Roulette (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
Roulette is a fictional character
, a mutant
in the Marvel Universe
.
and Sal Buscema
in New Mutants vol. 1 #16-17 (June–July 1984) for the antithesis to the New Mutants
: the Hellions.
The character subsequently appears in The Uncanny X-Men #193 (May 1985), Firestar #2-4 (April–June 1986), The New Mutants #39 (May 1986), #43 (September 1986), #53-54 (July–August 1987), #56 (October 1987), #62 (April 1988), The New Warriors #9-10 (March–April 1991), and died in The Uncanny X-Men #281 (October 1991). The character made a posthumous appearance in The New Warriors Annual #2 (1992).
Roulette appeared as part of the "Hellions" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
#5.
. When Charles Xavier
formed a young team of mutants to be New Mutants
to become new generation of X-Men, the villainous Hellfire Club
retaliated as they saw it as a threat to their goals. The White Queen
(Emma Frost) found and recruited a team of her own named the Hellions. Jennifer was part of the original line-up of the team when she was recruit along with Tarot, Catseye, Empath, Jetstream, and Thunderbird.
One of the team's first missions was to stop the New Mutants from rescuing Kitty Pryde who had been captured while accompanying her friend and soon-to-be hero Doug Ramsey
on a trip to see whether he wanted to accept a scholarship with the Massachusetts Academy, the school run by the White Queen in her public identity as Emma Frost. The White Queen becomes detained and, while she is away, the two teams decide to settle the matter by a duel
. The New Mutants win and, in the confusion, escape with their friends.
The next time Roulette appears she is with a group from the Hellions—along with James Proudstar
—who ambush Muir Island
. James wants revenge on the X-Men for the death of his older brother John Proudstar
on his first mission, so he attacks Banshee
who was one of the last people to see his brother alive. The team battles some of the X-Men and has several opportunities to kill them, but James sees the error of his ways and flees.
Taking a rare opportunity for civility, Emma Frost throws a dance party for her Hellions and the New Mutants. Roulette and her teammates actually enjoyed the night—splitting off into small groups—until old rivalries flared again and the dance was cancelled.
Later, when the New Mutants were in a state of emotional turmoil over being killed and resurrected by the Beyonder
, Emma Frost saw it as her opportunity to sweep in and take control. She convinced Magneto
—the current leader of the team—to allow the New Mutants to come to the Massachusetts Academy for psychic counseling
, where she promptly accepted them into the ranks of her Hellions. The two teams became quite fond of one another but were separated when Magneto realized that his emotions had been manipulated by Empath
to convince him to relinquish the students.
When the Hellions learned that the New Mutants seemingly let free a creature called Bird-Brain
, they decided to capture it for themselves. The Hellions battle their rivals above the skyscrapers of Manhattan and lose. Bird-Brain escapes into New Mutant custody. Roulette, along with her ally Catseye
seemingly plunges to a grisly death after an accident. She uses her power on herself and Catseye. They end up landing safely on a store canopy.
Roulette was part of the force of Hellions that attacked the New Warriors over the fate of Firestar, a former member. At first, her powers were deflected back on her teammates but when the battles degenerated to one on one, she easily took down Speedball. Eventually the Hellions left, having lost due to the competition deal between the White Queen and Tai, the unofficial force behind the Warriors.
Soon after, Emma throws another party, which the Hellions as well as the X-Men
Gold team attended. It was there that Trevor Fitzroy
of the Upstarts
—crashes with the goal of killing Emma in order to gain points within the group. The Hellions were mere formalities. Roulette, along with most of her teammates, was killed by Fitzroy in order to fuel his time travel
ing teleportation portals
.
Roulette made a postmortem appearance in the 1997 Annual of Generation X. However, this was just a trick played by the demon
D'Spayre
to agitate Emma Frost.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
in the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
Publication history
Roulette was created by Chris ClaremontChris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema
Silvio "Sal" Buscema is an American comic book artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of The Incredible Hulk...
in New Mutants vol. 1 #16-17 (June–July 1984) for the antithesis to the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
: the Hellions.
The character subsequently appears in The Uncanny X-Men #193 (May 1985), Firestar #2-4 (April–June 1986), The New Mutants #39 (May 1986), #43 (September 1986), #53-54 (July–August 1987), #56 (October 1987), #62 (April 1988), The New Warriors #9-10 (March–April 1991), and died in The Uncanny X-Men #281 (October 1991). The character made a posthumous appearance in The New Warriors Annual #2 (1992).
Roulette appeared as part of the "Hellions" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#5.
Fictional character biography
Jennifer Stavros was born in Atlantic City, New JerseyAtlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
. When Charles Xavier
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
formed a young team of mutants to be New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
to become new generation of X-Men, the villainous Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club
The Hellfire Club was a name for several exclusive clubs for high society rakes established in Britain and Ireland in the 18th century, and was more formally or cautiously known as the "Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe"...
retaliated as they saw it as a threat to their goals. The White Queen
White Queen
White Queen may refer to:*White Queen , a character in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass*The White Queen , a novel by Philippa Gregory*"White Queen ", a song by Queen from Queen II...
(Emma Frost) found and recruited a team of her own named the Hellions. Jennifer was part of the original line-up of the team when she was recruit along with Tarot, Catseye, Empath, Jetstream, and Thunderbird.
One of the team's first missions was to stop the New Mutants from rescuing Kitty Pryde who had been captured while accompanying her friend and soon-to-be hero Doug Ramsey
Cypher (comics)
Cypher is a fictional mutant character, a superhero from Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #13 .-Fictional character biography:Doug Ramsey was born to Philip and Sheila Ramsey...
on a trip to see whether he wanted to accept a scholarship with the Massachusetts Academy, the school run by the White Queen in her public identity as Emma Frost. The White Queen becomes detained and, while she is away, the two teams decide to settle the matter by a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
. The New Mutants win and, in the confusion, escape with their friends.
The next time Roulette appears she is with a group from the Hellions—along with James Proudstar
Warpath (comics)
James Proudstar, previously known as the second Thunderbird but also known as Warpath, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero associated with the X-Men....
—who ambush Muir Island
Muir Island
Muir Island is a small, fictional island off the northern coast of Scotland in the Marvel Comics universe. It plays a prominent role in the X-Men comics and its related series.-History:...
. James wants revenge on the X-Men for the death of his older brother John Proudstar
Thunderbird (comics)
Thunderbird is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who was briefly a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 ....
on his first mission, so he attacks Banshee
Banshee (comics)
Banshee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who operates as a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, Banshee first appeared in X-Men #28 ....
who was one of the last people to see his brother alive. The team battles some of the X-Men and has several opportunities to kill them, but James sees the error of his ways and flees.
Taking a rare opportunity for civility, Emma Frost throws a dance party for her Hellions and the New Mutants. Roulette and her teammates actually enjoyed the night—splitting off into small groups—until old rivalries flared again and the dance was cancelled.
Later, when the New Mutants were in a state of emotional turmoil over being killed and resurrected by the Beyonder
Beyonder
The Beyonder is a fictional character in . Created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck, the immensely powerful Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars vol. 1 #1 as an unseen force. He reappears in Secret Wars II #1 , which was created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom.-Publication history:The Beyonder was a...
, Emma Frost saw it as her opportunity to sweep in and take control. She convinced Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
—the current leader of the team—to allow the New Mutants to come to the Massachusetts Academy for psychic counseling
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
, where she promptly accepted them into the ranks of her Hellions. The two teams became quite fond of one another but were separated when Magneto realized that his emotions had been manipulated by Empath
Empath (comics)
Empath , is a fictional mutant in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Empath was created by Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema and first appeared in New Mutants #16-17 as a member of Emma Frost's original Hellions.The character subsequently appears in The Uncanny X-Men #193 , Firestar #2-4...
to convince him to relinquish the students.
When the Hellions learned that the New Mutants seemingly let free a creature called Bird-Brain
Bird-Brain
Bird-Brain is a fictional character, a superhero from Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Bird-Brain first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #55 , and was first fully seen in New Mutants vol. 1 #56...
, they decided to capture it for themselves. The Hellions battle their rivals above the skyscrapers of Manhattan and lose. Bird-Brain escapes into New Mutant custody. Roulette, along with her ally Catseye
Catseye
Catseye is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Catseye was created by Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema in New Mutants #16-17 ....
seemingly plunges to a grisly death after an accident. She uses her power on herself and Catseye. They end up landing safely on a store canopy.
Roulette was part of the force of Hellions that attacked the New Warriors over the fate of Firestar, a former member. At first, her powers were deflected back on her teammates but when the battles degenerated to one on one, she easily took down Speedball. Eventually the Hellions left, having lost due to the competition deal between the White Queen and Tai, the unofficial force behind the Warriors.
Soon after, Emma throws another party, which the Hellions as well as the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
Gold team attended. It was there that Trevor Fitzroy
Trevor Fitzroy
Trevor Fitzroy is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men, in particular Bishop. Created by Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #281 .Fitzroy hails from the same dystopian future as Bishop...
of the Upstarts
Upstarts (comics)
The Upstarts were a group of fictional comic book supervillains in the Marvel Comics with strong ties to the Hellfire Club. They first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #281 and were created by Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio.-Fictional team biography:...
—crashes with the goal of killing Emma in order to gain points within the group. The Hellions were mere formalities. Roulette, along with most of her teammates, was killed by Fitzroy in order to fuel his time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
ing teleportation portals
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
.
Roulette made a postmortem appearance in the 1997 Annual of Generation X. However, this was just a trick played by the demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
D'Spayre
D'Spayre
D'Spayre is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a demon, and was one of the Fear Lords. He has been opposed by Spider-Man, the Scarlet Spider, Man-Thing, Cyclops, the Juggernaut, Doctor Strange, Cloak & Dagger, and the New Avengers. He first appeared in Marvel Team-Up v1 #68...
to agitate Emma Frost.
Necrosha
Roulette is shown on the cover of New Mutants (vol. 3) #7 along with the other deceased Hellions.Powers and abilities
Roulette's mutant power is to generate disks of psychic energy that alter the laws of chance of anything they touch, resulting in either good or bad luck for their subjects by altering the probabilities field around the victim at whom she throws the disc. Her black energy discs create "bad luck" while her red energy discs bestow "good luck."External links
- MarvelDatabase:Roulette (Jennifer Stavros) - profile and picture gallery
- Uncannyxmen.net character bio on Roulette
- Uncannyxmen.net feature on the Hellions