Runaways story arcs
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This page describes the story arcs for Marvel Comics' Runaways comic book written by Brian K. Vaughan.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
[edit] Vol.I
In "Pride and Joy", the introductory story arc (Runaways vol. 1 #1-6, pencilled by Adrian Alphona and inked by David Newbold and Craig Yeung). Nico Minoru, Gertrude Yorkes, Chase Stein, Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, and Alex Wilder meet at their families' annual gathering. When they see their parents performing the ritual sacrifice of a teenaged girl, the shocked teenagers vow to turn the tables on their evil parents. Nico takes a mystical staff called The Staff of One, Chase finds powerful gauntlets and multi-spectral goggles, Karolina discovers her alien heritage and superpowers, Molly finds out she is a mutant, and Gert inherits a genetically engineered Deinonychus under her telepathic control. In order to get their children back, the Pride frame them for the murder of the innocent girl they had sacrificed. The runaways retreat to a subterranean hideout they call "the Hostel", a mansion buried during an earthquake. The teenagers, except Alex, pick new superhero names to replace the ones their parents gave them. Meanwhile, it is revealed that one of the teenagers is still loyal to the parents.
In "Teenage Wasteland" (Runaways vol. 1 #7-10, pencilled by Adrian Alphona and inked by Craig Yeung), while stopping a robbery, the runaways encounter a boy named Topher, who claims his parents forced him to aid them in the robbery. Deciding he is one of them, the group takes him back to the Hostel. Topher reveals himself as a vampire and attempts to "turn" Nico, but Alex rescues her. Topher dies after biting Karolina, whose blood is infused with solar energy.
In "Lost and Found" (Runaways vol. 1 #11-12, pencilled by Takeshi Miyazawa and inked by David Newbold), Cloak and Dagger, informed that the teenagers had kidnapped Molly, confront the runaways. After learning the truth, the two superheroes promise to contact the Avengers to help the runaways take down the Pride; the mole, however, tips off the Pride, and they telepathically remove all memory of the meeting from Cloak and Dagger.
In "The Good Die Young" (Runaways vol. 1 #13-17, pencilled by Adrian Alphona and inked by Craig Yeung), the teenagers learn that the Gibborim, an ancient race of beings who wish to wipe Earth clean of humanity and start again, formed the pride to do their bidding. The runaways disrupt the ceremony that will give the Gibborim the power to destroy humanity. Alex engineers his friends' defeat and reveals himself to be the mole. He tells Nico that Karolina and Molly's parents had planned on killing the rest of the pride and taking their children with them to the next world. Alex offers for his family and Nico's family to go instead. Nico angrily refuses and fighting ensues. It ends when Molly destroys the container that holds the sacrificed girl's soul in it (to be given as an offering to the Gibborim). The angry Gibborim destroy Alex, and as the Pride's undersea lair collapses, the grown-ups hold off the giants giving the runaways a chance to escape in a vehicle called "The Leapfrog".
In "Eighteen" (Runaways vol. 1 #18, pencilled by Adrian Alphona and inked by Craig Yeung), with their parents dead, Social Services separates the runaways. Three months after the destruction of the Pride, Karolina organizes a reunion, and the team heads off to an Avengers storage complex to retrieve Old Lace. The teenagers decide, rather than return to their new lives, to stay together.
[edit] Vol.II
In "True Believers" (Runaways vol. 2 #1-6, pencilled by Adrian Alphona and inked by Craig Yeung), the runaways fight the villains of Los Angeles attempting to fill the power vacuum left by the Pride's demise. A future version of Gert travels back in time to warn the group that a man named Victor Mancha will kill all of Earth's heroes in a possible future. Before she dies, she tells them to kill Victor as a boy before he becomes too powerful. At the same time, former teenage superheroes Mickey Musashi and Phil Urich organize a support group called for former teenage superheroes looking to reintegrate into civilian life; the group is named Excelsior. The group is promised a $1,000,000 grant from a mysterious benefactor if they successfully detain the runaways. The runaways subdue Victor Mancha, and foil an intervention by Excelsior. The runaways discover that Victor is a cyborg created by Avengers nemesis Ultron, and are assaulted by the android shortly thereafter. With the help of Excelsior, the runaways defeat Ultron, and Victor joins their ranks. After the battle with Ultron, Excelsior discovers its benefactor is Avengers "honorary member" Rick Jones.
In "Star-Crossed" (Runaways vol. 2 #7-8, pencilled by Takeshi Miyazawa and inked by Craig Yeung), Karolina reveals that she harbors romantic feelings for Nico, but Nico turns down Karolina's advances. As Karolina attempts to cope with the rejection, a Skrull named Xavin lands in Los Angeles and tells Karolina that he is her fiancée, due to an agreement between the pair's parents. Xavin informs Karolina of the war between their races, and insists that their marriage is the only way to enforce a ceasefire. Karolina declines the marriage proposal on the basis that she is homosexual. Xavin quells Karolina's inhibitions by morphing into a female form. Karolina agrees to the marriage and departs Earth with Xavin.
In "East Coast/West Coast" (Runaways vol. 2 #9-12, penciled by Adrian Alphona and inked by Craig Yeung), the runaways travel to New York City with Cloak, whose memories of them are restored. Someone has used Mutant Growth Hormone to attack Dagger and frame Cloak. When Nico and Chase find the dealer, Chase drops the Pride's name and, claiming to have killed someone, talks his way out of the dangerous situation and into the information they need. Nico kisses Chase in thanks for saving her, but Chase rejects her, saying his relationship with Gert is the only thing keeping him "good". Gertrude and Victor run into Spider-Man and discuss the situation with him over sushi, but Nico knocks him out because Spider-Man is an adult and an Avenger. When the Avengers are looking for Cloak, Wolverine scares Molly, and she punches him through a building. Chase defeats Dagger's attacker with Nico's staff after she is knocked unconscious. With Dagger safe and his name cleared, Cloak returns the kids home.
In the Free Comic Book Day comic book X-Men/Runaways: Free, penciled by Skottie Young, the runaways encounter the X-Men, who have come to take Molly to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning to train. While the two teams fight, Gert and Kitty Pryde sit at the sidelines talking. Finally, Emma Frost decides they shouldn't force someone to come with them against their will, and if Molly decides to join the X-Men, she knows where to find them.
In "Dead Ringers" (Runaways vol. 2 #13), Molly is knocked unconscious during a superhero fight, and she wakes to find that she has been "recruited" by the Provost, who runs a crime ring that uses children to commit thefts. Molly recruits her classmates, defeats the Provost, and returns home.
In "Parental Guidance" (Runaways vol. 2 #14-18), Alex's online friends met up after Alex's death and discussed his disappearance. One of them hacked Alex's account and learned that Alex's parents were part of the Pride, whom the group believes to be heroes. The group attempts a spell to bring Alex back, but a younger version of Alex's father Geoff appears instead.
Victor has a nightmare about killing his friends under Ultron's influence. Chase confesses to being jealous of Victor, someone his parents would have loved. Gert and Nico discuss leadership and decide that if it should prove necessary, Gert will become the leader. Acting on a police call involving a masked individual, the teenagers realize they have arrived at Alex's old house. Alex appears, although Nico is suspicious. She asks him where they first kissed, and his confusion and a spell reveal that it is Geoff Wilder. In the fight that results, the new Pride takes control of Victor, Gert finds out that Nico kissed Chase, and Geoff escapes with Molly.
Before the runaways can rescue Molly, they have to repair the Leapfrog. Gert tries to break up with Chase, and Nico discovers, using a spell, that the new Pride are getting their information from Victor; much to his surprise. Gert and Nico are ready to destroy Victor, but Chase sticks up for him. Karolina interrupts the fight. After telling the team why she and Xavin are back on earth, Victor finds out that the new Pride has been using him as a spy cam, and finds that the broadcast was coming from Nico's old Summer Home. Xavin asks the team if he/she can help. The team goes to Nico's old Summer Home and finds the new Pride have moved out and the weapons cabinet is empty. The Runaways find the new Pride and a fight starts, but in the end Geoffrey Wilder kills Gertrude and the new Pride learns the truth about his intentions. Nico Minoru uses the Staff of One spell "Forget" causing the young Geoff Wilder to forget about what he had experienced in the present day. Chase runs away from the Runaways after a disagreement about where to bury Gert's body.
In "Dead Means Dead" (Runaways vol. 2 #19-21), a three-part story, featuring guest artist Mike Norton, the Runaways deal with the repercussions of the death of Getrude Yorkes. Nico and Victor begin a physical relationship, Molly asks the Leapfrog if Gert is in heaven, and Xavin and Karolina — stranded on Earth — discuss the significance of a single death. A former policeman responsible for investigating the Pride attempts to sell a talisman he stole from one of their lairs to an antiques dealer. The elderly shopkeeper, who claims that he just wants things to "go back to the way they used to be", transforms into a monster and attacks Los Angeles, particularly Starbucks stores. The runaways race to the scene. Chase and Old Lace confront Lotus, and Chase tells her that he is hiring her. The teams heads to downtown LA to confront the monster. Xavin and Karolina try their best to attack the monster but their attack fails. Molly is able to stop the monster's war path and knock it down thanks a caffine spell made by Nico. Meanwhile, Chase tells Lotus that his plan is to bring back Gertrude by using the Gibborim and creating a new Pride called "The Fall". Chase attempts to exchange the soul of Lotus for the resurrection of Gert. Unfortunately, Lotus' soul is not innocent, and Chase departs the Gibborim's dimension, though they take care to repeat their offer: one innocent soul for Gert's resurrection. Chase has Lotus burn the Abstract; but not before he steals several pages; and leaves to rejoin the other Runaways. As the battle with the monster goes out of control, Xavin and Nico try a different approach: Xavin takes the appearance of the old man's dead wife, and Nico casts a spell to give Xavin her voice. Together, the two are able to calm the monster and return him to his human form. Chase reunites with the other runaways at the hostel and looks at Gert's portrait longingly while holding his pages from the Abstract.
In Live Fast (Runaways vol. 2 #22-24, Last arc featuring the creative team of Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona) The events of their recent crossover with the Young Avengers has had major repurcussions for the Runaways, but things get worse when a new enemy threatens to tear the team apart. It will have a definite ending, but it will also allow for Joss Whedon to take the story into a new direction in his first arc.
Xavin expresses confusion about his identity to Karolina,[6] and Chase learns from the Gibborim that the time during which he can resurrect Gert is short.[7] Chase tells Nico that he intends to sacrifice himself on Gert's behalf and shuts down Victor when he tries to intervene. He takes the Staff of One and leaves. Molly, hears a voice that tells her to alert the others, and they follow Chase, using a urine trail that Old Lace leaves for them.[6]
The team finds the end of the trail behind a donut shop and leaves Molly behind with Victor. Using Chase's portal, they enter the realm of the Gibborim, only to find that the giants will not accept Chase as a sacrifice. Apparently, his self-sacrifice has removed him from the category of "innocent" and instead the giants move to consume Nico. As Victor regains consciousness, he and Molly enter the realm of the Gibborim to save Nico (thanks to a "Fastball Special"). Without their sacrifice, the Gibborim fade from reality. As the team returns to the Hostel, they notice one of their security robots has been destroyed. Xavin realizes that he did not make the group invisible when they floated out of the tar pits. Iron Man, the victor of the Marvel Civil War, greets the children with a squad of S.H.I.E.L.D. Cape-Killers. Meanwhile, in another plane of reality, the Gibborim come face to face with the person who alerted Molly to Chase's plans in the first place: Alex Wilder.
In Dead End Kids (Runaways, vol. 2 #25-30), the team finally arrives in New York City, and arranges a meeting with Wilson Fisk, the former "kingpin" of crime in NYC. Fisk offers the runaways lodging and protection from the federal government in exchange for the team's assistance in procuring an artifact for him. Some team members, most notably Victor Mancha, express dissatisfaction with both meeting Fisk and working for him. The runaways successfully remove the artifact from its vault, but are caught by the Punisher while fleeing the scene.
[edit] Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways
The Young Avengers meet up with the Runaways during Marvel's Civil War event.
