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Rodney Skinner is completely invisible; he renders himself visible when necessary by the application of white greasepaint to his face and (shaven) head, and usually wears a long leather trenchcoat, a trilby, and dark pince-nez. H speaks with a Cockney lilt to his voice.

Skinner is mischievous, and it takes a long time for his teammates to trust him. No one can determine exactly what his ulterior motives are, and he is almost universally suspected of being a traitor. Later, when the real traitor is revealed, Skinner proves himself no less a hero than the rest of the League. He places himself in profound danger by providing directions for the rest of the League to the villains' headquarters. Once the League reconvenes, he takes on one of the most difficult aspects of their plan, moving throughout the headquarters to plant the bombs that will destroy their enemy's armory. He also nearly dies while saving Tom Sawyer from a horrible death, receiving some horrific injuries as a result. Allan Quatermain offers the master thief some rather backwards praise by scolding him: "All this time, pretending you're not a hero!" Skinner responded by admitting he had his own reasons as well, such as the fact that if Moriarty managed to create more invisible men he "could lose the franchise".

Behind the scenes[]

Skinner is a character in the film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen where he is portrayed by Tony Curran. Skinner was created for the film to stand-in for Hawley Griffin, due to a failure to acquire the rights to the character of H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man. In his "League" incarnation, Skinner is a thief who stole the invisibility formula from (we are led to assume) the original novel's anti-hero. 

Inspiration[]

Skinner was the maiden name of Hawley Crippen's mother. Also, the name "Rodney Skinner" could be a pun played on the fact that his "skin" is invisible.

While Dr. Hawley Griffin from the comic is a sociopath and a serial rapist, Rodney Skinner is merely mischievous.

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