Appearing in "Showtime"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- ⏴ Doctor Doom (Victor Von Doom) ⏵
- ⏴ Gladiators ⏵
- Jerry (First appearance)
- Phil (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) (Only in recap)
- Defenders (Mentioned)
- Avengers (Mentioned)
- X-Men (Mentioned)
- Rin Tin Tin (Topical Reference)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Ivich's Sword
Synopsis for "Showtime"
Beast and Dazzler have made up following their previous argument and are taking in the beach. However their outing is interrupted when Beast's hirsute presence brings gawkers, however Dazzler talks Beast out of doing anything and the two leave. Later, Dazzler decides to go back to the Gladiators, and Beast notices that she only becomes like this when her powers begin to manifest outside of her control.
Returning to the Gladiators theatre, Dazzler arrives just as another training session is underway. However, the Gladiators pause when Dazzler enters and give her praise and when Hugo tries to get the group to get back to work his leadership is put into question when he is shown up by Alexander Flynn. After talking with Max and Ivana, she is shocked to find that they wear battle scars like a badge of honor. Lamenting her position while in a training session, Dazzler begins to wonder what Beast is up to and begins to cry.
Henry has returned to the Heartbreak Hotel to sulk over Dazzler's plight and his feelings toward her. He is visited by Kate and Poltergeist who convince him to try to talk Dazzler into returning once more. Back at the theatre, Flynn, Max and Ivana (in another ploy to further gain Dazzler's trust and cooperation) get "revenge" on Horns, the mutant who murdered one of his fellows in the previous battle. Later as Dazzler is preparing for her next performance, she is dressing up like a Native American warrior when Beast shows up. He tries to talk her into coming back with him, but she refuses telling him that she feels at home with the Gladiators. Disgusted with Dazzler once more, Beast takes a tube of lipstick and draws a mocking "war paint" design on her face and storms out telling her that he's not going to stand by and watch her kill herself. After Beast leaves Dazzler bursts into tears and her powers begin to flair out of control once more.
On his way out, Beast decides to snoop around Flynn's operation and finds a chemistry set and is horrified to learn that Flynn and his cronies have been making a drug that they have been using on Dazzler. While back at the Heartbreak Hotel, Poltergeist, feeling that he should do something tries to convince Kate and Link to help him go to Dazzler's rescue. Kate declines, but Link agrees to come along.
Back at Flynn's theatre, as the next performance rages on, the Beast is caught by Flynn's men and is drugged into a state that matches his beastly appearance. Next, Flynn and his men have a mockery of the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" set up. Dazzler is at first happy to see Hank, however when he attacks her she is forced to use her light powers to defend herself. Forcing Beast up against a rose bush, the drugs begin to wear off on him. Dazzler continues to keep the Beast at bay, over the demands from the crowd that she kill Hank. However, she refuses to do so and goes to the McCoy's side. As furious as the crowd, Hugo demands that the other Gladiators kill both Dazzler and the Beast. However, Flynn steps in and demands that the show end.
When Hugo tries to pull rank on Flynn and the other mutants, Flynn orders them to kill Hugo to which the Gladiators comply, with the audience hailing Flynn as the new chief of the theatre. While in Latveria, news about Flynn's rise to power and the deactivation of the spying device that Doom had planted in the theatre going off line, Dr. Doom decides that it's time that he deals with his apparent heir personally.
This story is concluded next issue....