Respect Amos Fortune (Complete Respect Thread)
By ProfessorRespect 17 Comments
I'm 2 lucky
Introduction
Amos has a ton of gimmicks revolving around luck/fortune stuff: strangely, he's one of the few early DC villains who changes gimmicks multiple times, going from luck manipulation via physical glands, to memory remover, to obsessive Tarot master, to setting up a gang of guys together who dress up as playing cards, etc. He has a knack for reinventing himself.
Despite his obscure status, he's actually quite impressive in terms of what he's done feat wise, and I wanted to cover that in greater detail.
Databook Entry
His entry. (Who's Who- The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #18)
De-Memorizor
Scan 1- Uses it to wipe out Green Lantern's memories, defeating him (Justice League of America #14)
Scan 2/3- The rest of the villains also use the device to defeat their respective foes, stealing their memories and making them incapable of doing anything
The side effect of this beam also removes the memories of those effected from the entire world (Justice League of America #14)
Scan 1/2- Is able to take Batman's memory away from him and brainwash the guy to become his decoy (Justice League of America #14)
Even more impressive is that he made the device while in prison using whatever he could find (Justice League of America #14)
Fortune Displacement System
Amos explains how it works: basically, he can give himself good luck, but in turn bad things will happen in scale of his own good luck. The greater the statistical impossibility, the worse the event. (Justice League Europe #44)
Scan 1/2- Causes a boat to sink by winning all of their money. He, of course, is unharmed due to his good luck. (Justice League Europe #43)
Scan 1/2- Solos the Justice League (inducing Hal Jordan and Flash) by making them have mega bad luck (Justice League Europe #44)
Scan 1/2- Wins a major race by betting on the worst horse to win, creates his good luck by placing misfortune elsewhere (Justice League Europe #43)
Scan 3- This event causes the Channel Tunnel to collapse via a tectonic plate moving. This shows that the scale of his bad luck can scale to pretty dangerous levels. (Justice League Europe #44)
Scan 1/2- The bad luck builds to the point of potential multi city wide destruction, but he doesn't care because of his good luck protecting him. (Justice League Europe #44)
Scan 3- The destruction stops after Power Girl puts him in front of the danger, which channels out the bad luck with his own good luck. This directly shows that Amos being harmed by his own misdirected bad luck is impossible, as it'll always be moved away from him.
Fortu-Tron
Uses a machine that removes all concept of risk from Batman's mind, causing him to gamble uncontrollably (Batman #305)
The effects last a whole week, and aren't reversible (Batman #305)
Makes Batman jump out of a window and miscalculate his jump (Batman #305)
Also makes him run into machine gun fire for no reason (Batman #305)
Murphy Machine
Hits Sliver Age Superman with bad luck, making him knock himself out (Superman #346)
Found out how to animate Tarot cards as a side effect of his fortune research. The animated Tarot cards kinda follow the respective themes and meanings behind the cards. (Justice League of America #194)
Scan 1/2- Animates the Chariot, who takes out Green Arrow and Black Canary, alters her mind to become irrationally angry (Justice League of America #194)
Scan 1/2- Animates the Hermit, which ages Superman to a old man and reads his mind (Justice League of America #194)
Scan 1/2- Animates the Magician, who knocks out Flash using mind hax (Justice League of America #194)
Scan 1/2/3- The Devil Tarot attacks Zatanna, no selling and overpowering her magic, as well as removing her sight. It's also mega large (bigger than the JSA headquarters (Justice League of America #194)
Skill
With no powers, he kills a thug with a playing card before he can shoot him (Justice League of America #36)
Stellaration Machine
By absorbing star force, he can amp playing cards to cause effects in people via auto suggestion by the image of the card itself. (Justice League of America #43)
Amos could also use it long range, causing people to have good luck and bad luck whenever he desired (giving his crew good luck when facing the JLA, then removing it mid fight just to spite them) (JLA Classified #23)
Scan 1- Uses a card to make Vixen drunk, (nine of clubs) another is used to choke out Gypsy (the ten of spades) (JLA Classified #22)
Scan 2- Manhunter is turned bad due to the effects of a card (four of diamonds) Vibe beats the crap outta Vixen while influenced by a card (the seven of clubs)
The Two of Spades is powerful enough to remove Wonder Woman's powers (Justice League of America #43)
Makes Batman betray Superman using the four of diamonds (Justice League of America #43)
Scan 1/2- Makes Flash see some trippy stuff using the five of diamonds, gets knocked out for it (Justice League of America #43)
Scan 1/2/3- Having drained a ton of raw Stellaration energy, Amos fights off Gipsy, and is immune to magic. He only uses because Stargirl's Cosmic Rod is powered by, well, stars, which overloads him as it's the same source as Stellaration energy (JSA Classifed #16)
Scan 1/2- Turns his crew into Tarot cards, amping their stats enough to hurt guys like Martian Manhunter. (JLA Classified #25)
Scan 1/2/3- Uses it to brainwash Wildcat, as well as Alan Scott and Jay Garrick. (JSA Classifed #14)
Uses it to give his crew good luck, allowing them to easily cross a forest fire despite that going against all logic (JLA Classified #24)
Wildcat empowered with Stellaration energy casually bounces off Green Lantern's blasts due to his luck (JSA Classified #15)
Stimoluck
Scan 1/2- Manipulates luck glands in his body to make good or bad luck for other people, controlled by a device that can induce either one just by a turn of a dial (Justice League of America #6)
One shots Sliver Age Flash using bad luck (Justice League of America #6)
Knocks out Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman with a blast of carbon monoxide via luck powers (Justice League of America #6)
Scan 1/2- By giving himself good luck, he beats multiple JLA members via dumb events. He tries to use a improved Stimoluck that completely destroys the good luck or bad luck glands of the body, but he fails due to Manhunter being a alien and thus not having glands to manipulate (Justice League of America #6)
Technology
Creates a lightspeed sword and a orb that hypnotises Flash at ultra light speed (whatever that means) (Justice League of America #54)
Scan 1/2- Creates complex technological costumes capable of generating poison gas, and manipulating the four basic elements (Justice League of America #54)
Conclusion
Amos has a ton of hax, and despite his short comings, he's been able to clear through JLA rosters using his luck manipulation, as well as his natural genius to exploit his gimmicks to the extreme. I can't say he's well known, but he's quite good for what it is worth.