The Marvel Cinematic Universe is notorious for its epic super team— The Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy— and that’s just on the big screen. But with so many untapped characters within Marvel Comics, the expansion of the cinematic universe was plentiful to bring lesser-known IP to the screen. Just shy of the MCU-Disney+ boom, television and streamers were delivering Marvel series that delighted superhero fans just as much as the blockbusters on the big screen. One of the best of the bunch was Marvel’s Runaways.
The 3-part series, now streaming on Tubi, centers on a group of LA-based teens who are forced to confront the harsh reality that the adults they trust the most are the city’s premier criminal syndicate, known as The Pride. Rather than embracing their parents’ dark legacies, the newfound team resolves to defeat them, harnessing their unique powers as they work through their traumas along the way. A group formed by circumstance, this series is reminiscent of the much-beloved X-Men. And if you’re a fan of that super team, then you’ll love what these heroes bring to the small screen.
‘Runaways’ Keeps the Powers Present, but Subverts the Superhero Story
Created byJosh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, Marvel’s Runaways is a refreshing take on the superhero genre that subverts the typical formula by blending a grounded family drama with compelling teen melodrama, making it a captivating, character-driven series about a found family. Its X-Men connection is seen through the fact that both celebrate a group of heroes brought together by commonality despite their differences.The core characters of diverse outcasts represent recognizable high school archetypes, like Nico Minoru (Lyrica Okano), the goth, Alex Wilder (Rhenzy Feliz), the nerd, Chase Stein (Gregg Sulkin), the jock, Gert Yorkes (Ariela Barer), the activist, Karolina Dean (Virginia Gardner), the closeted religious one, and Molly Hayes Hernandez (Allegra Acosta), the outsider. When they come together and use their powers, they form a formidable team.
Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap
Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?
🕷️Spider-Man
😈Daredevil
🤖Iron Man
💀Punisher
⚡Thor
🛡️Cap
01
What drives you to do what’s right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.
02
It’s 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you’d think.
03
How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What’s yours?
04
How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
05
You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.
06
What’s your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.
08
When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.
09
What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
10
The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.
Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
Queens, New York
🕷️ Spider-Man
You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.
You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.
Hell’s Kitchen, New York
😈 Daredevil
You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.
Stark Industries, Malibu
🤖 Iron Man
Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.
New York City
💀 The Punisher
You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.
You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.
Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms
⚡ Thor
Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.
Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers
🛡️ Captain America
You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.
That said, unlike perhaps the original X-Men films, Runaways trades end-of-the-world-saving stakes for personal growth, school life, and coping with new abilities. Individually, they have extraordinary powers, like superhuman strength, flight, and a telepathic connection to a genetically engineered dinosaur. Together, they can defeat any enemy before them. But their toughest enemy is the real-world problems they battle in between. The core theme is the generational trauma and privilege they face upon learning that their parents were involved in the deaths of many. Beyond that, the series showcases struggles with anxiety, religious exploitation, and domestic abuse. They fight those battles as it helps them grow to win the greater war. Weaving these plot points in gives the characters a sense of groundedness that some other hero shows tend to push aside.
‘Runaways’ Celebrates Diversity Storytelling
Lyrica Okano as Nico Minoru and Virginia Gardner as Karolina Dean hold hands in ‘Runaways.’Image via Hulu
Runaways is also a series that celebrates diversity in storytelling. The core teen super team consists of a diverse group of characters, reminding Runaways audiences that anyone can be a hero. Practicallyspeaking, for a show set in Los Angeles, Runaways‘ team was reflective of the city itself. Runaways ensured that it wasn’t just about image; the characters were given arcs that reflected the stereotypes that are foisted on them and how they fight to overcome them.
Runaways also stayed true to its progressive, inclusive team by featuring queer characters. Romance plays a large part in the characters’ coming-of-age stories. Runaways doesn’t shy away from giving Karolina an arc of being a closeted gay girl who has feelings for Nico, who is bisexual. The prominent romantic relationship between the two female leads wasn’t background fodder but a driving force for their journeys. Runaways was doing this long before the MCU had even dipped a toe into the subject matter in any serious way.
The MCU was right to give this beloved character their own series.
How ‘Runaways’ Fits Into the MCU
Though Runaways may not feature major MCU hero cameos, it’s still canonically connected to the MCU through subtle world-building, including references to Roxxon Corporation, Wakanda, and WHIH World News broadcasts. There is even Iron Man and Captain America merch floating around Alex’s bedroom, à la Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel. Further, Runaways ties into the mystical side of the MCU via the Darkhold and the “Staff of One” wielded by Alex. The show also ties into Cloak & Dagger through their Season 3 appearance, and since those two appeared in Luke Cage, it ties all the pre-Disney+ series together.
However, it feels like Runaways seem to be lost in the vastness of the greater MCU. With a focus now on the multiverse and an uncertain future for where the franchise will go, the closest you’ll get to more Runaways is a Runaways-themed What If…? comic. Still worth the watch, Runaways is a generational battle in which young people seek to change the world by rebelling against their own destiny. Come for the superpowers, stay for the exciting storytelling and gripping characters.
