TOP 10 LUCKIEST COMIC-BOOK CHARACTERS OF ALL TIME!
With Saint Patrick's Day around the corner, the luck of the Irish is on everyone's mind. But here is my list of the top 10 LUCKIEST comic book characters EVER!
Amos Fortune seen behind his Royal Flush Gang
10. AMOS FORTUNE (DC)
First Appearance: JLA vol.1 #6 (1961)
Amos Fortune became obsessed with luck. In his research of luck both bad and good, he discovered that humans possessed something he called 'luck glands' that determine which kind of luck a person has. He was instrumental in creating the original Royal Flush Gang who has frequently fought the Justice League.
He soon 'flushed' his gang and continued on as an independent criminal. Fortune was also an able gambler whose ability to use whatever cards dealt (random or rigged) to his good fortune in any game he played. He was apt at hand-to-hand combat as well as a 'genius-level' inventor and armorer. But what tipped the scales was his manipulation of luck with his 'odds-altering' tech.
9. HAZZARD (DC)
First Appearance: Infinity Inc #34
Real Name: Rebecca Sharpe
Rebecca Sharpe first took the name of Hazzard during the mini-series that spawned the modern Suicide Squad, LEGENDS (1986). She went to avenger her grandfather who had taken the name THE GAMBLER. She had psionic powers used with special dice to focus and manipulate probability. She can develop good or bad luck. Her origin is unknown.
Jinx in the Teen Titans animation.
8. JINX (DC)
First Appearance: Tales of the Teen Titans #56 (1985)
Created by the legendary Marv Wolfman along with Chuck Patton, this character has spent time as both a villain and an honorary Titan. Unlike so many others, she only has the ability to generate 'bad' luck although some renditions of her include good luck also. The animated Teen Titans wiki describes her as "an enchanting sorceress who wields the power of bad luck, which manifests as pink, lightning-like energy blasts/waves fired from her hands”.
As mentioned before, she did, at one time become a Titan and had relations with various members. In the mainstream comics, she has vast control over natural forces also.
7. ROULETTE (MARVEL)
First Appearance: New Mutants #16 (1984)
Real Name: Jennifer Stavros
It seems that a lot of luck came out of the early eighties. In the mid-eighties, Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema added to the roster of Emma Frost's Hellions with one probability building mutant called Roulette. Her mutant ability was the projection of discs of pure psionic energy that changed the probable luck (black for bad and red for good) of the target. She was a part of the 'evil' counterparts to Xavier's 'New Mutants'; the Hellions and was ultimately killed by Trevor Fitzroy along with her whole team.
6. SHAMROCK (MARVEL)
First Appearance: Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #1
Real Name: Molly Fitzgerald
In an attempt to create more international superheroes, Marvel introduced a small army of culturally diverse characters in the original Contest of Champions back in 1982. Characters like Israel's Sabra, the middle eastern Arabian Knight and China's Collective Man hit the stands along with Cap, Iron Man and the rest of Marvel's best. Unfortunately, most of these characters fell flat. And some came across totally racist.
And, leave it to Marvel to bring us a new slant on the 'Luck power'. According to Marvel.com, Molly has been 'somehow mystically changed' so that she could be a vessel from souls of people who have died as innocents in war. Considering that during the eighties the fighting there was so intense, this was a way to bring attention to their conditions in a positive, softer way. These souls, when Molly gets in trouble or danger, manifest themselves as 'telekinetic bursts of energy' that causes the improbable to happen.
5. DOMINO (MARVEL)
First Appearance: The New Mutants #98
Real Name: Neena Thurman
Her debut was during the same story arch that gave us Deadpool! Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld. She brought with her an exceptional ability with firearms and amazing hand-to-hand skills. But she makes this list because she too has 'probability-altering powers'. It is explained that she uses 'telekinetic acts' to affect probability in her favor thus a 'probability field'. She was a close associate of Cable and, I would assume, we will see her, if not in the Deadpool sequel, in the touted X-Force movie.
4.LONGSHOT (MARVEL)
First Appearance: Longshot #1 (1985)
Longshot was introduced in his own mini-series with quite a splash. Once again, it's the mid-eighties and luck is on our side. Along with this exceptionally interesting character, he introduced us to a whole new world in the Mojoverse! In fact, he was created in a lab with two hearts, leather skin and three fingers and a thumb. His personality was childlike and fun. But his luck, instead of affecting those outside, usually manifested through his actions. He also found there was a price to pay for using his luck for bad motives.
He joined the X-Men for a while and would be SUCH a fun character in an X-Men movie or solo venture.
3. BLACK CAT (MARVEL)
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #194 (1979)
Real Name: Felicia Hardy
Another Marv Wolfman creation (along with artist Keith Pollard) from back in the late seventies, Black Cat has become an icon in comics and cosplay. For the most part, Hardy begins as a carbon copy of DC's Catwoman, but, as Marvel is so good at, she becomes so much more. As a unique extra, she was given a power she had faked through most of her career: luck! Apparently, Kingpin 'gave her psionic ability to affect probability fields'.
Along with her agility and cat-like reflexes, she has been magically tampered with and given night vision, retractable talons, superhuman speed and endurance. But this 'tampering' made her temporarily loose her luck powers. They were subsequently given back through the wonders of technology by one, Doc Tramma.
2. SCARLET WITCH (MARVEL)
First Appearance: The X-Men #4 (1964)
Real Name: Wanda Maximoff
Of all the probability warpers, Wanda Maximoff is the queen. At times wielding near god-like powers, she has been known to change the course of history with her 'Hex' power. She holds the unique position between her Mutant hex ability that simply changes probability mostly in her favor and her dabbling in the dark arts making her well known superhero name ring true. Daughter of the X-men arch-fiend, Magneto, and sister to the speedster, Quicksilver, she holds her place as one of the most powerful mutants ever.
It is understandable that she has already made it to the big screen in Avengers: Age of Ultron and I wouldn't at all be surprised if she made a cameo in the upcoming Doctor Strange movie.
1. Stan Lee's Lucky Man
Sky One (British Television)
Airing on Friday nights now!
The newest hero to tout the power of luck is Harry; a London Detective who receives the gift of extreme luck via an ancient looking bracelet. There seems to be danger with this luck; a yin to the yang. It is, as the title says, from the mind of Stan Lee and totally worth a look!
