Reunion (Runaways)

"Reunion" is the pilot and first episode of the American television series Runaways, based on Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films and other television series of the franchise. The pilot was written by series creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, with Brett Morgen directing.

Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer, Gregg Sulkin, and Allegra Acosta star as the Runaways, with Angel Parker, Ryan Sands, Annie Wersching, Kip Pardue, Ever Carradine, James Marsters, Brigid Brannagh, Kevin Weisman, Brittany Ishibashi, and James Yaegashi starring as their parents, the Pride. A pilot for a series based on the Runaways was ordered in August 2016, with Schwartz and Savage attached. The cast was announced in February 2017, with filming beginning later that month in Los Angeles and ending in March. Morgen focused on differentiating between the gritty world of the Runaways and the more stylistic world of the Pride.

"Reunion" was released for streaming on Hulu on November 21, 2017, and made its broadcast debut on Freeform on August 2, 2018.

A young woman named Destiny Gonzalez arrives in Los Angeles and is offered a safe place to live by a woman on behalf of the Church of Gibborim. Six months later, Alex Wilder is suffering from isolation due to having not spoken to his friends in two years due to an incident involving the death of one of his friend's sister, Amy. His parents, Geoffrey and Catherine, try to bond with him, but he pushes them away. Nico Minoru, a goth, is forbidden to enter Amy's room by her strict mother Tina, while her father Robert tries to console her. Chase Stein, an athlete who possess a hidden intellect, is berated by his father, Victor, due to getting a C in Spanish while his mother, Janet, looks on. Karolina Dean is the daughter of Church of Gibborim founder Leslie Dean whose husband, Frank, is a former A-list actor who feels suppressed by the church. Sarcastic social justice warrior Gert Yorkes and her adoptive sister Molly Hernandez are dropped off at school by vegan biologists Dale and Stacey Yorkes.

At school, Alex decides to invite his former friends over to his house so they can bond again, but they all either ignore or flat out refuse due to their differing opinions and personalities. Karolina is teased by the other classmates who call her brainwashed due to her connection to the church, but manages to find solace in Nico who ignores Alex when he asks her directly to come hang out. Chase attempts to get his Spanish teacher to give him another shot at raising his grade. When he refuses, Gert offers to tutor Chase instead. He agrees only to accept an invitation to a house party. At dance tryouts, Molly begins to suffer from stomach cramps and goes to the nurse's office thinking it is puberty, only to learn that she has super strength. Despite this, Alex had his mom order six pizzas which he now feels he will have to eat himself.

While filming a commercial for the church, Karolina meets Destiny who is a fully committed member of the church. Impressed with her independence, Karolina asks her what it is like to rebel. Leslie in the meantime has a badly scarred man with a gas mask hidden in an office of the church. She soon joins the other members of the Pride, consisting of all the kids parents (minus Frank), at the Wilder's residence for a "meeting". Nico heads out to the beach and builds a bonfire in an attempt to perform a spirit summoning, presumably so she can contact her sister. The ritual fails and she tosses her journal into the fire. Gert heads to Timely Coffee to tutor Chase, but slowly realizes that he is not coming. Molly arrives home and tests her super strength on the family van, but tires out afterwards and sleeps.

Chase arrives at the party, but begins to feel out of place. Karolina arrives too and is given a pill that will "free" her. She removes her Gibborim bracelet for the first time (she claims that she can't remember ever taking it off) and begins to glow rainbow colors only to pass out. Members of Chase's lacrosse team take her unconscious body and prepare to rape her, but Chase arrives and rescues her. Karolina asks that she not be left alone and that they go "anywhere, but home". She tosses away the pill that she was given earlier. Gert texts Molly to feed the animals in the basement. When she spots what looks like a dinosaur she panics and calls Gert to take her away. Chase, Gert, Molly, Karolina and Nico arrive at Alex's house and the six confront each other's current behavior as well as Amy's unexpected death (the incident that broke them up). Bored by the conversation, Chase suggests going into Geoffrey's study to sample his liquor. The group are surprised to find that their parents are not in there. Alex discovers a lever that opens a secret passageway. The group venture down and discover their parents in red robes forcing Destiny into a glowing coffin. Molly tries to snap a photo on her phone that seems to alert the parents, but the children flee before they can be spotted.

Marvel's Runaways was announced in August 2016, from Marvel Television, ABC Signature Studios, and Fake Empire, with the streaming service Hulu ordering a pilot episode and scripts for a full season. Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage had been developing the series with Marvel for a year before this announcement, and were set to write the pilot and showrun the series. Brett Morgen revealed in May 2017 that he had directed the episode, which was later revealed to be titled "Reunion".