Old Lace | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Runaways #2 (August, 2003) |
Created by | Brian K. Vaughan Adrian Alphona |
In-story information | |
Species | Genetically-Engineered Deinonychus |
Team affiliations | Runaways |
Partnerships | Gertrude Yorkes Chase Stein Alex Wilder |
Abilities | Good Intelligence Razor-sharp claws |
Old Lace (often nicknamed as OL [1] ) is a super-powered fictional dinosaur character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Old Lace appeared in the Hulu television series Runaways which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Old Lace was created by Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona and debuted attacking the other characters in Runaways #2. [2] Old Lace was given her name by Gertrude Yorkes after she had taken the code name Arsenic, making the pair Arsenic and Old Lace, which is a reference to a movie and play of the same name. [2] Old Lace had originally belonged to Gert's parents. The dinosaur was genetically engineered to obey all of Gertrude's commands, [3] meaning whenever Gert thought or felt something, so would the dinosaur. [3] Initially believed to be a Velociraptor , she is later correctly identified as a Deinonychus by Victor Mancha. Due to the psychic link that they share, Gertrude and Old Lace share emotions and physical pain such that if Old Lace had a cut, or was injured (which is often), Gert would have to endure her pain. [4] After the death of Gert, the psychic link was transferred to Chase Stein. [4]
Old Lace was genetically engineered in the 87th century, the project being commissioned by Dale and Stacey Yorkes, the parents of Gertrude. [4] At the parents request, the designer also put in several character traits which included a tele-empathic bond with Gertrude as well as being incapable of harming any of her immediate family, [4] as discovered when Gertrude orders Old Lace to attack her parents and Old Lace refuses. [5] Old Lace was originally intended to be part of Gert's inheritance for when her parents died but Gertrude and the rest of the Runaways stumble upon her while searching the Yorkes' basement for the body of a girl that they had witnessed their parents sacrificing. [2]
Old Lace has a telepathic bond with Gert. This lets her feel each other's thoughts and pain, and allows Old Lace to act on Gert's emotions. [3] Old Lace got her name from Gert Yorkes, who had temporarily been using "Arsenic" as her codename (essentially making the pair Arsenic and Old Lace, after the play and film of the same name). Though Gertrude later dropped the codename after deciding that some things from her parents (such as her real name) were worth keeping, Old Lace's name stuck. [1] During their final encounter with The Pride Old Lace was briefly under the control of Alex Wilder while Gertrude was unconscious, but Gertrude quickly took control back when she came to. [6] Seconds before Gert's death, she was able to pass her telepathic link with Old Lace to her boyfriend Chase Stein, since her death would have killed Lace as well via their telepathic link. [7] Even though Old Lace has a telepathic bond with Chase now, [2] she has been shown to have some free will. This is first shown when Old Lace attacks a strong guy named Topher, despite Gertrude telling her to stop [8] and again when Chase ties Nico up and Old Lace growls and tries to stop Chase. [2]
Chase, after his girlfriend's death, has been using Old Lace in a much more angry and aggressive manner, even going so far as to command Old Lace to rip an enemy's throat out; though eventually was called off by Chase after being scolded by Nico. [4] The Deinonychus later went on to follow Chase but when ordered to hurt Karolina as well as Nico, Old Lace showed her own will by greeting them warmly. [4]
In Runaways (vol. 3) #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 heard the UAV coming but had only enough time to shield Klara with her body. Old Lace succeeds in protecting Klara but dies as a result. [9]
In issue (vol. 3) #13 Molly notices that Old Lace's body is missing.
In (vol. 3) #14, Chase sees a girl resembling Gert. Before he runs out onto the street and gets hit by a truck, the girl yells at him to stop. Behind her in the shadows a dinosaur can be seen.
Years later, Avengers Academy revealed that Old Lace had in fact merely been transported to another dimension where she was alive and well, and she was rescued by the rest of the team. However she is not well since she hasn't seen Chase and isn't eating food. [10]
Old Lace is eventually reunited with the team when Chase is able to go back and rescue Gert from the moment of her death, bringing Gert into the present so that Nico can heal her injuries. Old Lace swiftly returns to her old bond with Gert.
Despite being a normal dinosaur she has shown a good level of intelligence. In the first volume Old Lace had followed Gertrude and the group while they were traveling throughout Los Angeles after they discovered the dinosaur in her parents basement. She defeated the super hero Dagger with ease, because of her immunity to her light daggers. She was also useful when they first clashed with the Pride taking down the Steins, and in their second battle when she defeated Mr. Hayes, and in their last battle with the Pride she was helpful in taking down Karolina's parents. It is also worth noting that she took down some of the Wrecking Crew. And while under Chase's leadership she has shown the intelligence in leaving a urine trail to be found on purpose and maneuvering on the side of a building to save Chase's life by sliding down the wall with her claws. The smell has been exhibited to attract masses of buzzing flies.
Old Lace's claws are also shown to be incredibly sharp, to a point where she can break through and hold onto a wall. [11]
Gert discovered that she had a telepathic bond to Old Lace when the dinosaur halted from attacking the Runaways because Gert yelled out "NO!" in fear. [3] In one of the Runaways' early encounters with the Pride, Gert also discovered she had an empathic bond to Old Lace when she experienced the same pain Old Lace felt. [3] Gert's telepathic bond to Old Lace allowed her to directly communicate with the dinosaur and command it to do anything she wished. The bond worked both ways, enabling Old Lace to transfer her thoughts directly to Gert, but Old Lace could not give commands to Gert in the same fashion. Old Lace was unconditionally loyal to Gert, even to the point of fighting against the team; Old Lace once lashed out at Nico without Gert's orders when Gert and Nico had their brief falling out. [12] Gert and Old Lace's empathic bond allows them to share more than just thoughts, but physical pain as well. If Gertrude were to be hurt, Old Lace would feel the pain and vice versa. [13] This is the reason why in Runaways (vol. 2) #7, Gert refuses to fight Swarm because she is allergic to bee stings and posits that even one sting on her could end the both of them. [14]
At the moment of Gertrude's death, she transfers her psychic link with Old Lace to her boyfriend Chase. [15] From this moment, Old Lace becomes loyal to Chase. Chase uses Old Lace much more aggressively then Gertrude did, ordering her to rip an enemy's throat out. [4] However, Old Lace does not follow Chase's order quite as well as she followed those of Gert. Old Lace sometimes protests and Chase has to remind her that he is in charge of her now. [16] Just as with Gertrude, the psychic link with Chase shares the same disadvantage in that if either is injured, they will both share the pain. [17]
Alex was the original leader of the Runaways. He learned of Old Lace's existence before even Gertrude and masterminded a plan for her to stumble upon Old Lace seemingly accidentally. [6] During the final battle with The Pride, Gertrude tells Old Lace that if anything happens to her, OL should obey Alex's commands. However, Gertrude is unaware that Alex is the team's traitor and is actually working for The Pride. Alex sees to it that Gertrude is knocked out and assumes control over Old Lace. Old Lace follows Alex until Gertrude revives and immediately takes control of Old Lace again and has the dinosaur turn against Alex. [6]
Old Lace can also be found in the Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness book. In several panels, the zombified Runaways are feeding upon Old Lace while a group of zombies chases down Blob. [18]
In honor of "Pet Week", a celebration of all the Marvel Universe animals, several animal debut issues were available for free on Marvel's digital comics. [19] Runaways #3 (June 2003), Old Lace's debut, was available to read for free on Friday, April 10, 2009. [19]
Runaways is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series features a group of teenagers who discover that their parents are part of an evil crime organization known as "the Pride". Created by Brian Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, the series debuted in July 2003 as part of Marvel Comics' "Tsunami" imprint. The series was canceled in September 2004 at issue #18, but due to high numbers of trade collection sales, Marvel revived the series in February 2005.
Arsenic and Old Lace may refer to:
Pride, is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters are depicted as a criminal organization that controlled the Los Angeles area of the Marvel Universe. They are the parents and the initial and most prominent foes the Runaways have faced and are the team's greatest enemy to date. The Pride consists of six married couples who are secretly supervillains. They possess a wide range of abilities, skills, and resources. Each member of The Pride has their own unique powers or expertise, often related to their criminal or mystical backgrounds. The mafia-controlling Wilders, the time-traveling Yorkeses, the telepathic mutant Hayeses, the alien invader Deans, the mad scientist Steins, and the dark wizard Minorus.
Nico Minoru, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created in 2003 by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, the character debuted in Runaways #1. Like every member of the original Runaways, Nico is the daughter of the super-powered villains calling themselves "the Pride"; in her case, she is the daughter of dark wizards. Upon finding out, Nico runs away with the rest of the runaways but later discovers that she inherited her parents' magical aptitude. Whenever Nico bleeds, a powerful staff emerges from her chest, called the Staff of One, allowing Nico to bend magic.
Molly Hayes is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character debuted in the award-winning series Runaways. Like every member of the original Runaways, she is the daughter of evil villains with special abilities; after the other older Runaways learn more about themselves, they raid Molly's home to find out her mutant abilities had already manifested. Often called "Mol" for short, Molly is the youngest Runaway and her innocence often serves as humor in the series, but she has demonstrated great insight at critical moments.
Gertrude Yorkes, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She was created by author Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways #1 with most of the other main characters. Like every member of the original Runaways, she is the daughter of evil villains with special abilities; in Gert's case, time-travellers. Gertrude, often called "Gert" for short, is often regarded as the most "book-smart" of the Runaways yet also the most sarcastic and cynical. She has socialist leanings and is ethnically Jewish but spiritually agnostic. Gert is known for her sarcastic one-liners, glasses, and purple-dyed hair. She stands at a rough height of 5'1" and weighs 125 lb (57 kg).
Karolina Dean, also known as Lucy in the Sky, L.S.D., or Princess Justice, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in the series Runaways.
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.
Victor Mancha, also known as Victorious, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character appeared in the award-winning series Runaways. Like the original Runaways, Victor has a supervillain for a parent; his is the classic Avengers villain Ultron, an evil robot bent on world domination. Victor, however, is a cyborg, with human flesh and natural tissue cloned from his human mother which completely conceals his metal parts and circuitry.
Alex Wilder is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is introduced in the series Runaways.
Geoffrey Wilder is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has appeared primarily in the series Runaways. Geoffrey is the leader of the Pride, a supervillain crime ring in Los Angeles. He is the father of Alex Wilder.
Xavin is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is commonly depicted in association with the Runaways. Xavin is gender-fluid with seemingly no preference in which pronouns are used for them. They were created by author Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways #7. In the publications, Xavin is a Super-Skrull in training. Although Alphona was the series' artist at the time, artist Takeshi Miyazawa first drew the character on print. When Xavin first appeared to the Runaways, they took on the form of a black male, but changed into a black female just for the sake of Karolina Dean, a lesbian whom they were to marry. Xavin is often seen as a male, simply to be "intimidating". Xavin, often called "Xav" for short, is known for their obtuse and warlike personality. They had originally found it hard to fit in with the Runaways due in part to Xavin's constant gender switching and unfamiliarity with Earth values and norms though through proving their loyalty to the group found acceptance. Xavin is the child of the Skrull Prince De'zean.
Klara Prast is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character appeared in the series Runaways. When the time-displaced Runaways landed in 1907, they meet twelve-year-old Klara, a girl of German descent who had to live to serve her abusive middle-aged husband. Klara's ability is to control or "talk to" plants. Her name is a play on the word chloroplast, relating to her plant powers. When her family discovered her powers, they married her off to someone moving to America, where she ran into the Runaways in 1907, who later brought her back to the present with them. Klara is roughly Molly's age, has jet-black hair twisted in a braid, and gray eyes.
"Pride & Joy" is a six-issue story arc from the comic book series Runaways, published in issues one through six in 2003 by Marvel Comics' imprint Tsunami, which was created to attract young readers. It was written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Adrian Alphona. While it was initially intended to be a six-part miniseries, the popularity of "Pride & Joy" and new ideas from writer Vaughan allowed Runaways to grow into a regular monthly Marvel title. "Pride & Joy" has subsequently won several comics awards, including the 2006 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.
"Dead Wrong" is a story arc of the Marvel Comics' award-winning comic series, Runaways. The story arc features the first appearance of the creative team of Terry Moore and Humberto Ramos. The arc is composed of the first six issues of the series' third volume.
Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers is a comic book mini-series tie-in to Marvel Comics' Secret Invasion crossover event. The series serves as a second team-up between the characters from Runaways and Young Avengers. The series was written by Chris Yost with art by Takeshi Miyazawa.
Marvel's Runaways, or simply Runaways, is an American television series created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage for the streaming service Hulu, based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the other television series of the franchise and acknowledging the continuity of the franchise's films. The series is produced by ABC Signature Studios, Marvel Television and Fake Empire, with Schwartz and Savage serving as showrunners.
Ariela Barer is an American actress, best known for playing the role of Gert Yorkes in the Hulu original series Runaways.
"Reunion" is the pilot and first episode of the American television series Runaways, based on Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films and other television series of the franchise. The pilot was written by series creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, with Brett Morgen directing.