5 Best Ice-Themed Villains in DC Comics

It’s the middle of winter with temperatures plummeting and snow falling, so now is the perfect time to look at one of DC Comics’ long-running tropes: ice-themed supervillains. Almost every major DC superhero since the Golden Age has, at some point or another, faced off against a cool villain that can encase their surroundings and enemies in thick layers of snow and ice. Over the decades, there have been dozens of ice villains who use their cold-based abilities and weapons to rob banks or murder innocent people. Some have cryokinetic superpowers that let them shoot freeze rays from their hands, while others rely on high-tech guns to put opponents on ice.

Sub-zero temperatures can be hazardous by themselves, but these DC villains weaponize them to freeze superheroes in their tracks. These are the best ice-loving and wielding villains DC Comics has to offer.

5) Blue Snowman

One of the first ice-themed villains in DC Comics, Bryna Brilyant, aka Blue Snowman, is a lesser-known but still frequent Wonder Woman foe. A brilliant robotics engineer who became a mercenary, Bryna created a giant mecha suit that could fire freeze rays. The suit gives them the strength to contend with Wonder Woman and can cover several city blocks in ice. Initially presented as a woman who disguised herself as a man, over time, writers evolved and expanded Blue Snowman into one of their few gender-fluid characters. While rarely seen as the most threatening ice villain, Blue Snowman is still a fun character with a lot of comedic moments.

4) Icicle

An enemy of the Golden Age Green Lantern and the Justice Society, Icicle is a legacy name held by Joar Mahkent and his son, Cameron. Joar was a scientist who developed a Cold Ray Gun to freeze his targets while he robbed banks. He was also a member of the Injustice Society. Eventually, Joar’s son carried on the Icicle legacy, becoming a notorious criminal and member of the Injustice Society. However, Joar’s prolonged exposure to the Cold Ray Gun caused his son to develop ice-manipulating powers, making Cameron far stronger than his father. With the natural ability to freeze opponents and make ice weapons, Cameron is the coolest villain to have the Icicle mantle.

3) Killer Frost

Over the years, several women have adopted the moniker Killer Frost to become ice-based adversaries of the hero Firestorm. The original Killer Frost, Crystal, was succeeded by Louise Lincoln and Caitlyn Snow. All three were in different lab accidents that gave them certain abilities that set them apart from other ice villains. Killer Frost is an energy vampire who drains the heat from her surroundings or from other people to keep herself alive. Fire-based attacks that would defeat other ice villains only make Killer Frost stronger. She converts the energy to power her cryokinetic abilities, allowing her to shoot freeze rays or blades of ice from her hands. Although the most recent Killer Frost, Caitlyn Snow, has reformed, the mantle’s legacy is one of villainy.

2) Captain Cold

Originally a small-time crook jailed by the Flash, Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold, developed his Cold Gun to even the playing field and become an archenemy of the Scarlet Speedster. Captain Cold’s Cold Gun fires rays that slow targets down to the molecular level, creating massive amounts of ice. The effect of the Cold Gun can force the Flash to run slower, making him an easier target. Captain Cold also founded the Flash villain team, the Rogues, to pull off heists. However, what separates Captain Cold from other supervillains is that he’s not entirely cold-hearted. He lives by a strict code of honor that forbids him from harming innocent civilians, which he enforces among his fellow Rogues.

1) Mr. Freeze

Once considered a joke Batman foe, Victor Fries, aka Mr. Freeze, has evolved into one of the most iconic and tragic supervillains in history. Once a cryogenicist, Victor froze his terminally ill wife Nora until a cure could be found for her sickness. However, a lab accident caused Victor to develop a condition where he can’t survive outside of sub-zero temperatures. Mr. Freeze created an exoskeleton suit for his condition that allows him to move about and to commit crimes to fund his research to cure Nora. Naturally, he also invented a Freeze Gun that can instantly encase people in ice and shatter them like glass. Mr. Freeze’s obsession and condition made him coldly dispassionate and cold-blooded psychopath who won’t let anyone stop him from saving Nora.

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