It’s always tempting to focus on the bold and flashy parts of Marvel Comics; the impressive feats of strength, the incredible powers, and the terrifying enemies. However, let’s take a step back and acknowledge one of the real superpowers working behind the scenes of the Marvel Universe, the found family. Found family is a recurring theme in superhero comics, particularly in Marvel stories, allowing characters to forge deep and long-lasting bonds with other heroes (or villains) outside their family unit. This theme is essential for certain series, such as the Runaways, Fantastic Four, or Young Avengers. These stories are emotional and highly relatable in the best possible ways.
Found family, sometimes referred to as “family of choice,” is a literary device that enables characters who aren’t biologically related to form close bonds. In case it wasn’t obvious, these bonds often have the earmarks of a close family, hence the terminology. Some famous examples of found family in pop culture would include Team Avatar from Avatar: The Last Airbender and the iconic Batman Family from DC Comics. That said, there are plenty of found families worth reading about in the world of Marvel Comics, and they’ve given us some of the best stories because of it.
The Runaways: Teenagers Rejecting Their Heritage Together
The Runaways are probably one of the best and most popular examples of found family in Marvel Comics. They’re the children of the Pride, an organization ready and willing to hand over the world for a price. Together, these teenage misfits reject their supervillain parents and their diabolical plans, teaming up to save the world. Naturally, it’s a lot more complicated than that, but in losing one family (their parents), they found a new one in each other.
The Runaways really do feel like a family unit. We can’t quite call them a group of siblings, as the stable partnerships of the group would make that weird. However, they have historically squabbled like siblings, even when supporting each other to the best of their abilities. They even have a beloved pet, Old Lace. The Runaways have gone above and beyond for each other, going to great lengths (and danger) to bring Gert back from the dead, accepting new members into the team, and facing down surprising threats.
Young Avengers: A Generation of Heroes Choosing Each Other
Unsurprisingly, there’s another young team of heroes that feels more like a found family than a team: the Young Avengers. This group may consist of superpowered teenagers, but they clearly care deeply about one another. Their ability to care was never really in question, given how they rose to the occasion to protect the world.. However, sometimes it’s hard to show a group of heroes caring for something more human. This is something the Young Avengers did to perfection.
Sometimes, a character will feel compelled to become a hero because it’s the right thing to do (looking at you, Captain America), but just as often, these characters end up on this path because of what they’ve been through. It’s why a found family is so important for the younger generations, as they offer a sense of belonging, healing, and higher emotional stakes. When it comes to the Young Avengers, fans got to watch as some favorite characters fell deeply in love, while others finally found the support system they longed for.
The X-Men: Bringing Characters From All Walks of Life Together
Let us not forget one of the most classic examples of found family in Marvel Comics, the X-Men! The X-Men have long offered a sense of hope and home for those who need it. Xavier’s Institute may have gone through plenty of ups and downs over the years, but the intention was always to provide a home to those who need it. Each new generation of X-Men has found a group to call their family, including newer teams like the Outliers.
The best part about the found family of the X-Men is that it combines multiple generations of heroes. Readers get to see beloved characters step into mentor or parental roles (regardless of how unwilling that may be at times), helping to guide and protect the future. It’s heartwarming and tends to add a lot of depth to these characters, so we love to see it happen.
Found families are an essential part of Marvel Comics and superheroes as a whole. This trope allows heroes to have vulnerable moments, create lasting bonds, and showcase the emotional core that runs through the franchise. For these reasons and so many more, it’s easy to resonate and connect with this theme.
