Both Marceau sisters have astounding acrobatic skills - they are among the very best circus aerialists in the world, and their ability to perform ground and aerial acrobatics in an urban environment nearly matches Nightwing’s much-reputed expertise in that area.

Both are also highly skilled thieves and redoubtable martial artists - fear the power of the high backflip-carthweel-spinning flying kick maneuver. They conduct their thefts by coming from unexpected angles (usually crashing through a high window) and maneuvering with great speed to snatch the goods ; pursuit is normally impossible given their acrobatic skill, and they are too nimble to be hit by gunfire under most circumstances.

How the Double Dare get their precise information about which targets to hit is unclear - it has been represented here by a generic high-level Street connection.

History

The European-born Cirque Sensationnel is one of the last big travelling international circuses, with a high enough profile to continue to make money. One of its star acts are the Marceau sisters - two extraordinary trapeze aerialists from France billed as the Double Dare in English-speaking countries.

Despite their success as carnies, however, the Double Dare’s most notable activities do not take place under the Big Top. Whenever the Cirque Sensationnel is in town, the Double Dare will start a death-defying series of high-flying heists and daring thefts, often absconding with millions of dollars in loot. What they do with the money is a mystery, as they live in a comfortable but not luxurious trailer along with the rest of the circus.

At one point, the Cirque Sensationnel set up the tents in the American town of Blüdhaven, which had a deserved reputation for violence and appalling corruption. The Double Dare started hitting various criminal concerns and stealing large sums, nearly precipitating a gang war and tangling with Blüdhaven’s resident vigilante, Nightwing.

Thanks to his own circus background, Nightwing located the Double Dare before Blüdhaven’s crime boss - Blockbuster - could, and found them in their trailer. During the rather confused fight, Blockbuster’s men welded the trailer shut and loaded it on a truck, driving away with it. Nightwing helped the sisters escape this death trap, but they then just sprang away — leaving Nightwing to face Blockbuster’s men and abandoning their thrashed trailer.

Personality

The Double Dare are definitely in for the thrill. They greatly enjoy their game of stealing, welcoming worthwhile (but not overwhelming) opposition. They do not like fighting - although they will vigorously defend themselves, they do not look for pointless fights. Likewise, they do not seem to consider the stolen money very important, and will not worry much if they lose it due to an opponent’s action. It is possible that they habitually give it away to charities.

Although they are thieves, the Double Dare do not consider themselves criminals - in Blüdhaven, they were specifically hitting criminal concerns in lieu of more legal concerns like banks. Presumably they sought higher risk, less police heat and lower risk of superhuman vigilante involvement.

The Double Dare have a definite anime feel in the way they laugh at danger and bicker among themselves. They also have a weakness for anime-style tactics - Aliki once stopped Nightwing by bombarding him with nearby oranges instead of going for something more sensible, or at least more efficient. Aliki’s boy-crazy behaviour and both sister’s general childishness and thrill-loving attitude further enhance this image.

The Marceau sisters occasionally use a few words or exclamations in French but are completely fluent in English - even speaking with each other in English once they have been in an English-speaking country for some time. Aliki tends to shout kiais when hitting people, perhaps to compensate for her low mass.

Description

Nightwing once described them by telling they were so beautiful as “to have a bishop kick out a stained glass window”.

Aliki is the youngest one - she has the huge queue and the smaller breasts, and is a bit shorter. Margot is the one with the shorter hair.