Origin
While working for a scientist on 30th Century Earth, Chuck Taine accidentally drank an experimental super-plastic fluid while watching a sports event. The fluid drastically altered his body, giving him the power to inflate into a spongy round shape that could bounce and ricochet without harm. Accidental interfering with the event, he quickly made his exit and decided to try out for the Legion of Super-Heroes. Chuck tried out twice for the team and was rejected both times. After defeating an electrical villain because he wasn’t grounded, Chuck took the name Bouncing Boy and was invited to join the Legion of Super Heroes finally. His good humor and charming personality eventually led him to proclaiming himself Legion ‘Morale Officer’.
Creation
Bouncing Boy created by Jerry Siegel & Jim Mooney.
Character Evolution
Silver Age
Bouncing Boy lost his powers once while bouncing in front of a matter-shrinking machine, and was forced to resign from the Legion. However, he temporarily regained his powers when the Legion faced Computo for the first time, and one of Triplicate Girl’s bodies was killed. His powers soon left him once again, but were restored once more by Dr. Zan Orbal of Evillo’s Devil’s Dozen. He happily rejoined the team. Bouncing Boy became a teacher at the Legion Academy, and had a solo victory against The Hunter. This boosted Chuck’s confidence, and once again losing his powers, he proposed to Duo Damsel (formerly Triplicate Girl). The two quickly married on Mars at Nix Olympia, and they both retired from the Legion due to the rule that Legionnaires could not be married. That rule was later overturned, but the couple decided to stay as Legion reserves. Once again, Bouncing Boy’s powers returned and he Duo Damsel settled on the colony world of Wondil IX. After helping the Legion on a few occasional missions, the pair returned to Earth to become the headmasters of the Legion Academy. They later went on to found the second Legion of Substitute Heroes alongside reservists Cosmic Boy and Night Girl.
Five Years Later
Following the Magic Wars, five years were skipped in Legion history. In that interim the Legion Academy had closed and Chuck and his wife became trainers for the United Planets Militia Academy. His wife’s second body was later revealed to be alive and Chuck returned to the happy life of being legally married to two women.
Five Years Later / Batch SW6
A teen “SW6” version of Bouncing Boy mysteriously appeared. During the Zero Hour event, Older Chuck would later merge with his young counterpart. Like the rest of his old teammates in the Legion, to reboot their failing reality.
Reboot / Earth-247
On Earth-247, Chuck Taine never gained super powers, but was a valuable ally of the Legion. His parents had been killed by Daxamite terrorists during an attack on Earth and with their life insurance money he was able to put himself through school to be an architect. He designed and helped rebuild the Legion Headquarters after it took damage from Chronos. Chuck helped repel Protean invaders at one point and was around the Legion full-time, always repairing Brainiac Five‘s laboratory and other structural damage. He became close friends with fellow Legion staffer Tenzil Kem, had a crush on Triad, and went on a friendly date with Shrinking Violet once. Chuck remained on the Legion staff, and eventually designed the Legion Outpost, an orbiting space station.
Retroboot / New Earth
Infinite Crisis restored a close analogue of the original Legion to continuity, shortly after the Magic Wars. Chuck is once more an instructor alongside his wife Luornu at the Legion Academy and a Legion reservist. After his wife’s second body was killed this time, she developed the power to duplicate an unlimited amount of copies of herself. They discovered this ability while the Taines were on their third honeymoon and then quickly came running when the team sent out a distress call for help against Superboy-Prime and his Legion of Super-Villains. Bouncing Boy is currently helping to train the next class of students at Legion Academy.
Major Story Arcs
Reboot / Earth-247
Chief Engineer Chuck of Legion World
When the Legion was disbanded following the Blight invasion of Earth, Chuck stayed with a small team of covert Legionnaires led by Cosmic Boy. With the Legion’s benefactor, RJ Brande, Chuck helped with the construction of a new secret headquarters, known as Legion World. Chuck was given honorary membership, and built a ship called the Bouncing Boy that could ram other objects without taking structural damage. Chuck was given the job of Chief Engineer of Legion World, and worked frequently with the cyborg Legionnaire, Gear. He was originally seen as being sent into the time-stream with the rest of the Legion shortly before Earth-247 was destroyed, but didn’t re-surface during the Legion of Three Worlds event. Chuck may then have been wiped from continuity.
Powers & Abilities
Elasticity
Bouncing Boy has the unusual ability to make his body inflate into a solid spherical shape like a rubber ball. He can then bounce and deflect off of solid objects, using himself as a ballistic weapon. It can be assumed that he has a limited form of invulnerability while inflated to protect him from damage from bounding into objects.
Intellect
Chuck Taine of Earth-247 has no powers, but is a gifted engineer and architect. He built and pilots a spaceship known as the Bouncing Boy.
Equipment
As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Bouncing Boy possesses a Legion Flight Ring. The ring gives its wearer the ability to fly, the speed and range of which is determined by the wearer’s willpower. It also acts as a long-range communicator (enabling constant vocal contact with other Legionnaires, even across vast distances of space), a signal device, and a navigational compass, all powered by a micro-computer built inside the ring.
Other Versions
Other Media
Television
Superman: The Animated Series
Bouncing Boy made a cameo as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in an episode of Superman: The Animated Series called “New Kids in Town.” He had no lines.
Justice League Unlimited
The previous Bouncing Boy would later appear in the Justice League Unlimited episode “Far From Home” in an expanded role. Bouncing Boy, in this episode, was one of two Legionnaires (the other being Brainiac 5) who had survived being possessed by the Emerald Eye. Failing on resources to save their comrades, they used a time bubble to bring three heroes from the past to assist them: John Stewart, Green Arrow, and Supergirl. Headquarters was shortly after invaded by the Fatal Five and Bouncing Boy joined the Legion as possessed. He and his teammates were freed after attacking Supergirl and Chuck was present for making the three past heroes honorary Legionnaires. In this episode, he was voiced by Googy Gress.
Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes
Bouncing Boy was a main character in the two seasons of the Legion’s own animated series, voiced by Michael Cornacchia. He had auditioned for the Legion four times before being accepted onto the team and despite that was still one of the group’s earliest members. Throughout the series, he served as the team’s pilot and engineer and adequate fighter. He was an avid fan of horror movies and helped motivate some discouraged applicants to the Legion to keep trying, who eventually went on to form the Legion of Substitute Heroes. When Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad were at odds about leadership, a leader election was called and Bouncing Boy was surprisingly elected to leader. Chuck was horrified but the entire Legion supported him and he led the team to the defeat of the Sun-Eater in the two-part “Sundown.” During this time, Triplicate Girl became a big fan of his.
In season two, two years had passed and Chuck’s term as leader had ended. He was among the Legionnaires who were overwhelmed by the Legion of Super-Villains and the Fatal Five in “Man From the Edge of Tomorrow, Part 2” but was able to survive and assist his team in freeing rescued teammates from Takron-Galtos. He comforted Triplicate Girl after she lost her third body and was especially sensitive to her emotional state. He continued to serve with the team, helping them on missions against Lightning Lord (“Chain Lightning”), Terra-Man (“Unnatural Alliances”), Mordru (“Trials”), and Brainiac (“Dark Victory”, parts 1 and 2)