[1] Their goals are initially stated to be to help fellow teenage superheroes to adjust to normal lives while coping with their powers, and to dissuade other superpowered teenagers from becoming heroes,[1] but these goals are discarded in their own miniseries in favor of the group apparently wanting to avoid using their powers for any reason,[3] even if that means abandoning helpless victims of crime to their fate.

At the end of the story arc, it was revealed that the group had secretly been sponsored by Rick Jones, on behalf of Captain America, who hoped to ensure the Runaways do not get into trouble.

[6] Originally debuting in the book Runaways under the name "Excelsior", the team later received their own limited series with an option to continue as an ongoing should sales be high enough, though this was not the case.

In a stylistic departure from their debut appearance in Runaways as comic relief, Loners is not a comedy, though the covers of the individual issues still suggest a lighthearted tone by being direct homages to the iconic imagery of the teen comedy feature films of John Hughes, and the exaggerated personalities from their Runaways debut are also retained entirely for the cast, though this does create some continuity discrepancies, particularly Darkhawk's infrequent lapses into potentially murderous violence[10] and sudden reversion to switching bodies in a manner that ignores later events from the Darkhawk series (this continuity gaffe even being referenced in Marvel Team-Up vol.

The addictions are not to narcotic substance at any time during the series, although Mattie Franklin is seen getting drunk in a bar during the closing montage of issue 3 despite still being in high school, suggesting the possibility of alcohol dependence.

Julie Power and Johnny Gallo are also the subject of character retcons during the course of the series: whereas in his Runaways appearance Johnny's reasons for joining the group were given as being so he could be around other ex-teen heroes who had experienced early fame as a superhero and later couldn't cope without it,[12] this was revised in Loners to being that he used superheroics for thrill seeking and to meet women,[13] then revised a third time to being a response to his friend being killed during a superhero battle[13] (though this battle—occurring during the events of the 'Wolverine: Enemy of the State' story arc[14]—did not actually occur until after Johnny first appeared as a member of the Los Angeles–based Excelsior group, though he is portrayed during Loners in flashbacks as still living in New York at the time, working as a superhero alongside the friend in question: Eddie McDonough, who is also portrayed as being back in the Hornet armor he lost, somehow cured of the cerebral palsy which afflicted him).

Julie's low intelligence displayed in the Runaways 'True Believers' story arc and the first three issues of Loners is also revealed as an affectation she adopts to fit in with the natives of Los Angeles and her fellow teammates,[15] though she retains this personality for the rest of the series regardless of her revelation.

[19] After Mattie was killed and Darkhawk was severely injured (in "Grim Hunt" and The Thanos Imperative respectively), the remaining members of the team were inducted into the Avengers Academy by Hawkeye.

Mattie, however, points out that although she has not been in the hero business as long as the rest of the group members, concealing her psionic spider-legs subjects her to constant physical pressure.

Outside the church, Mattie explains to Chris that she has some unfinished business with MGH dealers,[27] who exploited her in the past; she has tracked them to Los Angeles.

Luckily, support group member Johnny Gallo (Ricochet) has followed Darkhawk and Spider-Woman to the dealers' base of operations and aids them in escaping Nekra's clutches.

After defeating her, the trio discovers a list containing the names of supervillains being supplied MGH by the dealers and decides to investigate further, while agreeing not to tell the rest of the group.

At the next support group meeting, Phil mentions the MGH bust and suggests that it could be used as an additional reason to further encourage teen superheroes to establish normal lives.

Johnny unsuccessfully tries to contact both Mattie (who ignores his call while reading over some research about Ricochet's former teammates) and Chris (who arrives at Mickey's place to take her on a date).

Ricochet heads to the deserted warehouse that is their main lead; he sneaks in and is shocked to see women held under sedation in fluid-filled containers.

(No explanation is given why Julie is suddenly present, though her immediate maiming at Penance's hands is most likely simply an instance of Women in Refrigerators syndrome, in order to give parallels to the violent death of Johnny Gallo's friend Hornet at the hands of Wolverine and thus give Johnny a reason to act.

[29]) Suddenly remembering that he left Penance and several defenseless women back in the warehouse, Johnny runs out of the ER attempting to return to the scene, but he is stopped by accusations from the group about his behaviour.

Julie flies from the hospital before her parents can be contacted about her condition, and it becomes apparent Phil is somehow hallucinating that he sees the Green Goblin when he looks in the mirror.

Julie and Johnny have lunch; he is astounded by her healing abilities caused by the Kymellian changes to her DNA, noting that she was stabbed in "the gut", despite her scar clearly being visible on her shoulder.

Julie is intrigued by Hollow (formerly Penance) staying at Phil Urich's place, and fans the rumors about Mickey and Chris' romance.

Phil begins berating Mickey, then attacking Chris and stealing the amulet, in which he transforms into a Goblin-like version of Darkhawk.

After the series has ended, the group are next seen in the apartment of Mickey Musashi celebrating Christmas and attempting to solve some of their personal issues with each other through Secret Santa.

[37] Darkhawk is also a cast member within the War of Kings event, with his own two issue miniseries in February and March 2009 tidying up continuity problems created by the unlikelihood of a sequel to Loners and freeing the character for use as the lead in Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's four-part miniseries, War of Kings: Ascension.

Though no longer associated with the Loners, Darkhawk's former teammates appear within both issues of his miniseries (though it remains unexplained how they - and the church in which they held their meetings - relocated from Los Angeles to New York), and it becomes apparent that Darkhawk left the team because he could no longer turn his back on his responsibilities as a superhero and wished to "focus (his) anger into something productive", creating friction with some members of the Loners.

[20] In the alternate reality of the "Days of Future Now" storyline, the Excelsior team consists of Cecilia Reyes, Diamond Lil, Random, and Ricochet.