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Bouncing Boy

Bouncing Boy
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAction Comics #276 (May 1961)
Created byJerry Siegel
Jim Mooney
In-story information
Alter egoCharles Foster Taine
SpeciesMetahuman
Place of originEarth (31st century)
Team affiliationsLegion of Super-Heroes
Abilities

Bouncing Boy (Charles Foster "Chuck" Taine) is a superhero appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, usually as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Born on Earth, Bouncing Boy has the power to inflate like a giant ball and bounce around. This combination of invulnerability and velocity makes him a surprisingly useful combatant. Born without any powers, he received his abilities from a super-plastic formula he believed was soda. Bouncing Boy is known for sharing a long-term romantic relationship with fellow Legionnaire Triplicate Girl, whom he eventually marries. In the reboot Legion continuity, he is the Legion's mechanic.

Bouncing Boy has appeared in various media outside comics, primarily in association with the Legion. He is voiced by Michael Cornacchia in Legion of Super Heroes (2006) and Googy Gress in Justice League Unlimited.

Publication history

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Bouncing Boy first appeared in Action Comics #276 (May 1961),[1] and was created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney. His addition to the Legion of Super-Heroes reflected Siegel's interest in comedy and provided a vehicle for humor.[2]

Fictional character biography

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Silver Age

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Chuck Taine was born on Earth with no powers.[3] He received his ability to inflate when he accidentally drank a super plastic formula which he thought was soda pop. He applied for membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes, but was at first rejected.[4] After he used his new power to defeat a robber using electric weaponry (which did not affect him because his bouncing kept him from being grounded), he was admitted and took the codename Bouncing Boy. With his good humor, wit and charm, Taine appointed himself the Legion's "Morale Officer".[5]

Bouncing Boy once lost his powers while bouncing in front of a matter-shrinking machine, and was forced to resign from the Legion. He regained his powers again temporarily when the Legion faced Computo for the first time, and one of fellow Legionnaire Triplicate Girl's bodies was killed.[6][7]

Bouncing Boy becomes a teacher at the Legion Academy. After once again losing his powers, he proposed to Triplicate Girl (now known as Duo Damsel). The two quickly married on Mars at Nix Olympia and both retired from the Legion because of a rule stating that Legionnaires cannot be married and remain in active duty at the same time.[8][9] This rule is later overturned, but the two remain as Legion reserves. They become the headmasters of the Legion Academy and members of the Legion of Substitute Heroes alongside reservists Cosmic Boy and Night Girl.

Post-Zero Hour

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In post-Zero Hour continuity, Chuck lacks powers and is the Legion's resident architect and engineer, having gone to school using his parents' money after they were killed by Daxamite terrorists.[1][10] Using his parents' life insurance, Chuck was able to attend school and become an architect. He designed and helped rebuild the Legion Headquarters after it took damage from Chronos.

Retroboot / New Earth

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"Infinite Crisis" restored a close analogue of the original Legion to continuity, shortly after the Magic Wars. Chuck is once more an instructor at the Legion Academy and a Legion reservist. After Triplicate Girl's second body is killed, she develops the ability to infinitely clone herself. She discovers this ability while on their third honeymoon and returns to Earth alongside Bouncing Boy to battle Superboy-Prime and the Legion of Super-Villains.

In Doomsday Clock, Bouncing Boy is among the Legion of Super-Heroes members who are erased from existence after Doctor Manhattan alters the timeline. However, he is resurrected when Superman convinces Manhattan to restore the timeline.[11]

Powers and abilities

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Bouncing Boy is a metahuman with the ability to inflate into an elastic, spherical form, enabling him to bounce at high speeds. This also provides him with a limited degree of invulnerability and resistant to electric shocks. Unlike an inanimate rubber ball, which loses kinetic energy due to friction and gravity, Bouncing Boy maintains velocity as he bounces.[12]

The reboot incarnation of Chuck Taine has no powers, but is a skilled engineer and architect. He built and pilots his own spaceship known as the Bouncing Boy.[10]

As a Legion of Super-Heroes member, Bouncing Boy is given a Legion Flight Ring. It enables him to fly and survive in space, and acts as a long-range communicator and navigator.

In other media

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Television

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Film

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Bouncing Boy appears in Legion of Super-Heroes (2023), voiced by Ely Henry.[14][13] This version is a student of the Legion Academy.

Video games

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Bouncing Boy appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[15]

Miscellaneous

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References

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  1. ^ a b Beatty, Scott; Wallace, Dan (2008). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe (Updated and expanded. ed.). New York: DK Pub. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1.
  2. ^ Cadigan, Glen; Shooter, Jim (2003). The Legion Companion. Raleigh, N.C.: TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 978-1893905221.
  3. ^ Fleisher, Michael L. (2007). The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume Three: Superman. DC Comics. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-4012-1389-3.
  4. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  5. ^ Siegel, Jerry (w), Forte, John (p), Forte, John (i). "The Secret Origin of Bouncing Boy" Adventure Comics, vol. 1, no. 301 (October 1962). DC Comics.
  6. ^ Siegel, Jerry (w), Swan, Curt (p), Klein, George (i). "Computo the Conqueror!" Adventure Comics, vol. 1, no. 340 (January 1966). DC Comics.
  7. ^ Hamilton, Edmond (w), Swan, Curt (p), Moldoff, Sheldon; Klein, George (i). "Colossal Boy's One Man War!" Adventure Comics, vol. 1, no. 341 (February 1966). DC Comics.
  8. ^ Cowsill, Alan (2010). DC Comics Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle. New York: DK Pub. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
  9. ^ Bates, Cary (w), Cockrum, Dave (p), Cockrum, Dave (i), Berube, Liz (col). "The Legionnaire Bride of Starfinger" Superboy, vol. 1, no. 200 (February 1974). DC Comics.
  10. ^ a b Peyer, Tom; McCraw, Tom (w), Moder, Lee (p), Boyd, Ron (i), McCraw, Tom (col). "Bouncing Back" Legion of Super-Heroes, vol. 4, no. 76 (January 1996). DC Comics.
  11. ^ Johns, Geoff (w), Frank, Gary (p), Frank, Gary (i), Anderson, Brad (col). "Discouraged of Man" Doomsday Clock, vol. 1, no. 12 (February 2020). DC Comics.
  12. ^ Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (April 1988)
  13. ^ a b c "Bouncing Boy Voices (Legion of Super Heroes)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 15, 2024. 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.
  14. ^ Couch, Aaron (October 13, 2022). "DC's Legion of Super-Heroes Sets Voice Cast With Meg Donnelly and Harry Shum Jr. to Star (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  15. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 4, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  16. ^ "Adventures in the DC Universe #10 - The Blobs (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  17. ^ "Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #1 - Yesterday's Hero (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  18. ^ "Smallville: Season Eleven #15 - Argo, Part 3 (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  19. ^ "Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - Atomic Batteries To Power, Flight Rings To Speed (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved August 18, 2023.