Read more about Gertrude Yorkes at: Wikipedia

Official Site: Marvel Comics

Gertrude Yorkes (self-referred to as Arsenic ), is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics award-winning series, Runaways. She was created by author Brian K. Vaughan & artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways vol. 1 #1 with most of the other main characters. Like every member of the original Runaways, she is the daughter of evil villains with special abilities; in Gert's case, time-travellers. contrary to the typical notion of superheroines appearing physically fit and conventionally beautiful, making Gert unique among the heroines of the Marvel universe. Gert is known for her sarcastic one-liners, a pair of glasses, and brown dyed purple hair.

In 2008, Marvel.com named Gert's death as the sixth out of ten best deaths in Marvel Comics history.

The daughter of Dale and Stacey Yorkes, Gert is first seen flatly yelling that she doesn't want to go to the Wilders' annual supposed charity organization; after the witnessing of the murder of an innocent girl by their parents ("the Pride"), despite being shocked her parents are a part of it, Gert remains the only one not surprised that her parents are actually villains, saying that she had suspected her parents of being evil ever since her pet pig suspiciously disappeared. Gert joins her team in the mass ransack to escape from their respective homes. Before leaving, however, Gert discovers a dinosaur in a hidden room in her basement that has a telepathic bond with Gert's mind, meaning it obeys her every command. Later she and the other Runaways decide to use their real names again, but Old Lace continues with her codename, since she didn't have any name before.

Throughout the entire first volume, Gert refuses to answer to her given name and sticks with her codename the longest of all the Runaways, who begin dropping their names. Gert's cynical view on her parents (and adults in general) also carries through the first and second volumes, where her belief her parents killed her pet pig becomes stronger. Though all the Runaways share a mutual distrust of adults, Gert remains the most fervent and vocal about the philosophy.

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