Amos Fortune (DC)
Amos Fortune is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Amos Fortune
Amos Fortune was always interested in luck, and investigated the phenomenon first as a gambler and then as a scientist. He discovered unsuspected twin glands in the human body that governed luck, and developed the Stimoluck that could cause good or bad fortune for people. Upon creating the stimoluck device, he looked to test his new invention against the Justice League of America. As a trial run he caused each member of the Justice League of America to have a run of bad luck on cases. He then gave himself good luck, winning at horse races and in the stock market. He attracted the League’s attention when he bought antique fenceposts at the Deeping farm that contained a fortune. When the Justice League captured custodian Charles Hobart, who’d been stealing from the Sea Dunes museum Fortune stumbled upon Hobart’s caches of valuable art objects. The League pursued him, but he had the good luck to capture all of them. He tied them to a Wheel of Misfortune that would destroy the human glands that gave people good luck and would cause the League to forever after have bad luck. The Wheel only affected human physiology, so Martian Manhunter was able to escape, disable the machine and defeat Amos Fortune. (Justice League of America v1 #6)
Taking a new identity as Mister Memory, he began recruiting a group of supervillains that included Hector Hammond, Pied Piper, the Sea Thief, the Angle Man, Dr. Davis and the Joker where they were to target the Justice League. (Justice League of America v1 #14)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Amos Fortune
When he was young, a gambling debt was responsible for killing Amos's father leaving his mother to care for their child alone and leaving the family in abject poverty. The only thing left to him was his father's 'lucky' deck of cards where his ties to it led to an obsession that made him good in card games. In high school, he was bullied by other kids due to his obesity but he quickly learnt to defend himself and attacked his bullies when they picked on him. When he was 16 years old, he used his talent in card games to cause his class mates to gamble where he frequently relieved them of their lunch money when they lost the games. Around this time, he began to establish a small network consisting of four other students that helped him as lookouts and shills in these endeavours. In time, these fellow students helped him pursue the gambling debts from others in more forceful manner and his comrades became the closest thing to friends for Fortune. Eventually, they took their criminal ventures to the next stage which involved robbing the local merchants where Amos's talents as being lucky first manifested. Their growing success eventually led them to Jimmy the Gent who was a lieutenant of the local mob and under his tutelage they began to embark on bigger targets. Jimmy then had Amos attend a high stakes poker game after noting his talent in cards and wanting to clear the other attendees of the event. Amos managed to win the game but the other gamblers believed he was cheating leading to a massive fight where Fortune along with his comrades killed all the attackers. After collecting the money, Amos decided not to return to Jimmy and instead used their ill-gotten gains to reinvent themselves leading to the creation of the first Royal Flush Gang. (Justice League of America v2 #36)
Afterwards, he came to be involved in a wager with Roulette with them seeing who would win between his Royal Flush Gang and her manipulating the Justice League. Despite his advantages, Fortune lost when his minions were defeated with the Justice League uncovering his secret hide-out. Amos along with Roulette sought to escape via speedboat which seemingly crashed and killed them though in reality the pair survived as they went into hiding. Professor Fortune was operating in New Orleans when he was tracked by Enid Markham whose husband was the former Two of Clubs in the Royal Flush Gang until he was killed by Amos with her wanting to get revenge. Despite his pleas, she refused to hear Fortune and fired several gunshots at him seemingly killing him. (Justice League of America v2 #37)
Fortune was one of the villains freed in the Society's worldwide prison break, but he was soon captured by the Secret Six, who took him aboard a helicopter and pumped him for informatkion about the Society's plans. Fortune made a derogatory remark about Six member Knockout's girlfriend Scandal, so she tossed him out of the helicopter. As Fortune plummeted to his death he reflected that if only the world gave him the love and respect he wanted he would have repaid the world with wondrous inventions like buildings with wings. (Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special v1 #1)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Overview
Personality and attributes
He also came to be known by the name of Professor Fortune. (Justice League of America v1 #6) Another identity he assumed for a time was the mysterious Mister Memory. (Justice League of America v1 #14)
For many years, he was fascinated by the concept of luck and made it his long mission to study it. He first attempted to do this a a gambler and then later as a scientist. Over time, he looked to find out how luck functioned with the goal of controlling it. (Justice League of America v1 #6)
Powers and abilities
As a scientist, he came to study the concept of luck with the goal of harnessing it. He studied it as a gambler and even looked into astrology though found it to be a mere pseudo-science. From this time, he came to uncover the existence of twin glands that were responsible for the creation of a luck factor. (Justice League of America v1 #6)
Among his creations included:
- Stimoluck : an invention that activated the good-luck gland or its twin the bad luck gland that could be used to afflict anybody. (Justice League of America v1 #6)
- Dismemorizator :
- Murphy Machines :
Another group that he had ties with was the Luck League that were a team of super-beings who through scientific and magical means leeched their powers from superheroes. (Justice League of America v1 #151) Among their ranks included:
- Acrobat : (Justice League of America v1 #151)
- Crier : (Justice League of America v1 #151)
- Cyclone : (Justice League of America v1 #151)
- Racer : (Justice League of America v1 #151)
- Shrinking Man : (Justice League of America v1 #151)
- Strongman : (Justice League of America v1 #151)
- Water King : (Justice League of America v1 #151)
Through occultism, he created a new team of super-beings that were referred to as the Tarot Gang. (Justice League of America v1 #194) These individuals were based on the cards of the tarot and included:
- Charioteer : (Justice League of America v1 #194)
- Death : (Justice League of America v1 #194)
- Devil : (Justice League of America v1 #194)
- Fool : (Justice League of America v1 #194)
- Hermit : (Justice League of America v1 #194)
- High Priestess : (Justice League of America v1 #194)
- Magus : (Justice League of America v1 #194)
One of his secret bases of operation was the Charm Palace. (Justice League of America v1 #151)
Notes
- Amos Fortune was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky where he made his first appearance in Justice League of America v1 #6 (August–September, 1961).
In other media
Television
- In Smallville, Amos Fortune appeared in the setting of the live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor James Kidnie. Amos' casino was host to Clark and Lois Bachelor/bachelorette party where one of his armored trucks was robbed stolen a magically intoxicated Clark, who also stole his pet lemur. Amos had Emil Hamilton abducted by his minions, thinking Emil was the one who stole his truck. When Emil continuously denied stealing it, he ordered his goons to kill him. Later that day, Amos was confronted by Lois and Oliver over Lois' engagement ring she lost to him the night before, but he refused to return it. In turn, he had them both captured and tied up in the back room, while he stayed to take in a show. When Chloe arrived during the show, Amos recognized her as one of the people who stole his truck and a brawl took place. During the brawl, Lois managed to get her ring from Amos, but was caught and choked by him. Oliver then saved Lois from him by knocking Amos unconscious.
Appearances
- Justice League of America v1: (1961)
- Justice League of America v2:
External Links
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