Freakshow AKA Frederich Isak Showenhower AKA Name that has most likely gotten him beaten up by the fifth grade bully
VOICE ACTOR: Jon Cryer
AGE: Unknown
EYES: Red
HAIR: Bald
STATUS: Gothic Ringmaster, professional thief
LIKES: Gothic stuff, money, money, money (mooooney), Ghosts in an ironic fashion
DISLIKES: Ghosts in an ironic fashion
PERSONALITY: Charismatic, dramatic, bold, dazzling, demanding, envious, attention-seeking
POWER: He ain’t got jack, he just has plenty of ghostly knowledge and DRAMA!
STRENGTH: Ghostly knowledge
WEAKNESS: He’s nothing without his ghostly weapons, nothing, nnnnnnnnnnnothing!
FIRST APPEARANCE: "Control Freaks"
GOAL: To gain every single one of Earth’s citizens' attention on him and not those damn ghosts
HISTORY: Coming from a history of performers, Freakshow and his family made their business entertaining the masses, primary through the use of a staff that controlled ghouls. Envious of their star quality and greedy for goods that mere bravado and fancy-free could not provide, a grown Freakshow inherited the staff from his parents and set to work on his own, selfish plans.
Using the staff, he gets his ghostly minions to steal for him in secret. His plan would falter when he made the mistake of coming to Amity Park to recruit the then nicknamed "Inviso-Bill" AKA Danny Phantom. He succeeds with flying colors as Danny is lured by the staff’s glowing seduction (even as a human). Under his control, Freakshow commands Danny and his other lunks to steal. Sam (and Tucker) gets wind of this and dodges their own obstacles (overprotective parents, suspecting teachers, etc.) to free their fallen friend. It was through Sam’s near (but unintentional) sacrifice that gave Danny the free will he needed to snap out of the trance.
The staff is destroyed in the process, freeing the will of the other ghosts. Along with Danny, they gang up on their former master and leave him to the cops.
Fortunately for Freakshow, not all ghosts were mind warped. Lydia, the tattooed ghost, has always remained loyal to dear Freakshow. Naturally, the Guys in White captured and used her as blackmail in order for Freakshow (currently in Amity Park Penitentiary) to tell them about the recently discovered Reality Gauntlet. A device that can alter reality for the wearer, Freakshow unlocks enough of its powers to fend off the Guys in White, free Lydia, and create havoc.
In quick order, he got his revenge on Danny Phantom, unwittingly revealing his secret identity to the greater public, but not before him and his trio scattered three of the four gems to the far corners of America. To add salt to the wound, Freakshow then used that advantage and took his and his friends’ family as hostages. Using his own form of blackmail, he tells the trio to find the three Reality Gems if he ever hopes to see them alive. To make it more dramatically, they got three days. Needing all the time they can get, Danny and friends hitch a ride on the Fenton Jetplane, bypassing pursing Guys in White in the process. While that’s up, Freakshow confesses his love/hate relationship with ghosts to psych expert, Jazz, unaware that would be his downfall.
Once they find all three, Freakshow kidnaps them all sans Danny. He proceeds to torment the shit out of him while altering the world to his image with him as master ringleader. Danny is forced to play his cruel games until Jazz tells him to "use psychology". Indeed, he goes all Freudian and makes him envious because he’s not the one with ghost powers. Using the glove, Freakshow turns himself into one. Unfortunately, that means he can get Fenton Thermos’ed. Ha Ha! Danny sends him to the Guys in White, turning him human, and wiping out the memories of everyone but his close companions so that his secret identity is safe.
PERSONALITY: Right from the moment his face plasters the screen, we're treated to someone mystifyingly dark, charismatic, and captivating. Indeed, Freakshow’s surreal mannerisms and eccentric clothes and poses lends himself to be a charming entertainer. He’s certainly done this for a long time and he has no qualms showing off every trick in the book to keep the masses happy. Or gloomy, in his case.
Most aren’t aware he is really a diabolical foe who is jealous of his own employees, stripping him of his stardom by outshining him. Of course, when you don’t have fancy ghost powers, it’s pretty hard not to get envious. He reveals himself to be petty and malicious. He’s also bloody greedy; not at all happy with the money he makes from circus business, this creepy Cirque De Soleil innovatively uses his given abilities to get what he wants; money and stardom. But like most baddies, he fails. Better luck next time.
OPINION: He has a lot of depth to his character and his unique presentation is different and amusing in that Tim Burton/Johnny Depp sorta way. He is, however, a character I never cared for. He has some awesome garbs, but I never connected to him or liked him enough to warrant a position as my favorite character, let along Top Ten. So, yes, I don’t think he really deserved an hour-long special episode, especially considering how wasteful it really turned out to be. It did at least give him a character boost.
Back to Characters PageArticle Written revised in: Aug. 21, 2009
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