| Shamrock | |
|---|---|
Shamrock of Contest of Champions |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #1 (Jun 1982) |
| Created by | Mark Gruenwald, Bill Mantlo, Steven Grant, and John Romita, Jr. |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Molly Fitzgerald |
| Species | Human Mystic Mutant |
| Abilities | probability manipulation. |
Shamrock is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Shamrock first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes: Contest of Champions #1 (June 1982). She also appeared in issues #2-3 of the series (July-August 1982).
The character subsequently appeared in The Incredible Hulk Vol. 2 #279 (January 1983), Rom #65 (April 1985), Marvel Comics Presents #24 (July 1989), Alpha Flight #108 (May 1992), Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #3 (1993), Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #4 (1994), Excalibur #108 (April 1997), and Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone and the Monster Hunters (January 2006).
Shamrock received an entry in the original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #9, and in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #9 (2006).
Following a thirteen year absence from comics, Shamrock is slated to make a return to the Marvel Universe in a short story published in Girl Comics #2, where she is depicted as having become overweight during her retirement. The story is written by Kathryn Immonen and illustrated by Colleen Coover.[1]
Molly Fitzgerald was born in Dunshaughlin, Ireland, and was the daughter of a militant member of the IRA. As Shamrock, she serves as a vessel for displaced poltergeists and souls that have died as innocent victims of war; these spirits manifest themselves for fractions of seconds to cause good luck for her and bad luck for those who oppose her.
She was teleported away by the Grandmaster, along with hundreds of other heroes of Earth, so that the Grandmaster and Death could choose champions from among them. Shamrock was chosen for Death's team, fighting alongside fellow heroes Le Peregrine, Iron Man, Vanguard, Iron Fist, Storm, Arabian Knight, Sabra, Invisible Woman, Angel, Black Panther, Sunfire, and the Collective Man. When the Grandmaster's team won the contest, the heroes were returned to Earth.
Later, her father drugged her to allow Arnim Zola to attempt to duplicate her powers.
She later retired from superhero activity and became a hairdresser.[2]
Shamrock is possessed by the souls of thousands of victims of wars who manifest themselves as poltergeists which affect probability within a 20-foot radius of her, altering situations so that she is given an advantage, in essence having "The Luck of the Irish".
In the Marvel Zombies universe, she became infected with the zombie virus and traveled the world in search of uninfected humans, which had become all but extinct. She encountered Earth-616 (Marvel's core universe)'s Deadpool, who, during a fight, boasted that her luck powers would allow her to prevail in a fight against him until Deadpool began conversing with her about how hard it must be living with her insatiable hunger, but having nothing to eat. He then pulled around to the idea that sometimes death might be preferable to such an existence to which she agonizingly agreed. In having admitted that, her own power worked against her, increasing her luck that she could be killed which Deadpool was happy to help her accomplish, cutting her in half, lengthwise with a Katana.[3]
In the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' alternate future, Shamrock becomes one of the many powers involved in the Ireland-based resistance against the invading Martians. She works closely with Doctor Druid; part of her duties is the guard the Book of Kells, which had the Martian battle added to it. Her adventures allow her to live long into what is to her, the future.[4]