Affiliations: None

Enemies: Reverend Yune Kim Park, Glorification Church, Unipar

Known Relatives: Unidentified parents;
    specifically noted as single at the time of the Fallen Angels stories

Aliases: Double or Nothing; the Renegade

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    at least formerly the Beat Street Clubhouse, New York City, New York;
    briefly the planet Coconut Grove;
    formerly streets of Manhattan, New York;
    formerly South Korea (place of birth)

First Appearance: Fallen Angels I#1 (April, 1987)

Powers/Abilities: Chance's mutant superpower, dubbed "Double-or-Nothing", allowed her to consciously either boost the powers of nearby mutants - or cancel them altogether. To do so, Chance concentrated to generate an invisible energy field with a radius of at least one hundred feet, which apparently affected any mutant inside it but her. During her early adolescence, she had no control over her power - its random, unwitting use affecting the powers of mutants in her environment, who assumed they were under some kind of attack. She eventually learned to use it, choosing the effect she wanted instead of having a random chance - but, due to her personality, she was prone to take risks.

    In her other skills, Chance was streetwise, a competent thief and hustler who could read body language and other visual hints, also able to identify anyone related to the Glorification Church at a glance. She was also a natural acrobatic fighter, adept in both melee combat and the use of knives - she commonly carries one or two flick knives hidden in her clothes, and she can also juggle with them as a trick. While visiting the Valley of Flame on Earth-78411 (Dinosaur World), Chance proved to be a trained huntress and ranger: She identified movement of a target hidden in bushes and tracked her teammates, while also making useful suggestions such as remaining silent and still to not attract predators. On the other hand, she was a poor student who was known to have flunked algebra.

History: (Fallen Angels I#1 (fb) / Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe#1 / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#3 / X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes - BTS) - Chance lived in South Korea with her parents (and maybe more family). Chance's family joined Reverend Yune Kim Park's Glorification Church, a political organization with criminal ties. Reverend Park offered Chance's family a chance to travel to the USA and became American citizens - but, once they arrived, Park instead coerced them so they would instead perform menial works for him, giving the Church their meagre earnings and never changing their citizenship. Chance's parents willingly agreed and thanked Park; but Chance, having been forced to work long hours as a street vendor offering calendars, felt she was being bullied and ran away to live in the street when she was 13 years old.

(Fallen Angels I#1 / Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe#1 / X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes - BTS) - Adopting the street name Chance, along with the appearance and behavior of a tough male boy, she became a petty thief, particularly harassing the hated, indoctrinated Church's adepts - who called her the Renegade when she insisted Park had no chance in New York City. Her goal was to prevent Park from using children as workers. She also learned street skills and made contacts in some gangs, avoiding the police - she had no criminal record.

(Fallen Angels I#5 (fb) - BTS / Fallen Angels I#6 (fb) - BTS / Fallen Angels I#7 (fb) - BTS / Fallen Angels I#8 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2 / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update'89#3 / X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes - BTS) - As the population in the alien Ariel's home planet, the Coconut Grove, had stopped evolving, becoming genetically-stagnant, Ariel's home government had sent her on a mission to take mutants to Coconut Grove, where they would be studied by scientists to extract from their bodies the X-Factor that allowed mutation. Ariel herself was unaware of the study methodology, abusive as mutants had no rights in Coconut Grove, but she was motivated by a chance to save her people, and by a promised hefty payment.

(X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes - BTS) - At the age of 13 years, Chance befriended Ariel.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#3 / X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes) -  Chance and Ariel were approached by the mutant criminal Vanisher, who was recruiting a gang of barely organized teenage thieves and outsiders, most of them superpowerful, to steal for the Vanisher, support each other and enjoy their mutual company in a base called Beat Street Clubhouse in Manhattan. Other team members included Boom Boom (Tabitha Smith), a young mutant female with whom Chance did not sympathize.

(Fallen Angels I#5 (fb) - BTS / Fallen Angels I#6 (fb) - BTS / Fallen Angels I#7 (fb) - BTS / Fallen Angels I#8 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2 / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update'89#3 / X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes - BTS) -  Chance agreed to help in Ariel's quest in exchange for money, never questioning what would they do with the mutants even though the Fallen Angels were Chance's only friends in America; both Chance and Ariel were unaware that they were both latent mutants. Ariel and Chance thus worked together to find mutants for the Fallen Angels, with the human cyborg and tech specialist Gomi and his cybernetic lobsters Don and Bill being the sole exception.

(Fallen Angels I#3 - BTS) - Boom Boom, who had joined the Fallen Angels more or less at the same time Chance did, decided to willingly leave the team. The Fallen Angels believed she had been apprehended by a mutant-hating, mutant-hunting team called X-Factor. X-Factor was secretly a mutant-helping team, and Boom Boom was not being imprisoned at all.

(Fallen Angels I#1) - Stalking the streets by night, Chance saw Roberto DaCosta, who had left the New Mutants, and she decided not to swindle him because, per his looks, he was probably broke. Chance then was approached by a ten-year-old street vendor from the Glorification Church; Chance harassed the kid, stealing his money, breaking his stock and disregarding his threats of reporting to Reverend Park. Before Chance could pocket the money, though, she was seen by two adult muggers who assaulted her. Chance's fighting skills were insufficient to defeat them, but enough for a chance to run away. Unfortunately, Chance fled to a dead end, with the muggers blocking the exit. She then offered them the money in a futile attempt to appease them. DaCosta -- in his superhuman form as Sunspot -- found them and heroically tried to rescue Chance with his powers; however, Chance's own mutant powers cancelled Sunspot's, leaving him defenceless.

(Fallen Angels I#2) - Chance failed both trying to help Sunspot back on his feet and to fight the muggers. Even powerless, Sunspot still confronted the men to protect a girl he didn't know. While the men were battering Sunspot, Ariel appeared through a door to rescue Chance, convincing her that they could not rescue Sunspot (at that point, Ariel and Chance had not discovered their own mutant powers). Chance teleported away with Ariel (with such teleportation being native to her species rather than a mutant power), with Sunspot being unable to follow her.

(Fallen Angels I#3 (fb) - BTS) - Ariel and Chance convinced the other Fallen Angels to organize a search for Sunspot, because he had helped Chance and they felt bad at leaving him; however, the real reason was that Ariel wanted the mutant Sunspot in her team.

(Fallen Angels I#2) - Fellow Fallen Angel Gomi and his cyborg lobsters Bill and Don tracked Sunspot, finding him just when Sunspot was being approached by two friends sent by the New Mutants -- Multiple Man (Jamie Madrox) and Siryn (Theresa Cassidy) -- to convince him and his fellow fugitive Warlock to come back. Ariel and Chance appeared via a restaurant door, asking all of them to join. Gomi, Sunspot, Warlock and several of Madrox's dopplegangers followed them, but one Madrox and Siryn did not.

(Fallen Angels I#3) - Chance and Ariel welcomed Sunspot and the other newcomers to their lair, the Beat Street Club. As Bill was hungry, Fallen Angel leader Vanisher sent Chance to steal food for the Angels. Chance and Ariel came back with McNutly's specials and Penguin McBurgers for the lobsters, but Chance refused to clear up the table. Gomi did so with his telekinetic beam power, causing a disaster. Vanisher then ordered the team to rescue Boom Boom from X-Factor's clutches; Chance again protested at that, but Ariel convinced her to cooperate, secretly because Boom Boom was a mutant for Ariel's plan. Ariel easily rescued Boom Boom (who was not being kept against her will). The Clubhouse was then found by Madrox and Siryn, who wanted Sunspot back. Chance faced the intruders with hostility, even if Vanisher and Ariel were conciliatory. Ariel then teleported all the attendees to the Valley of Flame on Earth-78411, also known as Dinosaur World.

(Fallen Angels I#4) - As she would later tell Chance, Ariel wanted to visit Dinosaur World to recruit two local mutants, Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy, whose existence she discovered via Earth's entertainment media. However, once they were in the presence of dinosaurs, several Angels panicked: Vanisher teleported away and Ariel trembled. Chance tried to advise Ariel, and she decided to stay behind and fight the dinosaurs herself, but she tumbled and hurt her leg. Sunspot, with his powers boosted by Chance's, rescued Chance and fell unconscious when the danger was over. Ariel then came back, purportedly to check on her friend, and beguiled Chance so that she wouldn't get attached to Sunspot. Although she tried to deny the soft spot she felt for idealist, heroic Sunspot, Chance left her jacket for him to use as a pillow. Similarly, Sunspot would not admit attachment to Chance beyond being teammates.

(Fallen Angels I#4) - Chance then found and stalked the Vanisher, forcing him to stay with her and Ariel while the Angels regrouped. Chance had to press the Vanisher's buttons, clearly explaining why his excuses were not valid to escape. When they joined the other Fallen Angels, Madrox's Cerebro technology identified both Ariel and Chance as latent mutants, their powers still not showing; but both Ariel and Chance disregarded the sensor result, believing it to be a glitch. The Fallen Angels then recruited Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy, then went back to their Clubhouse.

(Fallen Angels I#5) - Back at home, Chance unwittingly strengthened the other Angels' mutant powers, causing Boom Boom's explosions to wreck havoc, with Chance reprimanding Boom Boom for that, as Chance knew that Boom Boom controlled her powers. Chance even accused Boom Boom, at knife point, of reaching an agreement with the mutant-hunting X-Factor so that Boom Boom would kill mutants for them. Siryn's increased powers broke Chance's blade (while trying to just disarm her), and Madrox's powers also caused him to replicate too quickly. Vanisher then made Chance begrudgingly sweep; then Vanisher sent all the Angels in pairs to steal food, worried about the huge Devil Dinosaur's dietary habits: Chance teamed up with Ariel to swindle a Glorification Church vegetable seller so he'd gift them fruit. Chance was then prompted by Ariel to prove that she was not fond of Sunspot; in response, Chance  stole a woman's purse and ran close to Sunspot, so he'd be identified as her accomplice, then, using Ariel's teleportation powers, dropped Sunspot in woman-only YMCA as a practical joke.

(Fallen Angels I#5 / Fallen Angels I#6 / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#3) - Devil Dinosaur, in a foraging expedition, accidentally stepped on Don, killing him. Although Don was not mutant, Ariel decided that the mutants in Fallen Angels were in constant danger, so she would take them all to Coconut Grove as soon as possible.

(Fallen Angels I#6) - During Don's funeral, Chance ridiculed Gomi and Sunspot, who were mourning with Moon-Boy, but Sunspot reprimanded her for showing less loyalty and support than Moon-Boy, instead focusing on the buffet. Ariel supported Chance due to their secret quest, which would soon put the mutants in harm's way. Ariel and Chance once again rejected Madrox's offer to study their possible mutant powers. Then, when Boom Boom tried to scare Chance with a bomb, Chance's power cancelled every other mutant in sight - but seeing the bomb caused a scare. When they understood their mutant powers were inoperative, Vanisher wrongly deduced that they had been attacked by an enemy like X-Factor or the Marauders, and that their HQ was in jeopardy. Ariel took this chance to teleport them all to Coconut Grove.

(Fallen Angels I#7) - The Fallen Angels were happily received by Coconut Grove natives, who covered the visitors up with their attentions, including adapting the Angels to the local dress and clothing style. Chance, knife in hand, tried to discourage them from giving her make-up, hair glitter, hairspray, longer nails and jewels, but they overpowered her. Sunspot laughed at Chance's new appearance and joked with Warlock about Chance succumbing to female weakness; Chance challenged Sunspot to a fight, but Sunspot, again jokingly, refused to brawl with a graceful lady. Boom Boom gave her support to Chance by exposing Sunspot's buttocks; Ariel and Chance then claimed that the other Fallen Angels -- except Boom Boom -- were not their friends.

(Fallen Angels I#7) - Vanisher called a Fallen Angels meeting so that Ariel could explain her reasons. She told the Fallen Angels that Coconut Grove needed mutants, still unaware of the real danger the Angels were at. Siryn's powers were again uncontrolled in Chance's presence, and Gomi theorized that Chance's mutant powers were just manifesting as she reached puberty; Chance was reluctant to believe this. The meeting was stopped by the local constabulary, the Disruptors, who arrested everyone there using a mutant power-canceling technology. Although non-mutant Gomi faced up to them, he was defeated. The Disruptors also took Chance; Ariel weakly protested, but she eventually forfeited her friend. The Disruptors then arrested Ariel, too.

(Fallen Angels I#8) - The Fallen Angels were imprisoned under a force field that stopped their powers, Gomi having a dedicated cell. Boom Boom was belatedly apprehended. With Chance still angry at Ariel -- whose mutant power was revealed to be persuasion -- the Disruptors tried to take one of Madrox's duplicates, but they accidentally killed him. Coconut Grove leader Unipar tried to recover control over the situation by threatening them all, then they took away all the wounded Madroxes and Sunspot. The only free Angel, Bill the lobster, raided the prison, knocking down three guards, and released Gomi. Gomi convinced Bill to free the other Angels too - even Ariel, when Chance and the others agreed to forgive her. The Angels went to rescue their friends, Chance going with Warlock and Boom Boom to save Sunspot, then Chance remained next to Sunspot to double his powers in a risky maneuver.

(Fallen Angels I#8 / X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes) - Unipar appeared with troops and threatened to shoot Chance; but Ariel, with her persuasion power improved by Chance, convinced Unipar to give up: Even if he won, it would be a costly victory, as he would lose the mutants he wanted to study and, in any case, Ariel being a mutant proved that Coconut Grove's evolution was no longer stalled, so there was no need to continue with his plan. Unipar desisted, and the Fallen Angels teleported back to Earth. Once there, though, Chance refused to steal food, instead suggesting they earn money to pay for things.

(Fallen Angels I#8 / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#3) - Sunspot and Warlock left the Fallen Angels to go back to the New Mutants, and Boom Boom returned to X-Factor; but Madrox and Siryn stayed with the Angels to serve as the team's conscience.

(X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes) - Chance, no longer passionate about petty theft, remained with the Fallen Angels, even if all the other members -- except Gomi and Bill -- had left; it is unclear whether the Fallen Angels continued existing for long. In the "M-Day" event, most mutants lost their powers, but Chance's specific fate has not been specified yet.

Comments: Created by Jo Duffy and Kerry Gammill

Chance received profiles in the following Handbooks:

• Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe#1 (1988), including her role-playing stats for TSR Inc's Marvel Super Heroes RPG. In the game, Chance loses willpower (Psyche points) if she has to look like, or behave like, a stereotypical girl - a reference to her behaviour in Fallen Angels I#7.
• Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#2 (August 1989) as "Chance II" (Chance from Fallen Angels first appeared in 1987; Chance I, Nicholas Powell, first appeared in 1986). Chance is also listed in the article on the Fallen Angels, as a member, in OHOTMU'89#3 (September 1989).
• In Marvel Atlas#1 (November 2007), Chance is mentioned in the entry about Korea.
• X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes (July 2011) includes a complete profile on Chance, with her power grid.

    The profile in Gamer's Handbook fails to include some known information, including an incomplete legal status (that should have listed her as "still a minor"), her parents in the list of relatives, and the Clubhouse as her base of operations (listed as "Mobile"). The profile in Handbook Update '89 rectifies all these inaccuracies, and the corrections are kept in Earth's Mutant Heroes (except for the "still a minor" point).

    Both Handbook '89 and Earth's Mutant Heroes list Chance's eye color as black (Gamer's Handbook does not specify eye color). However, in Fallen Angels I#1 (page 18), #5 (page 13) and #6 (pages 4 & 6), when clearly seen, Chance's eyes are clearly colored brown.

    In Fallen Angels I#3, Chance and Ariel claim to have stolen McNutley's special, spelled with an "E". The bags they carry spell the brand name McNutly's without an "E".

    In Uncanny X-Men Annual 1991 (2nd story), extradimensional media mogul Mojo arranged a screening of a film, The Origin of the X-Men; the Fallen Angels, including Chance, appeared when the movie explained the several spin-off squads from the X-Men. Still, Mojo argued that the movie was too far-fetched (even if accurate), and discarded the cut, demanding a new version.

    In X-Factor Annual#8 (1993), Valerie Cooper accesses Madrox's personal file, that includes a short summary of his time with the Fallen Angels. Chance was not mentioned in the text, nor does she appear in the accompanying image.

    The Glorification Church has not been even mentioned since 1987, and Reverend Park has yet to appear.

    Even Gamer's Handbook specifies that Chance's powers are useless on her own, because they need another mutant nearby to affect them, and the last members of the Fallen Angel were Chance and two cyborgs -Gomi and Bill- who have proven unaffected by her power - that's harsh for Chance's, uh, chances. Even worse, Gomi and Bill were recently seen with another team, Chance-less, in Avengers: No Road Home#9 (June, 2019). Unless the Fallen Angels have recruited new members, it has become Chance's lonely one-person club.

Profile by Skippy Farlstendoiro

Clarifications:
Chance, alias Double or Nothing and the Renegade, should be distinguished from:

• Chance (Nicholas Powell), a costumed mercenary who, instead of asking for a salary, bets that amount with his employers--Web of Spider-Man I#15
• Chance of Earth-8410 circa 2020 A.D. - Dicemen--Death's Head I#10
• Chance Walker, sheriff of a Pacific Northwest city and father of eco-terrorist Tess Walker--Namor I#26
• Chance, Bobby - boxer, former pawn of Madame Fang & Manslaughter Marsdale--Amazing Spider-Man I#271
• Chance, Will - Clan Destine, adapted highly physical abilities, actor in Australia as Cap'n Oz, had intimate relationship with co-star Alice Springs, refused to return to Clan even after assassination attempts by agents of Lenz, may have assisted them against Vincent--ClanDestine#2
• Double Trouble of Department K, Canadian twin mutant sisters--X-Force I#22
• The Renegades, adventuring team active during the 1836 siege of El Alamo--Western Gunfighters II#1
• The Renegades, team of superpowered criminals first appearing in Amazing Fantasy II#13
• The Renegades, Hulk's allies during World War Hulk first appearing in Incredible Hulk II#107

First posted: July 23, 2020
Last updated: July 23, 2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.