Killer Frost | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | (Frost) Firestorm #3 (June 1978) (Lincoln)Firestorm (vol. 2) #21 (March 1984) (as Louise Lincoln) Firestorm (vol. 2) #34 (April 1985) (as Killer Frost) (Snow)Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #19 (June 2013) (as Caitlin Snow) Justice League of America (vol. 3) #7.2 (November 2013) (as Killer Frost) |
Created by | (Frost and Lincoln) Gerry Conway Al Milgrom (Snow) Dan Jurgens |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Crystal Frost Dr. Louise Lincoln Caitlin Snow |
Species | Metahuman |
Team affiliations | (Frost) Hudson University Black Lantern Corps (Lincoln) Suicide Squad Injustice League Secret Society of Super Villains (Snow) S.T.A.R. Labs Legion of Doom Suicide Squad Justice League Justice League |
Notable aliases | (Snow) Frost |
Abilities | (All)
|
Killer Frost is a name used by several female supervillains and superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics: Crystal Frost, Louise Lincoln, and Caitlin Snow. All three usually have some connection to the superhero Firestorm.
Various iterations of Killer Frost, primarily Crystal Frost and Louise Lincoln, have appeared in various animated projects and video games, primarily voiced by Jennifer Hale. Additionally, Danielle Panabaker portrayed Caitlin Snow, Killer Frost (later renamed Frost), and Khione in The CW's Arrowverse franchise, such as the television series The Flash . [1]
Crystal Frost was the first incarnation, first appearing in Firestorm #3 (June 1978). [2] She is an aspiring scientist at Hudson University who possesses unreciprocated feelings for her teacher Martin Stein. After accidentally locking herself in a thermafrost chamber, Frost gains cryokinetic abilities and becomes a supervillain and enemy of Firestorm. [3] Frost is later killed after absorbing excessive energy from Firestorm. [4] Years later, she is resurrected as a Black Lantern in Blackest Night . [5] [6]
Louise Lincoln is the second incarnation of Killer Frost; she first appeared in Firestorm (vol. 2) #21 (March 1984) and used the "Killer Frost" name in Firestorm (vol. 2) #34 (April 1985). [7] Lincoln is a colleague and friend of Crystal Frost who succeeds her as Killer Frost following her death.
In subsequent appearances, Lincoln joins the Suicide Squad, sells her soul to Neron to enhance her powers, and briefly enters a relationship with Effigy. She is among the villains who seek to claim Lex Luthor's bounty on Batman and Superman in Superman/Batman . [8] [9] [10] [11]
Around this time, Lincoln is diagnosed with cancer and tricks Jason Rusch, the new Firestorm, into curing her. With her health and powers restored, Killer Frost went on a rampage, only to be defeated when Jason undoes his actions. [12]
In One Year Later , Frost allies with Mr. Freeze. However, she reveals that she had been using Freeze as a pawn and had no interest in him. [13]
In Salvation Run , Frost is among the villains sent to another planet. She later joins Libra's Secret Society of Super Villains and is among the villains sent to retrieve the Get Out of Hell Free card from the Secret Six. [14] [15] During the Doomsday Clock event, Frost supports the "Superman Theory" and claims that the U.S. government gave Captain Atom, Firehawk, Moonbow, and Typhoon their powers. [16] [17]
The third incarnation of Killer Frost is Caitlin Snow, introduced in The New 52 continuity reboot. [18] She is a scientist who gains powers after H.I.V.E. agents attempt to kill her with a thermodynamic engine. In subsequent appearances, Snow seeks help from Firestorm and Martin Stein to cure her condition and joins the Suicide Squad and Justice League. [19] [20] [21]
All versions have shown the ability to absorb heat from external sources and transmute it into waves of cold. Using these powers, Killer Frost can create an ice-sheen across her entire body that grants her increased durability, cause intense blizzards that can instantly freeze the target and generate objects composed completely of ice, such as projectiles in the form of ice shards and defensive walls or shields. She can also instantly freeze animate matter through physical contact and is unable to touch a normal person without freezing them. However, if someone has a power or ability that negates the natural waves of freezing cold that come from her body, she can touch them without anything happening.
Her weakness is the need to absorb external heat sources to generate ice: although heat-based weapons such as flamethrowers only make her stronger, she can be imprisoned in cold surroundings such as being locked in a refrigeration truck or buried under a mountain of snow. The Caitlin Snow version of Killer Frost is constantly plagued by a hunger for heat, which can only be sated by absorbing the heat from a living being, a process which inevitably kills the victim. However, in recent stories she seems to have finally gotten it under control by only absorbing a tiny amount of heat from every person she touches, sparing them and leaving them otherwise unharmed. The Caitlin Snow and Louise Lincoln versions of the character have, albeit inconsistently, demonstrated the ability to fly, either by riding Arctic winds or through an unknown manner of self-propulsion.
While the exact limits of her abilities have yet to be established, how much power Frost can channel at once seems to depend on how much heat she has absorbed and stored in her body. For example, when she absorbed all the heat from Superman (whose body is supercharged by yellow solar energy) during a stand-off between the Justice League and the Suicide Squad, she was able to flash-freeze the entire League in a single blast.
It also seems that using up all the heat energy she has stored can put Frost's life in danger. If she does not feed in time, she even risks dying of what she calls "starvation".
The Caitlin Snow version also boasts a genius-level intellect, being S.T.A.R. Labs' youngest and brightest scientist prior to her transformation. She could solve complex equations easily, operate heavy energy generating machinery and appeared particularly skilled in the field of physics and research about energy. She once managed to create an ice prism with her powers that converted Superman's heat vision into a bright burst of sunlight to defeat Eclipso.
Several adaptations of the villain have also depicted the Crystal Frost and Louise Lincoln incarnations as having basic skills in melee combat which they use in conjunction with their powers as well as impressive agility, being able to perform maneuvers such as leaps or cartwheels with ease.
An alternate universe variant of Killer Frost appears in DC Comics Bombshells . [22] This version is Louise L'inconnue, a servant of Hugo Strange who is of French and German descent and gained her powers after her mother was killed and she was left to die in a well. [23]
Danielle Panabaker portrays Caitlin Snow in media set in the Arrowverse. This version is an employee of S.T.A.R. Labs and Ronnie Raymond's fiancée before he is killed stopping a singularity over Central City.
Due to Barry Allen altering the timeline while creating and undoing the "Flashpoint" timeline in the third season, Caitlin develops cryokinetic abilities and an alternate, villainous personality named Frost, both of which she attempts to hide. [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] In the fifth season, Caitlin discovers that her powers originated from her father Thomas' attempts to cure their genetic propensity to ALS.
In the seventh season, Caitlin and Frost are separated by Mirror Monarch's rays and decide to live separate lives as twin sisters. In the eighth season, Frost is killed in battle with Deathstorm. Caitlin tries to resurrect her, but inadvertently creates a new individual named Khione. [30]
Caitlin also appears in the animated series Freedom Fighters: The Ray , with Panabaker reprising the role. [24]
The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in Challenge of the Superfriends, an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Universe, appearing in comics, as well as further animated and live-action adaptations, and also video games.
Parasite is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Each iteration of the character has the ability to temporarily absorb the life force, attributes, memories, and superpowers of anyone through physical touch. The most well-known and recurring incarnation is Rudy Jones, who has become one of Superman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery. In 2009, Parasite was ranked as IGN's 61st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
Queen Bee is the name of six different characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
Copperhead is the name of several supervillains appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, mostly as enemies of the superhero Batman.
Mirror Master is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a recurring foe of the Flash with considerable technical expertise and skills involving the use of mirrors. Three individuals have donned the guise of Mirror Master, and have been members of the Rogues. In 2009, Mirror Master was ranked as IGN's 79th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
Heat Wave is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is commonly as an enemy of The Flash and a member of the Rogues along with Captain Cold, among others.
Icicle is the name of two supervillains appearing in comic books published by DC Comics: Joar Mahkent and Cameron Mahkent.
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1984 to 1985 on ABC. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice League and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics.
Ronald "Ronnie" Raymond is a character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. He is one of several characters called Firestorm and is normally fused together with Martin Stein or Jason Rusch. He first appeared in Firestorm the Nuclear Man #1, and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Al Milgrom.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link)