Young Adult Angst Revives Doombot in Runaways No. 22
By Alex Widen
How Many People Does It Take to Fix a Doombot?
To Chase’s credit, he was aware that it would be awkward at best, and illegal at worst, for a 20 year old to date a 16 year old. His intention was to wait things out until things weren’t so awkward and their age gap would be just a number. The biggest problem is that he’s moved on from being the dude Gert liked in ways he doesn’t realize, and Gert was miserable feeling like a relic from a bygone era of two years ago. Seeing her making out with Victor hurt, but it was sadly inevitable.
Image by Marvel Comics
That still doesn’t mean that Chase doesn’t feel hurt, or betrayed. Seeing a best friend date “his” girlfriend would be stressful even for normal young adults. It coming at the cybernetic hands of a man who wasted months of Chase’s repairs for what was a conscious decision is another. Victor Mancha could have rebuilt himself at any time, but chose to do so out of feeling impotent to protect his friends. Chase, however, sees that as mere convenience and that Victor was motivated by his attraction to Gert all along. Is he wrong?
Image by Marvel Comics
Unfortunately, the pair have bigger problems. While Chase may have some genuine engineering skills, he’s far from his mad scientist parents. He’s more of a junkyard repair man than a robotics wizard. Five issues ago, Gib trashed Runaways ally and former Avengers A.I. member Doombot. He regrets it, but he saw Doombot as a mere trinket and obstacle to his siblings’ conquest. Chase just sees reviving Doombot as being akin to slapping an iPhone on, but things are far more complex!
Image by Marvel Comics