When She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode 8 debuted, fans were excited to finally see the arrival of Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, in the Marvel series. Another new face that also got everybody talking, was Leap-Frog. Introducing the wannabe superhero to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he proved to be a complicated character, but was he an original, or has he been ripped straight from the pages of Marvel Comics?
Is She-Hulk’s Leap-Frog from Marvel Comics?
Leap-Frog is indeed an official Marvel Comics character, but his history in the source material is a little different to that which we saw on screen. While we saw Eugene Patilio embodying the hero in She-Hulk, it is actually his dad, Vincent Patilio, who uses the moniker. Eugene actually uses the alias Frog-Man, and fights for good in an attempt to right the wrongs of his failed, wannabe villain father.
Vincent was an inventor, but while he spent much of his life creating toys and novelty items, his big ideas never made it past their early stages. One of his later inventions were pack driven, leaping coils, which allowed him to create a costume for himself and start a life of crime. Here, Leap-Frog was born, but he didn’t last long, eventually being defeated by none other than Daredevil.
Eugene would follow in his father’s footsteps, finding the Leap-Frog suit in the family home which he adapted into his own. His first major mission fighting crime saw him attempt to help the Human Torch and Spider-Man, and though his clumsiness meant that his wins were accidental, he did find success in bringing down Speed Demon. His luck would eventually see him work alongside the likes of Iron Man and Gargoyle. Eugene would even go as far as describing himself as The Fabulous Frog-Man, though not many of the people who have worked with him would use those words to talk about their experience…
What happened to Leap-Frog in She-Hulk episode 8?
Though She-Hulk writers kept Eugene’s intentions good, the way he went about trying to ensure he had a suit fit for purpose meant that we likely won’t be seeing him on screen again any time soon. Rather than asking fashion designer Luke Jacobson to make him a new costume, after falsely accusing him of putting his life in danger by botching the last one, Eugene decided to kidnap him instead.
This led to the long-awaited team up between Daredevil and She-Hulk, who took out Leap-Frog’s henchmen before bringing the man himself to justice. Unfortunately for Eugene, he needed a trip to the ER before any charges were placed, after he leaped out of a building and caused himself further injury. Daredevil and She-Hulk, meanwhile, enjoyed a night of romance to celebrate their success.
