Hulu seems to be getting in on the Marvel action with its new show Runaways. While Netflix has been churning out grittier and grittier Marvel heroes, Hulu chose to spotlight a younger cast of characters that find themselves dealing with more than average high school drama.
The audience first meets the mismatched group of teens as they each try to deal with the second anniversary of their friend’s suicide in their own way. As the narrative unravels, the audience is left wondering how these clashing personalities were ever friends, with the jock and nerd butting heads, the activist sniping at the “perfect” church girl, and a goth girl and an aspiring dancer pretending they never knew each other. It turns out they grew up playing together while their parents attended meetings for their charity, Pride.
After one character guilts the other five into having a pizza night as in the old days, the teens stumble across their parents practicing a ritual sacrifice when they’re supposed to be at a charity meeting.
Having seen their parents commit a disturbing murder, the teenagers are bonded in their quest to take down their parents and expose their vile actions. As the season goes on, the individual characters discover that while they know their parents have killed someone, they find it difficult to reconcile that image with the parents they know and love.
On top of dealing with high school and their parents, some of the teens discover that they have special abilities and a dinosaur that they have to keep secret.
Runaways has 10 45-minute episodes available on Hulu. Fans on the series might also enjoy watching Jessica Jones, a surly and broken hero who can be found on Netflix. If viewers are hoping for a more positive hero, Luke Cage is about a man with super strength trying to better his community. It’s also available on Netflix.