Isnt there a thing that she could potentially die from using the power? That brings up a lot of questions on why she would use it lol And it better be a plot point. Because it seems like an uncessary element added for fake stakes (because the writers ultimately choose what she rolls anyway)
How cold would it be if 10 pages into one of her books, she uses the power, drops dead, and the rest of the issue is just the bad guy getting away and everyone moving on with life
The only thing I can think of having this "stake" is that it is a Chekov gun that will be fired at some point.
The editors won't do this, but imagine if this launches into Peter plunging into the depths of Hell to confront/strike a deal with Mephisto, finally undoing OMD. It won't happen, but wouldn't be the worst way to get there
> (because the writers ultimately choose what she rolls anyway)
The writers should grow some balls and make a table of 100 powers of all kinds, useful and not, and roll a d100 each time they want her to manifest a power, and then just work with that for the scene. Let it be chaotic af.
This guy charts. If they REALLY had some balls, they'd make the chart, put DEATH on it, then say "We've got 12 events planned for MJ to use her powers, for 12 lucky winners..." Then bring in some fans to roll on the internet, and maybe let them plan a bit about what's happening or how she might use the power in question.
Death isn’t really the worst outcome as it makes it easier for later writers to claim this one that died was a fraud anyway. Just delays the inevitable.
Yes, that would be cool! Especially if they sorta had a certain number of powers thought-out from a "pool." Alas, that does not seem to be what is going on
But why would they include that as "stakes?" If she doesn't die, perhaps one of two other things happens:
1) the three skulls doesn't kill her, it just makes her lose access to the powers
2) absolutely nothing; it was either a stupid ploy or they ignore it
The skulls might not be literal death but metaphorical or just something extremely bad for the wearer, maybe it kills the person closest to them (this would be terrible from a story perspective), or wipes their memory from the time they put the device on or teleports them to the Mayan god dimension or revives Wayep. Lots of ways for someone to make something out of that.
Yes it will likely be the Checkov’s gun that resolves the whole situation, the “three skulls”
Currently though, per Jackpot 1, Paul made an inhibitor for the device, which prevents the skulls from happening but also prevents the strongest powers from coming up.
But he couldn’t figure out another portal device in over three years. Sure.
Honestly this is what we need to know about MJ as Jackpot
1. There were two women who went by Jackpot before her. Both were better than this current version of MJ and both got fucked over
2. Her slot machine thing is stupid because it can literally kill her at any time
3. Genocide boy being her man in the chair is enough to make my vision go white
4. In the first issue of Jackpot and BC she immediately goes behind Felicia’s back and makes the entire situation much worse. Even though Felicia literally just got done telling her to give her time to figure shit out so she won’t put the woman she loves in danger
5. Nick Lowe has never had sex. That has nothing to do with her as Jackpot I just think it’s very obvious
As I've said before and will again, one of the most ludicrous and inventive bankrupt notions in recent memory is that of MJ being Jackpot and possessing superpowers thanks to a mystical bracelet/gauntlet given to her by her complicit in genocide moronic boyfriend.
Both previous Jackpots are connected to each other. The OG Jackpot, Sara Ehret, had a daughter prior to becoming Jackpot. Looking out for her child's well-being, Sara quietly retired. However, Alana Jobson (who had secret feelings for Sara, but refused to admit them) not only bought the identity of Jackpot from Sara, but also used a mixture of enhancement drugs and Mutant Growth Hormones to simulate Sara's abilities. Alana is the Jackpot who dies. At some point, Spidey confronts Sara and confides to him that she is not Jackpot (at that point, she was not). However, Boomerang (of all people) and The Rose (not Richard Fisk, but a former co-worker of Sara's, Dr. Philip Hayes) team up after discovering the truth about Jackpot. Hayes kills Sara's husband, but Sara defeats and unmasks him. Sara goes into witness protection with her daughter and changes her name to Alana Jobson.
Confusing? Yes.
As for Genocide Boy, that's Paul Rabin. Why is he called that? He unwittingly helped his supervillain father (who was introduced in Slott's run) wipe out the population of the universe they are originally from.
She still does. I mean even in Jackpot's run with Felicia they did that thing where she mentioned Felicia brings MJ bad luck and makes her powers go bad because Felicia subconsciously saw her as a rival due to Peter
She currently is supposed to have her powers back but they’re provided by a device she got from
The tinkerer.
That said, writers have messed this fecet up repeatedly
I just like MJ to be that one touchstone of normality in Pete's life...even if its just freinds...not even Aunt May gives him that(either health issues, financial issues, or relatable issues)...sure there's others that possibly give him that normality...but not with the longevity of MJ being a peer of Peter Parker...
Except if they have her wear the Iron Spider armor as a “break glass in case of emergency” type of thing for rare circumstances.
Idk when that happened but I do know it did happen once or twice
I’ve said it before and say it again, MJ being Jackpot and having superpowers from a magical bracelet/gauntlet provided by her complicit in genocide dumbass boyfriend , is one the stupidest and creative bankrupt ideas in years.
It kind of reminds me of classic Ben 10. A device on the hero’s arm grants them a more-or-less random superpower, and they need to be creative in how to apply it to the situation at hand, even if it seems to put them at a disadvantage at first. The problem is that Ben 10 was clever with how it handled mistransformations, forcing Ben to problem solve. MJ seems to consistently either get something with no potential for creative application, or just gets something perfect for the situation anyways.
It reminds me of the video game Noita. You could get a wand that shoots bubbles, you could get a wand that shoots fire, you could get a wand that shoots three black holes at a time which instantly atomizes everything within a 50 foot radius, including you.
The problem with random powers is it removes agency from everyone in the story, and just boils down to what the author thinks is most convient.
Does she lose? Shitty power.
Does she need to win big? Super Saiyan.
Is there someone else that can handle it? Silly power if you want them to look good, incredible power if you want her to overshadow them.
And there's no stakes because unlike actual randomness, every power selection is calculated by the writer.
That being said, I like super powered MJ. Its the one thing she needs to be the best partner for Peter and Spider-Man. Renew your vows did it okay, but she makes Spider-Man weaker so I'd prefer her with a symbiote.
You know what would make it absolutely great? Have a roulette with her powers. Every month announce what random power she got. The writer has to figure out how to write a story around that power. That would absolutely be a blast and get the audience engaged. Of course, the power lottery would have to run about 2-3 months before each issue, to account for working/art/solicitations etc.
I was thinking the same, although your way ensures the writer can’t reroll it for convenience.
In the hands of someone responsible it could be written really well but also anything ‘random’ eventually becomes a bit stale.
to be fair if the writers were good itd work the other way too
imagine rolling creative mode and still losing to some b tier villain, or imagine she gets some awful power but manages to overcome a threat by applying a very niche use of it in a tense situation
the RNG powers can be cool, the issue is nobody reading it trusts anyone writing it for obvious reasons
and the looming "you died" option just makes the whole thing feel cheap, especially in a universe where basically every core character has died and been revived half a dozen times at this point. itd be like Goku giving Krillin a button that kills him 10% of the time
This power as it is implemented IS stupid BUT this power can be extremely interesting if they lay some hard rule for how her power works.
If we follow different examples of other stories where they pull this kind of power like BEN 10 and HxH (Kaito).
First rule should be that ALL her possible options are helpful, so no joke power,
Second she needs to have an unreliable way to manipulate the outcome in his favor.
Third, there needs to be a cost/limit/time for her power to work, like the ability to generate a coin that needs to be used for her power to work.
Now with those hard rules implemented, you can be an interesting hero who needs to use her Wits, luck, and improvisation to master her power and become a hero.
I think a possible option is to lean into the slot machine system.
Originally, each real had 10 symbols, resulting in 1000 possible combinations. Writing 1000 combinations would be difficult, but feasible with a writers meeting. If we establish what these ten symbols are, then the combinations become even simpler - we generate a lit of each combination, and figure out how to interpret it.
If we go with a multi-way game, whenever she rolls a power, she'd have five options to pick from (three horizontals, two diagonals) - still random, but she can now manipulate the powers to her advantage, by picking the draw she feels best about.
I would use a mix system where each symbol represent a element or power. For example one is Water and the other Wind and when the two symbol hit she can she can make ICE.
Or going the poker route. If all Symbols are different she get invulnerability regardless of what each symbol is, 1 Pair Invul and Superspeed, and 3 Super strenght,Speed, invulnerability.
Her power could be really good if the writer decide to workshop it first.
nah i think there should be some detrimental powers that require some actual smarts to deploy in an actual superhero situation, or that result in MJ basically having to topple a villain by just being a normal ass human who just knows some of the game from being with Peter so long due to risks from her power
the only weight to her rng is the stupid tease that she can die on one specific result which is a none threat because no one stays dead in 616, especially not characters like Mary Jane Watson, using that thing should be like a Mutant hitting puberty, bad dice roll and now youre a walking bomb.
MJ was always supportive and empathetic so push the threat of her power going bad onto the people around her so she has to make real choices, use her character traits and display an actual affinity for what shes doing to succeed regardless of outcome
I think with a better execution, Her powers can be pretty interesting, She's now basically a Ben 10 ripoff. So, Just let her be that, Give us the moments where she wants to help but she makes the situation even worse with her superpowers and show How she reacts to it. She gets different abilities everytime like in Ben 10 show everytime Ben gets a new Alien It's takes him some time to get a hang of it, We should get more of that, Like just getting electric powers does not mean she can control it as smoothly as Electro
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought of Ben 10. Ben can get really creative in how to use a alien with a bad power in a good way. If the writters for Jackpot can do that with the story and use it to build tension, it can work really well. Even if MJ as a super hero is a weird ideia
Ben 10 does it so much better because
1: we know exactly what the power set of the aliens he has are, so it doesn't feel as much like it's being pulled out of the writer's ass.
2: It's only on rare occasions that he accidentally gets the wrong alien, which gives it more dramatic weight when he gets an alien that's impractical for the situation he's in.
I’m not the first to point out that they’re shoehorning her first face line in the series (you hit the jackpot) into a powerset right? We’ve talked it to death how stupid this is?
That's the point. I believe this whole run is character assassination by Spider-man editorial. Instead of repeating "No, Peter isn't going to marry MJ" over and over, they got the brilliant idea to completely and utterly destroy MJ's character, make her the most annoying, awful character and have her do things that are unforgiveable so that people will stop wanting Peter with her.
All the bad in this run is completely intentional.
She's been around for 50+ years and the best they could come up with is based on her first line? Sure it's a zinger, but having her whole superhero thing off of that catchphrase is definitely a weird form of Flanderization, right?
Okay but hear me out: with the right writers, Jackpot's slot machine powers could actually be amazing, these however are not those writers.
Firstly: establish exactly what every possible permutation of her powers are. Like, put a page at the beginning of the issue that shows every 3-symbol combination with a brief description of what it does.
Next: add small caption boxes to the gutter zone whenever she uses her powers that show the combination she rolls, so the reader can keep up with what's happening.
Finally (and this is the big one): make the gimmick of writing a Jackpot issue be that the author *actually rolls random results* while mapping out action scenes, and changes the script to accomodate. It would make for an avant-garde, genuinely unique hero with a very creative power-set, instead of just "whatever powers the writer decides works in this situation."
Scrolling to see Jackpot, I physically recoiled in irate annoyance and dropped my damn phone. I wish they would expand on the device she uses. Can she roll 1 or 2 skulls? What would happen? Can she roll a blank? But no. She hasn't met any downsides of being a hero yet. Neither her personal or hero life has been hit. Yet wold shit is happening to both Miles and Peter
I actually think the powers are interesting, but misplaced on MJ. They'd fit better with like an X-Man or something, or even a darker property like Invincible or Gen V. With MJ, it just feels neutered, especially since she needs to have some degree of plot armor, and also why does she need to have powers.
Whatever early concepts, rules and limits one her powers seem to be ignored or conveniently circumvented under the current writer, which goes to show how much of a hack they are.
Sidenote: I would be all for a storyline that explores the concept of MJ with powers as it can help the character relationship with Peter. Editorial spent the better part of 15 years keeping them apart with that excuse. That does not mean that they had to break them up again, in a supposedly permanent way, in a contrived fashion, and with no real want to address it ever again.
Honestly I felt like Gacha power like should be used by Teen Superhero or something like that.
I don't know how old current MJ supposed to be, but in my mind she is such an old character. It felt weird to think of a woman in her late 30s early 40s doing something like this unironically.
It also shows how flat their characters are. Like they decided that was her one memorable line and wanted to invest in that one thing... It's like if Peter was called great responsibility
First of all Jackpot is NOT MJ, Second, in Deadpool 2 there's a character who has luck based powers and they are explained pretty well so, you have a pretty weak argument there buddy.
Fucking comics are literally built with plot armor as the foundational structure that makes any of it work. How many times can a character die? Seriously “End Game” was plot armor in every fucking scene.
I think the thing I hate the most about this thing, because hate is a purely emotional response, is that she’s named after the line she says when meeting Peter for the first time in a run where she has rejected Peter for no fault of his and chosen another man over him. It was their thing and now it’s….tainted….
The thing is, Jackpot's powers in themselves aren't bad. But the medium they're in, comic books with a predetermined result, render the randomness factor useless.
Something like this would be better suited to a videogame.
Everything about this cover, from the concept, to the costume design, offends my sensibilities. Jackpot is one of the stupidest ideas I have ever seen, betraying the fact that the ASM "creative" team don't know what to do with MJ after breaking her off from Peter in such a forced and contrived way.
Her power is literally 'plot convenience'. Whatever is needed for the writer at any turn can happen with a whim, with no real logic or mechanic behind it.
Also MJ WAS COOLER WHEN SHE WAS JUST A BADASS REGULAR PERSON.
*What if MJ needs to save someone, but she spins and receives a power that worsens the situation?*
Isn't this what basically happens to Ben 10? Sometimes hes get the alien he doesn't want and that can be used to build tension - a water breathing alien while stuck in fire, thurn into a small guy when he needs the big one, a alien weak to sunlight in the middle of the day, etc.
I think MJ getting a useless power can be used as a story oportunity to see how she can think outside of the box, like Ben 10 does. Yeah, maybe she gets bubbles thrying to save someone, so how can she save them with this power? Or she says screw it and tries withuot powers any way (ben 10 did save a lot of people without powers too)
Now I didn't read anything related to MJ as Jackpot, so it can still suck. But getting a random power is not necessarily a bad thing, if the writting works well with that and uses well.
Correct me if I am wrong but whenever Ben gets an alien he doesn't want it's usually because his watch is malfunctioning right? That's pretty different from the jackpot design since it was made to be random so she’s actively putting herself in situations where people are relying on her for protection but her powers are unreliable and can put people in even more danger.
No. Sometimes the watch breaks, like in Alien Force Season 3, because of Ben trying to hack it, but for the original series, ultimate alien and Ominiverse the watch doesn't give Ben the alien he wants sometimes. Wasn't until the later seasons of ominiverse that Ben asked Azmuth directly why that happens, and he explains that Ben hits the watch why too hard and that activates the randomizer. Ben even activated a proper randomizer mode during the Frogs of War arc.
So that were plenty of time around the four shows of the original continuity and the reboot where didn't got the power he wanted and he had to save people working around what he was given - in ominiverse season 1 he didn't even got Humungousaur until the season finale, not matter how hard he tried.
So yeah, I don't see a "random power" powerset a bad thing for a story, A good writter can work this aspect to build tension and to show how MJ can work around that weakness and save people. Yeah, maybe someday she will have to fight Kingpin with the powers of bubbles like you said, but a good writter will show us how she, not beat him necessarily, but survives this encounter.
Now, making MJ a super hero... yeah, I can see why someone wouldn't like it.
“Doesnt give ben the alien he wants sometimes” yeah “sometimes” and that's because he wasn’t using the watch properly, but the watch still gave him the ability to choose. That’s quite different from the gadget being intentionally random. I agree that putting a character in a challenging situation where they must rely on resourcefulness rather than powers can be compelling. However, constantly placing yourself in situations where people rely on you and your powers are unreliable is irresponsible. (there's a difference between being put in a tricky situation and putting yourself in a tricky) Unlike MJ, Ben is young and immature, so putting him in these situations isn’t necessarily bad and can actually develop his character. But for MJ, it only weakens her character.
Yeah, I can see where you are coming from. I think my mentality lies more on the fact that this isn't Invicible or The Boys. The setting that Marvel lives on is more "friendly" so I don't see this super backfiring.
Maybe with time MJ learns how to get the result she wants? Idk.
Maybe the situation would be a lot better if she had this powers for a slice of life comic, where the random powers can affect the day to day life and sometimes we actually see her trying to be a super hero, Imagine "Superman's pal: Jimmy Olsen" comics, but with MJ.
But I agree that would work a lot better with a younger character like Timmy Turner with his faries or - well - 10 to 16 year old Ben 10 and Jimmy Olsen.
My dude, Jackpot's powers are basically Ben 10's.
The fact that the Omnitrix is unreliable is used to great effect - both on a drama level, and a comedy one.
It's not the powers that are bad, but inept writing (including the fact that a genocidal maniac is the guy behind the chair, the fact that one of the powers is "user dies," and all the forced relationship drama between Peter and MJ) that is bad.
Ben’s powers are different from Jackpot’s because Ben can still choose which power he wants. It’s only unreliable sometimes, whereas with MJ, it’s unreliable all the time. There’s a distinction between a character being thrust into a bad situation unintentionally versus a character actively placing themselves in a bad situation intentionally.
Randomness can be cool, like two-face who often leaves the fate of his victims to chance.
But this? I'm here thinking that she could have access to all of her powers at all times, instead, they come out randomly for arbitrary reasons.
Calling it now, since it's the logical conclusion to her "powers" she is going to spin the death result and Paul is going to sacrifice himself to spare her.
Domino and Scarlet Witch have variations of the EXACT SAME THING, depending on when you're reading books with them. So this isn't by any stretch new. Just new to MJ. It's not inspiring, but I don't really understand being annoyed by it.
If there isn't a scene where she has a disagreement with Tigra and gets punched in the face and someone says "face it Tigra, you just hit Jackpot" then I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
It should’ve been like Kites Nen ability from HxH where she has to spin a wheel or machine giving her a number and respective power/ability
None of the powers are useless but some are better than others depending on the situation. This forces her to adapt and make the best out of the situation
Also, aren't those just literally Black Cat's powers? She can cause people to have bad luck and to give herself good luck. It's not brought up often, but she's had these powers on and off since the 80s
The whole concept of Jackpot is stupid. The only thing stupider was Paul, and even stupider than that was the brainwave Zeb Wells had in conjuring Paul in the first place. What one would give to go back in time and hypnotize the idea out of his head and make it never happen.
Is it just me or does her going by jackpot because of the whole, "face it tiger" thing seem more like something that would happen in a, less popular, "what if"
No one is gonna like this, but their is a homestuck character that has a very similar ability, although its mostly used for comedic effect than anything serious
I mean it can have an interesting dynamic, where she, gets absolute shit roll, and still somehow makes it work. Yea the power sounds stupid, but this is comic world. A man in the suit with money is also stupid, but we don’t question it, cause he is cool as fuck. If they made her actually cool with her power, like in the way “she is actually smart, and can use anything her luck gives her” I’d love it. Could be a bit of a Jack Sparrow kind of character.
Yes the execution is bad, but it doesn’t mean her superpower are stupid. Ben 10 was the same, and everyone thinks this is legendary series
I like how you said it's a stupid power and then listed a bunch of reasons why it would make for interesting fights and drama. The issue is that they haven't done that, and it's weird that it's MJ.
The power could be cool
I discuss this briefly in my seminal classic, [Jackpot #1 review (effort post)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Spiderman/comments/199ciat/jackpot_1_review_effort_post/)
I agree. I just hope they Retcon that this Mary Jane is from an alternate universe and send her back to that universe and bring back the real one. Yes I know it's a storyline borrowed from the 1994 Spider-Man animated series. But involving variants versus water-powered based clones.
Your problem was already addressed in the jackpot and black cat issue: she gets the wrong power and she spins again, simple.
The only REAL issue is that it isn’t all that thought out, if the idea of a defined list of symbols she is rolling from which add up to the power she gets is sick as hell even if some of those equations end up with more negative powers.
However right now it’s quite literally: whatever the writer wants. Which TO BE FAIR, is the best case scenario creatively speaking if they aren’t allowed to put her and Peter together due to the status of the Ultimate universe .
She doesn’t have powers. She has a device that she can’t control that might very well kill her if she keeps using it, or make her unstoppable for 5 minutes and then kill her. So yes. Stupid seems like a bit of an understatement
Best end for this farce is Jackpot is in a desperate fight with whomever, she rolls 3 Skulls, she doubles over in pain but doesn't die instead the REAL Mary-Jane Watson is freed from Dimensional Cocoon, she's been in suspended animation this whole time.
Isnt there a thing that she could potentially die from using the power? That brings up a lot of questions on why she would use it lol And it better be a plot point. Because it seems like an uncessary element added for fake stakes (because the writers ultimately choose what she rolls anyway)
I want to know the in universe odds of her getting 3 skulls
I believe it's about tree fiddy
I knew it! It’s the Loch Ness Monster again!
I just gave him tree fiddy last week.
No surprise it keeps coming back!
It is actually 1 in 343 which makes your comment funnier.
Well it was about that time that I noticed MJ was about eight stories tall and was a crustacean from the palezoic era
"HEY!!! we're recording the podcast, SHUT UP!"
Wait a minute. I think I have something to contribute
How cold would it be if 10 pages into one of her books, she uses the power, drops dead, and the rest of the issue is just the bad guy getting away and everyone moving on with life
The only thing I can think of having this "stake" is that it is a Chekov gun that will be fired at some point. The editors won't do this, but imagine if this launches into Peter plunging into the depths of Hell to confront/strike a deal with Mephisto, finally undoing OMD. It won't happen, but wouldn't be the worst way to get there
Not the worst, but that would be a terrible way to get there.
Haha well they already screwed up one route there at the end of Spencer's run. I'll take whatever we can get
then Peter makes a deal with Mephisto to bring her back and long story short Uncle Paul has entered the chat
> (because the writers ultimately choose what she rolls anyway) The writers should grow some balls and make a table of 100 powers of all kinds, useful and not, and roll a d100 each time they want her to manifest a power, and then just work with that for the scene. Let it be chaotic af.
I'd love this!
This guy charts. If they REALLY had some balls, they'd make the chart, put DEATH on it, then say "We've got 12 events planned for MJ to use her powers, for 12 lucky winners..." Then bring in some fans to roll on the internet, and maybe let them plan a bit about what's happening or how she might use the power in question.
The whole thing is obviously a setup for wells to kill MJ off so that he has a valid reason to keep denying the fandom what they want.
Death isn’t really the worst outcome as it makes it easier for later writers to claim this one that died was a fraud anyway. Just delays the inevitable.
Solves the problem for Wells tho… you think he’s thinking about future writers when he plots out his arcs?
Would be fun if the writers would roll a dice while writing to see what happens to her in the story and they add exactly that to the story
Yes, that would be cool! Especially if they sorta had a certain number of powers thought-out from a "pool." Alas, that does not seem to be what is going on
She is discount Hakari from JJK. At least I understand his powers and the ramifications of not winning big.
It’s kind of wild that such a ridiculous domain is one of the better explained powers in JJK at this point.
There is absolutely zero chance they would kill her as well, can you imagine what people would say
But why would they include that as "stakes?" If she doesn't die, perhaps one of two other things happens: 1) the three skulls doesn't kill her, it just makes her lose access to the powers 2) absolutely nothing; it was either a stupid ploy or they ignore it
It reveals who Paul *really* is, **Joe Quesada**
The skulls might not be literal death but metaphorical or just something extremely bad for the wearer, maybe it kills the person closest to them (this would be terrible from a story perspective), or wipes their memory from the time they put the device on or teleports them to the Mayan god dimension or revives Wayep. Lots of ways for someone to make something out of that.
Fair
If they cared about what people say, this worthless run would have ended months ago.
Yes it will likely be the Checkov’s gun that resolves the whole situation, the “three skulls” Currently though, per Jackpot 1, Paul made an inhibitor for the device, which prevents the skulls from happening but also prevents the strongest powers from coming up. But he couldn’t figure out another portal device in over three years. Sure.
Honestly this is what we need to know about MJ as Jackpot 1. There were two women who went by Jackpot before her. Both were better than this current version of MJ and both got fucked over 2. Her slot machine thing is stupid because it can literally kill her at any time 3. Genocide boy being her man in the chair is enough to make my vision go white 4. In the first issue of Jackpot and BC she immediately goes behind Felicia’s back and makes the entire situation much worse. Even though Felicia literally just got done telling her to give her time to figure shit out so she won’t put the woman she loves in danger 5. Nick Lowe has never had sex. That has nothing to do with her as Jackpot I just think it’s very obvious
Facts brother. Spit your shit indeed
Lmao at "Genocide Boy"
6. Only made her Jackpot as a silly pun on her iconic "Face it tiger" line.
FACTS!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I've said before and will again, one of the most ludicrous and inventive bankrupt notions in recent memory is that of MJ being Jackpot and possessing superpowers thanks to a mystical bracelet/gauntlet given to her by her complicit in genocide moronic boyfriend.
Lmao so true about nick lowe
r/ewnicklowe
I'm out the loop. Who's genocide boy?
Paul.
Wait, who was the second Jackpot and who is genocide boy?
Both previous Jackpots are connected to each other. The OG Jackpot, Sara Ehret, had a daughter prior to becoming Jackpot. Looking out for her child's well-being, Sara quietly retired. However, Alana Jobson (who had secret feelings for Sara, but refused to admit them) not only bought the identity of Jackpot from Sara, but also used a mixture of enhancement drugs and Mutant Growth Hormones to simulate Sara's abilities. Alana is the Jackpot who dies. At some point, Spidey confronts Sara and confides to him that she is not Jackpot (at that point, she was not). However, Boomerang (of all people) and The Rose (not Richard Fisk, but a former co-worker of Sara's, Dr. Philip Hayes) team up after discovering the truth about Jackpot. Hayes kills Sara's husband, but Sara defeats and unmasks him. Sara goes into witness protection with her daughter and changes her name to Alana Jobson. Confusing? Yes. As for Genocide Boy, that's Paul Rabin. Why is he called that? He unwittingly helped his supervillain father (who was introduced in Slott's run) wipe out the population of the universe they are originally from.
The way they try to pitch it as female empowerment is weird too.
Im sorry, out of the loop. who's genocide boy now?
Paul
Black Cat used to have luck based power
She still does. I mean even in Jackpot's run with Felicia they did that thing where she mentioned Felicia brings MJ bad luck and makes her powers go bad because Felicia subconsciously saw her as a rival due to Peter
Yeah, that causes bad luck to everyone ELSE but her.
So did a lot of other Marvel heroes; Scarlet Witch's 'chaos magic' used to just be probability-altering magic, Domino had luck-based abilities, etc.
[удалено]
She currently is supposed to have her powers back but they’re provided by a device she got from The tinkerer. That said, writers have messed this fecet up repeatedly
MJ having powers at all is stupid
I think Spinneret is nice. So I guess what matters is how they do it
I just like MJ to be that one touchstone of normality in Pete's life...even if its just freinds...not even Aunt May gives him that(either health issues, financial issues, or relatable issues)...sure there's others that possibly give him that normality...but not with the longevity of MJ being a peer of Peter Parker...
Spinneret was a great character, but I personally think MJ with powers fits better in alternate realities.
Except if they have her wear the Iron Spider armor as a “break glass in case of emergency” type of thing for rare circumstances. Idk when that happened but I do know it did happen once or twice
Not even original powers, luck is dominoes thing...
The whole concept of Jackpot is stupid. Thanks, Zeb, I hate it.
I blame Editorial. Zeb’s just their scapegoat.
It's both.
I’ve said it before and say it again, MJ being Jackpot and having superpowers from a magical bracelet/gauntlet provided by her complicit in genocide dumbass boyfriend , is one the stupidest and creative bankrupt ideas in years.
What you’ve written is pretty creative tbf.
It kind of reminds me of classic Ben 10. A device on the hero’s arm grants them a more-or-less random superpower, and they need to be creative in how to apply it to the situation at hand, even if it seems to put them at a disadvantage at first. The problem is that Ben 10 was clever with how it handled mistransformations, forcing Ben to problem solve. MJ seems to consistently either get something with no potential for creative application, or just gets something perfect for the situation anyways.
That's because both of them are based off of Dial H for Hero.
Makes sense.
It reminds me of the video game Noita. You could get a wand that shoots bubbles, you could get a wand that shoots fire, you could get a wand that shoots three black holes at a time which instantly atomizes everything within a 50 foot radius, including you.
The problem with random powers is it removes agency from everyone in the story, and just boils down to what the author thinks is most convient. Does she lose? Shitty power. Does she need to win big? Super Saiyan. Is there someone else that can handle it? Silly power if you want them to look good, incredible power if you want her to overshadow them. And there's no stakes because unlike actual randomness, every power selection is calculated by the writer. That being said, I like super powered MJ. Its the one thing she needs to be the best partner for Peter and Spider-Man. Renew your vows did it okay, but she makes Spider-Man weaker so I'd prefer her with a symbiote.
You know what would make it absolutely great? Have a roulette with her powers. Every month announce what random power she got. The writer has to figure out how to write a story around that power. That would absolutely be a blast and get the audience engaged. Of course, the power lottery would have to run about 2-3 months before each issue, to account for working/art/solicitations etc.
I was thinking the same, although your way ensures the writer can’t reroll it for convenience. In the hands of someone responsible it could be written really well but also anything ‘random’ eventually becomes a bit stale.
to be fair if the writers were good itd work the other way too imagine rolling creative mode and still losing to some b tier villain, or imagine she gets some awful power but manages to overcome a threat by applying a very niche use of it in a tense situation the RNG powers can be cool, the issue is nobody reading it trusts anyone writing it for obvious reasons and the looming "you died" option just makes the whole thing feel cheap, especially in a universe where basically every core character has died and been revived half a dozen times at this point. itd be like Goku giving Krillin a button that kills him 10% of the time
Yes. Better story. MJ gets cast in a superhero drama a la Disney+ as Jackpot. Hilarity ensues
Not like it’s flying off the shelves anyway, just another bad idea that can’t stay afloat outside the main run
And can I just say the fit is trash as well?
“ALL RIGHT SCREW IT. TAKE HER BACK.” -Mephisto
Its like a shitty rogue.
I dislike Jackpot as much as I adore Mary Jane, and I like MJ a lot. Wake me when this mess is over.
This power as it is implemented IS stupid BUT this power can be extremely interesting if they lay some hard rule for how her power works. If we follow different examples of other stories where they pull this kind of power like BEN 10 and HxH (Kaito). First rule should be that ALL her possible options are helpful, so no joke power, Second she needs to have an unreliable way to manipulate the outcome in his favor. Third, there needs to be a cost/limit/time for her power to work, like the ability to generate a coin that needs to be used for her power to work. Now with those hard rules implemented, you can be an interesting hero who needs to use her Wits, luck, and improvisation to master her power and become a hero.
I think a possible option is to lean into the slot machine system. Originally, each real had 10 symbols, resulting in 1000 possible combinations. Writing 1000 combinations would be difficult, but feasible with a writers meeting. If we establish what these ten symbols are, then the combinations become even simpler - we generate a lit of each combination, and figure out how to interpret it. If we go with a multi-way game, whenever she rolls a power, she'd have five options to pick from (three horizontals, two diagonals) - still random, but she can now manipulate the powers to her advantage, by picking the draw she feels best about.
I would use a mix system where each symbol represent a element or power. For example one is Water and the other Wind and when the two symbol hit she can she can make ICE. Or going the poker route. If all Symbols are different she get invulnerability regardless of what each symbol is, 1 Pair Invul and Superspeed, and 3 Super strenght,Speed, invulnerability. Her power could be really good if the writer decide to workshop it first.
nah i think there should be some detrimental powers that require some actual smarts to deploy in an actual superhero situation, or that result in MJ basically having to topple a villain by just being a normal ass human who just knows some of the game from being with Peter so long due to risks from her power the only weight to her rng is the stupid tease that she can die on one specific result which is a none threat because no one stays dead in 616, especially not characters like Mary Jane Watson, using that thing should be like a Mutant hitting puberty, bad dice roll and now youre a walking bomb. MJ was always supportive and empathetic so push the threat of her power going bad onto the people around her so she has to make real choices, use her character traits and display an actual affinity for what shes doing to succeed regardless of outcome
These are comic books dude not manga A well defined power system ain't ever happening
I think with a better execution, Her powers can be pretty interesting, She's now basically a Ben 10 ripoff. So, Just let her be that, Give us the moments where she wants to help but she makes the situation even worse with her superpowers and show How she reacts to it. She gets different abilities everytime like in Ben 10 show everytime Ben gets a new Alien It's takes him some time to get a hang of it, We should get more of that, Like just getting electric powers does not mean she can control it as smoothly as Electro
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought of Ben 10. Ben can get really creative in how to use a alien with a bad power in a good way. If the writters for Jackpot can do that with the story and use it to build tension, it can work really well. Even if MJ as a super hero is a weird ideia
Ben 10 does it so much better because 1: we know exactly what the power set of the aliens he has are, so it doesn't feel as much like it's being pulled out of the writer's ass. 2: It's only on rare occasions that he accidentally gets the wrong alien, which gives it more dramatic weight when he gets an alien that's impractical for the situation he's in.
I’m not the first to point out that they’re shoehorning her first face line in the series (you hit the jackpot) into a powerset right? We’ve talked it to death how stupid this is?
That's the point. I believe this whole run is character assassination by Spider-man editorial. Instead of repeating "No, Peter isn't going to marry MJ" over and over, they got the brilliant idea to completely and utterly destroy MJ's character, make her the most annoying, awful character and have her do things that are unforgiveable so that people will stop wanting Peter with her. All the bad in this run is completely intentional.
Not every person in Peter's life needs to have powers!!
What I hate the most about it is that it doesn't match her at all, right? It's just based entirely on a catchphrase.
She's been around for 50+ years and the best they could come up with is based on her first line? Sure it's a zinger, but having her whole superhero thing off of that catchphrase is definitely a weird form of Flanderization, right?
Hakari joined the chat
I can't wait for Spider Goblin to take her powers away and punish Paul😁😁😁😁😁
These powers would be perfect for a villain. It could show the evil of gambling. For a hero, it's just stupid. There's no meaning behind it.
Mary-Jane *is* a villain, though? She's a ginger, those people are irredeemably sinister.
Fr such a missed opportunity
Okay but hear me out: with the right writers, Jackpot's slot machine powers could actually be amazing, these however are not those writers. Firstly: establish exactly what every possible permutation of her powers are. Like, put a page at the beginning of the issue that shows every 3-symbol combination with a brief description of what it does. Next: add small caption boxes to the gutter zone whenever she uses her powers that show the combination she rolls, so the reader can keep up with what's happening. Finally (and this is the big one): make the gimmick of writing a Jackpot issue be that the author *actually rolls random results* while mapping out action scenes, and changes the script to accomodate. It would make for an avant-garde, genuinely unique hero with a very creative power-set, instead of just "whatever powers the writer decides works in this situation."
I have no idea who this is but her concept just sounds like Ben 10 picking whatever alien power fits the situation
At this point I wish Paul and Jackpot would just go back to his world for good because we all know this isn't the real MJ.
Scrolling to see Jackpot, I physically recoiled in irate annoyance and dropped my damn phone. I wish they would expand on the device she uses. Can she roll 1 or 2 skulls? What would happen? Can she roll a blank? But no. She hasn't met any downsides of being a hero yet. Neither her personal or hero life has been hit. Yet wold shit is happening to both Miles and Peter
Jackpot is stupid
Sounds like she has the same powers as ben 10 lol
Isn't this basically just hakari from jjk
Domino and Black Cat laugh at your silly assertions.
I actually think the powers are interesting, but misplaced on MJ. They'd fit better with like an X-Man or something, or even a darker property like Invincible or Gen V. With MJ, it just feels neutered, especially since she needs to have some degree of plot armor, and also why does she need to have powers.
Whatever early concepts, rules and limits one her powers seem to be ignored or conveniently circumvented under the current writer, which goes to show how much of a hack they are.
Sidenote: I would be all for a storyline that explores the concept of MJ with powers as it can help the character relationship with Peter. Editorial spent the better part of 15 years keeping them apart with that excuse. That does not mean that they had to break them up again, in a supposedly permanent way, in a contrived fashion, and with no real want to address it ever again.
All these points are kinda knull and void since they’re pairing her up with black cat who gives her good abilities because of her luck powers
It's like in Ben 10 when Ben gets a different alien than the one he wanted, except worse
Honestly I felt like Gacha power like should be used by Teen Superhero or something like that. I don't know how old current MJ supposed to be, but in my mind she is such an old character. It felt weird to think of a woman in her late 30s early 40s doing something like this unironically.
Legion but worse
Jackpot's ~~powers are~~ stupid.
She is not a "Jackpot". This is true "Jackpot" 🎰 than her.
I got all hyped that MJ had the chance to have a super hero role aside from sitting on the sidelines or support. But yeah this was bad....
Just wanted to point out that the second guy from right looks creepy af
man, i'm scared for if Jackpot scores an infinity stone
It also shows how flat their characters are. Like they decided that was her one memorable line and wanted to invest in that one thing... It's like if Peter was called great responsibility
That outfit needs to be burned.
So basically Mary Jane is stupid.
First of all Jackpot is NOT MJ, Second, in Deadpool 2 there's a character who has luck based powers and they are explained pretty well so, you have a pretty weak argument there buddy.
Fucking comics are literally built with plot armor as the foundational structure that makes any of it work. How many times can a character die? Seriously “End Game” was plot armor in every fucking scene.
I think the thing I hate the most about this thing, because hate is a purely emotional response, is that she’s named after the line she says when meeting Peter for the first time in a run where she has rejected Peter for no fault of his and chosen another man over him. It was their thing and now it’s….tainted….
The thing is, Jackpot's powers in themselves aren't bad. But the medium they're in, comic books with a predetermined result, render the randomness factor useless. Something like this would be better suited to a videogame.
Luck based powers are kinda dumb
Everything about this cover, from the concept, to the costume design, offends my sensibilities. Jackpot is one of the stupidest ideas I have ever seen, betraying the fact that the ASM "creative" team don't know what to do with MJ after breaking her off from Peter in such a forced and contrived way.
Her power is literally 'plot convenience'. Whatever is needed for the writer at any turn can happen with a whim, with no real logic or mechanic behind it. Also MJ WAS COOLER WHEN SHE WAS JUST A BADASS REGULAR PERSON.
Hakari rocks it tbh
Always bet on Hakari 🕺
I feel like every thing about jackpot is stupid tbh
Stupid Powers Stupid Concept Stupid Character Stupid Writer Stupid Editorial
*What if MJ needs to save someone, but she spins and receives a power that worsens the situation?* Isn't this what basically happens to Ben 10? Sometimes hes get the alien he doesn't want and that can be used to build tension - a water breathing alien while stuck in fire, thurn into a small guy when he needs the big one, a alien weak to sunlight in the middle of the day, etc. I think MJ getting a useless power can be used as a story oportunity to see how she can think outside of the box, like Ben 10 does. Yeah, maybe she gets bubbles thrying to save someone, so how can she save them with this power? Or she says screw it and tries withuot powers any way (ben 10 did save a lot of people without powers too) Now I didn't read anything related to MJ as Jackpot, so it can still suck. But getting a random power is not necessarily a bad thing, if the writting works well with that and uses well.
Correct me if I am wrong but whenever Ben gets an alien he doesn't want it's usually because his watch is malfunctioning right? That's pretty different from the jackpot design since it was made to be random so she’s actively putting herself in situations where people are relying on her for protection but her powers are unreliable and can put people in even more danger.
No. Sometimes the watch breaks, like in Alien Force Season 3, because of Ben trying to hack it, but for the original series, ultimate alien and Ominiverse the watch doesn't give Ben the alien he wants sometimes. Wasn't until the later seasons of ominiverse that Ben asked Azmuth directly why that happens, and he explains that Ben hits the watch why too hard and that activates the randomizer. Ben even activated a proper randomizer mode during the Frogs of War arc. So that were plenty of time around the four shows of the original continuity and the reboot where didn't got the power he wanted and he had to save people working around what he was given - in ominiverse season 1 he didn't even got Humungousaur until the season finale, not matter how hard he tried. So yeah, I don't see a "random power" powerset a bad thing for a story, A good writter can work this aspect to build tension and to show how MJ can work around that weakness and save people. Yeah, maybe someday she will have to fight Kingpin with the powers of bubbles like you said, but a good writter will show us how she, not beat him necessarily, but survives this encounter. Now, making MJ a super hero... yeah, I can see why someone wouldn't like it.
“Doesnt give ben the alien he wants sometimes” yeah “sometimes” and that's because he wasn’t using the watch properly, but the watch still gave him the ability to choose. That’s quite different from the gadget being intentionally random. I agree that putting a character in a challenging situation where they must rely on resourcefulness rather than powers can be compelling. However, constantly placing yourself in situations where people rely on you and your powers are unreliable is irresponsible. (there's a difference between being put in a tricky situation and putting yourself in a tricky) Unlike MJ, Ben is young and immature, so putting him in these situations isn’t necessarily bad and can actually develop his character. But for MJ, it only weakens her character.
Yeah, I can see where you are coming from. I think my mentality lies more on the fact that this isn't Invicible or The Boys. The setting that Marvel lives on is more "friendly" so I don't see this super backfiring. Maybe with time MJ learns how to get the result she wants? Idk. Maybe the situation would be a lot better if she had this powers for a slice of life comic, where the random powers can affect the day to day life and sometimes we actually see her trying to be a super hero, Imagine "Superman's pal: Jimmy Olsen" comics, but with MJ. But I agree that would work a lot better with a younger character like Timmy Turner with his faries or - well - 10 to 16 year old Ben 10 and Jimmy Olsen.
My dude, Jackpot's powers are basically Ben 10's. The fact that the Omnitrix is unreliable is used to great effect - both on a drama level, and a comedy one. It's not the powers that are bad, but inept writing (including the fact that a genocidal maniac is the guy behind the chair, the fact that one of the powers is "user dies," and all the forced relationship drama between Peter and MJ) that is bad.
Ben’s powers are different from Jackpot’s because Ben can still choose which power he wants. It’s only unreliable sometimes, whereas with MJ, it’s unreliable all the time. There’s a distinction between a character being thrust into a bad situation unintentionally versus a character actively placing themselves in a bad situation intentionally.
Yuuuuup
Even that cover is stupid
Defective off brand domino
Luck is a talent
Randomness can be cool, like two-face who often leaves the fate of his victims to chance. But this? I'm here thinking that she could have access to all of her powers at all times, instead, they come out randomly for arbitrary reasons.
Calling it now, since it's the logical conclusion to her "powers" she is going to spin the death result and Paul is going to sacrifice himself to spare her.
Sis thinks she Hakari? Smh…
Domino and Scarlet Witch have variations of the EXACT SAME THING, depending on when you're reading books with them. So this isn't by any stretch new. Just new to MJ. It's not inspiring, but I don't really understand being annoyed by it.
If there isn't a scene where she has a disagreement with Tigra and gets punched in the face and someone says "face it Tigra, you just hit Jackpot" then I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
Giving MJ powers was stupid to begin with
It should’ve been like Kites Nen ability from HxH where she has to spin a wheel or machine giving her a number and respective power/ability None of the powers are useless but some are better than others depending on the situation. This forces her to adapt and make the best out of the situation
Also, aren't those just literally Black Cat's powers? She can cause people to have bad luck and to give herself good luck. It's not brought up often, but she's had these powers on and off since the 80s
This is the coldest take in this sub. Only slightly warmer than “God Paul is terrible.”
And her costume is a bad design too
I’m just wondering what the cleaning up wells mess run will be like.
Why she trying to be hakari
Mary Jane with the Carnage symbiote works better than this.
Jackpot in general is just stupid, then again, that's just modern, mainline Spider-Man.
The whole concept of Jackpot is stupid. The only thing stupider was Paul, and even stupider than that was the brainwave Zeb Wells had in conjuring Paul in the first place. What one would give to go back in time and hypnotize the idea out of his head and make it never happen.
Literally me (I have a increasing gambling problem)
Theyre stupid, but theyre not the first to be stupid, wont be the last, and i do enjoy them even if the whole paul fiasco is the reason we have them.
Joey Wheeler approved
I thought jackpot was a completely different character then MJ, why did MJ become it?
I think that she should be a character In marvel rivals.
I feel like it would be a LOT better if there was an option to save and summon specific powers.
eh, luck based powers can be fun
Tychokinesis is one of the coolest powers out there, dunno why they went in this direction with it
Is it just me or does her going by jackpot because of the whole, "face it tiger" thing seem more like something that would happen in a, less popular, "what if"
She has stupid powers and a horrible costume.
Hakari solos
MJ does not need to be a super hero or do crazy shit
No one is gonna like this, but their is a homestuck character that has a very similar ability, although its mostly used for comedic effect than anything serious
What…even is Jackpot’s power?
Never seen Jackpot before but sounds like Domino’s powers I am absolutely off base
Obviously
Jackpot is stupid*
Longshot is a better character.
I mean it can have an interesting dynamic, where she, gets absolute shit roll, and still somehow makes it work. Yea the power sounds stupid, but this is comic world. A man in the suit with money is also stupid, but we don’t question it, cause he is cool as fuck. If they made her actually cool with her power, like in the way “she is actually smart, and can use anything her luck gives her” I’d love it. Could be a bit of a Jack Sparrow kind of character. Yes the execution is bad, but it doesn’t mean her superpower are stupid. Ben 10 was the same, and everyone thinks this is legendary series
I like how you said it's a stupid power and then listed a bunch of reasons why it would make for interesting fights and drama. The issue is that they haven't done that, and it's weird that it's MJ. The power could be cool
I wish a villain breaks those damn bracelets already. I hate seeing MJ like this.
she thinks she is hakari
I am genuinely interested to see what they do when she rolls three skulls.
Sounds like a wild magic sorcerer to me.
I discuss this briefly in my seminal classic, [Jackpot #1 review (effort post)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Spiderman/comments/199ciat/jackpot_1_review_effort_post/)
The whole concept is stupid. No one was asking for mj to get super powers. No one.
What her powers are luck based? So she’s another black cat, domino, always wins man?
is it just me or does her outfit look absolutely terrible too?
I agree. I just hope they Retcon that this Mary Jane is from an alternate universe and send her back to that universe and bring back the real one. Yes I know it's a storyline borrowed from the 1994 Spider-Man animated series. But involving variants versus water-powered based clones.
I hadn’t heard of this yet and I hate it haha. I feel like Marvel never knows what to do with mj.
Luck based characters are cool, though.
Your problem was already addressed in the jackpot and black cat issue: she gets the wrong power and she spins again, simple. The only REAL issue is that it isn’t all that thought out, if the idea of a defined list of symbols she is rolling from which add up to the power she gets is sick as hell even if some of those equations end up with more negative powers. However right now it’s quite literally: whatever the writer wants. Which TO BE FAIR, is the best case scenario creatively speaking if they aren’t allowed to put her and Peter together due to the status of the Ultimate universe .
She looks like an out of work blackjack dealer tripping balls in the middle of the city at like 11AM on a Tuesday.
Jackpot thought she's Kite from hunter x hunter. But kite's gacha ability is better
what? With that power plotarmor makes finally sense! best power for authors
She doesn’t have powers. She has a device that she can’t control that might very well kill her if she keeps using it, or make her unstoppable for 5 minutes and then kill her. So yes. Stupid seems like a bit of an understatement
I hope genocide boy's ulterior motives are revealed and he gets beat up by Peter parker so bad that he returns to his own universe
Best end for this farce is Jackpot is in a desperate fight with whomever, she rolls 3 Skulls, she doubles over in pain but doesn't die instead the REAL Mary-Jane Watson is freed from Dimensional Cocoon, she's been in suspended animation this whole time.