Board Thread:Episodic and Issue Discussion/@comment-47881-20130131215135/@comment-5624498-20130203004115

Each of the runaways is a nod to the Super Friends specific characters in their own way. With Virgil, he just happens to be black. I suspect he was chosen because Greg and Brandon may have had the idea that at least one of the runaways would ultimately join the Team. Plus Virgil is the one who seems to like the idea of being a superhero.

Asami is mostly a nod because she's Japanese, but that's about the extent of it. She doesn't have the same power Samurai did (his was creating whirlwinds and invisibility, hers is more about the ability to propel herself great distances). I suppose the idea could have been that she would ultimately become their version of Bushido.

Tye and Eduardo are the most direct homages not just because of their ethnic backgrounds, but because of the powers they have (although they modified Tye so he doesn't physically grow, but it's more like his spirit enlarges). Both are a bit uncomfortable about the idea of having superpowers so one would suspect the idea was that they would just be used for the short term, but ultimately want to leave the hero life.