Shamrock (comics)

Shamrock is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Publication history

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 (November 2005).

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]

Fictional character biography

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.^[2]

She later retired from superhero activity and became a hairdresser.^[3] She eventually moved to New York City, where she opened a bar.^[4]

Powers and abilities

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".

Other versions

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 was traveling with two A.I.M. scientists and a zombie-head Deadpool. Tigra assisted Shamrock in trying to eat the humans but was destroyed by the scientists. Shamrock 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 her 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.^[5]

In an alternate future seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #3 in 1993, 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 to 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.^[6]

References

External links

• Shamrock at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe