Domino (Neena Thurman) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is best known as a member of the mutant team X-Force. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/co-writer Rob Liefeld, Domino made her first full cover story appearance in X-Force #8 (March 1992) as an original member of the Wild Pack team led by the mutant Cable.[2]
In addition to her exceptional marksmanship and hand-to-hand skills, Domino possesses mutant probability-altering powers. She often uses her skills as a mercenary, but has also been the partner, confidante, and love interest of the superhero Cable, a lieutenant in his militant group X-Force, and a member of the X-Men.
In other media outside comics, Domino has primarily appeared in video games, though she has made minor animated television appearances and a live-action film appearance in Deadpool 2 (2018), portrayed by Zazie Beetz.
Publication history
Apart from being a mainstay character in the first series of X-Force, Domino has had two limited self-titled series, one of which had her teaming with Puck against Lady Deathstrike and Donald Pierce.[3] The second revealed her childhood.
The first female Domino to appear in Marvel comics was not the genuine Neena Thurman. A Domino imposter, a mutant shapeshifter named Copycat, first appeared in The New Mutants #98 (Feb. 1991), and continued to assume Neena's role in X-Force for a time. The real Domino was first published in the main flashback story recalled by Cable in X-Force #8 (March 1992). Her current narrative, brief cameo, second appearance was published on the last page of X-Force #11 (June 1992).
Domino received two self-titled limited series. The first came in 1997 and ran for 3 issues.[4] The next ran for four issues in 2003.[5] She has also appeared in a number of issues of Cable & Deadpool (Marvel, 2004/2006 series),[6] and joined the first Wolverine-led X-Force as of X-Force vol. 3 #8 (Dec. 2008).[citation needed]
Domino appeared in her own three-issue miniseries with Wolverine entitled X-Force: Sex and Violence, written by Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle and drawn by Gabriele Dell'Otto.[7] The story centers upon Domino and Wolverine's mission to resolve a situation from Domino's recent past.[7] Chris Yost has said, "It's a chance for us to go in-depth into a couple of the characters. In the story, Domino has a hit put out on her and Wolverine finds out about it. Essentially, it's the two of them going out to get that hit removed."[7] Yost adds that the characters are up against the worst killers on the planet.[8]
Domino starred in her own series again starting in 2018, which led into a limited series in 2019 titled Domino: Hotshots where she leads an all-female team. These were written by Gail Simone and drawn by David Baldeon.[12]
Fictional character biography
The woman who would become known as Domino is actually the result of a top-secret government breeding program intended to develop the perfect weapon. Domino was the only test subject to survive, but her "luck" power was deemed a failure at meeting the project's goals. Her biological mother broke her out of the project and left her with Father Rudolpho Boschelli in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Chicago.
Domino eventually left the Church and became a mercenary. One of her first jobs was to stop "Operation: Jericho" which was a remote-controlled warbot project. Domino wrecked the robot, but in the process fried the mind of the soldier controlling it. She was then assigned to guard the hard working and innovative Dr. Milo Thurman, whose analytical ability made him too dangerous for the government to let roam free. Somehow, Domino and Thurman fell in love and were married. Due to Thurman's love of Dante's Inferno, he called Domino "Beatrice". The two separated after a raid on the facility by AIM members, with Milo believing Domino had been killed during the altercation.[13]
Six Pack
Domino helped found the mercenary band Six Pack, which introduced her to the mutant time-traveler Cable. Domino worked with the Six Pack for some time, taking on many missions for cash. The Six Pack was very brutal in their adventures, often shooting down entire crowds of people who got in their way. The team, also known as the Wild Pack, went on missions in Iran,[14] and participated in a raid on a HYDRA base,[15] which Domino participated in. During her time with the Wild Pack, she had her first confrontations with Stryfe (Cable's evil clone) in Afghanistan and Uruguay.[14]
Replacement
When Cable became the leader of the New Mutants following their break from the X-Men, a mutant named Copycat impersonated Domino[16] and joined as his field leader and stayed with the team as they changed from the New Mutants to X-Force. When it was revealed that the real Domino was actually a prisoner of the supervillainTolliver for over a year,[17] X-Force rejected Domino's imposter and, with Cable's reassurances, planned to rescue the real Domino and welcome her onto the team.
Meanwhile, the real Domino learned of Tolliver's destruction of X-Force's Adirondack base and planned her escape.[18] Cable found her at Tolliver's Italian home, along with her apparently murdered double.[19] Domino was accidentally freed by Deadpool, whom she shot. Cable sent her to find X-Force. She escaped on Tolliver's helicopter and survived a fall from Tolliver's helicopter into the sea.[20] She found X-Force and joined the team.
Joining X-Force
Domino stayed with the team for most of its existence, becoming its de facto leader when Cable left the team on several occasions. For a while, she was a prisoner of the forces of Bastion, which severely affected her mentally and physically. During X-Force's existence, Domino had several solo adventures. During one, she was forced to kill her mentally ill, ex–Six Pack partner Grizzly.[21]
When X-Force briefly disbanded, Domino joined the X-Corporation.[22] While working in their Hong Kong branch, Domino's partner, Risque, was murdered and she summoned the core group of the X-Men to help investigate. Together the mutants uncovered the truth behind John Sublime's "Third Species" movement: he was harvesting body parts from living mutants to create his U-Men. They also helped free the mutant named Xorn.[23]
During her solo period, Domino began to search for her mother, Beatrice, and clues to her past. In her search, Domino learned that the "Project: Armageddon", was still active. Led to a secret base in Florida, Domino finds a mutant boy named Lazarus who had the same eye tattoo. Lazarus imprisoned Domino there for observation.[24] Lazarus turns out to be her half-brother with powerful emotion controlling abilities and the true result of the Perfect Weapon program.[volume & issue needed] Soon after attempting to liberate him, a fanatical group of quasi-priests called the Armajesuits, who were against the project, arrive to kill Lazarus and prevent him from reaching his full development. Domino discovers that her mother leads the Armajesuits and is forced to shoot her to save Lazarus's life. She takes Lazarus to Father Boschelli and the Church she was raised in for sanctuary, although unbeknown to her, Beatrice subsequently abducts Lazarus from there.[25]
Cable and Deadpool
Later, she was employed by S.H.I.E.L.D. as a member of the new Six Pack. Alongside G. W. Bridge, Hammer, Solo, Anaconda, and Constrictor, she attacked Cable at his community Providence, but she quickly defected to his side after the Six Pack was defeated by Cable and Deadpool. Domino followed Deadpool to Rumekistan, where she assassinated the country's dictator, Flag-Smasher, only to find out it was part of a plan to install Cable as leader of that nation. After a conversation with Citizen V, she then attempted to kill Cable, believing that he would lead them to ruin.[26]
"Civil War"
During the 2006 "Civil War" storyline, Domino, Shatterstar and Caliban, under the X-Force name, led an attack on the Xavier Institute and broke out more than half of the 198, bringing the tension between the 198 and O*N*E to a head.[27] After her other team, the Six Pack disbands, she and Cable are allies on Providence, until a fight with Hecatomb causes the island to sink into the ocean, leaving Cable presumed dead.[volume & issue needed]
Domino in X-Force vol. 3 #8 (Dec. 2008); art by Mike Choi
X-Force
After the Punisher stint, Domino finds Wolverine and X-Force in Tokyo and joins them in trying to capture Vanisher.[28] Questions to Domino's authenticity have been raised when her luck powers fail her several times.[volume & issue needed]
On behalf of Wolverine, Domino is asked to stop in a cemetery to deliver flowers to a deceased loved one. She encounters Spiral, Chimera and Lady Deathstrike who have dug up Revanche's body. After a brief fight, she wounds Chimera and the women escape with the body,[29] but Domino manages to replace Jean Grey's body before the Red Queen could take it as a host.[30]
Domino and Wolverine go on a mission to resolve a situation from Domino's past.[31]
2010 – present
Domino is the first person to learn Red Hulk's identity and is marked for death. Doc Samson provides Red Hulk with a list of people (Deadpool, the Punisher, Thundra and Elektra) to kill her. When the group arrives, they find her in a bar with the members of X-Force.[32] Afterwards, she reveals it was her husband who named her Domino.[33]
Domino appears post-"Regenesis" as a regular member of Storm's security team, tasked with the responsibility of safeguarding Utopia from all foreign threats.[volume & issue needed]. She fights with them during the war against the Avengers.[volume & issue needed]
As part of the 2016 Marvel NOW! branding, Domino forms a second incarnation of the Mercs for Money that consisted of Gorilla-Man, Machine Man, and Masacre. When they arrive to help Deadpool when it comes to freeing Negasonic Teenage Warhead from Umbral Dynamics, Domino stated to Deadpool that they arrived to help and that she is calling the shots on the Mercs for Money.[34]
Domino appears as a target for the newly revamped Weapon X Program and is opted to join Old Man Logan's new team.[35]
For the "Dawn of X" relaunch, she joins the new X-Force team, which now operates as an intelligence agency for Krakoa.[36]
Powers and abilities
Domino is a mutant with the ability to subconsciously generate a "psionic aura" that alters the probabilities of events and actions within her line of sight. The aura causes improbable (but not impossible) outcomes that are personally beneficial. The resulting effects of this "subliminal telekinesis" are observed as "good luck" for Domino and "bad luck" for her opponents (from enemy equipment serendipitously malfunctioning to averting imminent catastrophes through seemingly chance actions).[37][38]
Instead of being consciously activated, her probability-warping powers trigger automatically when Domino faces potential harm, danger, or personal benefit (e.g. engaging in games of chance[39]). The psionic aura benefits and protects Domino even when she isn't consciously aware that danger is present.[40][41]
Domino must be engaging in an action with multiple possible outcomes for her power to manifest: it will not trigger if she is inactive. Engaging in any action that her power can influence causes Domino's cerebral cortex to emit bio electrical pulses that guide her movements, enhancing her reflexes and agility to near-superhuman levels.
Domino is highly trained as a weapons expert and marksman; a superb athlete and swimmer; martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant; and an accomplished linguist.
Reception
Critical reception
Chris Condry of Looper referred to Domino as "potentially the greatest gunslinger in history," saying, "Maybe the number one reason Domino deserves more love is that she is one of the only characters in comics history who allows for a complete suspension of disbelief with her every action. Domino, to whom anything is possible, is a writer's — and therefore a reader's –- dream come true."[42] Rosie Knight of Nerdist called Domino "Marvel’s luckiest lady," writing, "Comics offer us up a smorgasbord of cool characters, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all of them. [...] Domino is a radical female character who has a surprisingly prestigious selection of creators in her back catalogue."[43] Chase Magnett of ComicBook.com described Domino as a "very important name for fans of Marvel Comics," asserting, "Domino is a character that is packed with a lot more potential than her series and film appearances thus far seem to indicate. [...] Domino is one of the greats from X-Force history and is long overdue for some serious recognition in comics and movies."[44] Jim Dandeneau of Den of Geek stated, "She’s a ton of fun as a character. Someone who’s lucky all the time and knows it can get into some crazy stuff. Making her a mercenary just leans into the slapstick violence you can pull off with her. And when you pair her with a fourth wall breaker like Deadpool, narrative convenience becomes an end goal of its own."[45] Darby Harn of CBR.com wrote, "Domino is one of the luckiest people around, and that's not only to do with her probability-altering powers. This member of the New Mutants and very quickly X-Force thereafter got in on the ground floor of the huge boom in popularity of the world of the X-Men in the early 90s. She quickly became a hallmark character."[46]
Accolades
In 2009, IGN included Domino in their "Marvel's Femme Fatales" list.[47]
In 2015, Entertainment Weekly ranked Domino 36th in their "Let's rank every X-Man ever" list.[48]
In 2018, CBR.com ranked Domino 8th in their "X-Force: 20 Powerful Members" list.[49]
In 2019, CBR.com ranked Domino 5th in their "10 Most Efficient Killers To Be Part of X-Force" list.[50]
In 2020, CBR.com ranked Domino 9th in their "Marvel's 10 Best Heroes Who Use Luck To Their Advantage" list.[51]
In 2021, Screen Rant ranked Domino 9th in their "10 Most Powerful Members Of X-Force" list.[52]
In 2022, Looper included Domino in their "Marvel's Most Underrated Female Superheroes" list.[42]
In 2022, Screen Rant ranked Domino 3rd in their "10 Best Rob Liefeld-Created Characters In Comics" list[53] and 7th in their "Top 10 X-Men, Ranked by Fighting Skills" list.[54]
In 2022, CBR.com ranked Domino 10th in their "Marvel's 10 Luckiest Heroes" list.[55]
Joshua Davison of Bleeding Cool called Domino #1 a "thoughtful, endearing, and thoroughly entertaining book about a badass anti-heroine," writing, "Domino #1 is a wonderful comic with a lot of heart and fun at its core. Simone once more shows how she is one of the greatest writers in the business, and David Baldeon brings his distinct style to make the comic look great. This one is highly recommended."[58] Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave Domino #1 a grade of 7.8 out of 10, saying, "If you've been waiting for Domino to branch out on her own, this new series won't disappoint. It delivers some wacky good fun and stylish visuals while also making it plain that being a super-lucky assassin isn't all it's cracked up to be. While there are some nagging storytelling flaws in this first issue, it's clear that Neena Thurman is in good hands."[59]
Domino: Hotshots - 2019
According to Diamond Comic Distributors, Domino: Hotshots #1 was the 43rd best selling comic book in March 2019.[60][61][62] The Domino: Hotshots trade paper back was the 71st best selling graphic novel in September 2019.[63][64]
Rollin Bishop of ComicBook.com gave Domino: Hotshots #1 a grade of 4 out of 5, asserting, "Whereas Domino's previous outing ended as a muddled mess, this new miniseries picks up the pieces and orients them towards a new, Celestial threat with a capital "C" that gets things back in order swiftly. The initial setting of the stage is a little awkward, but the actual story here has meat on its bones, and I'm genuinely excited to see what happens next."[65] Melody MacReady of Screen Rant ranked the Domino: Hotshots comic book series 8th in their "Gail Simone's 10 Best Comics" list, writing, "Domino: Hotshots sees the mutant Domino creating her own team of female heroes and anti-heroes known as the Hotshots. This team features the Natasha Romanoff version of Black Widow, White Fox, Outlaw, Diamondback, and Atlas Bear. These drastically different characters who tend to operate solo now working together lead to comedic antics that will make any reader grin. However, their combined skills and ability make for unique action as they are caught between two warring nations. As a bonus, most of these characters are not household names thus making it far from the typical superhero team."[66]
In the alternate timeline of the "Age of Apocalypse" storyline, Domino was a sadistic bounty hunter working for Apocalypse, alongside her two henchmen, Caliban and Grizzly. Domino was summoned by the Dark Lord to hunt down Nate Grey. Even though Domino's powers gave her the advantage, she was killed by Nate, who destroyed her mind by exposing her to all the suffering she had caused.[volume & issue needed]
Earth X
In the Earth X storyline, an overweight Domino, still a member of X-Force, was one of the many people who was a pawn of the Skull.[70]
X-Force
In an alternate future seen in a 2005 X-Force storyline, Domino takes on the identity of Stryfe. Coming to Earth-616, she rebuilt the Mutant Liberation Front and assisted Cable against Skornn. Her Earth designation is Earth-5014.[71]
Ultimate Marvel
In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Domino was introduced in the second part of the "Cable" storyline, that can be found in Ultimate X-Men #76 (Jan. 2007). Once again, Domino appears to be part of Cable's team and looks just like her original counterpart.[volume & issue needed]
X-Men: The End
In the alternate future of the X-Men: The End, Domino, Rictor, and Feral are the only three survivors of a brutal attack directed against X-Force. They are ambushed by shapeshifting enemies and Domino's luck runs out when a Super Skrull posing as Wolverine drives blades through her chest.[volume & issue needed]
^The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z vol. 13 (2010) Marvel Comics
^DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 115. ISBN978-1-4654-7890-0.
^Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 282. ISBN978-1465455505.
^"Voice Of Domino - X-Men | Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 9, 2017. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources((cite web)): CS1 maint: postscript (link)
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