Future Gert makes a surprise return in Marvel Runaways #36 preview

Runaways #36
(Image credit: Andrés Genolet/Dee Cunniffe/Joe Caramagna (Marvel Comics))

Gertrude Yorkes is back… from the future. Once again, a grown-up Gert will appear, unexpectedly to say the least, in the upcoming Runaways #36. The last time readers saw modern-day teen Gert, she left the team to resume her high school education and live a relatively normal life - minus the Runaways, which includes her on-again, off-again beau Chase Stein.

Chase is left reeling from that, and that's where we pick things up with this new preview of Runaways #36:

Marvel has kept this secret under wraps for some time by being vague (but excited, with ALL CAPS) in their advance description of this issue.

"THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN TELL YOU ABOUT THIS ISSUE THAT WOULDN'T SPOIL WHAT IS POSSIBLY THE BEST COMIC OF 2021!" reads Marvel's description of Runaway #36. "WE CAN'T EVEN SHOW YOU THE COVER!"

(Image credit: Kris Anka (Marvel Comics))

Marvel Comics says it can't show you the cover, but we can - and just did, to your right.

This isn't the first time a future Gert has come to visit - in 2005's Runaways Volume 2 #1, an older Gert from the future visited the team in our present day. Although known to not have powers, she reveals that in her future she becomes the leader of the Avengers, and warns them of an upcoming antagonist they are to face. This future Gert gets in trouble of her own however, and ends up dying in Chase's arms. 

According to this Runaways #36 preview, a new, different version of Gert has come back from the future to reconnect with Chase -- apparently after leaving him to return to high school in Runaways #35.

This storyline is building up to the milestone 100th issue of Runaways (between several volumes), which will be celebrated in Runaways #38.

"The house of cards gets its final hand in place before everything comes crashing to the ground," reads Marvel's description of Runaways #37. "And at the center of this crash? Gert Yorkes."

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Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)