Tipping the Scales with Marvel Heroes Whose Power Is Luck

Originally published March 17, 2024. This article covers Marvel characters whose super powers are based on good luck and bad luck.

Deadpool said it best: “Luck isn’t a superpower!”

And he’s completely correct … however, probability manipulation most certainly is a superpower. The ability to change the probability of any situation is a small version of reality manipulation. This reality manipulation can change things on major and minor scales. Some powers have all the luck, it seems.

There are quite a few heroes whose powers could make any improbable situation somehow a reality. And on Friday the 13th, there’s no better time to take good luck and bad luck into account. So let’s have a look at some of the most famously lucky characters in the Marvel Universe.

Domino

Domino has the innate ability to change the probability of any situation. However, her particular form of probability manipulation seems to align with her intentions and actions, meaning that she must take action for her powers to work best. She can’t simply hope for things to work out — but if she puts in the effort, they usually do work out.

And this lucky lady can most certainly pack a powerful punch. In her efforts to control her probability manipulation, she has learned multiple forms of fighting, from fists to guns. Whether she’s storming in with the X-Force or checking out as a solo operative, Domino’s luck always falls into the right place somehow.

Mary Jane Watson

Wait, Mary Jane Watson has powers? As luck would have it, yes! When MJ recently got stranded in an alternate reality, she made due with what she had. Alongside Peter Parker, she faced an arcane mathematician who sought to use symbology to summon the power of Wayep, the Maya god of mischief.

With some quick thinking, MJ saved Spider-Man. But her sacrifice led to a stint in this alternate reality, developing a device with her new beau Paul that could harness the seemingly random powers of magical glyphs. Now, back in the 616, Mary Jane uses a modified slot-machine device that pulls three glyphs at once, bestowing her with new temporary powers each time. As Jackpot, she’s making a real name for herself in the streets.

Longshot

Longshot is a completely genetically engineered being whose luck abilities function quite differently from the other heroes on this list. His luck is tied to the positive aspects of his personality, meaning that his luck powers will only work when he is kind and works selflessly. Bit of a mixed bag for this frequent X-Men ally.

Sometimes his selfish behavior can actually result in inverse powers, staining him with bad luck. As a result, Longshot must behave as a true hero in order to benefit from his random luck’s full effect. His luck powers only complement his other genetic enhancements, from his super strength to his super attractiveness (yes, that’s one of his powers).

Black Cat

Felicia Hardy is Black Cat, an antihero who sometimes fights against or alongside Spider-Man. Black Cat’s powers differ notably from the rest of the luck-based heroes on this list. For one, her powers don’t grant her good luck. Instead, she can give anyone in her line of sight bad luck.

While most of the people on this list manipulate probability positively, she manipulates probability with a negative slant. When Black Cat crosses your path, you best be horrified for all the tricks and traps coming your way. But she wouldn’t be quite as much fun without them!

Scarlet Witch

We’ve saved the most powerful probability provoker for last. Wanda Maximoff, AKA Scarlet Witch, has always had a troubled relationship with reality. After all, she’s the one who single-handedly decimated the mutant population and has undone the tenuous strings of the Avengers multiple times.

Nevertheless, Wanda’s probability hexes are infamous for their reality-warping power. At the beginning of her career she merely used them to trip up enemies in battle. But now, armed with her knowledge of the Darkhold and witchcraft, Scarlet Witch’s every whim is one hex away from fact. Luck is most certainly on her side these days.

Which lucky Marvel hero is your favorite?

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