Killer Frost

Killer Frost
Caitlin Snow as Killer Frost in Justice League of America: Killer Frost Rebirth #1 (March 2017). Art by Mirka Andolfo
Publication information
Publisher	DC 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 ego	Crystal Frost Louise Lincoln Caitlin Snow
Species	Metahuman
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 Secret Society of Super Villains Suicide Squad Justice League of America Justice League
Notable aliases	(Caitlin Snow) Frost
Abilities	(All) Cold and Ice manipulation Thermokinetic Cryokinesis Thermokinesis Energy and heat 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. Each different individual in the DC Universe assuming the Killer Frost persona usually has some connection to the superhero Firestorm.

Various iterations (Crystal Frost and Louise Lincoln) have appeared in various animated projects and video games with most of them having the character voiced by Jennifer Hale. Danielle Panabaker portrays Caitlin Snow on the shared DC Arrowverse shows, where she is a main character on the television series The Flash.

Fictional character biographies[]

Crystal Frost[]

Crystal Frost was the first incarnation, first appearing in Firestorm #3 (June 1978).^[1] While Frost was studying to be a scientist in Hudson University, she fell in love with her teacher Martin Stein. While working on a project in the Arctic, Frost was upset to learn that Stein did not reciprocate her feelings; Stein told a fellow researcher that Crystal was a withdrawn student and that he had merely tried to draw her out of her shell, which Crystal completely misinterpreted. Frost accidentally locked herself in a thermafrost chamber but survived, being transformed in a way in which she was able to absorb heat from a living being and project cold and ice. Calling herself "Killer Frost", she began her murderous crusade against men and clashed with Firestorm on many occasions.^[2] Killer Frost eventually died after she absorbed too much energy from Firestorm.^[3] Crystal has been identified as one of the deceased villains entombed below the Hall of Justice.^[4] Her body was reanimated as a Black Lantern.^[5]

Louise Lincoln[]

Dr. Louise Lincoln is the second incarnation; she first appeared in Firestorm (vol. 2) #21 (March 1984) and used the "Killer Frost" name in Firestorm (vol. 2) #34 (April 1985).^[6] Lincoln was a colleague and friend to Crystal Frost. After her friend's death, she decided to repeat the experiment as a last respect to her former mentor, and became the second Killer Frost. She became just as ruthless as her predecessor and began her own personal vendetta against Firestorm whom she blamed for Crystal's death. She briefly served as a member of the Suicide Squad and sold her soul to Neron for more power.

During the Underworld Unleashed event, Killer Frost attacked Hawaii, freezing part of the islands before being stopped by Superboy and Knockout.

After a group of mobsters put out a hit on Lois Lane, Killer Frost rescued Lois from Solomon Grundy, only to then leave the reporter bound and gagged on a set of train tracks, hoping to take the credit and reward for Lane's death. Her plan was foiled by Superman who rescued Lois before the train could hit.^[7]

Killer Frost was later freed when the DEO refrigeration truck transporting her crashed. Effigy happened upon the crash and she discovered the heat from Effigy's pyrokinetic abilities enabled her to kiss Effigy without him freezing over. The two had a brief flirtatious partnership that dissolved when Effigy lost patience with her lecturing on how to defeat Green Lantern. After Green Lantern buried them both under a mountain of snow, Effigy escaped and abandoned her to be apprehended again.^[8]

In the Superman/Batman "Public Enemies" arc, Killer Frost was one of many supervillains seeking to earn a $1 billion reward offered by President Lex Luthor to sanction Superman and Batman. She teamed with Mister Freeze, Icicle (Cameron Mahkent) and Captain Cold in an attempt to ambush the two heroes in Washington D.C., but all four were defeated. They attacked in a second wave, along with more villains such as Giganta and Gorilla Grodd, but a similar backup of superheroes battered them all into submission. It was later discovered that this ice-themed team of villains was being mind controlled by Grodd.^[9]

Dr. Light hired Killer Frost and Mirror Master to attack Green Arrow and Black Lightning at a hospital in Chicago, Illinois, where Kimiyo Hoshi was being held. Green Arrow stopped Killer Frost by firing an arrow filled with Greek fire into her thigh. Unable to absorb the heat from the arrow, she was defeated.^[10]

Around this time, Lincoln discovered that she had contracted cancer, and tricked 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's abilities reversed the alterations to Lincoln's body, returning her cancer.^[11]

Killer Frost returned during the events of One Year Later, where she had apparently entered into a relationship with Mr. Freeze. Together, the two villains went on a killing spree in Manhattan, hoping to draw Firestorm into an elaborate trap. Once the hero arrived, Killer Frost used a device to send both of them into space, where she sought to absorb the heat energy of the sun. Firestorm narrowly managed to stop her plan, and both Killer Frost and Mister Freeze were taken into custody by Batman. As they were being sent away, Killer Frost angrily revealed to Mister Freeze that she had only been using her lover as a pawn, and had no romantic interest.^[12]

Killer Frost was later seen battling Firestorm in the Justice League of America Wedding Special until Lex Luthor, Joker and Cheetah arrived, subdued Firestorm, and invited Killer Frost to join the new Injustice League. She then appeared in Salvation Run, where she was sent to the Prison Planet after having been defeated and captured by the Suicide Squad.

In DC Universe #0, she was seen as a member of Libra's Secret Society of Super Villains. She is later seen as one of the villains sent to retrieve the Get Out of Hell Free card from the Secret Six, and ultimately helped deal the killing blow to the crazed supervillain Junior and the troubled vigilante Tarantula.^[13] A short time after this encounter with the Secret Six, Killer Frost appeared as one of the participants in a metahuman fighting tournament in Tokyo. She was defeated by Wonder Woman and Black Canary who had disguised themselves as villains in order to take down the tournament from the inside.^[14]

The "DC Rebirth" version of Louise Lincoln debuts in the "Watchmen" sequel "Doomsday Clock." While Firestorm considers "The Superman Theory" as a hoax, Killer Frost claims that Captain Atom, Firehawk, Moonbow, and Typhoon are the government's creations.^[15] Killer Frost later accompanied Black Adam in his attack on the White House.^[16]

Caitlin Snow[]

The New 52[]

Caitlin Snow as Killer Frost. Artwork for the cover of Justice League of America: Killer Frost #1 (January 2017 DC Comics). Art by Joshua Oyerokun.

In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity; Killer Frost is reintroduced in September 2013, as the "Villains Month" part of the Forever Evil – she was featured in the one-shot Justice League of America (vol. 3) #7.2, also titled Killer Frost #1.^[17] She can also be seen on the cover of Forever Evil #1, which hints at her involvement in that series where she's revealed to be Dr. Caitlin Snow, a scientist sent to S.T.A.R. Labs Outpost #72 in the Arctic to work on a thermodynamic engine whose creator had committed suicide. Snow soon discovered the place had been infiltrated by H.I.V.E. agents. When they tried to kill her inside the engine, Snow frantically ripped off the coolant system, merging her body with ice. Transformed into a heat vampire, she killed the H.I.V.E. agents out of revenge. She then wandered out into the cold until she came across a Norwegian camp and took their heat too. Hijacking a helicopter, she made it back to her hometown Pittsburgh. She even created a suit that helped her retain heat for longer. She later encountered the superhero Firestorm and discovered that his powers could temporarily heal her mutation. She tried recreating the Firestorm Nuclear Matrix several times, only to fail with each attempt. When Firestorm and the Justice League were declared dead by the Crime Syndicate, she lost hope for a cure to her condition.^[18]

Killer Frost later has a scientist named Byte track down Martin Stein, the original creator of the Firestorm Matrix, to his secluded cabin while he had gone into hiding during the Crime Syndicate's takeover of Earth. She encountered Steve Trevor who was sent there on a mission to try to find the Justice League who were imprisoned inside Firestorm. Learning he was alive, Snow allied herself with the two men to find them. Soon they were attacked by supervillains Multiplex, Black Bison, Hyena, and Plastique for betraying the Syndicate. While fighting them off, Stein, Trevor and Frost teleported to another A.R.G.U.S. base, where they learned that to free the Justice League, they needed Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth. Discovering Cheetah was keeping it as a trophy, they found her and her Menagerie, but were subdued. Doctor Light (Arthur Light) suddenly appeared and blasted everyone except Frost and Trevor unconscious. After defeating him, they managed to deliver the Lasso of Truth to Cyborg who successfully used it to free his teammates.^[19]

DC Rebirth[]

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In DC Rebirth, Caitlin Snow is taken to Belle Reve Penitentiary, where she is introduced to the Suicide Squad and offered a place on the team by Amanda Waller. She accepts and joins the team. She helps the Suicide Squad in their fight against the Justice League, but subsequently assists them against Maxwell Lord when he is possessed by Eclipso, whose attempt to tap into her "darkest desire" only unlocks her desire to make a difference. She then has to save all the Suicide Squad and the Justice League by absorbing the energy out of Superman and using it against Maxwell Lord. Afterwards, Waller is forced to release Snow into Batman's custody.^[20] She then joined the new Justice League of America made up of Batman, the Atom, Lobo, Black Canary, Vixen and the Ray.

Powers and abilities[]

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.

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 "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[]

DC Super Friends[]

Killer Frost appeared in the DC Super Friends comic as part of a group of ice-themed villains called the "Ice Pack" that encased a city in ice and snow.^[21]

Justice League Adventures[]

The Crystal Frost version appeared along with Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold, Minister Blizzard, , Icicle, and in the Justice League Adventures comic.^[22]

DC Bombshells[]

Killer Frost appears in the DC Bombshells continuity, which takes place during World War II. She serves Hugo Strange of the Nazi Regime alongside Penguin and a brainwashed Harvey Dent (who is eventually rescued by the Batgirls). While Penguin is in love with her, it's unknown if she truly reciprocates the same feeling.^[23] This version is Louise L'inconnue, who is of French and German descent. In 1870, her mother is killed by angry villagers for conceiving a child with a German man and was thrown into an ice-cold well to die with her child. Louise emerges from the well with blue skin and freezes all the villagers to death. She is later adopted by the Joker's Daughter, who trained her in magic and controlling her powers (while also giving her the chance to kill her father). After clashing with Baroness Paula Von Gunther, she expresses her desire to have the world filled with superhumans like her.^[24]

DC Super Hero Girls[]

Killer Frost appeared in the DC Super Hero Girls by the name of "Frost". In the series, she is shown to be a superhero, instead of a supervillain. She has her own separate bio with her powers and personality listed. She is shown to be very smart too. There she lives with Lady Shiva, Miss Martian and Star Sapphire. She has her own bedroom with: a nightstand, a king sized bed, a desk and other decorations. Her appearance is also different: she has long hair made into a ponytail. She has blue eyes, white skin and all of her outfits have something to do with ice and snow.

Injustice: Gods Among Us comics[]

Killer Frost made an appearance in the comic book prequel to Injustice: Gods Among Us.

In other media[]

Television[]

• The Louise Lincoln incarnation of Killer Frost appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe, voiced by Jennifer Hale.^[25] 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 do so.
  • She first appears in the Justice League two-part episode "Secret Society" as a member of Gorilla Grodd's eponymous team before 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". In the episode "To Another Shore", Killer Frost, Giganta, Heat Wave, and Devil Ray are sent to steal a Viking ship containing the remains of a Viking prince believed to hold the key to invincibility from within a glacier. Amidst a battle with the Justice League, an avalanche threatens a nearby lodge. In response, Martian Manhunter forces Killer Frost to save the endangered civilians. Prior to and during the two-part series finale "Alive!" and "Destroyer", Lex Luthor takes control of the Society and leads them in a mission to resurrect Brainiac. However, Grodd launches a mutiny in the hopes of retaking command. While Killer Frost initially sides with Grodd, she defects to Luthor side after he kills Grodd, freezing Grodd's remaining loyalists. After Darkseid destroys the Society's ship, the surviving members join forces with the Justice League to defeat him.
• An amalgamated version of Killer Frost appears in the teaser for the Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series episode "Darkseid Descending!", voiced again by Jennifer Hale. This version is identified as Louise Lincoln, but wears Crystal Frost's attire. Additionally, she is portrayed as Ronnie Raymond's vengeful ex-girlfriend. She attempts to seek revenge on him, but Batman intervenes to help Firestorm defeat her. As she is taken away by S.T.A.R. Labs, she vows revenge on Firestorm.

Crystal Frost / Killer Frost in Young Justice.

• The Crystal Frost incarnation of Killer Frost appears in the Young Justice animated series, voiced by Sarah Shahi.^[25] In the episode "Independence Day", she attacks Pearl Harbor, but is defeated by Aquaman and Aqualad. In the episode "Terrors", Killer Frost became an inmate at Belle Reve and takes part in a breakout attempt alongside her fellow inmates, only to be defeated by an undercover Superboy. In the episode "Into the Breach", Killer Frost is defeated by Infinity, Inc. as part of Lex Luthor's plot to make the group more popular than the Outsiders.
• Caitlin Snow / Frost appears in the animated web series DC Super Hero Girls, voiced by Danica McKellar.^[25] This version is a hero and student at Super Hero High.
• The Caitlin Snow incarnation of Killer Frost appears in the Justice League Action animated series episode "Freezer Burn", voiced by Mena Suvari.^[25] This version was caught in a freak accident involving "thermafrost", which turned her into Killer Frost, and hired by Mr. Freeze, whom she is a fan of. On the way to his hideout however, Killer Frost is pursued by Firestorm, who she knocks out. After she fights Batman, Mr. Freeze betrays her and uses her to power an aircraft designed to freeze Gotham via a freeze ray. Firestorm frees her, allowing Killer Frost to stop the crashing aircraft. She freezes Mr. Freeze when the latter tries to kill her, Firestorm, and Batman. After knocking out Firestorm again, Killer Frost escapes.
• An unidentified version of Killer Frost makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Harley Quinn animated series episode "Something Borrowed, Something Green". This version's appearance bears a resemblance to that of her counterpart from Batman: Assault on Arkham. She attends Poison Ivy and Kite Man's wedding and later fights officers from the Gotham City Police Department after Commissioner Gordon leads them in busting the wedding.

Arrowverse[]

Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow / Frost in The Flash.

Danielle Panabaker portrays Dr. Caitlin Snow / Killer Frost, a series regular on The Flash live-action series, which is set in The CW's Arrowverse family of related shows. Her character also makes occasional guest appearances on Arrow (in which she debuted), Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. This version is a member of the Central City-based S.T.A.R. Labs team alongside Cisco Ramon / Vibe and Harrison Wells, which supports Barry Allen / Flash.

In season one, 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 Ronnie survived as part of the fire-based superhero Firestorm. Caitlin and Ronnie later marry, but shortly thereafter, Ronnie gives his life to help the Flash close a singularity that opened over Central City. During season two, Caitlin grieves for Ronnie, but grows closer to Hunter Zolomon while he was disguised as Jay Garrick. When Zolomon reveals he has a disease 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 Barry altering the timeline while creating and undoing the "Flashpoint" timeline in season three, Caitlin has developed cryokinetic abilities and an alternate, villainous personality, both of which she attempts to hide from her friends.^[26][27][28] She also develops a relationship with Julian Albert. Caitlin is advised by her mother, Dr. Carla Tannhauser, to not use her powers or her transformations will become irreversible. However, Catlin's abilities fully manifest when Julian takes a power-suppressing necklace off of her so her healing abilities can save her, triggering her transformation into Killer Frost. Joining Savitar as his enforcer, Killer Frost battles Team Flash. After a fight with Cisco, she turns against Savitar after being given a cure developed by Julian. She defends her former teammates from Savitar and assists in defeating him before leaving to rediscover herself.

In season four, Caitlin and Killer Frost develop a "Jekyll and Hyde"-esque relationship.^[29][30] The former works in a criminal underworld bar until Cisco convinces her to return to Team Flash. Caitlin also comes to terms with her dual personalities, 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 came from her childhood and that she suppressed the memories. In season five, she 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 to save Thomas from his evil persona. In season six, Caitlin experiments with giving Killer Frost more time with their shared body and allowing her to live her own life. In season seven, the exposure to Eva McCulloch/Mirror Monarch's rays caused Frost's cells to replicate enough to create a new body, separating their telepathic connection so that they could no longer hear each other's thoughts. Caitlin and Killer Frost decide to live separate lives as twin sisters.

Film[]

• The Louise Lincoln incarnation of Killer Frost appears in the animated film Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, voiced again by an uncredited Jennifer Hale. She joins forces with fellow ice-based villains Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold, and Icicle to claim a bounty on Superman placed by President Lex Luthor. After a brief fight with Batman, they are defeated by Superman.
• The Louise Lincoln incarnation of Killer Frost appears in the animated film Batman: Assault on Arkham, voiced again by Jennifer Hale.^[25][31] She is recruited by Amanda Waller to join the Suicide Squad in order to break into Arkham Asylum and retrieve data stolen by the Riddler, though Waller secretly assigns Killer Frost to kill him. Following a battle with Batman, Killer Frost slips away and locates the Riddler, but chooses not to kill him when she learns the data the squad is meant to retrieve is a method for safely disabling the bombs Waller implanted into them to keep them in line. Killer Frost and Riddler rejoin the squad to defuse their bombs, though they discover Black Spider is actually Batman. Soon after, the Joker sets all of Arkham's inmates loose. Killer Frost tries to escape by stealing a police car, but Bane grabs and throws the car, which explodes upon hitting the ground.
• The Crystal Frost incarnation of Killer Frost appears in the animated film Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, voiced by Kristin Bauer van Straten.^[25] This version is a "tough girl" whose powers manifested while she was young and used them to kill her abusive parents. In the present, she is recruited into Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad to retrieve a "Get Out of Hell Free" card. While escaping from Vandal Savage, Killer Frost is kidnapped by Silver Banshee and Blockbuster, who take her to Professor Zoom to defuse her nano-bomb and coerce to her to betray the Squad and get the card for him. After the Squad tracks down Savage and subdues him, Zoom's group arrives and subdues the Squad in turn before killing Savage to retrieve the card. However, Killer Frost kills Banshee and Blockbuster in an attempt to hold the card for ransom. Copperhead frees himself and fights Killer Frost until Waller detonates his nano-bomb, killing both combatants.

Video games[]

• The Louise Lincoln incarnation of Killer Frost appears as a playable character in Justice League Heroes, voiced by Nika Futterman.
• The Louise Lincoln incarnation of Killer Frost appears as a boss in the MMORPG DC Universe Online, voiced by .^[25]
• The Louise Lincoln incarnation of Killer Frost appears in Injustice: Gods Among Us, voiced again by Jennifer Hale. In an alternate reality, she is a member of Superman's Regime until they are defeated by a group of heroes from their Earth and the "prime" Earth. In her non-canonical arcade ending, Killer Frost becomes overconfident after defeating Superman and is captured by S.T.A.R. Labs scientists, who intend to use her to fortify the polar ice caps. However, she breaks free and freezes the entire Western hemisphere, leaving the survivors to struggle to overthrow her.
• The Crystal Frost incarnation of Killer Frost appears as a boss in Young Justice: Legacy, voiced by Vanessa Marshall.

Lego[]

• The Louise Lincoln incarnation of Killer Frost appears as an unlockable character in the portable version of Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.
• The Caitlin Snow incarnation of Killer Frost appears as a downloadable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.
• The Caitlin Snow incarnation of Killer Frost appears in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced by Jennifer Hale.^[32] Following a mass breakout from Stryker's Island, she joins Mirror Master in successfully robbing a jewelry store before they later encounter the Teen Titans and the Justice Syndicate. After an escapade with the Rookie, they are accompanied by Captain Boomerang and Deadshot to find Harley Quinn. Once Killer Frost is rescued by the Joker and Livewire, she joins the Rookie, Gorilla Grodd and the Scarecrow in traveling to Oa to free Sinestro from the Green Lantern Corps and Power Ring. Killer Frost later joins the Legion of Doom and the Justice League to stop Darkseid from acquiring the Anti-Life Equation before leaving with the Legion.

Miscellaneous[]

The DCAU version of Killer Frost appears in the Justice League Unlimited spin-off comic book.^[33]

References[]