PÈRE NOËL

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human (see comments) technology user

Occupation: Criminal

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Human Torch (Johnny Storm)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Santa Claus

Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York City

First Appearance: Spidey#5 (Editions Lug, 10th January 1980)

Powers/Abilities: ASSuming he didn't just buy his tech from someone like the Tinkerer but instead made it himself, Père Noël was apparently a skilled scientist, engineer and inventor. He wore "neutronic" roller skates which fired rocket flames out their rears, propelling him along at great speed, and even allowing him to ride up or down vertical walls; he was an extremely skilled skater, able to dodge and weave around obstacles and snatch up valuables without slowing down. His Santa costume may have been armored or otherwise offered protection (even his seemingly unshielded eyes) as he crashed through a glass window at speed without hesitation or injury. Though he didn't appear to be wearing it for his heists, he owned a parachute which was ready for use to escape his base if he was cornered there.

   His lair on the top floor of a apartment building was fire-proofed and the windows had metal shutters that could be deployed at the flip of a switch. It also had a water cannon that could fire ten cubic meters (around 353 cubic feet) per shot. He also had easy access in his base to the cables that controlled the elevator, and had a large mechanical pincer ready to cut said cables at a moment's notice.

   He owned a boat which was moored on the river near his lair; though we didn't see it, given it was presumably intended as a getaway vehicle it was probably a fairly fast vessel.

Height: 4'10" (by approximation)
Weight: 100 lbs. (by estimation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Black; wore fake white beard

History:
(Spidey#5/5) - Shortly before Christmas the villainous Père Noël began a crime spree using his Santa disguise and rocket skates. He hit the Hudson Department Store on Manhattan's west side, smashing through a large window to steal jewelry and takings from the tills, then as he raced back outside he snatched funds being delivered to the nearby Galton Bank from the security guards taking it between their security van and the bank, and then a purse from an elderly lady. Attending the Department Store for a promotional public appearance to sell roller skates, the Human Torch gave chase, though since he didn't consider Père Noël anything more than a petty thief the Torch didn't bother to use his powers, instead "borrowing" a pair of roller skates from the store and even permitting children who had turned out for his appearance to follow him as he pursued Père Noël. Unaware the criminal was heading straight back to his nearby base the group thought they had cornered Père Noël when he went into a dead end alley, but Père Noël instead shot straight up the vertical wall, laughing that he was climbing them like Spider-Man. Playing up a little for his young audience, the Torch flamed on and took the air to follow Noël up the side of the building, but the crook smoothly flipped himself inside an open window just before the Torch could nab him, and activated his lair's defenses, causing metal shutters to crash down across all the windows of the top two floors. Inside Père Noël activated a water cannon built into the exterior wall, striking the Torch and dousing his flames. After an unceremonious dip in the Hudson, the doused and annoyed Torch swiftly returned to the building, this time entering through the ground floor doors, intending to take the elevator up to Père Noël's floors, but the villain had anticipated this approach too and used metal pincers to cut the elevator cable. As the elevator car plummeted the Torch flamed on once more and flew through the car's roof and up the elevator shaft into Père Noël's base. With the base beginning to explode (whether thanks to the Torch's attack or because Noël activated some sort of self-destruct remains unrevealed), Père Noël leapt from the building and deployed a parachute, intending to get to his escape boat on the Hudson, but the Torch pursued and burned Père Noël's chute, returning the favor from earlier by dunking the criminal in the river. As he surfaced, admitting defeat, the cops were ready at the water's edge to arrest him. 

Comments: Created by Jean-Yves Mitton.

   Spidey was a French title published by Editions Lug that reprinted under license tales from American Marvel comics (mostly Spidey Super Stories) alongside a number of brand new stories produced in France by French creators. Since it was in French, the character was called Père Noël rather than Santa Claus; strictly speaking Père Noël isn't the same individual as Santa, although they've become conflated over the years until that's mostly forgotten. Regardless, since he was operating in the USA the characters in-story would have speaking in English and calling him Santa. However, for the purpose of keeping him distinct from the man he was impersonating, I've stuck with the French name for this profile.

   While I've gone with listing the character as a human, it's worth noticing that once he lost his disguise he had distinctly pointed ears, so there's a reasonable chance he's not human. Pointed ears might suggest an elf - so perhaps his choice of disguise wasn't just seasonal camouflage, but because he is a disgruntled ex-employee of Santa out to blacken his former boss' name? Though strictly speaking there's no actual narrative requirement to explain his scientific skills and inventions beyond him just being smart and technologically savvy, being a former toymaker for Saint Nick could provide a good backstory for his capabilities.

   His lair was in the top of a building that had at least eight stories (given that was how many buttons were visible in the elevator the Torch used), though given he sealed tight the windows of at least the top two floors he probably used both of those. It was located next to the Hudson River, with only a road between the building and the water, and the building number was 2130.

   This profile was completed on 04/06/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary's celebratory event to represent French Marvel comics.

Profile by Loki.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Père Noël has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Spidey#5/5, p2, pan1 (main image)
Spidey#5/5, p5, pan2 (headshot)
Spidey#5/5, p8, pan5 (unmasked)
Spidey#5/5, p4, pan1 (skating up a wall)

Appearances:
Spidey#5/5 (10th January 1980) - Jean-Yves Mitton (writer, art), Marcel Navarro (editor)

First Posted: 09/29/2026
Last updated: 04/06/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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