Marvel's Runaways Is the TV Show You Need to Watch Now
This week, Hulu premiered its latest original series: Marvel's Runaways. The new show is an adaptation of the graphic novel series of the same name, originally written by Brian K. Vaughan (if that name sounds at all familiar, it's because he's authored a number of award-winning series, including Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Saga, and more).
Due to its unique premise and relatable characters (we'll get there), Runaways developed a cult following over the years—one that stuck withit through multiple stops and starts, and promises to bring the franchise to the silver or small screen. When it was announced last year that Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (the dynamic duo behind Gossip Girl) would be the ones to finally adapt the series for television, fans were elated. And lucky for them, the end result was definitely worth the wait.
Runaways follows a group of teenagers who were once close friends (thanks to their parents), but drifted apart when one of their own tragically died. The pilot of the series picks up two years after said death, with each character struggling on their own, each of whom has grown into a different High School trope: the church girl, the jock, the brainiac, the emo girl, the social activist, etc. At a begrudged reunion of sorts, our heroes make an unfortunate discovery: the charity group that their parents are apart of is not, in fact, a charity group at all, but rather an evil, cult-like super villain alliance. This realization comes alongside the development of each of their own super powers, inherited in some way or another from their parents.
Following in the tradition of other successful supernatural teen franchises, Runaways takes a very relatable, human experience—growing up and realizing that your parents aren't perfect—and disguises it in a superhero metaphor, along with snapping writing (and a killer soundtrack) thanks to Schwartz and Savage.
The best part about Runaways, though, is its diverse cast of characters—one that fans will be happy to find translated well from the comics. Of the six heroes, four of them happen to be girls: Nico Minoru, a Japanese-American bisexual witch (Lyrica Okano); Molly Hernandez, a super strong Latina who wears a pussy power hat (Allegra Acosta); Karolina Dean, a lesbian alien (Virginia Gardner); and Gert Yorkes, a purple-haired feminist (Ariela Barer). The original series even includes a shape-shifting gender-queer character as a love interest for Dean.
The series isn't just for teenagers, either. It strikes a chord for anyone who feels like they're still unraveling who they are, or who they could be—and it does so with heartfelt empathy and grace. Don't just take our word for it, though: you can watch the first three episodes now on Hulu.
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