The Domino Effect
Domino is the name of a popular game whose object is to set up a sequence of dominoes so that when one domino falls, it pushes over all of the other ones. The idea is to create a chain reaction that results in as many dominoes as possible falling over, and to do so with minimal effort. However, there’s more to the Domino effect than meets the eye. A 1983 study conducted by physicist Lorne Whitehead found that a single domino can actually knock over things up to one-and-a-half times its size. In the same way, a domino cascade can also have dramatic effects on a person’s life and career.
The first domino is typically made of a material such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood like ebony. It is carved with an arrangement of dots, or pips, that are identical on both sides of the domino. The top half of the domino is thicker than the bottom and may be painted, inlaid with a design, or covered with a thin veneer. The pips are often colored black or white. Other materials, such as brass, pewter, and ceramic clay, are sometimes used for domino sets to add a more novel look.
When constructing a Domino display, Hevesh always tests each section individually. This allows her to correct the layout as needed before putting them together in a chain. During her work, Hevesh makes sure to film each domino in slow motion so that she can see precisely how well each individual part is functioning.
Domino’s mutant powers allow her to create a psionic aura around herself that alters probabilities, granting her good luck and giving her opponents bad. This ability is subconscious and is triggered when she finds herself in a stressful situation. Domino cannot control this talent consciously and activates it by exposing herself to chances that she could be harmed.
After the events of Civil War: X-men#1, Domino joined Xavier’s X-Corporation in Hong Kong and worked with the X-Men, where she fought John Sublime’s Third Species mutant organ harvesting movement. Later, she came into conflict with Donald Pierce’s cyborg Reavers, who captured Milo Thurman to download his prophetic abilities into a computer. Domino aided the Six Pack in defeating the Reavers, but she and Thurman separated when AIM terrorists raided the facility.
During this time, Domino discovered that her mother was alive and had a brother named Lazarus. The Armajesuits attempted to kill Lazarus, but Domino defeated them and rescued him. Domino later aided a group of mutants known as the New Mutants in infiltrating Project Armageddon, where they discovered that Lazarus’s mutation had caused him to have an emotion-controlling power.
After a volatile encounter with Cable at his Hell’s Kitchen safe house, Domino was recruited into X-Force. She later teamed up with the mutant mercenary team, Sunspot and Siryn, to infiltrate a medical research center where Zero Tolerance suspected they were performing anti-mutant research. The group was able to uncover the truth and freed mutants Xorn, Risque, and Gryaznova from the facility, but Jesse Aaronson used his technology disrupting powers to disable Dom’s implant before she could be killed by Blockade.