Killer Frost

For other uses, see Killer Frost (disambiguation).
Killer Frost
Caitlin Snow as Killer Frost in Justice League of America: Killer Frost Rebirth #1
(March 2017). Art by Mirka Andolfo
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearance(Crystal Frost) Firestorm #3 (June 1978)
(Louise Lincoln) Firestorm (vol. 2) #21 (March 1984) (as Louise Lincoln)
Firestorm (vol. 2) #34 (April 1985) (as Killer Frost)
(Caitlin 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(Crystal Frost and Louise Lincoln)
Gerry Conway
Al Milgrom
(Caitlin Snow)
Dan Jurgens
In-story information
Alter egoCrystal Frost
Dr. Louise Lincoln
Caitlin Snow
SpeciesMetahuman
Team affiliations(Crystal Frost)
Hudson University
Black Lantern Corps
(Louise Lincoln)
Suicide Squad
Injustice League
Secret Society of Super Villains
(Caitlin Snow)
S.T.A.R. Labs
Legion of Doom
Suicide Squad
Justice League of America
Justice League
Notable aliases(Caitlin Snow)
Frost
Abilities(All)
  • Cryokinesis
  • Thermokinesis
  • Energy absorption

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]

Fictional character biographies

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Crystal Frost

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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

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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 during the Superman/Batman "Public Enemies" arc.[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]

Caitlin Snow

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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]

Powers and abilities

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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, as seen when she kisses Firestorm.

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.

Other versions

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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]

In other media

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Television

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Crystal Frost / Killer Frost in Young Justice.
  • The Louise Lincoln incarnation of Killer Frost appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced by Jennifer Hale.[24] This version is motivated by a base desire to kill people and does not seem to care who she serves so long as she is afforded the opportunity to kill.
    • She first appears in the Justice League two-part episode "Secret Society" as a member of Gorilla Grodd's eponymous team, though they are eventually defeated by the Justice League.
    • Killer Frost appears in Justice League Unlimited, having rejoined Grodd's Society as of the episode "I Am Legion". Prior to and during the episodes "Alive!" and "Destroyer", Lex Luthor takes control of the Society, but Grodd mounts a mutiny. Killer Frost initially sides with the latter before defecting to the former, freezing Grodd's remaining loyalists in the process. After Darkseid attacks and kills most of the Society, Luthor, Killer Frost, and the survivors join forces with the Justice League to defeat him and thwart his invasion of Earth.
  • An amalgamated incarnation of Killer Frost appears in the teaser for the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Darkseid Descending!", voiced again by Jennifer Hale. This version is identified as Louise Lincoln, resembles Crystal Frost, and is Ronnie Raymond's vengeful ex-girlfriend.
  • The Crystal Frost incarnation of Killer Frost appears in Young Justice, voiced by Sarah Shahi.[24]
  • The Caitlin Snow incarnation of Killer Frost appears in the Justice League Action episode "Freezer Burn", voiced by Mena Suvari.[24] This version gained her powers during a freak accident involving "thermafrost" and is a fan of Mr. Freeze.
  • An unidentified incarnation of Killer Frost makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Harley Quinn. This version's appearance resembles her counterpart from Batman: Assault on Arkham.

Arrowverse

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See also: Caitlin Snow (Arrowverse)
Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow / Frost in The Flash.

Danielle Panabaker portrays Dr. Caitlin Snow in media set in the Arrowverse. Following initial guest appearances in Arrow and primarily appearing in The Flash, this version is a member of a Central City-based S.T.A.R. Labs team alongside Cisco Ramon / Vibe and Harrison Wells, which supports Barry Allen / Flash.

In the first season, she struggles with her fiancé Ronnie Raymond's apparent death following S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator exploding and creating various metahumans before later discovering Raymond survived as part of Firestorm. Caitlin and Raymond later marry, but he sacrifices himself to help the Flash close a singularity that opened over Central City. During the second season, Caitlin grieves for Raymond, but grows closer to Hunter Zolomon while he was disguised as Jay Garrick. When Zolomon reveals he has a condition that limits the use of his super-speed, Caitlin develops the Velocity serum to save his life. However, she and Team Flash soon discover Zolomon's true identity before he kidnaps her and takes her to Earth-2, where she meets her evil Earth-2 doppelganger, Killer Frost. Following this encounter, Caitlin begins to fear whether she has a capacity for evil as well.

Due to Allen altering the timeline while creating and undoing the "Flashpoint" timeline in the third season, Caitlin developed cryokinetic abilities and an alternate, villainous personality, both of which she attempts to hide from her friends.[25][26][27] Additionally, she develops a relationship with Julian Albert, is advised by her mother, Dr. Carla Tannhauser, to not use her powers or her transformations will become irreversible, and dons a power-suppressing necklace. However, Catlin's abilities fully manifest after she sustains lethal injuries and Albert removes her necklace so she can use her healing abilities to save herself, triggering her transformation into Killer Frost. Joining Savitar as his enforcer, she battles Team Flash until Albert gives her a cure he developed. She subsequently betrays Savitar and helps her friends defeat him before leaving to rediscover herself.

In the fourth season, Caitlin and Killer Frost develop a "Jekyll and Hyde"-esque relationship while the former works to reconcile her dual personalities,[28][29] giving herself the ability to switch between her two personas at will. Furthermore, Killer Frost begins to show a more heroic side and agrees to use her powers to help Team Flash. Later in the season, Caitlin discovers her powers and Killer Frost originated during her childhood and that she suppressed the memories.

In the fifth season, Caitlin discovers further that her father, Thomas Snow, experimented on her and himself in an attempt to cure their ALS genes, resulting in them both developing alternate personalities with cryokinetic powers. After he becomes Icicle, Caitlin and Killer Frost work together to save Thomas from his evil persona, with Killer Frost renaming herself "Frost".

In the sixth season, Caitlin experiments with giving Frost more time with their shared body and allowing her to live her own life. In the seventh season, they are separated after being exposed to Mirror Monarch's rays and decide to live separate lives as twin sisters.

In the eighth season, Frost transforms into Hellfrost and sacrifices herself to defeat Deathstorm. Having secretly taken a hair sample from Frost, Caitlin tries to resurrect her with Chillblaine's help by entering the Consciousness Resurrection Chamber, but the machine malfunctions, causing a new individual named Khione (also portrayed by Panabaker) to emerge in the ninth season.[30] Eventually, Khione becomes a nature goddess and returns Caitlin's body to her.

Caitlin also appears in the animated series Freedom Fighters: The Ray, with Panabaker reprising the role.[24]

Film

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Video games

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Lego

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Miscellaneous

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References

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  1. ^ Baugher, Lacy (2023-02-16). "The Flash: Who is the New Character Wearing Caitlin Snow and Killer Frost's Face?". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  2. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  3. ^ Wallace, Dan (2008), "Firestorm", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 123, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017
  4. ^ Firestorm (vol. 2) #21
  5. ^ Blackest Night #1
  6. ^ Blackest Night #3
  7. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. pp. 174–175. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  8. ^ Superman (vol. 2) #182
  9. ^ Green Lantern (vol. 3) #127
  10. ^ Superman/Batman #3
  11. ^ Green Arrow (vol. 3) #54–55
  12. ^ Firestorm (vol. 2) #9–10
  13. ^ Firestorm (vol. 2) #24–25
  14. ^ Secret Six (vol. 3) #6–7
  15. ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 3) #35
  16. ^ Doomsday Clock #5 (May 2018). DC Comics.
  17. ^ Doomsday Clock #11. DC Comics.
  18. ^ Young, Bryan (June 5, 2013). "Exclusive: Which Villains Are Taking Over the Justice League?". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  19. ^ Justice League of America: Killer Frost (vol. 3) #7.2 (November 2013)
  20. ^ Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S. #1–6
  21. ^ Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #6
  22. ^ DC Comics Bombshells #15
  23. ^ DC Comics Bombshells #92
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Killer Frost Voices (DC Universe)". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  25. ^ Natalie Abrams. "'The Flash' Bosses on That Surprising Return". Ew.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  26. ^ "The Flash finally unmasks Savitar, but is it worth the wait?". Avclub.com. 3 May 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  27. ^ "The Flash: Killer Frost Turns Up At STAR Labs In First 'Cause And Effect' Photos". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  28. ^ Chancellor Agard. "'The Flash' premiere recap: Team Flash is back, baby!". Ew.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  29. ^ "The Flash 4x18 Review: "Lose Yourself" (Death by Ethics) [Contributor: Deborah MacArthur]". Itsjustaboutwrite.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  30. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (February 16, 2023). "The Flash: Danielle Panabaker Talks 'Surprising' Caitlin Reveal, 'Interesting Ride Ahead' With Team's New Foe". TVLine. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  31. ^ Gary Collinson. "First trailer for Batman: Assault on Arkham animated movie". Flickering Myth. Archived from the original on 2014-04-20.
  32. ^ Trumbore, Dave (January 11, 2018). "Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay Cast, Images Revealed". Collider. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  33. ^ Eisen, Andrew (November 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  34. ^ Crecente, Brian (30 May 2018). "'Lego DC Super-Villains' Drops in October". Variety.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  35. ^ "Justice League Adventures #12 - Cold War! (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  36. ^ "Justice League Unlimited #21 - Stormy Weather (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  37. ^ DC Super Friends #16 (August 2009)
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