He was scratched by a radioactive leopard called 'Sheba' while taking photos at the local zoo for the school magazine, and thereafter gained leopard-like strength, speed, reflexes, and tree-climbing abilities. As with Spider-Man, while he's often fighting crime, he often sells photographs of himself to the local paper, using the money to support his frail aunt. Like Spider-Man, the Leopardman is forever trying to convince the people of Selbridge that he is a hero, not a villain — not easy when you name yourself after a dangerous animal.