Origin
Jacques Foccart grew up in the 31st century on Africa’s Ivory Coast with his two sisters. He is a native of Earth from what was once the francophone African nation of Côte d’Ivoire. One day, his younger sister got a thought incurable disease that caused electrical dysfunction in her brain.
Jacques brought him to the Legion to help save her, and luckily Brainiac 5 took an interest in her case. Brainiac realized that the only way he could save the girl was to release Computo into the girl. The sentient, but evil Computo then attacked the Legion using their own headquarters as a weapon and almost destroyed them. Brainiac 5 remembered that Jacques, whom Computo had ignored, was still free in Legion headquarters. Using the Legion’s telepathic plugs, he instructed Jacques to find a vial of the Lyle Norg‘s invisibility serum and drink it. This enabled Jacques to sneak up on Computo and inject his sister with a tranquilizer that neutralized Computo.
Creation
Jacques Foccart was created by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen. He first made his debut in the Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1 – Monster In A Little Girl’s Mind!. He appeared in this DC Comics publication in 1982 and it was written by Levitz and illustrated by Giffen.
Character Evolution
Major Story Arcs
Original Continuity: New Earth
For his bravery, Jacques was rewarded with Legion membership as the second Invisible Kid. Not long after using Norg’s serum, when Jacques went to another dimension; he met a person who appeared to be Lyle Norg. This “Lyle” went back to Earth with Jacques, but he was revealed to be the Dream Demon — master of that dimension. After defeating the creature, Jacques and Wildfire lit an eternal flame on Shanghalla as a tribute to Lyle.
Jacques found that not only could he turn invisible, but he could also teleport. He found this out when he teleported a Wharlik Khund and himself into space. This power also caused his journey to the Dream Demon’s dimension, but he did not know it at the time. Though teleportation was a powerful addition to his worth as a Legionnaire, Jacques could not in good conscience keep a power he could not control. He asked Brainaic 5 to analyze his powers, and ultimately asked the Legion’s Dr. Gym’ll to remove them permanently.
Original Continuity: New Earth
Five Years Later
As time passed Jacques became a very capable and dedicated member of the Legion, always showing a very pensive approach to the situations that came up. This attitude of his would prove to be an asset when the legion was disbanded by the United Planets and forced to shut down, Jacques would retire his costume but not his heroic beliefs. He would use his former influence as a Legionnaire to continue his ties to various meta-human and governmental alliances.
He also started a close relationship with a former member of the Sub’s. Infectious Lass soon became Jacques’s wife. The two would continue to contact others who had the desire to further the fight against the Dominators and regain Earth’s freedom. Aligning themselves with Rokk Krinn, Brainiac 5, and Chameleon Boy they formed a secret underground faction of heroes promising to take down their severe oppressors.
Retroboot: New Earth
The events of Infinite Crisis brought together the Legions of all three continuities. Afterward, the current Legion of Super-Heroes returned to being a close approximation of the original Pre-Crisis team, once again set on New Earth. Jacques’s history was now unaltered from before the Five Years Later.
Powers and Abilities
Invisibility
Invisible Kid can turn his body and small amounts of inanimate matter directly in contact with it invisible, such as his clothes, for apparently unlimited periods of time. Lyle has also completed the Legion’s personal combat training and is a capable athlete.
Teleportation
A side effect of the original Invisible Kid’s serum was that Jacques developed a secondary para-human ability. He now had the also had the ability to teleport. He was unable to control this ability and he considered it a liability after accidentally teleporting an enemy into space and killing him. Jacques had his teleportation trait reviewed by Brainiac 5 and than removed by Dr. Gym’ll.
However in the new continuity his abilities had returned, still unable to be under the control of Jacques.
Equipment
As a member of the Legion of Super Heroes, Invisible Kid 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 Media
Television
Legion of Super-Heroes Animated Series
Invisible Kid appeared in the Legion’s own animated series.