Chase Stein


Victor Chase Stein is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by author Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways #1 with most of the other main characters. Along with every member of the original Runaways, he is the child of evil villains with special abilities—in Chase's case, mad scientists. Chase tends to be viewed as the "wild card" in the series due to his shifting roles within the group. Chase, 18 years old, is the eldest of the Runaways. Chase possesses a signature set of gauntlets called Fistigons and later shares a psychic and empathic link with the Deinonychus Old Lace, granting Chase the ability to command the dinosaur.
Chase Stein was portrayed by Gregg Sulkin in the Hulu television series Runaways, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Publication history

Chase Stein first appeared in Runaways #1 and was created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona.
Chase Stein appeared in Avengers Arena, written by Dennis Hopeless and illustrated by Kev Walker as well as its sequel, Avengers Undercover.

Fictional character biography

The Pride

The son of Victor and Janet Stein, Chase is first seen taking a punch from his abusive father for getting straight C's and being a "dumb athlete"; after witnessing the murder of an innocent girl by their parents, Chase appears not to be surprised, though blames everyone else's parents for the murder. Chase joins the team in the mass ransack to escape from their respective homes. While going through Chase's parents' homes, he discovers that his parents are mad scientists, with many technological advances. Chase steals the Fistigons, which Janet Stein calls "the world's strongest gloves". Able to conjure and mold fire with the gloves, Chase also steals the special X-ray goggles from his parents. The Fistigons are later destroyed, giving Chase the role of "getaway guy". Chase provides the Runaways with their first hideout, a dilapidated caved-in mansion he called "the Hostel," and their first transport, his white, unmarked van with stolen license plates. After running off, Chase wishes to take the name Neo, but Gert calls him talkback, a reference to his defiant nature. It is later revealed Janet's pregnancy with Chase prompted the remaining Pride to have kids, and to give them eternal life in continuing the Pride.

Personality

When Chase first confronts his parents, Chase remains defiant and unafraid of his parents, firmly establishing himself as the most rebellious and reckless of the group, a trait he carries for the rest of Brian K. Vaughan's initial run on the title. Chase is portrayed as having a free, reckless spirit, shown when he purposely repeatedly crashes the Leapfrog.
Chase is known for having a temper; after the death of Gert, Chase leaves the team for a time, with the intention of resurrecting Gert in exchange for selling his own life. The search for Victor Mancha ends up being personal for him, to kill the one person who'd be destined to murder Gert. Chase also mentions he had murdered someone in the past, and refuses to talk about it. An associate to the Kingpin describes him as being simple, despite his scientific pedigree.
Chase seems to be a devout Christian - when attacked by Old Lace, he recites The Lord's Prayer, and he later refers to the Devil as a real being. He also called Karolina an angel after her alien origins are revealed.

As a fugitive

Since the Fistigons and X-ray goggles were destroyed, Chase resumes his "getaway guy" role as the Leapfrog pilot in the second volume. In a relationship with Gert, Chase is able to comfort Nico over the loss of Karolina; two issues later, Nico kisses him, straining their relationship. When a new incarnation of the Pride reveals Chase and Nico's kiss to Gert, she ends up hurt, angered, and the resulting friction almost tears the Runaways apart and seriously wears on Chase, but the group reconciles in time to rescue Molly. After Gert's death, Chase departs the Runaways for a short period, but he is convinced to return, after turning eighteen. Chase strikes a deal with the Gibborim to exchange one innocent soul for Gert's life and eventually settles on sacrificing himself, viewing his life as worthless compared to Gert's. This deal fails to please the Gibborim, as going through with this removed Chase's 'innocent' status. Chase is saved from making a dire mistake, and is gratefully allowed to return after learning that his grief nearly destroyed all his friends.

Homecoming

In Runaways #7, the Runaways pay little attention to Chase's opinions, prompting Chase to question his role on the team. In Runaways #9, the last issue to have been written by Terry Moore, features Chase acting as an older brother to Molly and Klara. Moore had wanted this storyline to heavily focus on Chase's relationship with the team, and identifies him as a kid who "will grow up to become the next Captain America."
In Runaways #11, the first issue written by Kathryn Immonen and drawn by Sara Pichelli, Chase, Nico, Victor and Karolina hold a house prom. An outside source manages to send a UAV flying into the Runaways' Malibu home, in the upstairs living room where Klara and Old Lace lie. Nico, Victor and Karolina rush to save Klara and Old Lace - upon arriving at the top, however, it's revealed that Old Lace had shielded Klara, who ends up alive. Old Lace, however, dies. Chase, feeling her death because of their link, falls into a slump and repeatedly mutters an apology for Gert. In Runaways #12 Chase encounters a man claiming to be his uncle Hunter Stein. Chase believes the man is lying because he remembers killing his uncle and driving off. Not long thereafter, Chase makes the error of following a girl resembling Gertrude, and is hit by a car, ending up in the hospital. However, he is shown in S.W.O.R.D. #2 alive and well with the group in Los Angeles. It is later revealed that the other Runaways are aware of Chase being hit by a car, but he apparently did not reveal to them further details of what happened.
When Daken, the psychopathic son of Wolverine, invades the Runaways' home, Chase knocks him out with his gloves.
Chase began having dreams about Old Lace, but soon began sensing her presence in his waking hours. He asked Nico to try to find it and discovers that Old Lace was sent to a different dimension as a result of Nico's spell to put her to rest. Chase led the Runaways to the Avengers Academy to receive help from Giant-Man and Reptil. After a brief skirmish, the two teams join forces to open a portal and find Old Lace in a prehistoric dimension.

Avengers Arena

Chase and Nico are later abducted by Arcade and placed into an arena with other young heroes where they are forced to fight to the death. The two try to form an alliance with Hazmat, Reptil, and X-23, reasoning that they can work together to find a way to escape. The alliance soon dissolves after an unknown party frames Chase for an attack on Reptil. While fleeing, Chase finds the amulet that belonged to the presumably deceased superhero Darkhawk. The amulet attaches itself to Chase's body and transforms him into the new Darkhawk. He was then possessed by Apex in his Darkhawk armor, resulting in him cutting off Nico's arm and causing her death. When the Staff of One resurrects Nico, it increases her power level enough to destroy the Darkhawk armor and defeat Apex. Chase returns to his normal self and then helps Nico and Reptil fight Cullen Bloodstone. In the ensuing battle, Nara is killed returning Cullen to human form and Anachronism goes wild. Reptil asks Nico and Chase for help breaking up the fight, but Nico insists she and Chase stay out of it. At Nico's command, Chase then turns into Darkhawk and sucker-punches Reptil as part of a secret plan that he and Nico devised. Chase showed regret at having to attack Reptil. When Chase refused to let Cammi stop Nico, she broke his arm and leg, taking the Darkhawk amulet for herself to stop Nico from killing everyone. Cammi gives Chase the amulet again when Apex unleashes bugs, a sentient typhoon, and weaponized sand to attack the remaining teens on Murderworld. Soon after, Death Locket stops the fight by killing Apex, and everyone is able to escape Murderworld and disperse.

Avengers Undercover

Once news broke about Arcade's kidnappings, Chase and the other Murderworld survivors became infamous at the start of Avengers Undercover. Unlike the others, Chase has gone public, opening up his story to several talk shows much to Nico's chagrin. Chase now has shaved most of his head in favor of a mohawk, has gotten his ears pierced, and constantly wears sunglasses. However, when Cammi and Anachronism reveal that Cullen Bloodstone has gone missing, all the survivors team up to head to Bagalia to find him. Once they do, he reveals that he enjoys life among the villains, and the others, minus Cammi, start to enjoy it as well. When Cammi tries to tell the others to leave, Bloodstone instead has Daimon Hellstrom teleport the group to Arcade's latest party so they can kill him.
After Hazmat seemingly kills Arcade, the group decides to infiltrate Bagalia by pretending to join Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil, excluding Death Locket who they never had a chance to inform of the plan. On a mission to A.I.M. Island, Death Locket has a chance to shoot Captain America. When she tries to take the shot, Chase tries to talk some sense into her by having her "choose who she is fighting for." Excavator gets into a scuffle with Chase. Death Locket tries to get them to stop and finally opens up her arm cannon and shoots Chase in the chest, seriously wounding him. Though Nico is able to cast a "Fix him" spell to heal his body, he remains in a coma.
He is next seen, apparently fully recovered, enjoying some vacation time on a lake with the rest of the group in the final issue of the series.