Icemaiden


Character biography

Global Guardians

Sigrid Nansen received her powers as the result of an experiment funded by the Norwegian government. In an attempt to please both her overbearing scientist mother (who constantly belittled her for not having a boyfriend and not being a top scientist) and the Norwegian government, Sigrid reluctantly agreed to the experiments. The goal was to duplicate the abilities of what at the time were a legendary tribe of Ice-people; the experiment was a success, though as a side-effect Sigrid’s skin was permanently turned blue. Taking the name Icemaiden, she joined the Global Guardians as her country’s representative to that international super-team.

Legends

During the DC miniseries Legends (1986) the people of the United States were turned against all heroes, superheroes, and metahumans, the President even decreed that no costumed hero could operate legally. This did not affect the Global Guardians, however, who worked outside of the US. During this time, what Sylvester Pemberton referred to as the “Great Super-Hero Scare” [1] Dr. Mist sent Icemaiden, along with Rising Sun, the Tasmanian Devil, and the Green Flame to Canada to run security for the international Trade Conference. Icemaiden fell victim, however, to the group calling itself Injustice Unlimited, and was hypnotized into serving the villains. This resulted in her traveling to Greenland with Jade and the new Icicle on a mission to find and free Solomon Grundy. In the end the villains were defeated and Icemaiden regained her free will [2].

Resignation

Upon the discovery of a real tribe of Ice-people, their princess Tora Olafsdotter (Ice) joined the Global Guardians. This led Sigrid to quit the team.

Justice League

Years later, after Ice had left the Global Guardians, joined the Justice League International, and was killed by the Overmaster, Sigrid re-emerged. She chose to honor the fallen heroine by serving as her replacement in the Justice League.

JLA

There were hints of a romantic relationship with her teammate Fire, but this was all part of a plan hatched by Sigrid. Realizing Fire was not coping with Ice’s death (and Fire was attempting to control her, much like her mother had done growing up), she physically remade herself resemble Ice and showed romantic feelings toward Fire. The shock made Fire realize that Ice was gone, and she could not recreate the past. During her time in the JLA, she was disliked and criticized by Guy Gardner, who had also not come to terms with Ice’s death.

She left active duty with the League after she and several others were heavily wounded during the attack of the Hyperclan (White Martians). Later recovered, Sigrid resumed her super-hero career and is assumed to have eventually joined an unofficial branch of Justice League Europe. That League chapter was, however, infiltrated by the Mist, who apparently lured Icemaiden away and subsequently disguised herself as the blue-skinned heroine before killing three League members: Crimson Fox, Amazing Man, and Blue Devil.

In the same story, it was revealed that Mist covertly contacted Icemaiden and informed her of a supposed threat facing her homeland of Norway, and she must defeat the threat without informing anyone until afterwards. Icemaiden left during the middle of the night, and Mist replaced her within the JLE by the next morning. The JLE did not know that Mist replaced Icemaiden until Mist began her attacks against them. Mist informed Crimson Fox that the threat she informed Icemaiden about was not real, and that she had sent Icemaiden on an ultimately fruitless search so that she could disguise herself as Icemaiden and replace her on the team [3].

One Year Later

After Infinite Crisis it was revealed that Icemaiden had at some point been abducted by the supervillain Warp, a capture paid for by a mysterious “organ-napper” who turned out to be former film actress Delores Winters. Winters — believed to have been killed decades earlier by the Ultra-Humanite — longed for new flesh to replace her own aging skin and had her personal physician surgically flay the Icemaiden in order to harvest her superpowered skin. Icemaiden did not die, however, and eventually was placed, comatose, into a hydration womb within a facility of S.T.A.R. Labs [4].

It is mentioned in this story that Icemaiden has alabaster skin, although she had blue skin in all of her prior appearances.

Relationships

Sigrid is one of the few bisexual superheroines operating in the DCU. She was flirtatious with Nuklon during their time together in the JLA, and then later became involved with Olivia Reynolds, the ex-girlfriend of Green Lantern Hal Jordan [5].

She also showed interest in Judaism during her conversations with Nuklon.

Powers

Icemaiden possess the abilities surrounding ice, snow and cold. Her powers are similar to Ice, Polar Boy from the Legion of Super-Heroes series, Killer Frost, Coldsnap of the Masters of Disaster, the second Icicle, Frostbite of the short-lived Young Heroes in Love series, and to a lesser degree, Celsius of the Doom Patrol. Although these characters share similar Modus operandi, there are noticeable differences:

  • Ice has magical cold abilities.
  • Polar Boy, like other members of the alien Tharrian race, can reduce the heat around himself or other objects, creating a drop in temperature ranging from mild to intense.
  • Killer Frost is a thermal heat vampire; the by-product is cold expulsion.
  • The second Icicle is a mutant born with cold abilities.
  • Coldsnap can only project icicles and waves of extreme cold.
  • Frostbite is a mythical snow Elf with projection abilities.
  • Celsius controls her core temperature and is able to release enormous heat and cold.

Icemaiden and her powers were not natural and were the result of scientific experiments, imitating the Nordic mythical Ice-people. Whether it was a success because she had a dormant gene is unknown as yet.
Icemaiden can control small quantities of snow and ice, project ice shields and icicles from her body, but her greatest ability is to become very cold and create ice armour in times of great stress. Her powers are closely linked to her mental state.




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