Carl Zante began his career as the "World's Greatest Acrobat" in a circus, where he was a world famous stuntman. As a performer, Zante never quite saw happiness in his life, so he began to pursue a different career that would still make his abilities useful but would not be as hostile. He decided that he would be a criminal due to his natural abilities and he could use them to rob banks and steal power. On one of his first days of being a criminal, he met the Human Torch, a superhuman who he believed could help him.

Criminal Life

Zante asked the Torch to leave the Fantastic Four and join him as the crime fighting pair the Torrid Twosome. Seeing the opportunity as a chance to really become famous and rich, Johnny Storm agreed, and the Acrobat tricked him into melting a bank vault, allowing Zante to steal the money. The Acrobat turned on Johnny, who was then aided by the Fantastic Four. The team defeated Zante, and later clashed with him on several other attempts to take power from society. Each time, the Acrobat's plans were foiled. Some time later, Zante was posing as Captain America at an Auto Show where, with the help of some co-workers, he managed to steal valuable automobiles and rob a bank. Before the Acrobat could escape with the valuables, he was stopped by the real Captain America and the Fantastic Four. He has never been seen or mentioned again.