| Shamrock | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #1 (Jun 1982) |
| Created by | Mark Gruenwald,Bill Mantlo,Steven Grant, andJohn Romita Jr. |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Molly Fitzgerald |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | S.H.I.E.L.D. |
| Abilities |
|
Shamrock is acomic booksuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created byMark Gruenwald,Bill Mantlo,Steven Grant, andJohn Romita Jr., the character first appeared in the comic bookMarvel Super-Heroes: Contest of Champions #1 (June 1982).
Shamrock first appeared inMarvel 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 inThe 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), andMarvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone and the Monster Hunters (November 2005).
Shamrock received an entry in the originalOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe #9, and in theAll-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #9 (2006).
Following a thirteen-year absence from comics, Shamrock returned to the Marvel Universe in a short story published inGirl Comics #2 (2010), where she is depicted as having become overweight during her retirement. The story is written byKathryn Immonen and illustrated byColleen Coover.[1] In 2013 she appeared inFearless Defenders #9.
Molly Fitzgerald was born inDunshaughlin, Ireland, and her father was a militant member of theIRA. As Shamrock, she functions as a vessel for displacedpoltergeists and the souls of innocent people that died during war; these spirits manifest themselves for fractions of seconds to give good luck to herself and bad luck for those who oppose her.[2]
She was chosen by theGrandmaster who teleported her away along with numerous other heroes from Earth, to allow the Grandmaster andDeath to select champions from them to represent either side. Shamrock was chosen for Death's team, fighting alongside fellow heroesPeregrine,Iron Man,Vanguard,Iron Fist,Storm,Arabian Knight,Sabra,Invisible Woman,Angel,Black Panther,Sunfire, and theCollective Man. When the Grandmaster's team won the contest, the heroes were returned to Earth.[3]
Later, her father drugged her to allowArnim Zola to attempt to duplicate her powers.[2] She later retired from superhero activity and became a hairdresser.[4] She eventually moved to New York City, where she opened a bar.[5] She was later revealed to have become aS.H.I.E.L.D. agent at some point.[6]
She is later seen running a superhero salon.[7]
Shamrock is possessed by the souls of thousands of victims of wars who manifest themselves as poltergeists which affect probability within a 20-footradius of her, altering situations so that she is given an advantage, in essence having "The Luck of the Irish."[2][8]
Jack Beresford ofThe Irish Post stated, "Though far from a fan favourite, Shamrock remains a character of huge potential. [...] Far from a popular presence in the world of Marvel comics, should the MCU succeed in resurrecting this decidedly one-dimensional Irish superhero stereotype, then it could rank among their greatest achievements."[9] Nicholas Conley ofGrunge.com asserted, "Now, one aspect of Shamrock's origins that is potentially interesting is that her body has supposedly become a vessel for the many souls of innocent lives lost during war, a concept that could be fleshed out. However, the stereotypical nature of everything else about Shamrock is really hard to overlook, so it's not surprising that the character has sunken into deep obscurity."[10] Eric Nierstedt ofComicsVerse wrote, "Molly Fitzgerald is authentically Irish (born in Dunshaughlin), and has a unique power. The souls of war victims surround her body and manipulate probability in her favor. Unfortunately, she has the stereotypical Irish look of green eyes and long red hair and dresses in a green costume that forcibly tells people she's Irish. Also, her abilities basically mean that her superpower is being lucky. At that point, readers are waiting to hear how she gets her powers from drinking a mixture of Guinness and Lucky Charms. So while Shamrock might be an Irish superhero, she's sadly defined by that and that alone."[11] Matthew Wood ofCBR.com said, "A red-haired woman who dresses like a shamrock-themed billiard ball, Molly Fitzgerald's usually seen as the most stereotypically Irish hero imaginable. Her power set doesn't disabuse anyone of this notion, since she has "the luck of the Irish" to help her win fights."[12]
In theMarvel 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)'sDeadpool, 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 akatana.[19]
In an alternate future seen inGuardians 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 withDoctor Druid; part of her duties is to guard theBook of Kells, which had the Martian battle added to it. Her adventures allow her to live long into what is to her, the future.[20]