Circus of Crime (Earth-1010)

{{Team Template
 * Image                  = Circus of Crime.png
 * ImageSize              = 250px
 * OfficialName           = Circus of Crime
 * Aliases                = Masters of Menace, Circus of Delights, Tiboldt Circus
 * Status                 = Active
 * Alignment              = Bad
 * Identity               = Secret
 * Universe               = Earth-1010
 * BaseOfOperations       = Mobile


 * TeamLeaders            = Ringmaster
 * CurrentMembers         = Bruto the Strongman, Great Gambonnos, Human Cannonball, Princess Python, Trickshot
 * FormerMembers          = Blackwing (Joseph Manfredi),  Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Swordsman (Jacques Duquesne)
 * Allies                 =
 * Enemies                = Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Avengers, Daredevil, Hawkeye, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Howard the Duck, Ghost Rider, Cyclops


 * Origin                 = Maynard Tiboldt's father, Fritz, ran a travelling circus and was also a Nazi agent. Sent to America to murder US Government officials, under cover of his circus activities, Tiboldt and his gang fell foul of Captain America and were deported back to Germany, where Fritz Tiboldt and his wife were subsequently murdered by their former employers.
 * PlaceOfFormation       =
 * PlaceOfDefunction      =
 * Creators               = Joe Simon; Jack Kirby
 * First                  = TBA


 * HistoryText            =

World War II
The Circus of Crime was originally Tiboldt's Circus, a small Austrian travel circus managed for generations by members of the Tiboldt family. In the 1930s Fritz Tiboldt, then manager and ringmaster of the circus, became active in Nazi party activities. After World War II began, he was asked by German intelligence to take his circus to America, supposedly just to give performances in major cities, but actually in order to use the talents of the Nazi sympathizers among his performers to murder government high officials. However, Tiboldt, who came to be known as the "Ringmaster Of Death," was captured by Captain America, and both Tiboldt and the members of his circus who had aided him in his subversive activities ported.

Fritz Tiboldt and his wife Lola continued to manage Tiboldt's Circus after the war. Eventually Fritz and Lola Tiboldt were murdered by Nazis who had escaped capture in vengeance for their cooperation with the Allies. Fritz's son, Maynard Tiboldt, thereupon succeeded him as leader and ringmaster of the circus, and decided to move it to America, far from the scene of Hitler's rise to power and his par death.

Once in America, however, Tiboldt's Circus proved incapable of competing successfully with larger with larger American circuses. Blaming Americans not only for ignoring his circus, but also for his father's humiliating capture in America years before, Tiboldt decided to turn to crime. If Americans would not enrich him and his performers willingly, they would be forced to do so. Tiboldt outlined his plans to the members of his troupe, a number of whom had accompanied him from Europe, and others of whom had joined the troupe after it came to America. A good percentage of the troupe quit, refusing to turn to a life of crime. However, a surprising number of the circus members eagerly agreed to join Tiboldt in his criminal endeavors, and they became the first members of what is known as the Circus of Crime.

Modern Era
The Circus of Crime's usual modus operandi was the following: They would give a performance before a large audience. At some point the Ringmaster would use the powerful mind-control device concealed in his hat to put the audience into a trance. The Circus members then robbed the audience, who would remember nothing about the thefts when the Ringmaster released them from the trance and the performance continued. The Circus of Crime performed under different names so that audiences would not suspect that they were the Circus of Crime.

They clashed with superheroes on a regular basis, mostly with the Hulk who was also one of the first they encountered. After a string of robberies, they tried to rob Rick Jones's town he summoned the Hulk (who at the time had a link with Rick) and stopped the circus.

They also fought with Spider-Man, the Avengers and others.

Over the years the membership of the Circus of Crime varied, although there was a core group that participated in most of its criminal ventures. The Ringmaster and his accomplices were imprisoned by the law numerous times, but rarely for long, given the difficulties of proving the charges against them, since their victims usually had no memory of being robbed by them. Occasionally the Circus of Crime operated without the Ringmaster, either because he was in prison, or because some members had become dissatisfied with his leadership. However, he always returned as leader.


 * Equipment              = Ringmaster's Hat
 * Transportation         = No known transportation
 * Weapons                = No known weapons

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 * Notes                  =
 * Trivia                 =
 * The Circus of Crime first appeared in the 1940's Captain America comic.
 * Links                  =