Showtime

From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

Caleb Gilligan was, at one point in his life, a political activist who believed in preaching the values of communism to the American people. All of that changed at the outbreak of the cold war, with Mcartheyism affecting the mindset of the American people, Caleb soon became the victim of hate-crime for his communist beliefs. One group of young men decided to beat Caleb Gilligan half to death. He survived the assault, suffering serious brain damage as a consequence.

Due to his injuries and new-found mental instability, Caleb decided to fight back against the system. Lacking any real super powers, Caleb made a deal with the devil for eternal youth in exchange for his soul. The wish was granted, and Caleb Gilligan, now calling himself 'Showtime', was no longer able to die.

Adopting the "Showtime" moniker fully, Caleb began dressing in a noir version of Uncle Sam's costume and, over time, became a career criminal in Paragon City. He claimed he was fighting capitalism, but his mind was so broken he stole from the rich and the poor alike. He has come into conflict with Xanatos many times. (Due to Showtime's perception of Xanatos as an American boy scout...despite him being an alien.) The two last fought in 2004, with Xanatos freezing Showtime in a block of ice in order to stop him from blowing up a buss full of children. The frozen Showtime was thereafter stored in the Ziggurat until 2006 until he was able to escape by following in the wake of significantly more powerful supervillain Mr. Mud.

After his escape Showtime quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the criminal underground of Paragon City. His street gang, The Klowns, often claimed to "run all of the crime" in Port Oakes. Although whether this is true or not is hard to know one way or the other. What is known is that since his escape, Showtime was increasingly affiliated with a group of super powered career criminals known as The Rogues Gallery.

Showtime's membership of The Rogues Gallery was rocky at best. He killed numerous members for "giving him the heebie jeebies", stole money from both Mindswipe and Nimrod, and even attempted a coup d'etat for control of the group alongside the equally mutinous Uppercut and King Brain. Despite all of this, the Crime Lords of The Rogues Gallery apparently hada soft spot for Showtime, and did not show the clown the door.

Over the years, Showtime was incarcerated in the Ziggurat so many times that it has almost become part of his methodology. One such stay in prison was cut short in mid 2011, when the Dark Matter controlling supervillain known as Exadeus broke him free. While Exadeaus was a former ally of Showtime's from their time together in Rogues Gallery, the breakout was not motivated by comradeship however; but by oppurtunity. Exadeaus had recently come into conflict with a group of heroes known as The Challengers, and needed Showtime's assistance in taking them down.

For much of 2011 and 2012 Showtime split his time between fighting The Challengers, and engaging in a gang war with fellow super-powered mobster, Powerlaser. All of this ended when Rularuu invaded in 2012 in an event that has become known as "The Battle for the Multiverse". Showtime was one of the many people killed by the ravager that day. He died fighting alongside Springfist and other street level heroes and rogues, as they defended Kings Row from the incoming storm.