Origin
Chase is the son of two extremely clever inventors but he often comes into conflict with his father over his average school grades and the fact he would rather play sports and work out than study for school. The conflict comes to blows just before the yearly trip to the Wilder home, while at the Wilder house Chase and the other kids discover that there parents are part of an evil group called the Pride, they witness their parents kill a prostitute. Later that night the group discovered more about the Pride, as they search around their homes and discovered things like Old Lace and that Karolina Dean is an alien, while at Chase’s home Chase takes his parents’ Fistigons and x-rays goggles. At the same night happened their first confrontation with some members of the Pride, when they only escaped thanks to Old Lace. They manage to rescue Molly and escape to a cave that Chase found where no one could find them. They named the cave ” The Hostel” and Chase attempted to take the name “Neo” after the main character from the Matrix Trilogy, but was given the name “Talkback” instead.
Creation
Chase Stein was created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona and first appeared in Runaways #1 (2003).
Major Story Arcs
Runaways
Chase stayed with the group of Runaways and fought his parents, whom eventually where killed. Chase began dating Gertrude Yorkes, one of his teammates and became a valuable asset to the team. Chase was romantically linked with Gertrude Yorkes, who was killed by a time-displaced Geoffrey Wilder from 1985. The emotional pain of having his girlfriend die in his arms drove him to offer up his own soul to the Gibborim in exchange for saving Gert’s life.The deal was however not made and Chase now was mentally linked to Getruda’a pet dinosaur Old Lace. This mental connection was the only way he still had some bond with Gertruda, and Chase became very protective of the creature.
Civil War
The effects of her death were still evident during the events of Civil War, as Chase would often lash out at people due to his frustration at not being able to save his girlfriend. Molly Hayes, the youngest member of the team, suffered the most from this as she looked up to Chase as the older brother she never had and had never experienced the distance and anger he displayed. Chase only realized how much Molly cared for him when she was nearly knocked unconscious by Noh-Varr while attempting to save Old Lace, one of the only things that Gert left behind in memory of her.
Almost Died
Chase remained with the Runaways after the Civil War after witch the team traveled back in time to the late 1900’s where they even befriended some mutant-like girls. One of these girls, Klara Prast joined the team back into the precent where she fought alongside the team during the Secret Invasion of the Skulls. After this, the team moves into a villa of Chase’s parents where they live a relatively peacefull life. Chase already was sort of a big brother towards Molly Hayes but now also became so for Klara. However disaster struck soon. The team was attacked with a rocket launcher and while this attack endured, Old Lace protected Klara, killing the creature himself instead. The assailant was defeated, but Chase was more depressed then ever when he lost the one thing that linked him to his lost love Gertrude. Chase left the team for some while and went into the big city. There he seemingly saw Gertrude standing at the end of a street. Baffled, Chase ran up to her, but was hit by a car and lay seemingly dead on the ground while the person that looked like Gertrude left the scene. Note: It is not revealed how Chase survived, or what happened to the Gertrude he thought he saw since the series was abruptly cancelled. It is however known that Chase apparently survived the accident, since he is later seen with his team when they visit Avenger Academy and briefly fight with the students there.
Avengers Arena
Chase was one of sixteen superpowered teenagers, including fellow Runaways teammate Nico Minoru, who were kidnapped by Arcade and taken to Murderworld. Given a thirty day time limit, Chase and the others are told only one of them will leave the arena alive. Chase was one of the few contestants to charge Arcade in the hopes of stopping the game before it even started. After this failed, he and Nico went to the island’s beach zone and set up camp.
After several nights of attacks by a person or persons unknown, the duo agree to find allies and go to the camp of Avengers Academy students Hazmat, Reptil, and X-23. Offering them food from a tree in exchange for safety, the two teams form a tentative alliance. The following evening during Reptil’s watch, he reveals to Chase that he had thought about killing the duo earlier. In response to this, Chase claims that killing himself would probably be for the best, but that if he ever hurt Nico again he would kill Reptil. Going into the woods to relieve himself, Chase found himself the prime suspect in an attack on Reptil that left him covered him in horrible burns that left him near death, due to Chase’s weapons’, the Fistigons, ability to project fire. Claiming innocence, Hazmat opened fire on him with radiation blasts but was saved by Nico. After a brief stand-off, which ended in the destruction of Nico’s food tree, the two were allowed to leave unharmed. On the way back to the beach, Chase stumbled upon the Darkhawk Amulet, recently relieved by an unknown person from it’s previous owner, Darkhawk, who had gone missing. With Nico’s trust in him already shaken, Chase chose to keep the amulet a secret rather than make Nico even more suspicious.
When Arcade announced that he had placed a supply cache somewhere in Murderworld, Chase and Nico went for it in an attempt to secure the food for themelves. Along the way, they encountered Cammi, whom Nico saved from an avalanche. Agreeing to an alliance, the trio managed to locate the cache but allowed Braddock Academy students Apex, Bloodstone, Anachronism, Nara, Kid Briton and outsider Death Locket to reach it first. After Anachronism killed Kid Briton to save Nara’s life, Bloodstone approached the three and offered them food if they helped bury Brian’s body.
When Apex, whose body was now being controlled by her twin brother Tim, and Death Locket returned to group while fleeing from Juston Seyfert and his Sentinel Mark IV, along with X-23, Chase powered up the Darkhawk armour and exposed his secret to the group. After Tim stopped Juston and Chase from fighting, he revealed his and Katy’s past. When the time came to vote on whether or not they should kill Apex, Chase was one of three contestants who voted to kill them, going against his friend Nico. Willing to be “that guy” Chase was banished from the group by Nico, distraught by his having kept secrets from her.
The next morning, while by his self, Chase stumbled upon Apex, once again controlled by Katy, who had escaped by attacking Nico with a mind-controlled Death Locket and killing Juston for his sentinel. He watched as X-23 attempted to pre-emptively kill Apex, only for her to get take out by the sentinel.
When Apex began her assault on the rest of the contestants, Nico was chosen to defend them as her powers would be unaffected by Apex’s technopathy. After managing to teleport Anachronism, Bloodstone, Cammi, Nara, and X-23 away, Nico found herself in a stand-off with Apex. Chase, in his Darkhawk armour flew between the two, which filled Nico with hope. Unfortunately, Apex had taken control of Chase’s armor and used him to kill Nico.
Luckily, Nico was able to get a final spell off before she died, which resurrected her to continue her battle with Katy. After a long hard struggle wherein both Nico and Chase almost died, Nico was ultimately victorious and buried Katy and Death Locket underground. In the aftermath, Chase revealed that he had seen everything he had done while under Katy’s control, and he and Nico took a breather from the trying events of the past few days.
When Bloodstone gave control of his body to his mystical parasite in order to save his crush, Anachronism, Chase, Nico, and Reptil flew in to the rescue to help the other survivors subdue the creature. During the fight, Anachronism revealed that killing the host body, Cullen, would stop the monster, and it was Chase who flew him to the top of the monster. But before he could go through with it, Nara found the ring which would non-lethally subdue the Glartrox. She was successful in stopping the monster, but at the cost of her own life.
Devastated by her loss, Anachronism became enraged and attacked Bloodstone, who was only saved by Cammi’s intervention. While this was going on, Reptil believed they should interfere, which Nico said not to do. Nico grabbed Cullen and flew over the water, informing Chase that it was time while he punched Reptil into the woods. This left Cammi alone on the beach with Chase in his Darkhawk armour.
When she confronted him about why he was doing nothing whilst Nico tried to kill Cullen, Chase claimed that Cullen was the biggest threat to them all if he decided to play along with Arcade’s game on the final day. Cammi, refusing to stand by and watch Cullen die, pulled her gun on him. Chase destroyed the gun but then powered down to apologize. When he did this, Cammi broke his right arm and leg. She then pulled a dagger from her bag and cut the darkhawk amulet out of Chase, claiming it for her own and going to prevent Cullen’s death, leaving Chase alone on the beach.
While the others where fighting each other, Chase alone saw Hazmat and her rapidly building powers. He stopped the others from fighting and drew their attention to her mere seconds before she reached critical mass. Reptil, transforming as he moved, grabbed her and dove into the water where she exploded.
Apex, now in control of Murder World, angry that they stopped fighting each other, unleashed the island’s many death traps on the final four kids. Cammi, Aiden, Nico, and Chase banded together, with Cammi throwing the amulet back to Chase. They were about to die when Death Locket killed Apex, with Tim in control of their shared body, and ended the game. She went up to the surface and told the others that it was over. Knowing the adults would be there soon, the kids agreed not to tell anyone anything about what happened inside Murder World.
On Day 30, the adults arrived, including Captain Britain, Hank Pym, Abigail Brand, Wolverine, Maria Hill and S.H.I.E.L.D., to gather the bodies and get the survivors out of there. Chase gave Chris back his amulet and was given a cast for his leg and sling for his arm. One week after the story broke, Arcade uploaded the footage of what happened in Murder World onto the internet, popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate his victory.
Reuniting the Runaways
After the events of Avengers Arena and Avengers Undercover, Chase and Nico found out the other Runaways had disbanded. The two started living together as roommates , but Chase still greaved Gert’s death. It was then, unbeknown to Nico, that he started using the time-machine his parents had build, and eventually used it to go back in time to save Gert from certain death right before she originally died. He brought a wounded Gert back into his present and asked Nico to save her in time. A medic was called in by Nico’s Staff-of-One and managed to save Gert. Both Nico and Gert where angered at Chase’s reckless behavior, but where happy to be reunited. When Gert heard that the group of Runaways had split up, Chase, Nico and Gert underwend a quest to bring all the Runaways together again. First going to Karolina and eventually Molly. Although there where some hickups, the group eventually rejoined, together with Victor Mancha. Gert had told Chase that they where no longer an item, since she had to sort things out, but their bond stayed close no matter what. It was then that Chase wanted to start taking responcibility and started looking for a job, which he eventually got.
Powers
Chase has displayed a level of technical savvy that comes at an unnatural rate, manipulating and understanding machinery without even knowing why or how he does. This was most evident when he bonded with the younger Vision during their encounter with the Young Avengers. If this is a genetic trait that was passed on from his parents or rather signs of untapped intelligence has yet to be established.
Chase has at times used a switchblade in battle. Originally, he was in possession of The Fistigons, a pair of pyrokinetic gauntlets as well as a pair of X-Ray goggles. The goggles allowed him to see through clothing, walls and even miles of rock. The gloves allowed him to shape flames into any form he desired. They were destroyed by Nico Minoru when Alex Wilder had possession of them at the end of the first volume of The Runaways.
He has since inherited Gertrude’s psychic link with her Deinonychus, Old Lace. As well as being able to communicate telepathically with Old Lace, Chase empathically feels its pain. Old Lace also empathically feels his own pain.
Chase also possesses the Darkhawk Amulet, which gives him the ability to flight and generate a variety of laser weaponry. The armour is vulnerable to electromagnetic bursts, which can disable it, and technopaths, who can take control of it.