Leap-Frog
Attributes
| Eyes: | Blue |
| Features: | Middle-aged man |
| Hair: | Grey |
| Height: | Unknown out of costume, 6" with costume |
| Weight: | Unknown |
Powers
| Abilities: | He's a very smart man. |
| Equipment: | A frog suit equipped with electric leaping coils, an internal computer to pilot it and a physical-enhancer exo-skeleton. |
| Limitations: | His advanced age. Also diabetic. |
| Strength Level: | Normal for age and size with minimal exercise. |
Summary
| Citizenship: | U.S.A. citizen |
| Created By: | Unknown |
| Current Aliases: | Vinnie |
| Current Occupation: | Retired scientist |
| Dual Identity: | Known to the Authorities |
| Education: | Unknown, Presumed High (since he's a scientist and all...) |
| Former Aliases: | Leapfrog, mistakenly known by common people as Frog-Man. |
| Former Bases: | New York |
| Former Occupation: | Failed scientist; Failed super-villain; Reasonable hero |
| Known Allies: | Frog-Man, Spider-Man |
| Known Confidants: | Marie, Eugene |
| Known Relatives: | Eugene, son (Frog-Man); Rose, wife (deceased); Marie, sister |
| Legal Status: | Clear of Charges |
| Major Enemies: | The White Rabbit and the Walrus. Former DareDevil and Iron Man Villain. |
| Marital Status: | Widower |
| Place of Birth: | Unknown |
| Real Name: | Vincent Colorito Patilio |
| Usual Bases: | New York |
Background
Vinnie was an inventor whose inventions were useless. When he devised some electrically powered leaping coils, which could make him leap as high as 6 stories, he saw it as a chance to make some money with his inventions, which he never could otherwise. He created the Leapfog costume, and embarked on a criminal career.
His plans were foiled by DareDevil twice, Spidey and Iron Man, who sent him to jail. In the meantime, as always, it was his wife's paycheck that supported the house. After serving his time, he returned to his family and gave up on his evil ways. However when Rose, his wife, died of cancer everything changed. Eugene, his son, decided to clear his father's name by wearing one of his suits and calling himself Frog-Man. He found Spider-Man and the Human Torch having minor trouble with Speed Demon and intervened, defeating him. Vinnie was proud, but didn't want his son risking his life out there.
Feeling guilty that Eugene was risking his life to try and get some money, Vinnie devised a plan. After Frog-Man dismantled the new villain White Rabbit's gang (don't think it was that cool, he didn't do it on purpose), Vinnie went to her and offered his work. She agreed, not knowing that he was with the cops, and recorded everything she said (the gal' robs lots of stores, and the cops wanted a recorded confession...). When she was down during a fight with Spidey and Frog-Man, he was eligible for a reward, which has been supporting him and his family ever since...
Think about it for a minute: Spider-Man is facing real menaces from day one, and he's always broke. Vinnie records a confession from a ridiculous woman dressed as a bunny, and gets his financial problems solved for the rest of his life. Life is tough for Spider-Man...
His final appearance was in Spectacular Spider-Man #185, where the White Rabbit returned to get even with Frog-Man, and teamed-up with the Walrus, another loser who was "defeated" by Eugene. In a hillar... epic, I meant epic, struggle (see the other profiles and the review for more details, or better yet, read the book), the Walrus is beaten by Leap-Frog (Vinnie), who's saved from the White Rabbit by Frog-Man (Eugene), and then they're both saved from the Walrus (again) by Spidey. In the end, it seems that finally Vinnie gives his blessing to Eugene about being Frog-Man.
That last story was the first (and until now, the last) where Vinnie used an exo-skeleton in his suit, to increase physical parameters.
Note, Vincent should be differentiated from Leapfrog (Lange) - father of Timmy, abusive, electrocuted by Timmy to stop him from killing daredevil, in Daredevil (Vol. 2) #16 and following.
Image Gallery
Appearances
| Cover Date | Appearance Information |
|---|---|
| Feb 1967 | App: Daredevil (Vol.1) #25 |
| Mar 1967 | App: Daredevil (Vol.1) #26 |
| Year 1967 | App: Daredevil (Vol.1) Annual #1 |
| Oct 1978 | App: Defenders #64 |
| Jul 1979 | App: Iron Man #126 |
| Aug 1979 | App: Iron Man #127 |
| Sep 1982 | App: Marvel Team-Up #121 |
| Jul 1983 | App: Marvel Team-Up #131 |
| May 1984 | App: Defenders #131 |
| Jul 1985 | App: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #266 |
| The All Wiener Squad! | |
| Mar 1987 | App: Marvel Fanfare #31 (Story 1) |
| May 1987 | App: Marvel Fanfare #32 |
| Feb 1992 | App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #185 |
Thanks To
The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.
Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.