Amos Fortune (comics)

Amos Fortune is a DC Comics supervillain.

Publication history

Amos Fortune first appeared in Justice League of America #6 (August–September 1961) and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky.^[1]

Fictional character biography

As a child, Fortune was the leader of a gang of juvenile delinquents. As an adult, he became obsessed with luck, both good and bad, and discovered the existence of "luck glands" in human beings that dictate how a person's luck will run. Upon learning how to control these "luck glands" to manipulate his luck, he gathered his old gang and created the original Royal Flush Gang who battled the Justice League of America on two occasions. Professor Fortune first met the Justice League trying to remove their "good luck" but was defeated.^[1]

Fortune continued to battle the Justice League of America several times. At first, he acted as the leader of the Royal Flush Gang, though he abandoned them soon after. In their place, he created the short-lived Luck League, a group who could mimick the powers of the JLA. Still later, Fortune battled Justice League Europe, but was again defeated when his luck ran out.

When Parademon blew up the House of Secrets in Villains United #6 (2005), Fortune suffered injuries, but survived. However, when he joined Scarecrow from escaping Enclave M in Villains United Infinite Crisis Special, he was thrown from the Secret Six's helicopter by Knockout, after insulting her lover, Scandal. As he fell, Amos regretted he could not use his talents for the betterment of mankind.^[1]

As of JSA Classified #14-16, it seems that Fortune survived the helicopter fall and is now masterminding a plot against the JSA using the Wizard as a focusing point for the 'luck magicks' - a.k.a. stellaration energy - in order to destroy the JSA, using Wildcat as his mind-controlled pawn (who is growing stronger with each victory over a JSA member via the stellaration energy). Vixen and Gypsy helped Stargirl against this plot, given they had faced him before many years ago while on a training mission as then-new recruits on the JLA, alongside Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Vibe, and Steel (Vibe and Steel also new recruits at the time), as they fought both the previous and then-new incarnations of the Royal Flush Gang, as seen in flashback in JLA Classified #22-25.

He is shown to be leading a new Royal Flush Gang under the codename "Wild Card". The new Flush Gang consists of several "cells", one for each card jacket. He also appears to be taking aim at the current Justice League of America, all as part of an elaborate game between himself and Roulette.^[2][3] The League defeats Fortune's gang, but he and Roulette manage to escape. Fortune is later called to a warehouse by the wife of a Gang member he had killed. The woman shoots him in the face at point-blank range.^[4]

Powers and abilities

Amos Fortune was a very talented gambler, able to use whatever cards dealt to him, either by random or rigged, to his advantage in practically any game he participates, regardless how much the odds were stacked against him. Fortune was also a formidable hand-to-hand fighter, having learned to defend himself at an early age. He was also a genius-level inventor and armorer, having discovered the existence of "Luck Glands" and how to exploit them to one's advantage after acquiring odds-altering technology (that he had his subordinates steal from a high-tech casino in Las Vegas) to manufacture equippable "Stimoluck" devices that can tilt a person's chances of good luck probability.

In other media

Amos Fortune's Resort and Casino is seen in the Las Vegas-set Justice League episode "Wild Cards". While Fortune doesn't appear in the episode (nor is there any implication of the casino being a front for criminal activity), the Royal Flush Gang are featured in the episode.

Amos Fortune made his first live action appearance in the tenth and last season of Smallville. He is portrayed by James Kidnie.

References

External links

• Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe entry