Chase Stein had a hard upbringing as he was of below-average intelligence within a family of overachieving geniuses. His father was abusive, hitting him with a Burbank phonebook until his son passed out, all for getting a D in algebra, a parking ticket or if Victor had had a bad day. Janet, his mother, simply went upstairs and turned up her NPR so she couldn't hear her son crying.

Civil War

Prior to Civil War, Chase was romanticall linked with Gertrude Yorkes, who was killed by a time-travelling Geoffrey Wilder. The effects of Gert's death were most evident during the events of Civil War, as Chase would often lash out at people due to his frustration at not being able to save his girlfriend. Molly Hayes, the youngest member of the team, suffered the most from this as she looked up to Chase as the older brother she never had and was unused to the distance and anger he displayed. Chase only realized how much Molly cared for him when she was nearly knocked unconscious by Noh-Varr while attempting to save Old Lace, one of the only things that Gert left behind in memory of her.

Powers

Chase has displayed a level of technical savvy that comes at an unnatural rate, manipulating and understanding machinery without even knowing why or how he does. This was most evident when he bonded with the younger Vision during their encounter with the Young Avengers. If this is a genetic trait that was passed on from his parents or rather signs of untapped intelligence has yet to be established.

Originally, he was in possession of The Fistigons, a pair of pyrokinetic gauntlets as well as a pair of X-Ray goggles. They were destroyed by Nico Minoru when Alex Wilder got ahold of them by the end of the first volume of The Runaways.

He has also inherited Gertrude's psychic link with her Deinonychus, Old Lace.