- "They never told me I had a granddaughter. They never told me about you. If they had, I would have fought harder not to forget."
- ―Susan Ellerh to Karolina Dean[src]
Susan Ellerh (née Kimball) is the mother of Leslie Ellerh and a member of the Church of Gibborim. Refusing to let Leslie fall under the influence of Jonah, Susan was sent to the Crater by her husband David Ellerh. There, unbeknownst to Leslie herself, she was reindoctrinated to become a fanatic adept of the Church of Gibborim and adopted the name of S4E2R. However, years later, Susan recovered her real identity when Leslie was also brought to the Crater due to her conflict with Frank Dean. Susan also met with her granddaughter Karolina Dean and helped her to rescue Leslie. Upon witnessing Karolina's Gibborim-related powers, Susan saw a confirmation of her beliefs and called Frank an apostate, deciding to remain in the Crater to keep carrying the Church's teachings.
Biography[]
Exiled[]
Ellerh with her daughter, Leslie
Susan was born the daughter of Donald Kimball. She married David Ellerh, the founder of the Church of Gibborim, and gave him a daughter, Leslie.
However, Susan soon figured out that their daughter had caught the attention of Jonah, who had David under his influence. In an attempt to protect Leslie from Jonah, Susan attempted to flee with her daughter, but she was caught by David, causing an argument. In the end, Susan was declared "aphotic" and sent to the Crater, a reindoctrination facility managed by the Church of Gibborim, while Leslie remained with David.[1]
Ellerh argues with her husband
As a result of this exile, Susan was not present by her daughter's side when David died of testicular cancer.[2] She also never learned that Leslie had a child of her own.[3]
Life in the Crater[]
- "Welcome home. I'm S4E2R. I see you and I love you."
- ―S4E2R to Leslie Dean[src]
Upon arriving in the Crater, Ellerh was stripped of her name and was forced to adopt a new one, S4E2R. Due to the reindoctrination processes she had to undergo, S4E2R soon became a faithful and unquestioning servant of the Church of Gibborim.
Many years later, S4E2R was present when her daughter Leslie Dean, now an adult, was sent to the Crater by her husband in an attempt to stop her from shutting down the Church of Gibborim. Due to her reconditioning, S4E2R never revealed her connection to Dean, instead welcoming her like any other adept although Dean was far more resistant than the average parishioner as she knew everything about the Church's methods. S4E2R gave her a new bracelet and informed her that her new name would be L3D5E. Although Leslie refused that name, she fainted due to dehydration in front of S4E2R.
S4E2R argues with Leslie Dean
S4E2R looked after Dean until she regained consciousness. As Dean proved to be as rebellious towards the reindoctrination processes, S4E2R told her that David Ellerh would be disgusted by her behavior, puzzling Dean who claimed that S4E2R knew nothing about him, and that Ellerh would actually share Dean's intent to put an end to the Church. S4E2R countered by rejecting this statement, instead claiming that Dean would never be able to destroy the Church, especially since she was pregnant.
S4E2R then went to a meditation room, where she was later approached by Dean, who had discovered S4E2R's true identity. As Dean uttered the name of Susan, S4E2R violently reacted and got angry, stating that Dean should never have used this name. She then called the guards on Dean so she would be brought back into her room.[1]
Family Reunited[]
Ellerh finds her granddaughter
- "You need to stay here, both of you. You're the rightful heirs to the Church. We could expose Frank here, turn the believers against him, and take everything back."
- ―Susan Ellerh to Leslie Dean and Karolina Dean[src]
Despite her anger outburst, hearing Leslie Dean mentioning her real name actually caused Ellerh to regain control of her mind and memories. Having learned that her granddaughter Karolina Dean was also held in the Crater, Ellerh went to her rescue and introduced herself to Karolina, telling her the story of how she had been sent away to the Crater without ever being informed of Karolina's existence. Ellerh then told Karolina that she would help her be reunited with Leslie.
Therefore, Ellerh guided Karolina through the Crater, enabling her to find Leslie. As Karolina and Leslie required her help to leave the Crater, Ellerh explained that she actually wanted them to stay and purge the Church of Gibborim of Frank Dean's influence. However, due to their insistence, she eventually agreed to help them leave. Waiting until the night arrived, Ellerh took her daughter and granddaughter to the Crater's gates and handed over release documents to the guards, who opened the gates.
However, as they had nearly exited the compound, Ellerh and her family were caught by Frank, who called them apostated and had the guards draw their taser guns on them. The fight was averted when Karolina activated her Gibborim-based powers. Upon witnessing them, Ellerh saw it as the fulfillment of the Radiance, a prophecy mentioned in the Book of Gibborim. Although it enabled Karolina and Leslie to walk free, and Leslie asked her to join them, Ellerh explained that she would remain in the Crater to make sure that Frank would no longer corrupt the Church.
Ellerh calls Frank Dean an apostate
As a result, Ellerh hugged both her daughter and granddaughter goodbye, watching them leave with their friends who had come to their rescue. She then turned to Frank and the crowd of adepts and called Frank the real apostate, causing the other believers to turn on him and seize him so he would be held captive in the Crater just like he had locked up Karolina earlier.[3]
Ellerh meets with her daughter
Later, Ellerh was contacted by Leslie through Vaughn Kaye, leading to the two women meeting again to discuss Leslie's pregnancy. Noticing that Leslie was probably desperate for advice, Ellerh listened to her daughter's request to be sheltered at the Crater to protect her future baby from Jonah, but gently refused as she considered that it would endanger all the parishioners at the Crater. Nevertheless, Ellerh did not leave her daughter without anything, and handed over to her an old journal from David Ellerh, encouraging her to read it and find the faith she needed to protect her baby.[4]
Personality[]
- "Your mother's a complicated woman."
- ―Jonah to Leslie Dean[src]
Ellerh was a strong believer in the Church of Gibborim's teachings, having helped her husband David to develop the cult. Unlike David, however, she saw through Jonah's manipulation and put her daughter Leslie's well-being before the accomplishment of the religious prophecies she believed in, resulting in Ellerh trying to get away from Jonah with Leslie. This caused her to be sent into the Crater, where Ellerh became little more than a puppet spreading the Church of Gibborim's beliefs and willingly taking part in the reindoctrination processes of the Church.
Upon her reunion with Leslie, Ellerh came back to her senses and returned to be the strong woman she was before, but she was still heavily influenced by her religious beliefs. As such, when Karolina Dean displayed her powers, which were actually of extraterrestrial origin, Ellerh saw it as a confirmation of what was written in the Book of Gibborim and did not consider that everything the Church had taught were actually lies and twisted manipulation of actual facts.
Equipment[]
- Church of Gibborim Bracelet: Like every member of the Church of Gibborim, Ellerh had a bracelet signaling her membership to the religious organization.
Facilities[]
- Crater: For decades, Ellerh lived in exile in the Church of Gibborim reindoctrination facility known as the Crater, being turned into a brainwashed servant of the Church and frequently praying and meditating in the white rooms of the building. Eventually though, Ellerh returned to her old self thanks to her daughter and granddaughter, but elected to remain in the Crater to cleanse the Church from the influence of Frank Dean.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Allies[] |
Enemies[] |
Appearances[]
In chronological order:
Runaways | Episode 2.12: Earth Angel (flashbacks)- Runaways | Episode 2.07: Last Rites (mentioned; flashbacks)
- Runaways | Episode 2.11: Last Waltz
- Runaways | Episode 2.12: Earth Angel
- Runaways | Episode 3.03: Lord of Lies
- Runaways | Episode 3.06: Merry Meet Again (mentioned)
Gallery[]
