“ | Greetings, fellow outcasts. I am Freakshow, your master of ceremonies. | „ |
~ Freakshow's famous catchphrase. |
“ | I will NOT be upstaged by GHOSTS! | „ |
~ Freakshow’s villainous breakdown. |
Frederich Isak Showenhower, better known as Freakshow is a major antagonist in the sci-fi superhero TV cartoon show Danny Phantom, serving as the main antagonist of the episode Control Freaks and his TV Movie Reality Trip.
He comes from a long line of ghost-obsessive people. His family has the largest known knowledge of ghostly artifacts.
He was voiced by Jon Cryer, who also portrays Lex Luthor in the Arrowverse.
Biography[]
Freakshow first appeared in the episode "Control Freaks", where he opens a circus called the Circus Gothica in Amity Park. The performers in the circus were actually ghosts that are on a crime spree, held under Freakshow's command by a special scepter. This staff is Freakshow's main weapon in this episode and is so powerful that even a picture of the staff makes a ghost weak and willing to do the bearer's bidding.
Danny accidentally ends up in Freakshow's command, stealing money for him and becoming a performer in his circus. He is saved by Sam, who manages to return him to the hero he truly is. Danny subsequently rescues Sam and destroys the staff in the process. Danny and most of the formerly controlled ghosts confront Freakshow, and arrest him.
Reality Trip[]
Freakshow reappears as the main antagonist in the episode "Reality Trip". In this episode, the Guys In White have captured Lydia, using her to get Freakshow to talk about the Reality Gauntlet, which he does. Freakshow tricks the Guys in White into giving him the Reality Gauntlet and he uses it to escape with Lydia. He then attacks Danny at Casper High's "School's Out!" Dumpty Humpty concert. Freakshow escapes with help from Lydia, but not before revealing Danny's secret identity to the entire school and Amity Park media.
Nursing his wounds, Freakshow comes up with a plan to get all three gems back by forcing Danny, Sam, and Tucker to retrieve the three gems in exchange for their families' lives, giving them three days to do so.
Personality[]
“ | My parents loved ghosts more than me. My audience loves ghosts more than me. And deep down, I think I love ghosts more than me. | „ |
~ Freakshow stating how he and those around him have shown more love towards ghosts than himself. |
Freakshow is a charming performer who views the world as a circus with him as its ringmaster. He is a smooth-talking man of drama and spectacle. He is a domineering, vengeful guy who would do everything to achieve what he wants. He is a glutton for power and attention.
Given that his family has worked with ghosts for many generations, he professes to adore them. He clearly shows envy toward ghosts and their abilities, and he actually despises them, only employing them as his servants. He frequently loses his temper and erupts in wrath when he feels "upstaged" by ghosts.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Knowledge of Ghostly Artifacts: Being a human, Freakshow does not have any powers on his own. However, his knowledge of ghosts and ghostly artifacts more than make up for his lack of physical abilities. His family has the largest-known knowledge of ghostly artifacts. This also gives him an impressive knowledge of how they function, being able to operate the Reality Gauntlet and its gems within moments and has even written a book about them.
- Mind Control: In "Control Freaks", Freakshow uses his circus as a distraction, so that his minions can rob banks and jewelry stores. In this episode, Freakshow used a family heirloom called the Crystal Ball Staff to control ghosts, until Danny destroyed it.
- Reality Warping: Later, in Reality Trip, Freakshow uses the Reality Gauntlet to turn Danny's world into a circus nightmare. The Reality Gauntlet controls reality with the help of the Reality Gems, which are the Gem of Life (ruby), the Gem of Form (topaz), the Gem of Fantasy (sapphire), and a final gem (a red ruby gem known only as the Power Source) that serves as the main source of the Gauntlet's power, which Freakshow disguises as one of his earrings. Using the legendary Reality Gauntlet, Freakshow temporarily became the self-dubbed Ringmaster of All Reality until Danny defeated him and destroyed the Gauntlet. With the Reality Gauntlet if it were not for ghost envy, he might have very well been truly invincible and immortal 'Ringmaster of All Reality' he always dreamed of.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- His appearance is based on the Joker, in that both have white skin and a clownish appearance.
- He ends up being one of the ghosts that helps make Earth intangible in the series finale "Phantom Planet". This could either mean he died sometime after "Reality Trip", this was an error on the staff's part or Lydia possibly broke him out of jail and he lived in the Ghost Zone for some time.
- It's unknown if he still remembers Danny Phantom's real identity or not after "Reality Trip".
- Freakshow is the only fully human villain in the show that was truly evil, whereas Valerie Gray and the Guys in White were more anti-heroes and Dash Baxter was just a bully.
- When Freakshow had complete control of the Reality Gauntlet, he became one of the powerful enemies Danny ever faced, along with Pariah Dark and Dark Danny.
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Villains | ||
Ghost Zone Circus Gothica Humans Other |