Frog-Man May Be the Link Between 'She-Hulk' and the Rest of the MCU

Jamie Lerner - Author
By

May 19 2022, Published 9:13 a.m. ET

Frog-Man in 'She-Hulk'
Source: Marvel Studios

We’ve already met many of Earth’s mightiest heroes and villains, but with the release of the She-Hulk trailer, it seems that we’re going to meet another. And no, we’re not talking about the very obvious titular character. In the trailer, there’s a quick flash to none other than Frog-Man. While we don’t know much about his relationship to She-Hulk in the upcoming series, we know that he will be in it.

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So, who is Frog-Man? Well, he actually has quite a long history in the Marvel comic books. It’s very possible that She-Hulk could introduce us to this legendary character similarly to how Hawkeye introduced us to Echo. In this article, we're here to dive deep into who Frog-Man is in the comics and who he could be in She-Hulk.

Jennifer Walters in 'She-Hulk'
Source: Marvel Studios
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Frog-Man is both a Marvel hero and villain in the comics.

The Frog-Man costume was worn by two different people: Vincent Patilio and his son, Eugene Patilio. At first, the costume was worn by Vincent as Leap-Frog, an underground villain who grew to notoriety. Vincent was, in his words, “a small-time loser.” He was basically an unsuccessful inventor, perhaps the comic book version of Rugrats’s Stu Pickles.

However, the costume he created had power-pack-driven leaping coils, so it was perhaps his most successful invention. Fed up with the earth’s heroes, Vincent used his Leap-Frog identity to try to take them down. His most common adversary was Daredevil. This is very notable considering the fact that Daredevil, by day, is Matt Murdock, a lawyer for superhumans. Who else do we know will be a superhuman lawyer? Yes — Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk.

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Later, when Vincent is in jail for his crimes, his son Eugene finds the Leap-Frog costume. He dons it and invents Frog-Man as a way to atone for his father’s crimes. Frog-Man fights in the Marvel comics alongside Spider-Man, the Human Torch, Ms. Marvel, and even Captain America. Eventually, his father even joins his cause to fight for good, and together, they defeat the villain White Rabbit.

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It’s unclear what part Frog-Man will play in ‘She-Hulk.’

Perhaps the MCU is repurposing Leap-Frog as She-Hulk’s main adversary instead of Daredevil’s. This wouldn’t be too far-fetched considering the similarities between She-Hulk and Daredevil. It’s unclear whether the leaping man we see in the She-Hulk trailer is Leap-Frog or Frog-Man, but if it is Leap-Frog, he could tie She-Hulk into the greater MCU.

'She-Hulk'
Source: Marvel Studios
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In the Marvel comics, Leap-Frog fights against many of our favorite heroes, including Ironman, the Valkyrie, and the Falcon. On the other hand, if he’s actually just Frog-Man (the hero), it would be very fun to see Frog-Man and She-Hulk fight side by side in all their greenness to defeat villains such as Speed Demon, Gargoyle, and Flag Smasher.

Funnily enough, in the comics, neither Frog-Man nor Leap-Frog seem to have any ties to the Hulk, She-Hulk, or even other known villains in the series, such as the Abomination, the Wrecking Crew, or Titania. However, his inclusion in She-Hulk could connect the series to numerous other MCU properties, like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier or even the new Thor film. And since both She-Hulk and Thor: Love and Thunder seem to play into comic book campiness, a connection is definitely plausible.

She-Hulk premieres on Disney Plus on August 17.

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