Robert Drake (Earth-418)

* Iceman
* Bobby Drake

> *"My name is Robert Drake. **Iceman.** I've been an X-Man, a Defender, a Champion (don't ask). I've been a super hero since before I was old enough to **shave.** I've stood side by side with the toughest, most powerful heroes in the known universe and always held my own. But **today...** today I need to be something **more.** So go ahead, call me a **joke** if you want. Label me the X-Man with the lamest power ever. But a man of **untapped potential?** Don't you dare ever call me that **again!**"*
>
>

> —Iceman
>
>

As a founding member of the X-Men, **Bobby Drake** has been fighting for the peaceful coexistence of mutants and humans most of his life as **Iceman**. Later, joining groups such as Champions, Defenders, and - later with the founding members of the X-Men - X-Factor, Bobby has always found himself returning to the X-Men. A very powerful elemental, Bobby uses his thermokinesis to create ice shields, freeze enemies, and absorb cold or moisture around himself.

## Biography

### Early Life

Robert "Bobby" Louis Drake was born in Floral Park, Hempstead, New York to William Robert Drake and Madeline Beatrice Bass-Drake. Bobby was Jewish on his mother's side and Irish Catholic on his father's. Bobby first discovered his mutant abilities at a young age when he found himself unable to stop feeling cold and shivering.

A school bully named Rocky Beasely had convinced his gang to attack Bobby and Judy Harmon, his girlfriend at the time. Bobby panicked and encased Rocky in ice, saving Judy, but revealing his abilities to his peers. Believing Bobby to be a dangerous mutant, the people of his town, Fort Washington, organized a lynch mob. The mob broke into the Drake household and overpowered them. The local sheriff noticed that things were getting out of hand and took Bobby into custody for his own protection. The story made its way to Professor Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men.

### X-Men

Xavier sent Scott Summers to recruit Bobby. After Bobby turned him down, the two mutants got into a brief scuffle before the mob caught up with them. The mob was stringing Scott and Bobby up to be hanged when Professor X used his telepathic abilities to erase their memories. Grateful for saving his life and yearning to be like Scott, Bobby enrolled in Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and become the second member of the X-Men. There, the X-Men were tutored by Professor X and trained in the use of their powers in the Danger Room. As 'Iceman', Bobby learned to control his abilities in order to protect a world that feared and hated him for being different alongside Cyclops, Angel, Beast, and Marvel Girl.

## Personality

Bobby is an every-man. He is calm, composed, level-headed and sometimes laid-back, however, he is serious when it comes to his relationship with Rogue and being a member of the X-Men. Bobby is also a selfless, honorable man.

## Physical Appearance

Bobby is a 5 foot 8 inch tall, 145 pound young man. He has a dirty blonde hair colour and ice blue eyes. Bobby also has a brown beard, something he lacked in his earlier years with the X-Men. Bobby usually wears a black combat suit topped off my a black jacket. However, once in Ice form, Bobby's entire outfit has been known to frost up with him, implying his suit is water-proof.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

Robert Drake has been stated to be an Omega Level Mutant. He was also considered an **Omega Level Mutate** by Supergiant, an **Alpha-Level Mutant** by Apocalypse, and a **High Threat** by the O\*N\*E. On a day-to-day basis, Drake's powers aren't capable of their highest level of performance, but this potential has been unlocked on some occasions by various encounters as well as some help from telepaths.

* **Thermokinesis:** Iceman is a mutant with the ability to lower both his external and internal body temperature, which projects intense coldness from his body. Like any normal human being, the nerve centres for regulating Iceman's body temperature are found in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus. However, Iceman can mentally override his hypothalamus to allow his body temperature to be lowered by an unknown internal mechanism. This ability converts the latent thermal energies in and around his body into an unknown form of energy that is efficiently dissipated. A related mutation has rendered his body tissues unaffected by sub-zero temperatures. Iceman can consciously, immediately lower his body temperature from its normal 98.6 Fahrenheit to absolute zero (The point where all molecular motion stops.) and lower within the span of a few tenths of a second. Iceman's power to generate cold is so great, he was able to stop a massive fusion device explosion. As his body temperature falls, the surrounding moisture in the air that is in contact with him is similarly lowered. Just as condensed moisture forms frost, this moisture forms an icy covering which encompasses his entire body. It also obscures his facial features. When Iceman first began to completely lower his body temperature, this covering took on a more snow-like appearance. But as he learned to increase the severity of his coldness, the covering assumed the consistency of crystalline ice that it has today. This ice constantly cracks with any movement of his body, and immediately reforms (hence, there is a cracking sound when Iceman covered with ice, moves). Through practice, Iceman has learned to control the intensity of his coldness, and he can selectively lower the temperature of isolated parts of his body.
	+ **Thermal Vision:** When lowering his body temperature, Iceman can see other beings via the heat signatures they give off because of the absence of heat around himself.
* **Cryokinesis:** Iceman can generate, manipulate, and fully control ice, snow, and cold temperatures. He can use his mutant ability to control moisture such as to freeze any air moisture into super-hard ice. This ice can be formed into any object of his choosing: the only limitations are his own imagination and the ambient air temperature which determines how long his ice sculpture will stay icy. He does not have to hold the ice physically with his hands in order to shape it. Apparently, he can simply direct the waves of coldness he projects in certain ways so as to create ice in the shape he desires. In the past, Iceman has formed ice-ladders, ice-slides, ice-shields, ice-domes, ice-bolts, ice-blasts, ice-beams, and other constructs of ice. Iceman has created constructs of ice so powerful that he was able to easily encase and contain the likes of the Hulk with him being unable to break out of it for quite some time. On at least one occasion, he has even been shown to make it snow or cause a blizzard. He can also unfreeze matter. Iceman is able to form a rising column of ice beneath his feet, capable of lifting him off the ground. The tensile strength of the column is determined by its thickness and its steadiness by how well it has been braced. A well-braced and regular column, 6 feet in diameter at its base, is able to support his weight without toppling for about 85 feet in a 40-mile per hour wind. By forming long ice-ramps connected either to his ice-column or to an existing structure like a building or a bridge, Iceman is able to travel above the ground by sliding down the ramp he is creating. Unless he creates supports periodically, the ramp will crack beneath him, unable to support their combined weight. Iceman although has shown that he is not limited to creating constructs and can fly on his own with his control over moisture, or by levitating the ice on his own body. Iceman's control of his powers are so vast that it extends to the molecular level, to the point that he can freeze all of the molecules of an object/being with a thought, as well as unfreeze it. An example would be freezing the blood in the veins, thereby stopping flow to the brain. He has demonstrated the ability to control chemical reactions on the molecular level, at one point preventing Sunfire from accessing his powers.
	+ **Organic-Ice Form:** Ability to not only cover his body with ice, but to actually become organic ice. Though the appearance is similar, Iceman is now actually translucent in his ice form. Iceman is virtually indestructible in this form, allowing him to reform his body should it become shattered or evaporated. He has been incinerated while in human form and was able to rebuild himself. In his ice form, he is able to use the moisture in the air to form spikes, shields and attach other extra appendages to his body. It is currently unknown if Bobby would be considered immortal. Due to the amount of water on Earth, Iceman has a virtually unlimited supply of moisture since it is always present in the surrounding air or environment. Even desert air has sufficient moisture content for him to make temporary practical use of; however, the mental effort needed to employ his mutant power under these circumstances could eventually fatigue him and render his freezing ability temporarily dysfunctional. Due to his cryokinetic-based powers, Iceman is able to sense, generate and manipulate various cold aspects of the weather such as snow, hail, blizzards, cold air, freezing rain etc.
* **Hydrokinesis:** Iceman can manipulate water at molecular level, he can use surrounding moisture to augment himself, allowing him to travel within large bodies of water very quickly. He accomplishes this by breaking himself down to his base levels and reforming at the destination. He is able to convert his body to gigantic proportions as well, through absorption of a body of water or water vapor in the air. One side effect of this is he gains superhuman strength to match his superhuman size. Wherever there is any moisture, Iceman is a threat. Iceman has demonstrated the ability to be transformed into nothing more than water or water vapor, yet remain conscious and retain the use of his powers. His conscious control of his abilities has allowed him to exist simultaneously in two places at once.
* **Molecular Moisture Inversion:** The ability to freeze water molecules turning them into solid ice.
* **Molecular Moisture Conversion:** The ability to transform organic matter, such as a human body, to organic ice and back again. With this, it is possible for him to project his consciousness through moisture molecules and reform his body at the destination. Though he has only done this to himself, he does possess the potential, as demonstrated by his AoA counterpart, to perform the feat with passengers. He later demonstrated this ability by converting Bishop to moisture as well as himself.
* **Ice Clone Generation:** The ability to generate ice clones of himself. It is unknown how many ice clones he can create at once.
* **Cryokinetic Perception:** After he managed to freeze the Earth in ice and snow, Iceman gained the ability to spread his consciousness through the icy matter and perceive all events occurring within it, likening it to the perception of a God.
* **Cellular Replacement:** Bobby discovered that he was able to use his control over moisture to draw ambient moisture into himself and thus use that moisture to replace his bodies cells. He framed this ability as 'A body swap, done one piece- one cell- at a time', and by doing this was able to avoid receiving a fatal dose of neurotoxin, by letting the poisoned molecules of his body dissipate into vapor and be replaced by untainted water molecules from his surroundings. By using this ability he can heal/purge himself by remaking his own body.

### Abilities

* **Certified Public Accountant**
* **Skilled Ice Skater**
* **Multilinguistic:** Bobby can speak Spanish fluently.
* **Physical Strength:** While in human form Iceman possesses the normal human strength of a man of his age, height, and build who engages in moderate regular exercise. While in his ice form he is able to augment his strength.
* **Hand-to-Hand Combat:** He is a fair hand to hand combatant.

## Equipment

* Formerly utilized a power belt to keep his powers under control.

## Relationships

### Family

* William Drake (father)
* Madeline Drake (mother)
* Evilin Drake (paternal aunt)
* Mary Drake (cousin)
* Joel Drake (cousin)

## Trivia

* Iceman was stated to be an Omega Level Mutate by Supergiant.
* Iceman is "an Omega-level mutant...[and] has powers that can influence the ecosystem of the entire world." Iceman has yet to tap into his full mutant potential, but over the years he has taken more interest in developing his abilities.