Most people in life don't have great power, and the few that do are almost never responsible with it. The people who have the greatest responsibility are the kids with no power because we're the ones who have to keep everybody in check. 
- —Gertrude Yorkes to Spider-Man[src]
History
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Gertrude "Gert" Yorkes
Origins
Like the other original Runaways, Gertrude "Gert" Yorkes was born after her parents and the other members of the Pride decided to pass on their inheritance from the Gibborim to their children.[2] Gert's parents, Dale and Stacey Yorkes, were time-travelers, and often utilized their 4-D Time Portico to complete the Pride work across multiple eras.[3][2]
Growing up, Gert was only close with Nico Minoru.[4] Gert was smart, clever, cynical, and sarcastic girl with socialist leanings who often frank and abrasive with others. Gert began to suspect her parents were secretly evil after Orwell, her pet potbelly pig, mysteriously disappeared.
Runaways
Along with Alex Wilder, Nico Minoru, and Chase Stein, Gert witnessed her parents and the Pride sacrifice Destiny Gonzales for the Ritual of Blood.[5] She was a vocal proponent for turning the Pride over to the authorities.[6]
While searching for evidence and the body in the Yorkes basement, the Runaways stubbled onto a holographic message from her parents, the Pride's Abstract, and a genetically engineered dinosaur from the future with a telepathic link to Gert.[3]
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Arsenic and Old Lace in the The Hostel
After rescuing Molly, narrowly escaping their parents, and taking refuge in The Hostel, Gert suggested taking on new codenames to start over without the influence of their parents. She chose the codename Arsenic and named her new pet velociraptor Old Lace.[7][8] The pair were immediately connected, and their bond continued to strengthen with time.[9][10]
Arsenic was often abrasive to and at odds with other members of the Runaways especially Chase. Arsenic remained vocal about using codenames, avoiding mistakes that would led to capture, and maintaining a healthy skepticism. Arsenic was suspicious of Topher[11] when he was first brought to the Hostel, hesitant to trust Cloak and Dagger,[12] and leery of following their parents into the Marine Vivarium for a confrontation.[13]
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Chase and Gert's first kiss
When Chase nearly drown battling off the defenses of the Marine Vivarium, it was Arsenic who administered CPR and saved his life. This led to the pairs first kiss and the culmination of their romantic tension. When facing off with the Pride, Arsenic had instructed Old Lace to follow Alex's commands if anything happened to her. Unfortunately, after taking down the Deans, Arsenic was incapacitated by Alice Hayes.[13] Luckily, Arsenic and the others were able to escape in the Leapfrog before the Gibborim destroyed the Marine Vivarium killing Alex and all the members of the Pride.[14]
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Gert reunited with Old Lace
After narrowly escaping the destruction of the Marine Vivarium, the Runaways were immediately apprehended by Captain America[14] and placed into foster care. Additionally, Old Lace was taken away from Arsenic. Weeks later after a text message from Karolina, the Runaways reconvened at the Griffith Observatory. Together they decided to retrieve Old Lace and the Leapfrog, and runaway again.[15]
Heroine
The Runaways eventually located one of the Pride's old lairs beneath the La Brea Tar Pits, and took up residence there. They also began defending Los Angeles from all of the villains trying to fill the power vacuum left by the absence of the Pride.[16]
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Heroine traveling to her past with a warning
After an unsuccessful mission to rescue Excavator from his father and the Wrecking Crew, the team returned to the Hostel to be comforted by a mortally wounded Heroine, a woman claiming to Gert's future self and leader of the Avengers. Using the 4-D Time Portico, she narrowly escaped the onslaught of Victorious, with a message to the Runaways: find Victor Mancha and stop him from becoming this deadly super-villain. Heroine then died in Chase's arms.[16] Heroine's body was buried just outside the La Brea Museum.[4]
During the Runaways' attempt to bring Victor to the Hostel, he explained to Gert that Old Lace is actually a Deinonychus, not a Velociraptor as previously assumed. Despite the fact that he may one day kill her, Gert quickly sparked a connection with Victor, whom she viewed as her intellectual equal.[17] Gert friendliness with Victor led to Chase feeling insecure about their relationship despite Gert's reassurances.[18][1]
During a trip to New York City to help Cloak, Gert and Victor had dinner with Spider-Man while Nico and Chase tracked down Pusher Man resulting in a brief kiss.[19] In their final confrontation with Reginald Mantz, Gert was thrown off a skyscraper ultimately to be saved by Victor much to Chase's annoyance.[20]
Weeks later, when Gert found out about Chase and Nico's kiss while battling a young Geoffrey Wilder and his New Pride, she was furious, and the ensuing argument allowed the New Pride to kidnap Molly.[1] Later, Gert officially ended her relationship with Chase.[21]
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The death of Gertrude Yorkes
Death and Afterlife
During the Runaways' mission to rescue Molly Pride, Chase ran into the burning Griffith Observatory to rescue his friends. However, Nico, Xavin, and Molly had already escaped, leave Chase to face off with Geoffrey Wilder. Gert and Old Lace went in after him resulting in Geoffrey throwing a knife directly into Gert's chest. Before she died, she successfully transferred her telepathic connection with Old Lace to Chase.[22]
Gert's body was was buried five-and-a-half feet in the ground several meters behind the Hollywood sign.[4]
Motivated by the grief of Gert's death, Chase sought out the Gibborim and tried to barter a deal for her resurrection.[4] Despite his attempts, Chase was stopped by the other Runaways.[23]
When Molly began receiving ominous direction from a disembodied voice shortly after Gert's death, she believed it was Gert aiding her from beyond the grave.[24] In fact, it was Alex Wilder trying to redeem himself and escape from Hell.[23]
During their trip to 1907, the Runaways encountered younger versions of the Yorkes with a working portico. Chase Stein stole the machine to travel back in time and save Gert,[25] but see her younger and blissfully unaware of their parents' evil, he decided to allow her to remain in the past. However, he did return to his father's workshop to steal a new set of Fistigons and X-Ray Specs.[26]
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Gert and Old Lace
Attributes
 |
Powers
Gertrude Yorkes was born human with no metahuman abilities. However, using the 4-D Time Portico to travel to the future in the 87th century, Gert's parents were able to commission a genetically engineered deinonychus.[3]
- Telepathic and Empathic Link: Gert is telepathically and empathically link to her genetically engineered deinonychus, Old Lace. This empathic bond with Old Lace enabled Gertrude to mentally command and communicate with Old Lace.[6][29] Additionally, Old Lace is fiercely loyal to Gert, and has been programed not to harm any member of the Yorkes immediate family.[30] However, Gert and Old Lace also share the pain any injuries they other sustains.[31][32][22]
Weaknesses
Paraphernalia
Transportation
Notes
- Gert is 15 years old during her initial appears in Runaways #1.
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Victor Mancha finally getting Old Lace's name
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Arsenic explains why she advocates for the use of codenames
Trivia
- Although Gert is ethnically Jewish,[33] she is openly atheist.[6]
- Gertrude plays the drums.[34]
- According to Leslie Dean, Gert was the one child the Pride always considered expendable.[30] Alice Hayes also mentions having wanted to shut Gert up ever since she was born.[35]
- Gert's codename "Arsenic" and the name of her pet dinosaur "Old Lace" were chosen as a reference to the 1944 dark comedy Arsenic and Old Lace directed by Frank Capra. Based on the play of the same name, the film is about a man that learns on his wedding day that bride-to-be has homicidal aunts and a family history of insanity.[36][37][38]
- Victor Mancha is seemingly the only Runaway to get the reference.[37]
- Prior to running away, Gert wanted to be a U.S. Senator, but has since become very disillusioned with people-in-power.[35]
- In an alternate future, Gertrude went by the codename "Heroine" and became the leader of the Avengers.
- Gert died in Chase's arms twice: once as the adult Heroine[16] and once as her adolescent self.[22]
- Gertrude is vegetarian (or more accurately, pescetarian).[33]
- Gert's hair is naturally black, but she colors her hair with Purple Haze dye on a weekly basis to keep her roots from showing.[1]
See Also
- 76 appearance(s) of Gertrude Yorkes (Earth-616)
- 3 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Gertrude Yorkes (Earth-616)
- 8 minor appearance(s) of Gertrude Yorkes (Earth-616)
- 8 mention(s) of Gertrude Yorkes (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Gertrude Yorkes (Earth-616)
- 156 image(s) of Gertrude Yorkes (Earth-616)
- 16 quotation(s) by or about Gertrude Yorkes (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Runaways (Vol. 2) #15
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Runaways #13
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Runaways #3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Runaways (Vol. 2) #19
- ↑ Runaways #1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Runaways #2
- ↑ Runaways #6
- ↑ Runaways #7
- ↑ Runaways #8
- ↑ Runaways #14
- ↑ Runaways #10
- ↑ Runaways #12
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Runaways #16
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Runaways #17
- ↑ Runaways #18
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Runaways (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ Runaways (Vol. 2) #3
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Runaways (Vol. 2) #7
- ↑ Runaways (Vol. 2) #11
- ↑ Runaways (Vol. 2) #12
- ↑ Runaways (Vol. 2) #16
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Runaways (Vol. 2) #18
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Runaways (Vol. 2) #24
- ↑ Runaways (Vol. 2) #23
- ↑ Runaways (Vol. 2) #28
- ↑ Runaways (Vol. 2) #30
- ↑ Runaways (Vol. 3) #14
- ↑ Daken: Dark Wolverine #18
- ↑ Runaways (Vol. 2) #17
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Runaways #5
- ↑ Runaways (Vol. 2) #5
- ↑ What If? House of M #1
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Free Comic Book Day (Vol. 2006) #X-Men Runaways
- ↑ Runaways #2
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 Runaways #16
- ↑ Runaways #6
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 Runaways (Vol. 2) #14
- ↑ Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) on IMDb
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 13
Template:The Runaways