. She got over this pretty quickly, though, and in the 2017 series, has been [[spoiler:adopted by an interracial gay couple]].

* PutOnABusToHell: In the 2017 series, Nico and Chase reveal that after Nico left the team, the state came for Klara and put her in foster care, which is generally portrayed in a negative light in the series. And given that Klara is precisely the sort of kid that would not do well in the system, her future prospects did not look bright. [[spoiler:Subverted in that it later turns out Klara's quite happy with her new foster dads and has no desire to return to the Runaways, even though she still considers them her friends.]]

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: With his green skin, pointy ears, and connection to a fanatically genocidal race, one could be forgiven for mistaking him for Xavin, the only Runaway who remains unaccounted for in the 2017 series.

* RelationshipUpgrade: With Karolina, as of Issue 12 of the relaunch.

* HasTwoDaddies: Her foster parents are two gay men, which surprises Nico given Klara's previous views on homosexuality. Klara apologizes to Nico for her past beliefs by saying the group showed her she was wrong and love is all that matters.

* AmbiguousDisorder: She is prone to bouts of severe depression and hypersexuality. It's unclear if this is due to bipolar disorder, a consequence of the stresses of being a Runaway, or a possible quirk of her Majesdanian physiology (though none of those answers are necessary exclusive.)

* AmbiguousDisorder: She has a great deal of difficulty socializing and can be prone to weird moods. Whether this is the result of the abuse she suffered or if there's some other factor at work is unrevealed. ''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy'' hinted that she may have PTSD.

* TheyDo: After so long? Nico realizes she loves Karolina and her initial confusion was a struggle over her own sexuality... after Nico asks for another chance, Karolina becomes a couple with her.

The first new recruit to join the team after it reformed following Alex's death. Victor's mother was Marianella Mancha, a former petty thief, while his father is none other than ComicBook/{{Ultron}}. Victor lived a normal life (or so he thought), attending high school in Los Angeles, with a deep admiration for superheroes across the world. Little did he know, he was [[ReallyWasBornYesterday only a few years old]], implanted with FakeMemories, and was intended to become the ManchurianAgent that would infiltrate ComicBook/TheAvengers and dismantle them from the inside, destined to become the supervillain known as Victorious...

* BareYourMidriff: Karolina has worn many outfits like this, especially when Adrian Alphona is the artist.

* DepravedBisexual: Nico gets slut-shamed by visions her parents for kissing Alex, kissing Chase, dating Victor and falling for Karolina.

* TheMillstone: Post-resurrection, her control over Old Lace has become unreliable, her combat skills are about what you'd expect from a teenager who disdains sports, and since she can't get a job and refuses to go back to school, she spends a lot of time lounging around the Hostel. This behavior persists when she's a reluctant member of the J-Team. Given how she has no more control over Old Lace and expresses no desire to physically better herself, she is not on the field team. She does end up learning about MissionControl with Matthew.

An alternate-reality version of Gert Yorkes from at least five years into the Runaways' future. Having seen some terrible event, she has travelled back into the present to recruit Chase to help her.

* FlatEarthAtheist: Gert refers to herself as an agnostic... while one of the team's greatest adversaries is a trio of fallen angels. This probably makes her more of a NayTheist.

* ShesGotLegs: How can Nico tell she's been moonlighting as a superhero?
-->'''Karolina:''' You think that looks like me? I don't think that looks like me.
-->'''Nico:''' I'd recognize those thighs anywhere.

At the end of the first story-arc it is revealed that Alex [[TheMole 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 Hayeses, 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 Hayeses, 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.

In the 2017 series, he returns to the team at the end of issue 12, out of options and on the run from the Seed of the Gibborim, who want the Runaways to honor their parents' bargain.

* AllYourPowersCombined: In the final battle of the first series, Alex ends up in control of Chase's fire-blasting gauntlets, Nico's [[MagicWand Staff of One]], ''and'' Gertrude's psychic connection to Old Lace. [[spoiler:All of which would have been much more helpful if he weren't TheMole.]] He had no way to take Molly or Karolina's inborn abilities, but it's still a pretty impressive accomplishment for somebody with no powers of his own.

* TheReveal: Alex is revealed to be TheMole for The Pride, completely unbeknownst to his parents.

* VillainousUnderdog: He's the only original Runaway that isn't an alien, magic, has super technology, psychic links to genetically engineered dinosaurs, or superhuman strength. Instead, he only has his wits to get by, and is also the secret villain of the first arc. His plan was very risky, as he had to lead the others, while also avoiding his parents controlling the law to capture them, the same ones he was trying to ''save'', and he had very limited resources as a wanted criminal. Literally, all he had to rely on were the other runaways, the same ones he was trying to deceive. And if wasn't for the Gibborim, he would've ''succeeded''.

* FutureMeScaresMe: And not for the normal reasons, either. Gert's future self was a hero and leader of the Avengers -- who were all slaughtered under her watch. This has convinced Gert that she shouldn't be in charge of ''anything'', and tries to distance herself from the woman who failed so completley.

* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Gert's biggest flaw is this. She is utterly insecure because of her appearance, lack of athletic capability and relative mundanity compared to her friends (she only has her psychic link to Old Lace and even then, she loses that to Chase when she dies.) As such, she tends to snark at her friends or have a condescending behavior with her intelligence. Despite that, she is more content to remain in the background rather than try and go for the leadership role, thus not taking any real responsibilities and not putting herself in a situation where bad decisions could lead to problems.
** This likely has increased by the 2017 revival. She has no powers and no real motivations or direction for her life. This has been leading her to act with greater suspicion and hostility, even as the team is happy to have her back. This attitude gets her called out by Matthew, Doc Justice's assistant, noting that her concern for her friends could likely be also envy that they were chosen and she wasn't. Given her insecurity and her actions, Matthew is at least partially right.

Chase is the third normal human in the group. His MadScientist 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.

Nico was an ordinary Japanese-American teenager with ordinary parents... or so she thought. One night, while hanging out with the kids of her parents' friends as they do annually, Nico and the others discover something shocking: their parents are a cult of supervillains called The Pride.

* EthnicMagician: Averted. Her and her parents have magical powers, but it's not linked in any way to them being Japanese and her powers actually have more in common with European styles of magic.
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Karolina had a crush on her for years before she noticed the attention. During her time in ComicBook/AForce, her teammate Singularity also had a PrecociousCrush on her. Pixie also showed attraction to Nico, which was mutual.

* RelationshipUpgrade: With Karolina, as of issue 12 of the relaunch.

* PintsizedPowerhouse: She's a tiny little girl, but she's got super strength. [[IGotBigger She's starting to grow out of it by the 2017 series]]
* PowerStrainBlackout: 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.

* StatuesqueStunner: Her future counterpart in ''ComicBook/BattleOfTheAtom'' positively ''towers'' [[http://retconpunchdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/anxm16_molly.png over Wolverine]]. Not that towering over [[TheNapoleon Wolverine]] is that hard. [[spoiler:Her present day has been shown to have recently passed Wolverine in height herself so [[IGotBigger she's beginning to get there.]] ]]

* {{Irony}}: He was built by Ultron to infiltrate the Avengers and cause a BadFuture. And in ''The Vision (2015)'' the Avengers use him to infiltrate family of another of Ultron's creations which apparently will cause ''another'' bad future.

* AbusiveParents: Her mother thought her power was unnatural and was happy to arrange a marriage for her (even if her husband was old enough to be her father.)

* TheTeamNormal: Becomes this in the second iteration, as the other normals Alex and Gert died while additional supers Victor and Xavin replaced them, leaving Chase as the only one without any powers. He does access some super advanced tech, is an expert pilot of the Leapfrog, and he inherits [[CoolPet Old Lace]] after Gert's death, all of which do a pretty good job at making up for his lack of actual superpowers.

* DepravedBisexual: Nico gets slut-shamed by her parents for kissing Alex, kissing Chase, dating Victor and falling for Karolina.

* KnifeNut: Chase is very fond of his switchblade.

* FutureMeScaresMe:

* RidiculouslyHumanRobot: Unlike the Vision and other robots built by Ultron, Victor can pass for human. Justified since Ultron built Vision to destroy the Avengers and Victor to infiltrate them. Deconstructed as well - the price he paid for looking human, was lack of Vision's physical invulnerability [[spoiler:so a life of superhero battles lead him to painkiller addiction]].

* NiceHat: [[UnlimitedWardrobe Despite being on the run]], she manages to have a whole collection of adorable hats. Xavin lampshades it.

Oh, and since he's the son of Ultron, he's got relatives as diverse as [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]], ComicBook/TheVision, ComicBook/WonderMan, ComicBook/ScarletWitch, and ComicBook/{{Wiccan}}.

* GlamourFailure: [[ZigzaggingTrope Zigzagged.]] Alex is a little traumatized having existed in TheNothingAfterDeath for a few years, but otherwise looks normal. [[spoiler: However, he reveals to Molly that touching him reveals his true nature — that he is nothing more than a reanimated corpse. Those who experience it still see his face as normal, but his touch is that of cold, dead flesh.]]

** He uses it again at the climax of "That Was Yesterday", regarding his threat to sacrifice Victor. He points out that the others considered sacrificing Gib, and that making hard decisions is part of being a leader. Nico retorts that a real leader would sacrifice themself, not someone else. [[spoiler: There may be pragmatic reasons for this aside from his own narcissism... he later reveals to Molly that he [[CameBackWrong is, for all intents and purposes, a living corpse]], which implies he may not have a life to sacrifice.]]

* AngerBornOfWorry: Her increased hostility and frustration during her and the Runaways' time with Doc Justice becomes more blatant when she learns of the various deaths on the J-Team. While she was cranky before from being left behind, she was at least ''trying'' to accept her friends' decison while learning how to support them as MissionControl -- until she learns of the body count. When she brings her concerns to Victor, he acknowledges that all of them are pretty aware of the dangers involved and had a meeting about to decide it. Of course, this is before it turns out [[spoiler: Doc Justice has been ''murdering'' his teenage sidekicks for years, to get more attention for his "heroism."]]

* ProperlyParanoid: [[spoiler: Issue #30 reveals she was right to be uncomfortable with the group subbing as the new J-Team when she gets into Doc Justice's files and discovers hard evidence he orchestrated the deaths of at least several of his teammates for the sake of keeping the J-Team both marketable and in the public eye. And he wants Karolina dead to serve that goal]].

* TheLeader: Once the team reformed [[spoiler: after Alex's death]], although she doesn't think of herself as one.
* LoyalPhlebotinum: Initially averted. Nico's blood summons the staff, but anyone who took it from her could use it.[[spoiler: Although this is no longer possible after she TookALevelInBadass, and if anyone else tries to use the staff, it will ''eat'' them.]]

* FutureMeScaresMe: He's never actually met his BadFuture self, but [[EvilMeScaresMe the idea is more than enough to scare him]].

* ShockAndAwe: Again, electromagnetism, which often translates to firing lightning from his hands.