Gertrude Yorkes
Encyclopedia
Gertrude Yorkes is a fictional character
in the Marvel Comics
award-winning series, Runaways
. She was created by author Brian K. Vaughan
& artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways vol. 1 #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 although ethnically Jewish, Gert is agnostic. Gert is bespectacled and somewhat overweight, contrary to the typical notion of superheroines appearing physically fit and conventionally beautiful, making Gert unique among the heroines of the Marvel universe
. Gert is known for her sarcastic one-liners, a pair of glasses, and brown dyed purple hair. She stands at a rough height of 5'1" and weighs 125 lb (56.7 kg).
In 2008, Marvel.com named Gert's death as the sixth out of ten best deaths in Marvel Comics history.
lers. After running off, Gert takes the name Arsenic and dubs her dinosaur Old Lace
, a reference to the film of the same name
. While the other members take codenames to be more like superheroes, Gert takes her name to cut all ties to her parents and former life. Later she and the other Runaways decide to use their real names again, but Old Lace continues with her codename, since she didn't have any name before.
Gert's cynical attitude breaks when after resuscitating Chase
from drowning
(after their last encounter with the Pride), she shares a passionate kiss after he awakens; it's generally accepted that Chase and Gert become a couple at this point. After the battle, the government is forced to admit the Runaways aren't murderers, but innocent victims. Gert is sent to live in a boarding school while the Avengers
detain Old Lace in a secret holding facility in LA itself. A few months later, she runs away from the school to join up with her friends and, with Chase's assistance, frees Old Lace. She joins the cadre in the Leapfrog, an old Pride land/sea transport also confiscated by the Avengers, and runs away to start life as a full-time vigilante
.
, a dormant teenage threat that will grow up to kill every hero under the alias "Victorious." The future Gert dies in Chase's arms without being able to finish saying, "I love you." The team fights and defeats Ultron, and Victor rewrites his programming and claims that he is free of Ultron's influence. Nico invites him to join the team. Shortly after the runaways' trip to New York City
, a new Pride reveals a kiss shared between Chase and Nico to Gert; Gert is distraught and the Runaways begin to deteriorate; Molly gets kidnapped and Old Lace physically attacks Nico. Gert and Nico are able to put aside their differences long enough to rescue Molly from the new Pride, but during the rescue, Gert takes a dagger in the stomach to save Chase. In her final moments, Gert transfers empathic control of Old Lace to Chase, ensuring the dinosaur would live. Gert dies in Chase's arms, having forgiven Chase for kissing Nico, without finishing saying "I love you."
after their falling out. She bluffed some details about Chase's past to keep Geoffrey from sacrificing Chase and Geoffrey fell for the bluff, but plunged his dagger into Gert's stomach instead. As she lay dying, she transferred control of Old Lace to Chase and died forgiving Chase for Nico's kiss and without finishing saying she loved him.
Gert and Nico had been friends since birth. Nico reveals that Gert had always been a liberal thinker when Gert hid all of Nico's My Little Pony
dolls in the forest because Gert thought the animals should be free. Nico knit Gert a purple scarf
for her birthday and it prompted Gert to dye her hair the same color. Although she sometimes questioned Nico, Gert always stood by her friend with unwavering loyalty. Gert's loyalty did not go unrecognized, as Nico requested that Gert take over leadership if something should happen. Although their relationship strained after Gert discovered Nico's kiss, they reconciled shortly afterwards, following a round of tossing insults and internet slang
, demonstrating the close relationship and respect they shared. Nico grieved for a long time following Gert's death and even experienced survivor's guilt
.
because she is allergic to bee stings and posits that even one sting on Old Lace could end the both of them.
Though Gertrude herself possessed no powers she seemed to have a high level of intellect at her age being able in the first volume to understand how Cloaks' cape and powers worked and how to revive them. While Marvel Handbook files have indeed given her intelligence levels a rating of 4 out of 7, and thus reasonably higher than the average mind, equal to Alex or even Victor Mancha
's, she was not quite a genius. In the third volume when the team reunited and got back, when she returned to the team with Molly stating "It's hard to trick the guards when they're all psychics", though unknown if it was sarcasm or true. In the first volume her smarts seemed to be on the same level as Alex Wilder seeing to be the first to understand him.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
award-winning series, Runaways
Runaways (comics)
Runaways is a 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 group called the Pride. Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, the series debuted in April of 2003 as part of Marvel Comics'...
. She was created by author Brian K. Vaughan
Brian K. Vaughan
Brian Keller Vaughan is an American comic book and television writer. He is best known for the comic book series Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Runaways, and Pride of Baghdad, and was one of the principal writers of the television series Lost, during seasons three through five...
& artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways vol. 1 #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 although ethnically Jewish, Gert is agnostic. Gert is bespectacled and somewhat overweight, contrary to the typical notion of superheroines appearing physically fit and conventionally beautiful, making Gert unique among the heroines of the Marvel universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. Gert is known for her sarcastic one-liners, a pair of glasses, and brown dyed purple hair. She stands at a rough height of 5'1" and weighs 125 lb (56.7 kg).
In 2008, Marvel.com named Gert's death as the sixth out of ten best deaths in Marvel Comics history.
The Pride
The daughter of Dale and Stacey Yorkes, Gert is first seen flatly yelling that she doesn't want to go to the Wilders' annual supposed charity organization; after the witnessing of the murder of an innocent girl by their parents ("the Pride"), despite being shocked her parents are a part of it, Gert remains the only one not surprised that her parents are actually villains, saying that she had suspected her parents of being evil ever since her pet pig suspiciously disappeared. Gert joins her team in the mass ransack to escape from their respective homes. Before leaving, however, Gert discovers a dinosaur in a hidden room in her basement that has a telepathic bond with Gert's mind, meaning it obeys her every command. Clueing a holographic message featuring Gert's parents and the fact her basement is full of rare antiques, the Runaways conclude Gert's parents are actually time travelTime travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
lers. After running off, Gert takes the name Arsenic and dubs her dinosaur Old Lace
Old Lace (comics)
Old Lace is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics award-winning series Runaways. She was created by Brian K. Vaughan & artist Adrian Alphona and debuted attacking the other characters in Runaways vol. 1 #2...
, a reference to the film of the same name
Arsenic and Old Lace (film)
Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 film directed by Frank Capra based on Joseph Kesselring's play of the same name. The script adaptation was by twins Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein. Capra actually filmed the movie in 1941, but it was not released until 1944, after the original stage version...
. While the other members take codenames to be more like superheroes, Gert takes her name to cut all ties to her parents and former life. Later she and the other Runaways decide to use their real names again, but Old Lace continues with her codename, since she didn't have any name before.
Personality
Throughout the entire first volume, Gert refuses to answer to her given name and sticks with her codename the longest of all the Runaways, who begin dropping their names. Gert's cynical view on her parents (and adults in general) also carries through the first and second volumes, where her belief her parents killed her pet pig becomes stronger. Though all the Runaways share a mutual distrust of adults, Gert remains the most fervent and vocal about the philosophy.Gert's cynical attitude breaks when after resuscitating Chase
Chase Stein
Chase Stein , is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics award-winning series, Runaways. He was created by author Brian K. Vaughan & artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways vol. 1 #1 with most of the other main characters...
from drowning
Drowning
Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
(after their last encounter with the Pride), she shares a passionate kiss after he awakens; it's generally accepted that Chase and Gert become a couple at this point. After the battle, the government is forced to admit the Runaways aren't murderers, but innocent victims. Gert is sent to live in a boarding school while the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
detain Old Lace in a secret holding facility in LA itself. A few months later, she runs away from the school to join up with her friends and, with Chase's assistance, frees Old Lace. She joins the cadre in the Leapfrog, an old Pride land/sea transport also confiscated by the Avengers, and runs away to start life as a full-time vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
.
As a fugitive/death
The second volume finds Gert fighting under Nico's command, still dating Chase. Meanwhile, one of her parents' old time machines appears in the new Hostel carrying a black-haired, physically fit woman without glasses, claiming to be Gert from the future; this version of Gert grew up to become the leader of the Avengers under the alias Heroine. Heroine warns the Runaways of Victor ManchaVictor Mancha
Victor Mancha is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics award-winning series, Runaways. He was created by author Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways vol. 2 #1 . Like the original runaways, Victor has a supervillain for a parent; his father is the robot Ultron...
, a dormant teenage threat that will grow up to kill every hero under the alias "Victorious." The future Gert dies in Chase's arms without being able to finish saying, "I love you." The team fights and defeats Ultron, and Victor rewrites his programming and claims that he is free of Ultron's influence. Nico invites him to join the team. Shortly after the runaways' trip to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, a new Pride reveals a kiss shared between Chase and Nico to Gert; Gert is distraught and the Runaways begin to deteriorate; Molly gets kidnapped and Old Lace physically attacks Nico. Gert and Nico are able to put aside their differences long enough to rescue Molly from the new Pride, but during the rescue, Gert takes a dagger in the stomach to save Chase. In her final moments, Gert transfers empathic control of Old Lace to Chase, ensuring the dinosaur would live. Gert dies in Chase's arms, having forgiven Chase for kissing Nico, without finishing saying "I love you."
Home Schooling Arc
Chase bumps into a girl bearing an uncanny resemblance to the late Gert, who doesn't recognize him. Initially stunned, he chases her to catch up to her, recklessly running through impending traffic. She yells for him to stop, as a silhouette resembling Old Lace appears in an alley behind her, but he is struck by a van. The girl apparently leaves as paramedics rush Chase to a hospital.Relationship with other Runaways
Gert rarely interacts with Karolina. The two have been noted to remark upon each other's appearance or family, but are rarely seen conversing like the other characters. Gert is one to often babysit Molly, though Molly has more brotherly relationships with Chase and Victor. Gert, despite her foreshadowing future of her and Victor, often defended him. Gert dated Chase from Runaways volume 1, issue 16 to Runaways volume 2, issue 18. Their relationship was often defined by bickering - Chase's dim-witted moments often clashed with Gert's sarcastic and intelligent quips. Gert's relationship with Chase softened her somewhat, though she didn't entirely lose her sarcastic edge. Their relationship developed quickly, with a few off-hand comments suggesting that they shared the same bed and were sexually intimate. However, their relationship was threatened when Gert learned that Nico had kissed Chase; though Chase rebuffed Nico's advances, Gert was still hurt that Chase had kept the interaction hidden from her. She revealed her insecurity about her appearance and fear that Chase would eventually leave her for a more conventionally pretty girl. Though implying she was hurt being reconciliation, she still ran into a burning building to save Chase from Geoffrey WilderGeoffrey Wilder
Geoffrey Wilder was a fictional super villain in the Marvel Comics award-winning series, Runaways. Geoffrey led the Pride, the super villain crime ring of Los Angeles. He was the father of former Runaway Alex Wilder.-Fictional character biography:...
after their falling out. She bluffed some details about Chase's past to keep Geoffrey from sacrificing Chase and Geoffrey fell for the bluff, but plunged his dagger into Gert's stomach instead. As she lay dying, she transferred control of Old Lace to Chase and died forgiving Chase for Nico's kiss and without finishing saying she loved him.
Gert and Nico had been friends since birth. Nico reveals that Gert had always been a liberal thinker when Gert hid all of Nico's My Little Pony
My Little Pony
My Little Pony is a brand of toy ponies marketed primarily to girls produced by the toy manufacturer Hasbro. These ponies can be identified by their colorful bodies and manes and a unique symbol on one or both sides of their flanks...
dolls in the forest because Gert thought the animals should be free. Nico knit Gert a purple scarf
Scarf
A scarf is a piece of fabric worn around the neck, or near the head or around the waist for warmth, cleanliness, fashion or for religious reasons. They can come in a variety of different colours.-History:...
for her birthday and it prompted Gert to dye her hair the same color. Although she sometimes questioned Nico, Gert always stood by her friend with unwavering loyalty. Gert's loyalty did not go unrecognized, as Nico requested that Gert take over leadership if something should happen. Although their relationship strained after Gert discovered Nico's kiss, they reconciled shortly afterwards, following a round of tossing insults and internet slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
, demonstrating the close relationship and respect they shared. Nico grieved for a long time following Gert's death and even experienced survivor's guilt
Survivor guilt
Survivor, survivor's, or survivors guilt or syndrome is a mental condition that occurs when a person perceives themselves to have done wrong by surviving a traumatic event when others did not...
.
Powers and abilities
Gert has no physical powers, but a mental link with Old Lace. Old Lace makes her first appearance after being discovered in a secret compartment in Gert's basement. Gert discovered that she had a telepathic bond to Old Lace when the dinosaur halted from devouring the Runaways because Gert yelled out "STOP IT!" in fear. 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. 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. Gert and Old Lace's empathic bond was beneficial in that whenever one was healed, the other would always get better. However, it also made each known to injuries they wouldn't normally be grossly affected by. For example, in Runaways volume 2, issue 7, Gert refuses to fight SwarmSwarm (comics)
Swarm is a fictional character and supervillain, an enemy of Spider-Man in the Marvel Comics universe. A former Nazi sympathizer, his most notable physical feature is that his entire body is composed of bees....
because she is allergic to bee stings and posits that even one sting on Old Lace could end the both of them.
Though Gertrude herself possessed no powers she seemed to have a high level of intellect at her age being able in the first volume to understand how Cloaks' cape and powers worked and how to revive them. While Marvel Handbook files have indeed given her intelligence levels a rating of 4 out of 7, and thus reasonably higher than the average mind, equal to Alex or even Victor Mancha
Victor Mancha
Victor Mancha is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics award-winning series, Runaways. He was created by author Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways vol. 2 #1 . Like the original runaways, Victor has a supervillain for a parent; his father is the robot Ultron...
's, she was not quite a genius. In the third volume when the team reunited and got back, when she returned to the team with Molly stating "It's hard to trick the guards when they're all psychics", though unknown if it was sarcasm or true. In the first volume her smarts seemed to be on the same level as Alex Wilder seeing to be the first to understand him.