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I control my fate. I have survived because I know one must be willing to destroy anyone, anything, even the ones you love, to keep the gods in check.
~ Elsa Mars

Elsa Mars is the main protagonist of American Horror Story: Freak Show, the fourth season of the horror anthology series.

She is the manager of a quite unsuccessful and dying Freak Show, and with a dangerous desire for fame. She secretly has prosthetic legs, which reveals she has more in common with her "freaks" than meets the eye.

She is portrayed by Jessica Lange, who also portrayed Constance Langdon, Sister Jude, and Fiona Goode in the same series, as well as Tamora in the 1999 film adaptation of Titus Andronicus.

Personality[]

In terms of personality, Elsa's is certainly one of a large capacity. The German ex-pat is probably best known for her ambition and cleverness. However, often times she works in her own self-interest, meaning her cleverness can begin to tread into waters of manipulation. Yet, despite these flaws, Elsa's overall personality is one of class and kindness. She cares for her freaks and their well-being, as long as they stay out of her spotlight, that is.

History[]

Having read in the paper that "something extraordinary" had been admitted to the hospital, Elsa pays a visit on the pretense of visiting an ailing aunt. After befriending the candy-striper Penny and borrowing her uniform, she makes her way past the police guard into the secure wing to get a closer look. She finds the sleeping conjoined twins, Bette and Dot Tattler, and is immediately delighted by their potential as her new headlining act and saviors of her floundering freak show.

After repeated visits, she is able to piece together involvement in their mother's murder. She counsels that they get their story straight for the police. With the newspapers naming them as suspects in Twisty's murder spree, she convinces them to take refuge within her troupe of freaks.

Elsa continues to try to integrate the twins into her show and is surprised that Dot has actual singing talent. Her shock becomes horror when Elsa finds herself upstaged by a more popular act. With the arrival of Dell and Desiree, Elsa deputizes the married couple into emcee and musical director duties, respectively; she focuses the rest of her energies on improving her talent. She is amused when she learns that Jimmy Darling disposed of an investigating police officer.

She is led to believe a planted "prediction" by Maggie Esmerelda that a man will come to change her music career. Elsa's determination to rid herself of the twins entices her to call upon the legendary Edward Mordrake by breaking carnival tradition and holding a performance rehearsal on Halloween. Elsa recalls to Mordrake her life in 1932 Weimar as a dominatrix in a sex club. She would torture a soldier by making him sit on a toilet seat lined with nails, and became so famous that she was well-paid to let an audience watch. Mordrake is not pleased, insisting on hearing about her legs. Elsa recalls how, in Brandenburg, she was drugged and tricked into doing a snuff film where her legs were amputated with a chainsaw. Her soldier client, who was in love with her, saved her as soon as the producers of the snuff film were gone, and she hated him for saving her life. Her film was distributed all over Germany and Austria, and while she was famous, she knew her career was over. The face says that she is the one. She says she is ready for him to take her, and he nearly stabs her, but he is stopped when he hears a toy piano playing.

Stanley introduces himself as a television producer interested in spotlighting Elsa. She balks at the offer, insisting her medium must be cinema. She reconsiders after her showcase to the citizens of Jupiter bores the unruly crowd. Elsa and the Tattlers discuss Stanley's plans and the promises he's made for each. Elsa tells them that as their new mentor, she has arranged for a seamstress to craft something for them the next day so they can look their best. She spirits them away to Mott Manor.

Elsa begins practicing throwing knives at a dummy strapped to a spinning wheel, an act she plans to use for her upcoming television show. Ethel expresses her concern that Elsa's leaving and Bette and Dot's sudden disappearance will affect the show's line-up and possibly ruin the freak show. Elsa is upset that some freaks do not believe her lie that the twins abandoned her while she took them dress-shopping, calling them ungrateful, but Ethel assures her of the freaks' loyalty by telling her of their plans for her upcoming birthday. Elsa promises that she intends to have her monsters join her in Hollywood.

Elsa is delighted with the party the freaks throw, but goes into a fury when she sees them a bit gloomy due to the twins' departure, and threatens to strap one of them onto her wheel if they do not have fun and forget about the twins. Later, she is in bed with Paul, whom she has been having a secret affair with for a while, and rebuffs Paul when she realizes that he is in love with her. As he dresses, she promises to let him see her when she goes to Hollywood and unknowingly insults him when she proposes to continue the affair even after she has a "normal suitor".

Elsa serenades Paul with "September Song", but notices his urgency to leave. She smells his perfume and demands to know who he is seeing, but he rebuffs her, spitefully saying everyone knows she is involved with the twins' disappearance. Outraged, she calls for all the carnies to be awakened and sent to the big top, where she rants to them and points out how she saved them from possibly miserable lives. She tosses the empty boxes from her party, calling all their efforts meaningless and shabby. She later calms down and says they can prove their trust if one of them volunteers for the wheel. Jimmy volunteers, but Paul interjects that it should be him. Elsa manages to throw two knives just short of maiming him but hits his bowels at the last try. The carnies hurry to get him medical attention, but Elsa looks on without remorse.

Paul is with Elsa, smoking opium for the pain as he realizes that Elsa did not call a doctor. Elsa promises she did, but she wouldn't shed a tear for him because of his betrayal and notes that she would no longer be doing the knife act in her show. Penny bursts in, wanting to know how long since the ambulance was called. Elsa says they are in no rush.

Ethel waits for Elsa with a slice of cake while the rest of the carnies are with Paul. Elsa muses that they are a kind of family, revealing her unhappy childhood and lack of a loving family. Elsa says she crafted her own family and says she loved them all, but that Ethel is the sister she deserved. Ethel advises her that no-one trusts Elsa anymore, after the series of calamities. Ethel swears that if she discovers that Elsa has lied about the twins, that she will kill Elsa herself. Elsa's birthday wish as she blows out the candle is to just be loved.

A mutiny is broiling as Elsa is confronted by Jimmy regarding her lies about the twins. Jimmy presents the girls to give their side of the story but Dot calls an audible and weaves a tale that protects Elsa's integrity while securing their position as the starring attraction. In Elsa's elegant tent, she and the twins share a drink and negotiate terms. The girls state that they have no intention of going to Hollywood and want to remain with a thirty-percent box office take. Elsa accuses them of blackmail and sarcastically compliments their growth since her rescue of them from the hospital.

In her quarters, Elsa laments the missing Ma Petite but notices Ethel is not so mournful. Ethel tells her longtime friend that she almost believed Elsa's crocodile tears were sincere. Elsa slaps her in response. Ethel retorts that all Elsa cares about is the roar of the crowd and hates someone stealing her spotlight. Elsa blames Ethel's behavior on drinking and orders her out. Fourteen years of friendship and history have made Ethel realize that she dreads her best friend. Elsa spurns Ethel's accusations of murder, overturning her table. Ethel reminds Elsa that she's not their savior, she's their surrogate mother. Further, Ethel overheard Elsa's cold conspiracy with Stanley to murder the twins, killing any feelings the bearded lady had for her. Elsa wants to bring the twins for testimony, but Ethel has sent them to safety.

Ethel shoots Elsa in one of her legs, leaving a hole through the prosthetic. Elsa chuckles at the incredulous Ethel while telling the story of how she became a freak: immediately after her amputation incident, her lovelorn soldier brought her to Massimo Dolcefino, an artisan prosthetist in wartime and a cinematic prop-maker thereafter. Elsa admits that she fell very much in love with Massimo, and he with her.

Ethel asks an ashamed Elsa why she never revealed this, but still intends to halt Elsa's callous methods. Elsa thinks that Ethel intends to kill her, but Ethel instead intends to kill herself, feeling that she has nothing to live for. Quickly their interplay shows changes in plans: Elsa intends to kill Ethel (seemingly by poisoning a drink) before the bearded woman can change her mind, and Ethel (sensing this) turns the gun on her onetime friend. In fact, Elsa expertly throws a knife into her would-be killer's forehead. Elsa looks on in horror at her own murderous actions. She and Stanley collaborate on staging a scene in which Ethel's body could be found without suspicion. Later, her introduction of a new troupe member raises Jimmy's ire that their "family" is breaking down around her, no matter how many replacements she brings in.

Paul and some others decide to revenge Ethel and kill Elsa, but Bette and Dot warn her so she can escape and Elsa sells the circus to Dandy Mott.

In 1960 Hollywood, Elsa becomes famous for her groundbreaking "Elsa Mars Hour" and her gold recording albums. She receives her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She marries Michael Beck, her supporter. Michael brings the network's VP for publicity to discuss a spread for Parade magazine about a Halloween performance, but Elsa refuses it. She comes home to see Massimo, who worked in the US Army in the past years. Elsa tells she is bored and lonely, surrounded by sycophants and a cheating husband. She asks Massimo to run away with her, as she wants to spend the rest of her life with her soulmate.  Massimo confesses that to grow old with her has always been his dream, but the dream came too late, as he has a terminal illness and has only a month to live.

Later Michael comes with Mr. Gable who tells Elsa that her pornographic films have been discovered, and are to be written about in the media. Elsa also finds out that all of the freaks have been murdered. Being confronted by Mr. Gable with a morals clause in her contract, implying that her show will be canceled due to the scandal, she agrees to a farewell Halloween performance after all.

The Halloween performance summons Edward Mordrake, and his troupe of dead freaks, including Twisty the Clown. Mordrake stops Elsa's performance and notes that she summoned him as an act of suicide. Elsa begs for him to take her. Edward kills her but tells her that she does not belong with them.

Elsa awakens back at her freak show, where all the previously dead freaks are present. Ma Petite welcomes Elsa into the afterlife. Ethel approaches her, willing to reconcile, and invites Elsa to take the headlining spot on the performance. Elsa expresses remorse at her actions and asks if she needs to pay for her sins, but Ethel happily reminds her of her own remark that stars never pay. Elsa joins her family in a performance for the dead, finally finding peace in her death.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

Navigation[]

           Ecran Titre d'American Horror Story Villains

Murder House
Langdon Family (Tate Langdon | Constance Langdon | Michael Langdon) | Larry Harvey | Ben Harmon | Hayden McClaine | Moira O'Hara | Dr. Charles Montgomery | Infantata | Bianca Forest | R. Franklin | Fiona | Dallas | Marcy | Dr. David Curran | The Devil

Asylum
Sister Jude | Bloody Face (Dr. Oliver Thredson | Johnny Morgan | Imposters) | The Devil | Dr. Arthur Arden | Timothy Howard | Leigh Emerson | Jenny Reynolds | Aliens

Coven
Fiona Goode | Marie Laveau | Madison Montgomery | Delphine LaLaurie | The Axeman | Hank Foxx | Spalding | Papa Legba | Minotaur | Joan Ramsey | Archie Brener | Alicia Spencer

Freak Show
Elsa Mars | Bette and Dot Tattler | Dandy Mott | Stanley | Maggie Esmerelda | Dell Toledo | Twisty the Clown | Chester Creb | Edward Mordrake | Rita Gayheart | Larry Gayheart | Hans Gruper | Penny's Father

Hotel
The Countess | James Patrick March | Ten Commandments Killer | Sally McKenna | Hazel Evers | Ramona Royale | Addiction Demon | Iris | Liz Taylor | Tristan Duffy | Donovan | Alex Lowe | Mr. Royale | Richard Ramirez | Jeffrey Dahmer | Aileen Wuornos | John Wayne Gacy | Zodiac Killer | Gordon Northcott | Dr. Charles Montgomery

Roanoke

The Butcher | Roanoke Colonists (Ambrose White) | Polk Family | Lee Harris | Agnes Mary Winstead | Dominic Banks | Monet Tumusiime | Miranda and Bridget Jane | Edward Mott | Piggy Man | Chen Family | Scáthach

Cult
Ally Mayfair-Richards | FIT (Kai Anderson | Ivy Mayfair-Richards | Beverly Hope | Harrison Wilton | Meadow Wilton | Gary Longstreet | Jack Samuels | Winter Anderson | R.J. | Speedwagon) | Pastor Charles | SCUM (Valerie Solanas | Babe Babbitt) | Dr. Rudy Vincent | Twisty the Clown

Apocalypse
Cooperative (Michael Langdon | Miriam Mead | Dinah Stevens | Wilhemina Venable | Jeff Pfister | Mutt Nutter | The Devil) | Langdon Family (Tate Langdon | Constance Langdon) | Madison Montgomery | Ariel Augustus | James Patrick March | Moira O'Hara | Papa Legba | Delphine LaLaurie | Marie Laveau

1984
Mr. Jingles | Margaret Booth | Richard Ramirez | Montana Duke | Donna Chambers | Bruce | Lavinia Richter | The Devil

Double Feature
Part 1: Red Tide
The Chemist | Ursula Khan | Belle Noir | Austin Sommers | Alma Gardener | Lark Feldman | Flesh Phantom

Part 2: Death Valley
Aliens (Theta | Valiant Thor) | Mamie Eisenhower

NYC
Big Daddy | Mr. Whitely | Sam

Delicate
Women in Black (Ivy Ehrenreich | Sonia Shawcross | Nicolette | Talia Thompson | Ashleigh | Ashley | Siobhan Corbyn | Susan) | Satan

American Horror Stories
Season 1
Rubber (Wo)man: Scarlett Winslow | Ruby McDaniel | Maya | Adam | Tony Peterson | Infantata
Drive In: Larry Bitterman
The Naughty List: Santa
Ba'al: Ba'al| Matt Webb| Bernadette
Feral: Ferals
Game Over: Scarlett Winslow | Ruby McDaniel
Season 2
Dollhouse: Mr. Van Wirt | Spalding
Aura: Bryce Taylor
Drive: Marci | Chaz
Milkmaids: Pastor Walter | Thomas Browne
Bloody Mary: Bloody Mary | Elise | Mami Wata
Facelift: Dr. Enid Perle | Cassie Brooks
Necro: Sam | Charlie
Lake: Jeffrey Prescott | Wrede Prescott

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