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Iceman (Robert Louis "Bobby" Drake) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic
books published by Marvel Comics and is a founding member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan
Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #1 (September 1963).
Iceman is a member of a subspecies of humans known as mutants, who are born with superhuman
abilities. He has the ability to manipulate ice and cold by freezing water vapor around him. This
allows him to freeze objects, as well as turn his body into ice.
The character has been frequently present in X-Men and Spider-Man-related comics, video games,
animated series, and movies. Shawn Ashmore portrayed Iceman in the X-Men films, and voices the
character in The Super Hero Squad Show.
Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in X-Men #1
(September 1963). Lee later admitted that Iceman was created essentially as a copy of the Human
Torch, only using the opposite element for his power.[1]
Iceman was featured in two self-titled limited comic book miniseries, one in 1984-85 written by J. M.
DeMatteis and another in the 2000s by Andy Lanning and Dan Abnett, with art by Karl Kerschl.
DeMatteis said of the first series, "It was my idea, so there was no one to blame but myself. I'll just
say that it was a mistake and if the series made any sense whatsoever it was due to [editor] Bob
Budiansky. That was a case where the editor's input was really needed - and Bob was a big help."[2]
A mainstay in most X-Men titles, Iceman has been a main character in both Uncanny X-Men and the
second volume of X-Men and was also featured in The Champions from 1975 to 1978[3] and The
New Defenders from 1983 to 1986 as a member. He was a main character in the first volume of X-
Factor, and a star in flashback stories when he was a teenager in X-Men: The Hidden Years and X-
Men: First Class.
In April 2015, in issue 40 of All-New X-Men, a time-displaced version of the teenaged Iceman was
revealed as gay by his teammate, Jean Grey, who discerned this with her telepathic ability.[4] This
raised questions, because the character's adult, present-day counterpart had previously been
portrayed dating women. In Uncanny X-Men #600, which was published in November that year, the
young Iceman confronts his older self, who confirms that he is gay as well but repressed his true
self, not wanting to be both gay and a mutant.[5] In 2017, Iceman received his first ongoing solo
series, which focused on the adult Bobby Drake coming to terms with life as an out gay man, his
Omega-level superpowers, his legacy as a hero and fighting some of the biggest villains in the
Marvel Universe.[6] The book had been cancelled, with its last issue being in early 2018.[7]