These Marvel Heroes Are Named After A Classic Cary Grant Movie

Superhero names tend to be self-explanatory: Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, The Flash, etc. Those names all instantly capture the vibe and central gimmick of the character. That even applies to "The Runaways" by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona. Set in the Marvel Universe, the book follows six kids in Los Angeles who do indeed become runaways after they discover their parents are in a super-villain cabal called the Pride.

Each pair of parents in the Pride embodies one classical super-villain archetype; sorcerers, mad scientists, etc. In turn, the Runaways inherit the powers or tools from their parents and go all in, choosing superhero names for themselves at the end of issue #6. Nico Minoru, daughter of the aforementioned sorcerers, becomes a witch herself, Sister Grimm. Molly Hayes' parents were both mutants, so she has super-strength; she becomes known as both "Bruiser" and (since she's also only eleven years old) "Princess Powerful." 

Team geek Gertrude "Gert" Yorkes' powers are a package deal; her parents are time-travelers, and one of their historical relics is a real-life Deinonychus (the accurate name for what "Jurassic Park" called a "Velociraptor"). Gert is psychically bonded to the raptor, which obeys her like a loyal hound. Together, they're known as Arsenic (Gert) and Old Lace (the raptor).

What do those words have to do with dinosaurs, time travel, or superheroes? Nothing, but as Gert tells her teammates: "Watch a movie made before 1985." Based on a 1941 play, "Arsenic and Old Lace" is most famous for Frank Capra's 1944 film adaptation, starring Cary Grant as the lead character and beleaguered straight man Mortimer Brewster.

Frank Capra is remembered for "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," earnest pictures that cemented James Stewart as the cinematic embodiment of "aw shucks" American decency. But "Arsenic and Old Lace" is an off-the-walls dark comedy.

Mortimer has just gotten married to his sweetheart Elaine (Priscilla Lane), but before their honeymoon, he gets drawn into a sticky situation with his insane family. Mortimer's brother Teddy (John Alexander) lives in delusion that he's President Teddy Roosevelt, while Mortimer's other brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey) is a wanted criminal who stops by to bury a body. Most baffling of all, Mortimer's sweet old aunts Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha (Jean Adair) have poisoned about a dozen of their tenants. They may be murderers, but they aren't malicious; they really are sweet old women who think they're being kind by sending lonely old men off the mortal coil. Mortimer, baffled by his aunts' obliviousness to their crimes but still devoted to them, decides to have Teddy committed to an asylum (he is mentally unwell) and be the fall guy.

The movie's stage origins are easily apparent. Most of the action unfolds in the Brewster family home, and you can tell by the way characters enter and exit scenes that, in a play, they'd be walking off-stage. It's similar to Alfred Hitchcock's experimental one-take film "Rope," down to the suspense coming from a body hidden in a chest. Speaking of Hitchcock, "Arsenic and Old Lace" shows Grant's funny side as the beleaguered straight man, much like how Hitchcock would use him in "North by Northwest." It may be charisma-radiating Cary Grant playing Mortimer, but this character is too flustered to be suave.

"Arsenic and Old Lace" is set on Halloween night, which is implicitly the reason for all the Brewster family's madness gathering in the same place. The house is located near a literal graveyard and Abby & Martha have also turned their basement into one, leaving the spirits plenty of opportunity to inspire mischief on All Hallow's Eve. The movie's title cards are also adorned with witches flying on broomsticks. There's no literal witch in the movie, but the Brewster aunts qualify in spirit; like the witch in "Hansel & Gretel," they're luring prey to their house.

The "Arsenic" part of the title refers to Abby & Martha's method of murder; they spike wine with arsenic, feeling the drink disguises the taste of the poison. This leads to a repeated beat of visitors attempting to take a sip of the wine, only for Mortimer to save them at the last minute before the arsenic touches their lips. What about the "old lace" part? The title appears to riff on the 1902 romance novel, "Lavender and Old Lace" by Myrtle Reed, where a woman discovers evidence of a tragic love story (like an unused wedding dress) in her aunt's attic. The secret hidden in Aunt Abby & Martha's cellar is a lot more disquieting than that!

So, why does "Runaways" reference this specific movie? One possibility is that it's because the Runaways discover their parental figures are hiding a dark secret, like Mortimer did. Besides that, though, it's best not to reach for more connections between the stories. It's in-character for Gert, a self-assured and geeky teenager, to reference an "old" movie to make herself look more cultured than her friends. As Arsenic said, movies made before 1985 can be plenty of fun.