Georges Batroc the Leaper () is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. Created by writer

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

and artist

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

, the character first appeared in ''Tales of Suspense'' #75, 1966. He is a mercenary and a master of the French form of kick-boxing known as

savate Savate (), also known as French Boxing (French language, French: ''Boxe Française'') or French Foot Fighting, is a French hybrid martial art and full-contact combat sport that combines principles of boxing, western boxing with a wide variety ...

, commonly depicted as an adversary of

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

, and a mentor of Gwen Poole. Batroc's name derives from the word

batrachia The Batrachia are a clade of amphibians that includes frogs and salamanders, but not caecilians nor the extinct allocaudates. The name Batrachia was first used by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1800 to refer to frogs, but has more ...

, a classification of amphibians that includes frogs, which also plays on the stereotype of calling French people frogs.

Georges St-Pierre Georges St-Pierre (; born May 19, 1981), also known by his initials GSP, is a Canadian former professional mixed martial artist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. St-Pierre was a two-divi ...

portrays Batroc in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

'' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' (2014) and the

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier'' is an American television miniseries created by Malcolm Spellman for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Sam Wilson / Falcon and Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. ...

'' and

animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

'' What If…?'' (both 2021).

Publication history

Batroc, created by

and

, first appeared in ''

Tales of Suspense ''Tales of Suspense'' is the name of an American comic book anthology series, and two one-shot comics, all published by Marvel Comics. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1968, began as a science-fiction anthology that served as a showcase for s ...

'' #75 in March 1966. He has reappeared in various Marvel titles ever since. Sporting a new costume designed by John Romita Jr., Batroc served as

Klaw KLAW (101.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station airing a country music radio format, format licensed to Lawton, Oklahoma. The station serves the areas of Lawton; Duncan, Oklahoma; Burkburnett, Texas; and Frederick, Oklahoma, and is license ...

's top lieutenant in the first arc of

Reginald Hudlin Reginald Alan Hudlin (born December 15, 1961) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. Along with his older brother Warrington Hudlin, he is known as one of the Hudlin Brothers. From 2005 to 2008, Hudlin was President of Entertainmen ...

's 2005 re-launch of ''

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

''. Sporting a muted, subtle redesign by

Gurihiru , also credited as Illustrator Unit Gurihiru and Gurihiru Studios, is a Japanese illustration duo, consisting of Chifuyu Sasaki (workplan design, pencils, inks) and Naoko Kawano (workplan design, colors, webdesign). Both originating from Sapporo, ...

, Batroc served as the primary mentor of

Gwenpool Gwenpool (Gwendolyn "Gwen" Poole; colloquial: "GwenPool") is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A girl from the Reality, real world Isekai, transported to the Marvel Universe, Mar ...

Christopher Hastings Christopher Hastings (age ) is an American comic writer and artist. He is known for his webcomic ''The Adventures of Dr. McNinja'' as well as writing for '' The Unbelievable GwenPool'' and the ''Adventure Time'' comics. Biography Hastings attend ...

' 2016–2018 series '' The Unbelievable Gwenpool'', with their relationship being described as "one of the warmest aspects" of the series.

Fictional character biography

Georges Batroc was born in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and served in the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...

. He is a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

costumed mercenary who specializes in

(also known as "La Boxe Française"), a form of

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

, with acrobatic skills and unusual articulate flexibility. Although he has primarily appeared in the pages of ''

'', he has also faced off against the

Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher ma ...

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

Deadpool Deadpool is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (December 1990). In his comic book appearances, Deadpool is ...

, Hawkeye, Iron Fist and

Gambit A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage. The word '' gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe si ...

. Batroc has occasionally led his own team, "Batroc's Brigade", although the membership has changed over time. The group has primarily fought Captain America. In the character's first appearance, he was hired by

Them Them or THEM, a third-person singular or plural accusative personal pronoun, may refer to: Books * ''Them'' (novel), 3rd volume (1969) in American Joyce Carol Oates' ''Wonderland Quartet'' * '' Them: Adventures with Extremists'', 2003 non-fict ...

to steal the Inferno-42 cylinder. He first battled

during this mission. When Batroc introduced himself with typical bluster, Cap revealed, to Batroc's delight, that he had already heard of the mercenary: "Batroc the Leaper, eh? A master of la

, the French art of boxing with the feet!" Later, he was again hired by HYDRA and abducted

Sharon Carter Sharon Carter (also known as Agent 13) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Dick Ayers, the character first appeared in '' Tales of Suspense'' #75 (March 1966). Sharon ...

for them. He lured Captain America into a rematch, in which he insisted HYDRA not intervene, and again lost; however, when HYDRA agents prepared to kill both Cap and himself, Batroc, incensed at such "men wizout honair", switched sides to help Cap against HYDRA. In both of these stories, Batroc was regarded as a deadly combatant, his skill respected by enemies and employers alike. Batroc was then hired by a foreign power to locate a "seismo-bomb" with the first known Batroc's Brigade (consisting of the original

Swordsman Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

and the

Living Laser The Living Laser (Arthur Parks) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book a ...

). Batroc battled Captain America again. The Machinesmith's

Baron Strucker Baron Wolfgang von Strucker () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A former Nazi officer, he is one of the leaders of the Hydra terrorist organization, and the archenemy of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. H ...

android known as "the Hood" then hired a new Batroc's Brigade (consisting of the

Porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...

and

Whirlwind A whirlwind is a phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow ( current) gradients. Whirlwinds can vary in size and last from a cou ...

) to battle Captain America. Batroc then formed a third Batroc's Brigade, which consisted of various unnamed henchmen, rather than known supervillains, since supervillains had failed Batroc in the past. The alien Jakar, concealing his true nature and intent, hired this group to abduct children from New York and to battle Captain America and the

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

. Although Batroc felt no compunction about abducting children, upon learning Jakar's true nature and his intent to use the children's souls to revive his comatose race, he felt his "sense of honair" had been violated by the deception, and he again switched sides, aiding Captain America and the Falcon to rescue the children.

Ward Meachum Ward Meachum is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. In his original comic book appearances, he is depicted as the brother of Harold Meachum and the uncle of Joy Meachum. Ward was portrayed by Tom Pe ...

then hired Batroc's Brigade, who battled Iron Fist and a ninja warrior, several Brigade members dying in the process. For a while after that, Batroc operated without a Brigade. Alongside an extra-dimensional demon ally, Batroc attempted a theft of

transuranium The transuranium (or transuranic) elements are the chemical elements with atomic number greater than 92, which is the atomic number of uranium. All of them are radioactively unstable and decay into other elements. Except for neptunium and pluton ...

, but was stopped by Captain America and

. Batroc was also a member of the ersatz "Defenders", a group of villains who were impersonating the actual

Defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: * Defense (military) * Defense (sports) ** Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film, television, and theatre Film * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The D ...

. They committed robberies while posing as members of the Defenders, until stopped by a Defenders contingent. Alongside Mister Hyde, Batroc attempted an extortion scheme against Manhattan. He battled Captain America, but when Mister Hyde decided to carry out the threat, which would kill thousands, Batroc, again showing that there were some lines he would not cross, aided Captain America against Hyde, saving the city. Batroc then formed a new, longer-lasting lineup of Batroc's Brigade - this one consisting of Zaran the Weapons Master and

Machete A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...

. This team was first seen when

Obadiah Stane Iron Monger is an alias used by multiple fictional characters, supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The most well-known version, Obadiah Stane, first appeared in ''Iron Man'' #163 (Oct. 1982), and the Iron ...

contracted them to steal Captain America's

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

and Batroc finally succeeded.

Trick Shot A trick shot (also trickshot or trick-shot) is a shot played on a billiards table (most often a pool table, though snooker tables are also used) which seems unlikely or impossible or requires significant skill. Trick shots frequently involve ...

then hired Batroc's Brigade to battle Hawkeye.

Baron Helmut Zemo Helmut Zemo is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas, Tony Isabella and Sal Buscema, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Captain America (comic book), Captain America'' #16 ...

then hired Batroc's Brigade to acquire the fragments of the Bloodstone. They battled Captain America and Diamondback. The Brigade was later hired by

Maelstrom Maelstrom may refer to: * Maelstrom (whirlpool), a powerful whirlpool ** originally the Moskstraumen in English Amusement rides * Maelstrom (ride), a former log flume dark ride attraction in the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World Resort ...

to help him build a device that could destroy the universe and battled the

Great Lakes Avengers The Great Lakes Avengers (also known as The Lightning Rods, The Great Lakes X-Men, The Great Lakes Champions, and The Great Lakes Initiative) are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The charac ...

. Alongside Snakebite, Batroc also battled the

. Later, Batroc the Leaper showed up as a member of a small army of villains organized by Klaw to invade

Wakanda Wakanda (), officially the Kingdom of Wakanda, is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the country first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' ...

, which included the

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

, the

Radioactive Man Radioactive Man may refer to: *Radioactive Man (comics) Radioactive Man is the name of several Supervillain, supervillains appearing in American comic book, American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Radioactive Ma ...

, the Cannibal, and the Vatican Black Knight. He was defeated by

's royal bodyguards. During the crossover ''

JLA/Avengers ''JLA/Avengers'' (issues #2 and 4 are titled ''Avengers/JLA'') is a comic book limited series and crossover published in prestige format by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from September 2003 to March 2004. The series was written by Kurt Busiek, wi ...

'', Batroc appears as a brainwashed minion of Krona. Batroc had a daughter, Marie, who is teamed in villainy with the daughter of similar B-list supervillain the

Tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,100 species have been identified, with 166 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...

. Both daughters take their fathers' respective costumes and titles. The Taskmaster expresses his shock that the Tarantula and Batroc are heterosexual before soundly beating the two villains' offspring, tossing them effortlessly off of a building before shooting them in the heads, killing them both, noting that he also "hates ethnic stereotypes." Batroc briefly served among the group of villains forcibly drafted into

's Thunderbolts army. But after returning to federal custody, Batroc registered with the

Superhuman Registration Act Superhero fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction examining the adventures, personalities and ethics of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes, who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as super ...

, and was sent to a superhuman training facility located at

Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southe ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

to train recruits in the

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

before being transferred over to Camp Hammond. Ultimately, however, Batroc found government work unsatisfactory and returned to his mercenary life, confronting the new

while on a job to steal an item from the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. Also, he was working with The Man with No Face, a mysterious being from Captain America's past. It is soon revealed that Batroc stole the original

Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm) is a fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and ar ...

's remains for reverse engineering. During the " Dark Reign" storyline,

Quasimodo Quasimodo (from Quasimodo Sunday) is the titular protagonist of the French novel '' The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (1831) by Victor Hugo. Born with numerous deformities, most notably a hunched back, Quasimodo serves as the bell-ringer for Notre ...

analyzed Batroc the Leaper for

Norman Osborn Norman Virgil Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first and best-known incarnation of th ...

. He states that Batroc should be apprehended and punished to serve as a warning to anyone who dares desert the

Fifty State Initiative ''Avengers: The Initiative'' is a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series handles the aftermath of Marvel's "Civil War" sto ...

. By the events of '' The Unbelievable Gwenpool'', Batroc and a handful of other super individuals were corralled into working for

MODOK MODOK (; also written as M.O.D.O.K.; an acronym for Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Ja ...

against their wishes. He was fine with it, figuring on earning some money until MODOK would eventually decide to kill him. There he met the

metafiction Metafiction is a form of fiction that emphasizes its own narrative structure in a way that inherently reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work. Metafiction is self-conscious about language, literary form, and story ...

al Gwen Poole a.k.a.

who killed their team's assassin and took credit for his kills, earning her an unwanted place on the team. Finding out that she has no powers and only killed the assassin through luck, after noticing her lack of skill during a fight with

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

, he decided to turn her in, until she convinced him that she was actually from another universe and knew useful information;'' The Unbelievable Gwenpool'' #3 (June 2016) Marvel Comics. Batroc is surprised to realise from Gwen's information that he remembers nothing from before his first fight with

, with Gwen explaining that he did not exist before that point due to it being his first appearance, and that he was based on

stereotypes In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

, his

Wikipedia Wikipedia is a free content, free Online content, online encyclopedia that is written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and the wiki software MediaWiki. Founded by Jimmy Wales and La ...

page mentioning his name to be derived from

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

s. Batroc then decided to make Gwen less of a liability by teaching her actual combat moves and the use of weapons, allowing her to subsequently defeat MODOK when he independently found out her secret and took over the team briefly; that coming

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

, Batroc then took time to mourn the deaths of his wife and daughter. After a fight with some aliens in which they did not get paid, and their base was destroyed, the group broke up, briefly reuniting after being captured by

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

. After Gwen learns her series is coming to an end as a result of choosing to be a hero rather than a villain, erasing an older alternate "evil" version of herself from existence, she convinces Batroc to let her participate in a heist of a

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

owned by

Chance Chance may refer to: Mathematics * In mathematics, likelihood of something (by way of the likelihood function or probability density function) * ''Chance'' (statistics magazine) Places * Chance, Kentucky, US * Chance, Maryland, US * Chanc ...

; having been informed of Gwen's new-found ability to manipulate reality, Batroc has Gwen catch the

sound effect A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In m ...

s as he kicks in the door of Chance's safe, allowing him to do so silently, before escaping with Chance's gold upon being caught by him.'' The Unbelievable Gwenpool'' #24 (January 2018) Marvel Comics. After learning from Batroc that Chance was "a ''Spider-Man'' bad guy" she had not recognised, and that they have been out "

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

ing", Gwen is touched when Batroc reveals that he had put the money aside for her into legitimate accounts, and believes life as a hero is better for her than the mercenary life he lives. Accepting her series' cancellation and that future

writers will not provide Batroc the same characterisation he has had in ''The Unbelievable Gwenpool'', instead relegating him to being a

henchman A henchman is a loyal employee, supporter, or aide to some powerful figure engaged in nefarious or criminal enterprises. Henchmen are typically relatively unimportant in the organisation: minions whose value lies primarily in their unquestioning ...

and minor antagonist, Gwen bids farewell to him and prepares to face oblivion. Over a finale montage set over several decades, Batroc joins Gwen in confronting MODOK when he returns from space and remains in contact with her. During the '' Secret Empire'' storyline, Batroc the Leaper, the

and

are trapped inside the

Cosmic Cube The Cosmic Cube is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There are multiple Cubes in the Marvel Universe, all of which are depicted as containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although th ...

and attack a haggard, bearded man in a torn World War II army uniform who identifies himself as Steve Rogers. He is assisted by people that appear to be Sam Wilson and a

Bucky Barnes James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in '' ...

who never lost his arm. During the "

King in Black "King in Black" is a comic book event written by Donny Cates with art by Ryan Stegman, and was published from 2020 to 2021 by Marvel Comics. It is a continuation to 2019's "Absolute Carnage", also containing fallout from 2020's " Empyre". In th ...

" storyline, Batroc the Leaper is among the villains recruited by Mayor

Wilson Fisk The Kingpin (Wilson Grant Fisk) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., and first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #50 (cover-dated July 196 ...

to join his Thunderbolts at the time of

Knull Knull () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Venom and Carnage. He was later retroactively established as an unseen enemy of Thor and the Silver Surfer, as he was ...

's invasion.

Powers and abilities

Batroc the Leaper has no superhuman abilities, but is in peak physical condition in every respect. He is an Olympic-level

weightlifter Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can ...

and has extraordinary agility and reflexes. His leg muscles are particularly well developed, enabling him to leap great distances equal to an Olympic athlete. He is an expert martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant who specializes in

, and he is also adept at other martial arts such as

Krav Maga Krav Maga ( ; , ; ) is an Israeli Hand-to-hand combat, self-defence system. Developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it uses techniques derived from aikido, boxing, judo, karate and wrestling. It is known for its focus on real-world situat ...

.''Heroes for Hire'' vol. 3 #6 (July 2011) He is also skilled in

parkour Parkour () is an athletic Training#Physical training, training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from one point to another in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment ...

. He is also a skilled military tactician, having formerly been in the French Foreign Legion. Batroc is also an experienced thief and smuggler who can speak both French and English.

Other versions

Ultimate Marvel

The

Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...

incarnation of Batroc the Leaper is a French jewelry thief. This version's martial arts skills are also present. When he and his thugs were robbing a jewelry store, they are stopped by the new

's "venom strike".

MC2

In the MC2 continuity, Batroc the Leaper still operates his own criminal syndicate, until stopped by

American Dream The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...

''Marvel Zombies''

A zombiefied version of Batroc the Leaper appears in the third installment of the ''

Marvel Zombies ''Marvel Zombies'' is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the ''Ma ...

'' series, where he is killed by

Absorbing Man The Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Journey into Mystery'' #114 (cover dat ...

's trademark concrete ball and chain.

House of M

In the alternate continuity of the 2005 "

House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of an eight-issue comic book limited series with a number of crossover tie-in books written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel. Its first i ...

" storyline, Batroc the Leaper is a member of the

Hood Hood may refer to: Covering Apparel * Hood (headgear), type of head covering ** Article of academic dress ** Bondage hood, sex toy * Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt Anatomy * Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris * Hood, a flap of ...

's extensive-criminal empire. He participated in the takeover of Santo Rico and stayed to fight when the Red Guard came, to protect the ''sapiens'' population. He was the first of them to die, attacked by Agent Toad and terminated by two of

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...

's soldiers.

''Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again''

In ''Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again'', Batroc appears alongside Bullseye as one of two mercenaries sent by Red Skull to kill Deadpool after he starts killing off villains. They are ambushed by Deadpool however and Batroc ends up killed by him.

In other media

Television

* Batroc the Leaper appears in the "Captain America" segment of ''

The Marvel Super Heroes ''The Marvel Super Heroes'' is an American animated television series starring five comic book superheroes from Marvel Comics. The first TV series based on Marvel Comics, Marvel characters, it debuted in broadcast syndication, syndication on Amer ...

'', voiced by Gillie Fenwick. * Batroc the Leaper appears in ''

The Super Hero Squad Show ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation that aired from 2009 to 2011. It is based on the Hasbro toyline " Marvel Super Hero Squad", which portrays the Avengers, the X-Men, and various ...

'' episode "Stranger From a Savage Land!", voiced by A. J. Buckley. This version is a member of

Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...

Lethal Legion The Lethal Legion is the name of seven teams of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The first version of the Lethal Legion appeared in '' The Avengers'' #78 (July 1970). The secon ...

. * Batroc the Leaper appears in ''

'', voiced by

JB Blanc Jean-Benoît "JB" Blanc is a French-British actor of film and television who has worked on animations and video games in Los Angeles, coming from a drama education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

."Batroc Voices (Marvel Universe)"
Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved September 25, 2014. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. * Batroc the Leaper makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' episode "The Big House" as an inmate of the titular prison. * Batroc the Leaper appears in ''

Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...

'', voiced by

Rob Paulsen Robert Frederick Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Pro ...

. This version's moniker stems from a pair of leg bracers that enhance his kicking and leaping power. He is also capable of scaling up vertical walls, provided that they have footholds for him to brace his feet against. In the fourth season, HYDRA upgrades him with a full-body energy exoskeleton. * Batroc the Leaper makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the '' Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'' episode "Savage Land".

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Georges Batroc appears in media set in the

, portrayed by

. This version is an Algerian mercenary and pirate. * Batroc first appears in the film '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', wherein he hijacks a

ship until a strike team led by

Steve Rogers Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely Comics ...

and Natasha Romanoff neutralize and arrest Batroc and his men.

Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...

later reveals to Rogers that he hired Batroc to take the ship to give him an excuse to send Romanoff on board so she could steal confidential S.H.I.E.L.D. files pointing to a HYDRA conspiracy. * Batroc appears in the miniseries ''

'', wherein he allies with

Karli Morgenthau Karli may refer to: Places Turkey * Karlı, Ardanuç, a village in Artvin Province * Karlı, Çan, a village in the Çanakkale Province * Karlı, Keşan, a village in the Edirne Province * Karlı, Vezirköprü, a neighbourhood in Samsun Province ...

and the Flag Smashers to seek revenge on Sam Wilson for foiling a heist of his before being killed by

for attempting to extort her. * St-Pierre voices an alternate timeline version of Batroc in the Disney+ animated series '' What If…?'' episode " What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?".

Video games

* Batroc the Leaper appears as a mini-boss in ''

Spider-Man and Captain America in Doctor Doom's Revenge ''The Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America in Dr. Doom's Revenge!'' is a side-scrolling video game starring Marvel Comics' superheroes Spider-Man and Captain America battling a host of supervillains led by Doctor Doom. The player alternately co ...

''. * Batroc the Leaper appears as a mini-boss in ''

Marvel Avengers Alliance ''Marvel Avengers Alliance'' was a 2012 turn-based social-network game developed by American studio Offbeat Creations and published by Playdom. It is based on characters and storylines published by Marvel Comics. The game was available as an Adob ...

''.Zalben, Alex (March 7, 2014)
"Exclusive: Marvel's 'Avengers Alliance' Gets 'Winter Soldier' And 'Guardians of The Galaxy' Upgrades"

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. * Batroc the Leaper appears as a mini-boss in '' Marvel Heroes''.

Miscellaneous

Batroc the Leaper appears in the motion comic ''Marvel Video Comics: Training Day'', voiced by Mark Oliver.

Merchandise

Batroc the Leaper received an action figure in

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...

Marvel Legends Marvel Legends is an action figure line based on the characters of Marvel Comics, initially produced by Toy Biz, then by Hasbro. This line is in the scale, with spin-off lines in the , , and scale. The line initially began in 2002 as a spi ...

toy line.

References

External links

Georges Batroc the Leaper
at Marvel.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Batroc The Leaper Characters created by Jack Kirby Characters created by Stan Lee Comics characters introduced in 1966 Fictional French Army personnel Fictional French people Fictional judoka Fictional karateka Fictional savateurs Fictional mercenaries in comics Marvel Comics male supervillains Marvel Comics martial artists Marvel Comics supervillains