In any other teen drama, Chase Stein (Greg Sulkin) would likely be your run-of-the-mill TV jock. But just like in the Runaways comics, Chase and the rest of his friends aren't as easily defined in the Hulu series as they first appear. When he's not practicing lacrosse, Chase spends his time tinkering with electronics, putting a great deal of work into one project in particular. The metal gloves that he's working on in the Runaways are still a work in progress. However, fans of the comic already know that once Chase figures out how the Fistigons work, he'll become a powerful force to be reckoned with. Spoilers for "Fifteen."
While many of the other Runaways are discovering that they have superpowers ranging from super-strength to glowing skin to a psychic connection to a dinosaur, Chase discovers that he's just an average teenage boy. This average teenage boy, however, happens to be the son of a wealthy mad scientist, and has access to his lab filled with expensive equipment. Thanks to these resources, Chase begins working on a pair of super-powered gloves that will come in handy should he need to fight off one of his evil parents or their friends. It's all the more suspicious that his usually abusive father actually wants to help him build these gloves.
The basic function of the Fistigons in the comics is that they make it much easier to land a knock-out punch against someone. While a strong metal punch is obviously a benefit, the power of these gloves goes far below their metal surface. The Fistigons have the ability to shoot and manipulate fire, shaping the flames into whatever the wearer desires. Whether the wearer wants a small cube made of fire or a massive wall of flames, the Fistigons can make it happen.
The Fistigons have always been a part of Chase's character, as defining a feature as the Staff of One is to Nico or Old Lace is to Gert. But the Runaways show alters the gauntlets' origin story ever so slightly. In the original Runaways comics, Chase steals the Fistigons, which were made by his parents, when he runs away. The television series makes Chase's relationship to the Fistigons more personal by having them actually be Chase's creation, and is throwing in some added family tension by having his father help with them.
Victor Stein is the most enigmatic member of the Pride, swaying back and forth between feeling guilty about his actions to exhibiting extreme violence. In the show, Stein is seen being plagued by visions of dead or bound women while also being the most willing to kill in the name of the Pride. In their first scene together, it seems that Victor is disappointed in Chase, but the comics indicate that their relationship is even darker that it seems in the show. The very first panel featuring Victor and Chase in the Runaways comics is Victor punching Chase in the mouth, establishing the Chases as a family whose primary language is toxic masculinity. While Victor helping his son build his project seems like a wholesome improvement for the character, it's likely that he's hiding an ulterior motive.
The Fistigons are Chase's defining weapon and the closest thing he gets to a superpower. But they've never been more vital than they are in the Runaways show. The Hulu adaptation is taking its time, building tension between the Pride and the Runaways as they try to discover each other's secrets, but rest assured that Chase will be manning his Fistigons when things come to a head. He may even have to take down his own father with the gloves that he helped build.
