History
Early Years
Bobby first discovered his abilities at a young age when he became unable to stop feeling cold and shivering. He was able to keep his discovery hidden to everyone by his parents, and was soon able to gain control over the feelings. A school bully named Rocky Beasely convinced his followers to attack Bobby and Judy Harmon (his girlfriend at the time). Bobby panicked and encased Rocky in ice, saving Judy but revealing his abilities to his peers.[10] Bobby's newly revealed abilities were not accepted, and the people of his town, Fort Washington, organized a lynch mob, believing Bobby to be dangerous. The mob broke into the Drake household and overpowered him. The local sheriff noticed that things were getting out of hand and took Bobby into custody for his own protection. The story made it's way to Professor Charles Xavier, who became interested in Bobby for a team he was forming.
The X-Men
Iceman as he first appeared
Scott Summers was sent to recruit Bobby, sneaking into the jail before they got into an argument and Bobby refused to leave. As Scott was leaving, both of them were caught by the same mob, who believed they were both trying to escape. The mob were stringing Scott and Bobby up to be hanged when Professor X used his abilities to erase their memories. Grateful for saving his life, Bobby enrolled in Xavier's School and joined the X-Men.[11].
As 'Iceman', Bobby co-founded the X-Men as it's youngest member, alongside Cyclops, Angel, Beast, and Marvel Girl. His rudimentary control of his abilities caused his appearance to be snowman-like rather than the almost transparent ice version of later years.[12] The X-Men learned to control their abilities to protect a world that feared and hated them for being different. Iceman's light-hearted approach to disaster marked him as the comedian of the group, and eased tension among his teammates.
The X-Men eventually disbanded when they believed Xavier to have died, and all five members believed they could better help by working under the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[13] The team would soon join together again against Mesmero and a robot Magneto[14]. It was during this battle that Bobby developed a brief romantic relationship with Lorna Dane, a mutant who possessed the same abilities as the X-Men's nemesis, Magneto.
When the X-Men discovered that Scott Summers' brother Alex was a mutant, he joined the team as 'Havok', and a love triangle between Alex, Lorna, and Bobby ensued.[15] The triangle ended badly for Bobby when Lorna eventually decided that her heart belonged to Havok.[16] Not able to accept her choice and feeling increased tension between himself and Havok, Bobby eventually quit the team to reassess his feelings.[17]
College Life
Bobby eventually rejoined and was taken captive along with his fellow X-Men by the sentient island known as Krakoa.[18] A second team of X-Men was formed to retrieve them, and as a result of the success of this mission, many of the founding members took some time off while the second team took over. Bobby went off to college[19], where he eventually earned his CPA accreditation, and eventually helped Angel form The Champions of Los Angeles.[20] The Champions eventually disbanded, and Bobby went missing. Angel recruited the help of Spider-Man, and with his help was able to track Iceman down, finding him hypnotized by Rampage, an enemy of the Champions. Angel and Spider-Man battled Iceman and Rampage and eventually won, leaving Bobby to return to his studies.
Professor X called on Iceman for help in the rescue of the friends and family of the X-Men from Arcade.[21] It was during this mission that Iceman was able to finally accept Polaris' decision, though the wound would seem to always remain sore.[22]
On another summer break, Bobby visited his former teammate Hank McCoy, and briefly became associated with the Defenders.[23] Alongside Hank (Beast) and Angel, Iceman played a pivotal role in the organization and cohesion of the team. When several Defenders were killed in a climactic battle, the team disbanded.
X-Factor
After his completion of college, Bobby joined his former teammates and founding members of the X-Men in the formation of X-Factor, a new organization with intentions of helping other mutants who were being hunted down and detained. While a member of this team, Bobby began dating Opal Tanaka, and was captured by Loki, the Asgardian god of mischief[24]. Loki's hope was to enhance Iceman's powers to the point that he could be used to control the Frost Giants of Loki's realm. The plan backfired, and Bobby's powers spiraled completely out of control, eventually forcing him to wear a power-dampening belt in order to touch things without freezing them. The belt had been created by an organization known as The Right, in an attempt to subdue Bobby's powers.[citation needed] During his exploration of the depth of his unlocked abilities, Bobby discovered that he was able to encase much larger objects in ice. Where he once could only cover himself, he could now encasing the entire Empire State Building. He eventually regained control of his abilities to the point where the belt was no longer necessary, and felt as though he had achieved his full potential.
Returning to the X-Men
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Emma Frost using Iceman's body
After Professor X was revealed to be alive and returned from his mission in space, the members of X-Factor rejoined the X-Men.[25] In a confrontation with former Cosmonaut Mikhail Rasputin (Colossus' reality-warping mutant brother),[26] Iceman was forced to turn completely into organic-ice for the first time, causing him to realize that there were more aspects to his powers than he had formerly thought. He began experimenting with adding ice to his body to bulk himself up and using ice columns to lift things into the air rather than his typical ice slide.
After months of experimentation, the mutant telepath and former White Queen of the Hellfire Club Emma Frost possessed Iceman's body, incidentally accessing the full extent of his powers and using them in ways Bobby had previously never dreamed. When she was later back in her own body, she helped him learn how to convert to the full ice form and back, even when pieces of the ice form were missing.
Again Bobby didn't stay with the X-Men for long. His father spoke out against Graydon Creed, head of the Friends of Humanity and presidential candidate, who was a bigot when it came to mutants. Gradon's thugs nearly killed Mr. Drake, and Bobby left the team to be at his father's side, only briefly returning to help rescue Cecilia Reyes during the government-sponsored anti-mutant Operation Zero Tolerance.[27]
After the events of Apocalypse's gathering of the Twelve and the attack of the Stranger, Bobby learned that he didn't need to fear the evolution of his abilities, and returned to the X-Men to explore his untapped potential to the fullest. It was during this time that he suffered a chest injury that triggered his Secondary Mutation, preventing him from reverting into his human form. Though he wasn't stuck in his ice form for long. The events of M-Day seemed to remove his powers altogether until Emma Frost later discovered that he had been instinctively suppressing his powers out of fear.
Mystique
Iceman and Mystique
Iceman was recruited for Rogue's new team of X-Men, and during their first confrontation with the Children of the Vault, he was seemingly killed when his ice-form was completely destroyed. However, Bobby was able to pull himself back together, marking the first time he was able to re-manifest a body after it had been vaporized.[28]
When Mystique came to the team as a seemingly reformed enemy seeking asylum, she and Iceman developed a romantic relationship. The entire personality Mystique portrayed turned out to be a front for her goals of spying on the X-Men for Mister Sinister and locating Destiny's Diaries, and she revealed that she did not have feelings for Bobby after all, shooting off one of his arms above the elbow while he was in ice-form. He survived, only to be later tricked again into believing his ex-girlfriend Opal was in trouble, who turned out to be Mystique playing games with him.[29]
San Francisco
When the X-Men moved to San Francisco, Bobby soon followed and became caught up in an illusion created by Martinique Jason along with Hepzibah, Warpath, and Angel. They believed they were living in a hippie paradise, and Bobby took the name, "Frosty". Cyclops and Emma Frost attempted to break the illusion, but were forced to confront the other X-Men before being able to do so.[30]
Iceman helped fight the Skrull Invasion in San Francisco, and later rescued Colossus from "Spider-Man".[31] In a confrontation with Norman Osborn's (Dark) X-Men, Bobby fought and defeated Mimic, one of the X-Men's oldest foes.[32]
Utopia/Nation X
Iceman is currently responsible for the drinkable water on the island sanctuary, Utopia (X-Men Base). He attempts to keep spirits up, but believes that they are living in the last days of mutantkind.Attributes
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Powers
Iceman is likely to be one of the most powerful X-Men, and has been classified as an Omega-level mutant. Iceman's powers are far beyond the simple ability to generate cold. He has even been able to use his power to defeat the likes of Oblivion, the cosmic entity.[33].
Robert Louis Drake - Iceman
- Thermokinesis: Iceman is a mutant with the superhuman ability to lower his external and internal body temperature, projecting intense coldness from his body. Like any normal human being's, the nerve centers for regulating the Iceman's body temperature are found in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus. However, the Iceman can mentally override his hypothalamus to allow his body temperature to be lowered by an unknown internal mechanism. This ability converts the latent thermal energies in and around his body into an unknown form of energy that is efficiently dissipated. A related mutation has rendered his body tissues unaffected by sub-zero temperatures. The Iceman can consciously, immediately lower his body temperature from its normal 98.6 Fahrenheit to absolute zero (The point where all molecular motion stops.) and lower within the span of a few tenths of a second. Iceman has shown that his power to generate cold is so great, that he was able to stop a fusion core explosion which in layman's terms is a massive nuclear explosion[34].
- As his body temperature falls, the surrounding moisture in the air that is in contact with him is similarly lowered. Just as condensed moisture forms frost, this moisture forms an icy covering which encompasses his entire body. It also obscures his facial features. When the Iceman first began to completely lower his body temperature, this covering took on a more snow-like appearance. But as he learned to increase the severity of his coldness, the covering assumed the consistency of crystalline ice that it has today. This ice constantly cracks with any movement of his body, and immediately reforms. (Hence, there is a cracking sound when the Iceman, covered with ice, moves.) Through practice, Iceman has learned to control the intensity of his coldness, and he can selectively lower the temperature of isolated parts of his body.
- Thermal Vision: The ability to see beings due to the heat signature that others give off, because of the absence of heat around him.
- Cryokinesis: The Iceman can use his mutant ability to control moisture such as to freeze any air moisture into super-hard ice. This ice can be formed into any object of his choosing: the only limitations are his own imagination, and the ambient air temperature which determines how long his ice sculpture will stay icy. He does not have to hold the ice physically with his hands in order to shape it. Apparently he can simply direct the waves of coldness he projects in certain ways so as to create ice in the shape he desires. In the past, the Iceman has formed ice-ladders, ice-slides, ice-shields, ice-bats and other constructs of ice. Iceman has created constructs of ice so powerful that he was able to easily encase and contain the likes of the Hulk with him being unable to break out of it. On at least one occasion, he has even been shown to make it snow or cause a blizzard.
Iceman using freezing Legion solid
- The Iceman is able to form a rising column of ice beneath his feet, capable of lifting him off the ground. The tensile strength of the column is determined by its thickness, and its steadiness by how well it has been braced. A well-braced and regular column, 6 feet in diameter at its base, is able to support his weight without toppling for about 85 feet in a 40-mile per hour wind. By forming long ice-ramps connected either to his ice-column or to an existing structure like a building or a bridge, the Iceman is able to travel above the ground by sliding down the ramp he is creating. Unless he creates supports periodically, the ramp will crack beneath him, unable to support their combined weight. Iceman although has shown that he is not limited to creating constructs and can fly on his own with his control over moisture.[35]
- Iceman's control of his powers are so vast that it extends to the molecular level, to the point that he can freeze all of the molecules of an object/being with a thought. An example would be freezing blood in the veins, thereby stopping flow to the brain. He has demonstrated the ability to control chemical reactions on the molecular level, at one point preventing Sunfire from accessing his powers.[36]
- Organic-Ice Form: Ability to not only cover his body with ice, but to actually become organic ice. Though the appearance is similar, Iceman is now actually translucent in his ice form. Iceman is virtually indestructible in this form, allowing him to reform his body should it become shattered. He has been incinerated while in human form, and was able to rebuild himself. In his ice form, he is able to use the moisture in the air to form spikes, shields and attach other extra appendages to his body. It is currently unknown if Bobby would be considered immortal.
- Due to the amount of water on Earth, Iceman has a virtually unlimited supply of moisture since it is always present in the surrounding air or environment. Even desert air has sufficient moisture content for him to make temporary practical use of; however, the mental effort needed to employ his mutant power under these circumstances could eventually fatigue him and render his freezing ability temporarily dysfunctional.
- Hydrokinesis: Iceman can use surrounding moisture to augment himself, allowing him to travel within large bodies of water very quickly. He accomplishes this by breaking himself down to his base levels and reforming at the destination. He is able to convert his body to gigantic proportions as well, through absorption of a body of water or water vapor in the air. One side effect of this is he gains superhuman strength to match his superhuman size. Wherever there is any moisture, Iceman is a threat. Iceman has demonstrated the ability to be transformed into nothing more than water vapor, yet remain conscious and retain the use of his powers. His conscious control of his abilities has allowed him to exist simultaneously in two places at once.[37]
- Molecular Moisture Inversion: The ability to freeze water molecules.
- Molecular Moisture Conversion: The ability to transform organic matter, such as a human body, to organic ice and back again. Though he has only done this to himself, he does possess the potential, as demonstrated by his AoA counterpart, to preform the feat with passengers. With this, it is possible for him to porject his consciousness through moisture molecules and reform his body at the destination.
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Abilities
Weaknesses
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Transportation
Notes
- Bobby is a skilled ice skater and can speak Spanish fluently.
- Bobby's main downfall is his cockiness.
Trivia
Marvel Value Stamp #65
- Once "died" aboard The Conquistador [40], but restored himself by absorbing his opponent, Fuego[41].
- Before it was discovered that he suppressed his powers out of fear and is classified as an Omega-Level Mutant, he was originally classified as a Gamma-Level Mutant.[42]
- Bobby is possibly the only mutant to have lost his powers and regain them at a higher level than they originally were.
- Iceman was one of the characters featured in the series of Marvel Value Stamps issued in the 1970's.
- It is currently unknown if Iceman suppressed his secondary mutation along with his powers or if, like Black Tom Cassidy, he lost his secondary mutation and kept his primary mutation after m-day.
- Most of Iceman's more creative uses for his powers were done by Emma Frost inside iceman's body and have yet to actually be done by iceman himself.
See Also
- 1437 appearance(s) of Robert Drake (Earth-616)
- 22 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Robert Drake (Earth-616)
- 221 minor appearance(s) of Robert Drake (Earth-616)
- 73 mention(s) of Robert Drake (Earth-616)
- 14 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Robert Drake (Earth-616)
- 1767 image(s) of Robert Drake (Earth-616)
- 87 quotation(s) by or about Robert Drake (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Robert Drake on Marvel.com
- Robert Drake on Wikipedia.org
- Iceman on the Marvel Directory
- The Religion of Iceman
- knowledgerush on Iceman
References
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #498
- ↑ (Uncanny) X-Men #1-#66, Uncanny X-Men #280-present
- ↑ Champions #1
- ↑ Defenders #122
- ↑ X-Factor #1-70
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #376
- ↑ A false "Evil Mutant" group that X-Factor used as a cover for when they needed to use their mutant powers in the early issues of the series.
- ↑ Iceman's Stats were verified in OHOTMU X-Men 2004
- ↑ X-Men Origins: Iceman #1
- ↑ (Uncanny) X-Men #44, (second story)
- ↑ Iceman's origin is recounted in the secondary stories of (Uncanny) X-Men #44-46
- ↑ Bobby first acquires the icy form in (Uncanny) X-Men #8
- ↑ X-Men #46
- ↑ X-Men #49-52
- ↑ X-Men #54-56
- ↑ See X-Men #60-62 for some indications of this.
- ↑ X-Men The Hidden Years #1
- ↑ In the justly classic Giant-Size X-Men #1
- ↑ College name needed.
- ↑ Champions #1
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #145-Lua error in Module:StandardizedName at line 316: attempt to index field 'link' (a nil value).
- ↑ As evidenced by the revival of this love triangle after the events of House of M.
- ↑ Defenders #122
- ↑ Thor #277-278
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #280 and X-Factor #70
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #284
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #340
- ↑ X-Men #188
- ↑ X-Men: Manifest Destiny #1
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #499
- ↑ Secret Invasion: X-Men #1
- ↑ Dark Avengers / Uncanny X-Men: Exodus #1
- ↑ Iceman: The limited series
- ↑ X-Men #199
- ↑ X-Men Forever
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #202
- ↑ X-Men Forever
- ↑ X-Men #7
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #190
- ↑ X-Men #192
- ↑ X-Men #193
- ↑ An interview with Mike Carey
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 5