Appearing in "Circus Freak to X-Man"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Stephan Szardos (Death)
- Winzeldorf Mob
Other Characters:
Locations:
Synopsis for "Circus Freak to X-Man"
A young Mystique escapes from rampaging villagers by disguising herself and throwing her baby off of a cliff. He survives, though, and is taken in and sheltered by Margali Szardos, a Romani sorceress. Young Kurt becomes an expert trapeze artist in a traveling circus, where his mutant power of teleportation also first manifests. In the circus, he is accepted for who he is, and also becomes good friends with Margali’s own children, Stephan and Jimaine.
Fearing the evil in his soul, Stephan makes Kurt promise to kill him if he ever commits murder. Ultimately, Kurt resolves to leave the circus, after an American impresario threatens to close them down if he can’t recruit him for his own freak show. Before he leaves, he realizes that Stephan has indeed succumbed to his dark tendencies and killed several children in a fit of jealousy and rage. They fight and Kurt accidentally kills Stephan.
Just then, a hunter, drawn to the noise, sees the bodies and blames Kurt, who is forced to flee. The mob overtakes him and aims to kill him, when Professor X intervenes. Kurt agrees to come back to America with him and join the X-Men, though he refuses to hide his appearance behind a mask.