Created by Brian Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, the series debuted in July 2003[1] as part of Marvel Comics' "Tsunami" imprint.

One year, the kids spy on their parents and learn they are "the Pride", a criminal group of mob bosses, time-travelers, wizards, evil scientists, alien invaders and telepathic mutants.

[10] They began with issue #11 of Volume 3, which will "start with a prom and end with a death"; Marvel editor Nick Lowe said that "It feels so right and so wrong at the same time?

[15] In February 2015, it was announced that a new Runaways series would be launching during Marvel's Secret Wars crossover written by ND Stevenson and drawn by Sanford Greene, featuring a new cast set on Battleworld.

In June 2017, it was announced that Marvel would release a new Runaways series written by Rainbow Rowell, and illustrated by Kris Anka.

[19] When Alex, Chase, Gert, Karolina, Molly, and Nico witness their parents ("The Pride") sacrifice a girl in an occult ceremony, the group runs off.

[20] As the story progresses, the children learn of their heritage and abilities, and steal resources from their parents, including futuristic gauntlets, a dinosaur, and a mystical Staff.

[21] With the Pride defeated, Nico becomes the de facto leader, and the other Runaways now vow to prevent other villains from filling in the void left by their parents.

[29] In the Civil War crossover event, the Young Avengers travel to Los Angeles to help the Runaways fight off the government agents and Flag-Smasher.

[32] After defeating the Yorkes and deadly gang war, plant-manipulator Klara Prast joins the Runaways when they return to the present.

[33] Upon returning from 1907, the Runaways find themselves in New York helping the Young Avengers during the Secret Invasion, where the Skrull Armada has invaded seeking Hulkling.

[39] The reunited Runaways later formed an uneasy alliance with Daken in order to take down Marcus Roston, a superpowered criminal with ties to the Pride.

After Nico's brutal death, dismemberment, and subsequent resurrection in Avengers Arena, she is traumatized and has a hard time assimilating back with the Runaways.

The pieces of Victor Mancha had been sent by the Avengers to Chase, and he managed to reactive him thereby triggering the "Victorious" program but not completely rebuild him.

However, Gert later discovered that Doc Justice, the man who helped them, was simply trying to keep a brand going and had plans to sacrifice Karolina in order to boost his ratings, as he had done many times before.

[57] However, despite Vaughan's efforts to break down the superhero clichés within Runaways, Marvel's handbooks and website still refer to the characters by their codenames.

[50] She, the rest of her team, the X-Men (led by Armor), and the Fantastic Fourteen are killed by Victor Mancha's future self, who completed his original mission programmed by Ultron to become the ultimate supervillain "Victorious".

[82] In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Brian K. Vaughan revealed that Runaways (despite being in the main Marvel Universe) will not refer to the House of M reality warp.

[82] He did, however say there would be a brief one-line reference, which happened in the following issue: after Molly angrily punches Wolverine out of a church, he lands in the snow and bitterly says, "Only 198 mutants left on the planet... and that girl had to be one of them.

illustrates how Iron Lad recruits the Runaways as the next new wave of the Avengers,[87] forcing them to be an actual superhero team with costumes.

[90] After the events of Ultimatum, Nick Fury contacted former X-Men Jean Grey aka Karen Grant with a purpose to unite fellow mutants to combat threats mostly a conflict in Southeast Asian Republic/SEAR with two cities of superhumans.

[95] Initially arriving under the guise of a team of future X-Men, Molly and her companions were later revealed to be members of a new Brotherhood of Mutants led by Raze, the shape-shifting son of Wolverine and Mystique.

[96] Molly appears in the comic as a tall, muscular woman with an armored arm and no longer seems to be affected by the fatigue she formerly experienced after using her powers.

An alternate version of the Runaways star in the comic's fourth volume, taking place during Secret Wars under the Battleworld banner.

In the series, a different group of children, who are students at the Victor von Doom Institute for Gifted Youths in Doomstadt, discover that the school's annual "final exams" are actually fatal.

I think it won't be a precise story line of any [of his comics], but certainly it will be most similar to the tone or origins of his structure in its initial run".

In March 2013, Kevin Feige said during an interview that they elected not to make the film, but that Drew Pearce had been reassigned to Iron Man 3 on the strength of his Runaways script.

On September 24, 2013, Pearce revealed that the film is currently shelved due to the success of The Avengers, but also suggested it could see a release at some point in the future.

[120] In August 2016, Hulu ordered a pilot along with additional scripts for a Runaways TV series written by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage.

In February 2017, Head of Marvel Television, Jeph Loeb, announced that the roster of the team had been cast with Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer, Gregg Sulkin, and Allegra Acosta will appear in the series as Alex Wilder, Nico Minoru, Karolina Dean, Gert Yorkes, Chase Stein, and Molly Hernandez respectively.