Full name Frederick Fosgood Place of origin Earth Publisher Hero Games | Species Homo sapiens Abilities Gadgeteer | |
Notable aliases The Flying Fox, Raven Gold Similar Doctor Destroyer, Mechanon, Psimon | ||
Foxbat is a supervillain associated with the role playing game Champions. A lunatic who believes that he is living in a comic book, Foxbat is notorious for convoluted and absurd "master plans" that make sense only to himself. Foxbat was designed by Bruce Harlick based on Mark William's artwork on the cover of Enemies II.
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Powers and abilities
Foxbat is an example of what is referred to in superhero RPGs as a "super-normal": a character with no actual powers who uses training and equipment to meet superheroes on equal ground. He is a superb combatant, although he did not study any particular martial art, uses a "Ping-Pong Ball Gun" for various effects, and his costume has a pair of small flaps which he uses to glide. His greatest ability is his intellect, which is tinged with more than a little madness and enables him to come up with device after device and scheme after scheme.
Role in the setting
Because his schemes are usually so absurd and his personality so over-the-top, Foxbat is frequently used as comedy relief in Champions campaigns and settings—a villain who poses no real threat but tends to be really annoying. He has clashed with many superteams in the past, and his habit of being a fly in the ointment has earned him the enmity of such powerful villains as Doctor Destroyer. The only things predictable about him are his devotion to comic-book cliche and his unpredictability concerning everything else.
Foxbat claims these crimes play a crucial part in a "Master Plan" he's devised, although his Master Plan seems to change every time he appears.
Publication history
Foxbat first appeared as one of the villains in Enemies II, a collection of Champions villains published in 1982. Since he was considered somewhat underpowered, Hero Games included a comic strip in their Champions II rules supplement offering players the opportunity to send their unused experience points to Foxbat. After that, interest in the character took off and he has been a fixture of all versions of Champions since.
Foxbat made his first comic book appearance in the six-issue Champions limited series published by Eclipse Comics. The Champions comic books were subsequently taken on by Heroic Publishing, and Foxbat has since appeared in Champions (vol. 2) #4-6 and 8, Champions (vol. 3) #41-42, Flare First Edition #9, Flare (vol. 2) #3-4, Tales of the Champions #1, and The League of Champions #13. Under Bruce Harlick's request, Heroic stopped using the name "Foxbat" in 1993, and has since published the character under the name "The Flying Fox".
Champions #41-42 revealed that, following the events of the original Champions limited series, The Flying Fox was changed into an adolescent girl named "Raven Gold" by the villain Slyph. How he has since appeared in both his original body and as Raven Gold has not yet been revealed, though it is hinted (in Flare #26, for instance) that he fluctuates back and forth between his male and female forms. Foxbat appears as Raven Gold in Flare (vol. 3) #4-5, 25-26, and 29.
In the background of the New Millennium continuity, the original Foxbat gave his life on the side of good fighting the invasion of a powerful interdimensional entity known as The Proprietor and the mantle was taken up by one of his nephews. The new Foxbat was more of a team player, leading a group of like-minded villains, but was just as insane as the original.
In the current Champions Universe, there was no Proprietor War and the original Foxbat is still making a nuisance of himself.
Video games
Foxbat is a villain in Champions Online.