Alex Wilder

Alex Wilder
Alex Wilder and the Abstract. Artwork by Jo Chen.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Runaways vol. 1 #1 (July, 2003)
Created by	Brian K. Vaughan (writer) Adrian Alphona (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Alex Wilder
Team affiliations	Runaways The Pride Young Masters
Abilities	Genius-level intellect

Alex Wilder is a fictional superhero and, later, supervillain in the Marvel Comics series Runaways.

Alex Wilder was created by author Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona where debuted in Runaways vol. 1 #1 with most of the other main characters. Like every member of the original Runaways, he is the son of evil villains with special abilities; in Alex's case, gang mob bosses. Alex is the team's de facto leader in the title's first volume, temporarily ranking Alex among the list of African-American superhero team leaders. Unlike the rest of the team, Alex does not possess powers of any kind but is a child prodigy in the fields of logic and strategy, both of which assist Alex greatly during his time as leader. Thin, black, and with a signature afro, Alex outed himself as the Runaway's secret mole to their evil parents and met his tragic demise after being blown into ashes by the Gibborim.

The son of Geoffrey and Catherine Wilder, Alex is the first character to be introduced to the series; Alex is the one to initially suggest spying on their parents' supposed charity organization. After witnessing their parents' (who were revealed to be a secret crime ring called "the Pride") murder of an innocent teenage girl, Alex organizes the mass escape from their parents. Alex then obtains the Yorkes' copy of The Abstract, a magical book that records the past, present, and future deeds of the Pride. After a few fights with their parents, Alex and the Runaways escape to Chase's dilapidated mansion hideout called "the Hostel". The group vows to work together and take down their parents' organization. The majority of the group (with the exception of Alex) decide to take superhero codenames for themselves as they begin their new lives as full-time vigilantes.

Alex distances himself emotionally from many of the Runaways, even refusing to take a codename or bond with the rest of the team. Alex spends most of his time deciphering the Abstract, presumably plotting how he will carry out his plan to save his parents from the Dean and Hayes couples. Since he expected that all the other Runaways would die in a few months time, he limited his emotional connection.