Acrobat
The Acrobat, born Carl Zante, is a villain and former circus performer appropriately known for his exceptional acrobatic skill.
Biography
The Acrobat's first-known attempt at crime was a bank robbery in early 1963, for which he attempted to deceptively recruit the Human Torch. Acrobat met with Torch and played up his ego, ostensibly convincing him that he deserved better than the Fantastic Four. Torch joined with Acrobat as the "Torrid Twosome," and Acrobat told him of a supposed teller who was trapped in his target bank vault. Torch burned through the vault to find no one inside, and Acrobat revealed his true intentions, shooting Torch in the arm and taking a load of money from the vault. He was however stopped by the other members of the Fantastic Four, and Torch recovered, pursuing and capturing Acrobat. He served several months in police custody.[1] Later that year, Acrobat disguised himself as the defunct hero Captain America, arranging an elaborate scheme with a pair of no-name criminals. The new "Captain America" publicized his alleged return at an auto show in New York, and had the criminals attempt to steal a classic car there. The Human Torch arrived to stop them, but the disguised Acrobat showed him up and took in the thieves himself. Zante later helped bust the two out of jail, and had them lead the police away so that he could rob a nearby bank in peace. Human Torch caught wind of the criminals' escape and learned of the fake Captain's plan. Torch tracked Zante down, revealed his true identity, and brought him to custody.[2]