| The Fabulous Frog-Man | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Team-Up #121 (September, 1982) |
| Created by | J. M. DeMatteis Kerry Gammill Mike Esposito |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Eugene Paul Patilio |
| Team affiliations | Action Pack Misfits |
| Notable aliases | Eugene Colorito, Frogicus Mega-Foolicus, Kermit, Frog-Man Jr. |
| Abilities | Frog-Man suit grants: Superhuman leaping ability, Ability to bounce off of objects |
Frog-Man (Eugene Patilio) is a minor comedic superhero created by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Kerry Gammill for Marvel Comics. His first appearance was in Marvel Team-Up #121.
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Eugene Patillo was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Vincent Patillo, the minor Daredevil supervillain Leap-Frog. After several defeats by Daredevil, Iron Man, and Spider-Man, which eventually landed him in jail, Vincent had decided to retire and go straight.
His son, Eugene, donned his father's costume as Fabulous Frog-Man in an attempt to be a crime-fighter to clear his father's name. However, his crime-fighting career became essentially a joke. His two major enemy villains are the White Rabbit, a villainess inspired by the Alice in Wonderland character,[1] and the Walrus, a dimwitted character who essentially had the proportionate abilities of a walrus (tough skin and super-strength, though well below Spider-Man's class).
Frog-Man had a tendency to capture villains simply by dumb luck. Eugene's inability to fully pilot his automated Frog-Man costume caused him to wildly bounce around, scoring sure wins against villains by crashing into them. This questionable method of fighting supervillains accounts for his luck in dealing with the Yellow Claw, and Speed Demon. (Captain America assisted in the battle against the Claw.) Both villains were later contacted by the White Rabbit with proposals for an alliance against him. She later complained to Walrus that both men laughed her off as soon as they heard her codename.
He also participated, along with Spider-Kid and The Toad, in a short-lived super-team called the Misfits.[2]
Vincent Patilio was very proud of his son, yet at the same time very worried about him risking his life. He even prevented his son from joining the Defenders, even when it meant publicly humiliating him by literally dragging him home in front of the team and the media.
When Alyosha Kraven, the son of Kraven the Hunter began collecting a zoo of animal-themed superhumans, Frog-Man was amongst his captives.[3]
Eugene Patillo as Frog-Man was later recruited by the US government as part of the Fifty-State-Initiative program, as a member of the Kentucky based team, Action Pack.[4] In Secret Invasion he was revealed to be a Skrull infiltrator.[5]
After the invasion is over, the real Frog-Man is shown in a support group meeting with the others that had been replaced by Skrulls.[6]
Frog-Man reappears in Fear Itself, in the mini-series, Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt. He appears at a meeting held by Prodigy regarding magical hammers that have crashed into the earth.[7] He is a part of Gravity's team and helps battle Crossbones.[8]
During the Spider-Island storyline, Frog-Man witnesses terrorists with spider powers attacking the United Nations and springs into action. He teams up with Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, and Jessica Jones.[9]
Frog-Man's suit contains electrical coils on the soles of its flippers which allows him to leap great distances. The boots' power source is worn on his back like a back pack. In addition, internal padding of the suit enables Frog-man to bounce off objects with little danger.