Darkhawk

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Real Name

Chase Stein

Current Alias

Darkhawk

Aliases

Talkback

Relatives

Hunter Stein (paternal uncle), Victor Stein (father, deceased), Janet Stein (mother, deceased)

Affiliation

Runaways

Base Of Operations

Murderworld; formerly The Hostel II (a former base of operations of The Pride (Earth-616)), under the La Brea Tar Pits at Los Angeles Natural History Museum

Status

Alignment

Good

Identity

Secret Identity

Citizenship

American

Marital Status

Single

Occupation

Adventurer; former student

Education

High school drop-out

Characteristics

Gender

Male

Height

5' 11"

Weight

188 lbs (85 kg)

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Blond

Origin

Origin

Chase Stein is the athletic son of scientists Victor and Janet Stein.

Universe

Earth-616

Place of Birth

Los Angeles, California

Created by

Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona

First appearance

Runaways #1
(July, 2003)

HistoryEdit

'I'll handle this Thing wannabe. After all, there's only one way to deal with a lame Fantastic-Four rip-off... FLAME ON!

-- Chase Stein ^src 

Origin

Chase Stein is the son of mad scientists Victor and Janet Stein. The two supposedly made a fortune from inventing a tool that removes stickers from CD's, but were actually members of the secret group of super villains called The Pride. Chase often came across as being a dumb, obnoxious jock, but he was surprisingly street smart. Before learning that his parents were members of The Pride, Chase wanted to be an announcer for ESPN, but after his experiences with the Runaways he decided that he wanted to join the FBI to help other troubled teens like themselves (with the added perk of carrying a gun all the time.)

Runaways

He received his codename "Talkback" from Gertrude's sarcastic remark for his habit of talking back. As the only Runaway with a driver's license, Chase transported the team in his unmarked white van (very inconspicuous, commonplace, and difficult to track. Furthermore, it had a stolen license plate.) He used equipment taken from his parents' secret underground lab: Fistigons and X-ray goggles, but the both were destroyed in the final battle with the Pride. Chase was the one who originally found the Runaways' first hideout, a "missing mansion" which was swallowed up during an earthquake in the 1920s or 1930s that he nicknamed "The Hostel."

When the Runaways sneaked into the under-sea lair of The Pride in an effort to stop their parents from presenting an offering to the Gibborim, the teens are attacked by the hideout's security system: a giant stone golem. During the ensuing battle, Chase saved Gertrude Yorkes and her pet dinosaur Old Lace from the creature by luring it into a water channel. Although the plan worked, the golem knocked him underwater and he nearly drowned.

He came back to life when he is given CPR by Gertrude. He shows his gratitude by kissing her, and calls her "the hottest chick [he's] ever seen." As he was too weak to continue on to face The Pride, Chase offered the Fistigons and goggles to Alex Wilder, who later betrayed them all. Chase saved the team from certain death by hot-wiring the transport ship his parents designed, the Leapfrog, and getting them out of the Gibborim's lair before it exploded.

When the Runaways are split up by Social Services, Chase told the authorities that he was going to go and live with an Aunt in Anaheim, but instead gave them a false address and ran away again. Later, when the rest of the Runaways left their foster homes to meet each other, Chase turned up by surprise and led the teens off to release Gert's raptor from an Avengers storage complex. After successfully rescuing Old Lace, the kids decided to stay together rather than return to their foster homes and move off to their new lives in the Leapfrog.

With the Fistigons now gone, Chase helped the team by piloting the Leapfrog, which served as their getaway vehicle. As opposed to most vessels, which were designated "she," Chase had specifically designated the Leapfrog a male vessel, as the team had "more than enough estrogen." Chase used the Leapfrog's lasers, which he has only just discovered, to attack Excelsior. Chase now knew how to fix The Leapfrog after it was shot down by a blast from Darkhawk's amulet. He had also discovered that the "Frog" could talk, and it called him "Master," to Chase's delight.

The Runaways had a shocking encounter with Gert's older self, who traveled from twenty years in the future to warn the Runaways about Victor Mancha, a boy who would grow up to be a deadly super-villain. Suffering from internal injuries sustained in a battle with "Victorious," the older Gert confessed her love for Chase before dying in his arms. Visibly shaken, Chase vowed to "tear [Victor's] damn heart out."

However, the present-day Victor was an innocent young man, and a battle with Ultron left him an orphan. He joined the Runaways despite Chase's clear animosity towards him. Chase was also concerned that Gert may be infatuated with Victor, who is more her intellectual equal. Though Gert assured him that she only loves him, Chase remained leery of Victor's place among them long after his teammates accepted him. It was not until Victor begged Chase to knock him out while under the influence of the New Pride that Chase finally accepted him as a teammate and brother.

More recently, it has been hinted that Chase himself has a dark-side. Chase tells the Pusher Man that he once beat a gang member to death when the other teen tried to steal Chase's van. He did not confirm whether it was fact, though he says that his relationship with Gert is what keeps him "good."^[1]

Gert sacrificed herself to save Chase's life. To do so, she had to tell Geoffrey Wilder that Chase was a bad person. In her dying breaths, she told Chase that she lied to protect him, something that he had taught her. She also transferred Old Lace's psychic link to Chase and tried to tell him how much she loved him. After an unseen dispute with Nico about what to do with Gert's body he left the team with Old Lace, a copy of the Abstract, and Geoffrey Wilder's decoder ring.

While the other Runaways find methods to deal with their grief, Chase used Old Lace to hunt down Lotus, the only member of the New Pride who had not attempted to atone for the murder of Gert. Using the Abstract and the decoder ring, Chase opened a portal to the dimension of the Gibborim and was offered the resurrection of Gertrude in exchange for one innocent human soul.

Chase glared menacingly at Lotus, but released her, realizing that her innocence was stripped during the murder of Gert. As they left the Gibborim's dimension, the old gods told Chase that their offer still stood: One innocent soul for the resurrection of Gert. Chase then ordered Lotus to burn the abstract, but not before he secretly ripped several pages from the tome. Chase then returned to the Hostel and acted as though none of his encounters had happened and returns to the group.

Civil War & team-up with the Young Avengers

During the Civil War, he had become a very angry young man, who was very eager to fight and snaps at his fellow teammates whether this anger was justified or not.

His intelligence also seemed to have increased, as he was attempting to repair Victor who had been damaged by the S.H.I.E.L.D. after the Runaways had saved two Cape-Killers from the Flag-Smasher^[2].

His anger caused Molly to run away from the Hostel in tears, leading to their encounter with the Young Avengers. Using his link with Old Lace, he attacked Speedy. After a mind-controlled Noh-Varr attack them and kidnap numerous members of both Runaways and Young Avengers, Chase stay defiant from the others teen-heroes, but led the two team in the Cube. Inside he battled Noh-Varr, using the Vision as a battle suit. He was then counselled by Speedy to take more care of Molly.

Runaways

Chase then put his plan into action to resurrect Gert. He told Nico the truth: That his killing of the carjacker was really a made up story used to explain the beatings Chase received at the hands of his father. He told Nico that he intended to sacrifice himself on Gert's behalf and to shut down Victor when he tries to intervene. He took the Staff of One and leaves. Molly heard a voice that told her to alert the others, and they follow Chase, using a urine trail that Old Lace left for them.

The team found the end of the trail behind a donut shop and leaves Molly behind with Victor. Using Chase's portal, they entered the realm of the Gibborim, only to find that the giants would not accept Chase as a sacrifice. Apparently, his self-sacrifice had removed him from the category of "innocent" and instead the giants moved to consume Nico. As Victor regained consciousness, he and Molly entered the realm of the Gibborim to save Nico, without their sacrifice, the Gibborim faded from reality. As the team returned to the Hostel, Chase was forced to accept Gert's death.

Homecoming

Chase, Nico, Victor and Karolina held a house prom. An outside source managed 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 rushed to save Klara and Old Lace - upon arriving at the top, however, it was revealed that Old Lace had shielded Klara, who ended up alive. Old Lace, however, died. Chase, feeling her death because of their link, fell into a slump and repeatedly muttered an apology for Gert.^[3]

Chase encountered a man claiming to be his uncle, Hunter Stein. Chase believed that the man was lying because he remembered killing his uncle and driving off. He later came across a girl who has a striking resemblance to Gert. Chase ran after her but gets run over by a truck is rushed to a hospital.^[4]

Old Lace

It was later revealed that Chase got "better," having survived the accident. Later he had been picking up thoughts from Old Lace, and they discovered he was alive. A spell from Nico showed them that Reptil was the key they needed to reach Lace. After a brief conflict the the Avengers Academy, Hank Pym assisted the group in locating, and retrieving Old Lace.

Avengers Arena

Chase was one of the sixteen super powered teens captured and brought to Murderworld where Arcade plans on them to kill each other in order to survive. He was transported there alongside with Nico. He was among those who tried to fight Arcade right in the beginning of the game.

He stay with Nico and later try with her to team-up with the Avengers but was quickly accused to had attacked and burned Reptil. The Runaways were rejected, and Nico, affected by the destruction of her magical tree, rejected herself Chase, who found the amulet of Christopher Powell now transforming Chase into the new Darkhawk^[5]. When Arcade informed the participants of the existence of safe zones, the Runaways were seen still together. At this point, they first teamed-up with Cammi, and then also with Cullen Bloodstone, Nara and Anachronism.

Just when everything looked fine Chase and the others see Juston Seyfert attacking both Tim Bashir and Becca Ryker without mercy. Nico then try to stop Juston that instead of listening attacks her saying her to stay out of his way. Seeing Nico wounded, Chase transform again into Darkhawk and attacks Juston starting a fight between them, but before the things get worse they are both stopped by Tim's powers.

The teens then (not including Hazmat and Reptil) listen about Apex's past and start to argue about letting tim live or kill him. They decide to vote and everyone except Chase, Nara and Juston vote to let him live despite the danger. Seeing that nobody want to get their hands dirty Chase decide to be the one to kill Tim so that the other won't feel responsable, but before he can do this Nico banish Chase from the whole team with a energy beam from her Staff of One feeling that she is unable to trust Chase anymore and that he is going to cause more problems making things worse^[6].

Powers and AbilitiesEdit

Powers

• Telepathic link: Before Gertrude died she passed on telepathic link to Old Lace a genetically engineered deinonychus. This empathic bond with enabled Chase to command Old Lace as he pleased, however, he also shared any injuries that Old Lace suffered and vice versa.

As Darkhawk:

• Conscious Transfer: Chase can transfer his conscious into an alien android while at the same time, switch the robotic body's place with that of his own body wherever he is at any time.
• Superhuman Strength: He can bench press 2 tons.
• Superhuman Speed
• Superhuman Durability: Darkhawk is superhumanly durable; he is capable of shrugging off physical impacts, energy blasts, and most artillery fire.
• Superhuman Agility
• Superhuman Reflexes
• Flight: The retractable glider wings under his arms allow him to glide on air currents. Darkhawk can also fly at speeds that let him fly from New York to California in only a matter of hours.
• Self Repair: Even major injuries to his Darkhawk body can be repaired by switching back to his human form; his Darkhawk body teleports back to its holding space on the Darkhawk ship in Null Space, where it can be repaired almost instantly.
• Superhuman Vision: Darkhawk has telescopic and infra-red vision.
• Concussion Blasts: He can fire blasts of destructive dark energy from the amulet on his chest.
• Force Field: Chase can utilize a circular wafer-thin force field.

Abilities

Strength level

Chase was an athlete in high school and has the strength, speed and endurance of a typical adolescent male who engages in regular exercise.

ParaphernaliaEdit

Equipment

• X-Ray Goggles: The X-ray goggles allowed Chase to see through clothing, walls, and even through miles of rock.
• Footstigons: The "Footstigons" are a pair of rocket boots used by Chase.

  Transportation

• The Leapfrog.

  Weapons

• Fistigons: Chase gained a new pair of "Fistigons" after his first pair were destroyed. This new version can shoot electricity, missiles as well as fire. He occasionally uses a switchblade to defend himself as well.
  

NotesEdit

• In Brian K. Vaughn's original pitch for the series, Chase was originally called John. The relationship Chase has with Molly in the comics was also originally given to Gert.
• Terry Romita has stated that Chase could have a future as the next-gen Captain America.

LinksEdit

• 87 Appearances of Chase Stein (Earth-616)
• 60 Images featuring Chase Stein (Earth-616)
• 5 Quotations by or about Chase Stein (Earth-616)
• Character Gallery: Chase Stein (Earth-616)
• Fan-Art Gallery: Chase Stein (Earth-616)

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