Ice Man (Marvel Comics)

Ice Man (real name Robert Louis Drake, nick-named Bobby) is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He was born to William Robert Drake and Madeline Beatrice Drake. He is a mutant with the ability to emanate intense cold which manifests as ice formations, and the pseudo-psionic ability to shape those ice formations into whatever structure he can imagine. He is often seen to project cold from his hands in the form of "ice blasts" which can cause an enemy to be completely engulfed in ice in a matter of seconds. Perhaps his most ingenious use of his abilities is the creation of a sort of ice slide along which he can slide very quickly.

Ice Man's appearance has changed significantly over the years. In the early X-Men series, his appearance was more reminiscent of snow, or the frost that forms inside a deep freeze. The explanation that was given in those days was that when he used is abilities, he became so cold that frost formed on his skin. In X-men #7 (1964), at the prompting of Cyclops he abandoned the 'snow-man' look and adopted the hard crystalline chisled ice armor with which we are familiar today.

Bobby suffers from a chronic poor self-image, and is a perfect example of a classic under-achiever. Throughout the development of the character, Bobby's use of his powers has been lazy and undisciplined. Bobby has never realized the true potential of his abilities, and even went through a period of deep depression after the White Queen took over his body and used his abilities to accomplish things Bobby couldn't even comprehend. The White Queen herself believed that Bobby had the potential to be one of the most powerful mutants on earth if only he was willing to try.

There has been quite a bit of speculation regarding the true nature of Bobby's powers. According to the laws of physics, cold is defined as the absence of heat, and therefore there is actually no such thing as "cold." If this is the case, Bobby cannot emanate cold, but rather must absorb or dispel heat. Since heat is energy, Bobby's power then becomes a pseudo-psionic ability to manipulate energy. It has been suggested that Bobby's lack of personal initiative has prevented him from discovering the deeper facets of his abilities, and has led him instead to focus only on what might be the easiest manifestation of his abilities, the creation of ice.

Ice Man began as one of the original members of the X-Men, then joined X Factor, and was even in the cartoon show Spiderman and His Amazing Friends. In the movies X-Men and X2, he is played by Shawn Ashmore, and his role has been redefined as that of a junior member of the X-Men with a much less spectacular command of his powers.

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