Published Jun 21, 2026, 11:54 AM EDT
Michael Block is a 14 time GLAM Award nominated writer, producer, and host of the podcast Block Talk. Throughout his time in the entertainment industry, he has worked on and off Broadway as a stage manager, written several produced plays, critiqued hundreds of theatrical performances, drag and cabaret shows, and has produced events randing from drag competitoons to variety concerts! On Block Talk, he interviews nightlife personalities, covers the wide world of entertainment through features, ranking episodes, and recaps ALL of Drag Race, as well as Dragula and Survivor. He has interviewed hundreds of RuGirls that span the globe at DragCon NYC, DragCon LA, and DragCon UK. In his free time, he makes one-of-a-kind jewelry and gift baskets with his mom. He is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.
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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.
Created by** Josh 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.
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
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 fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
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.
Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
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 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.
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.
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