Oliver Thomas Black was born in London, England, on February 2nd, 1998. He lived a typical middle-class childhood in the United Kingdom, until his genetic mutation manifested during puberty.

The initial symptoms were easily dismissed as a fever or simply blamed on puberty, but it soon became apparent that this was something else entirely. The teen's condition quickly worsened and he was immediately hospitalized as his declining body temperature started to reach critical levels. Any attempt to warm up Oliver's body seemed to only produce adverse effects, leaving the doctors with little choice but to cease their treatments and simply monitor Oliver's condition. The doctors soon realized that they were dealing with something that could only be explained as metahuman.
Despite the abnormally low body temperature, Oliver's organs continued to function. A strange layer of frost and ice slowly began to cover the teenager's entire body, leaving the now comatose Oliver with a permanently frost-shrouded appearance. His condition and vitals became stable again, but Oliver's life was forever changed. As it turned out Oliver was not ill, he was a mutant.

After spending several months in hospitals and research facilities Oliver's doctors managed to create a concoction of cryogenic liquids and other chemicals that allowed Oliver to return to looking like his old self again. The serum basically suppressed the outward mutation by lowering Oliver's core temperature, tricking his body into thinking it had already reached its ideal temperature and no longer needed to keep forming an exterior layer of ice crystals. Unfortunately the effects of the serum were only temporary and Oliver would eventually return to his default mutant state again.

Oliver returned home and went back to school, but between the manifestations of his unmastered cryogenic abilities and having to regularly ingest a still experimental serum trying to live a normal life ended up being a near impossible task. Family relationships were strained. And Oliver kept getting in trouble at school as events were happening around him that he could not explain.

At the age of 16 Black left his home and moved to Millennium City, The City of the Future, in the United States to get a fresh start, where he worked odd jobs to support himself. He chose the city for its relatively high tolerance towards metahumans and, more importantly, because of the many scientific discoveries in metahuman research that were constantly taking place there.

Oliver started practicing parkour and soon found himself using his mutant powers for good, hindering the criminals in his neighborhood. He became known by the alias Black Ice and joined a club of young metahumans and heroes in training called New Vigil. This would eventually lead to him joining his current team, The Progeny, which formed the start of Oliver's career as a crime fighter.

After a funny clip of Black Ice bantering and almost effortlessly wiping the floor with some painfully incapable bad guys went viral, Oliver received the life-changing opportunity to become a corporate sponsored hero. Not possessing the luxury of a secret identity, nor the financial backing of his parents, Oliver decided to roll with it and embraced his new status as a public hero.
He is now trying to combine his life as a university student and a crime fighting hero with the media circus of being a minor celebrity and the responsibilities towards his sponsor and his team.

Black Ice continues to be part of a team of young heroes called The Progeny and is currently being sponsored by Good Guise - Men's Grooming Products.

Oliver has medium brown hair with a faint reddish hue to it, icy blue eyes and an underused infectious smile. He possesses a lean frame and a build that leans more towards athletic than muscular, pretty much exactly what you would expect from a teen hero and parkour fanatic. Admittedly he could do with a bit of a tan, but given his wintry mutation having a pale complexion does kind of seem to fit the young Brit.

When in his default mutant state Oliver is completely covered by a layer of ice and frost from head to toe. But with some difficulty, it is still possible to recognize him in this form. Not surprisingly the frost-shrouded appearance is often met with a mixed response. There are some who consider such an apparent mutation to be off-putting, while others think it is cool how his skin turns to ice.

Given the nature of his mutation, it should also not be surprising that his choice of wardrobe seldom accounts for the weather.

Oliver Black is usually described as an amiable, albeit somewhat troubled young man. He does not warm up to people easily and seems to have some trust issues, but his loyalty appears to be absolute. Oliver's demeanor can sometimes come across as cold or distant, although in most cases it is fairly obvious he does care more than he is able to let on or is willing to admit.

In the field Black Ice is typically able to keep his cool, even when everything around him is going up in flames. He is also a little headstrong and, despite the fact that being reckless and impulsive is out of character for him, often acts without any concern for his own safety. Qualities that can be seen as both selfless and extremely foolish at the same time.

While he is considered one of the more promising up-and-coming young heroes, already having his name attached to a brand, Black does not care much for the media attention and prefers to keep to himself. He has actually gotten rather good at evading the press and he seldom agrees to do an interview, much to the frustration of his manager who would like nothing more than to see Oliver fully embrace his status as a minor celebrity. Instead his handler often has to deal with confused or disgruntled photographers who keep having difficulties with iced-over camera lenses.

Cryokinesis

Black Ice possesses the ability to create, direct and manipulate ice or any substance below its freezing point. This gives him the power to cause extreme drops in temperature, spontaneously freeze things solid and to exercise near complete control over frozen substances or ice formations. The ice created through the use of these meta abilities also has a slightly higher density and strength than regular, naturally formed ice crystals. This is especially true for the constantly shifting ice that covers Black's own body when he is in his default mutant state.

While these abilities do not require direct physical contact, using these powers over longer distances appears to be more straining and does not allow Black Ice to exercise the same level of control. It has been estimated that the subject is capable of invoking temperatures as low as several hundred degrees below Celsius when maintaining direct physical contact with his target.

Mutant Physiology

Black Ice is able to withstand extreme weather conditions, particularly those below freezing point, and possesses physical traits that are beyond the human norm, such as heightened endurance, fortitude and stamina. Black is also less receptive to external stimuli, most notably pain. In his default mutant state Black is even able to withstand a moderate force of impact and a significant amount of pressure, due to the protective layer of frost and ice that covers his entire body. Although he is not completely bulletproof and far from invincible.

Due to the drastically reduced body temperature, Black Ice is able to bypass most forms of heat detection. It will also take much longer for certain types of poison and most viruses to take effect. Many forms of radiation do still affect Black Ice, as can some mutagenic compounds or mutagenic energies, as long as they are able to get past the subject's frozen exterior.
His unique physiology unfortunately offers little to no additional protection against any form of magic, with perhaps the exception of pyromancy, or against any mental abilities.

Black Ice has to regularly ingest a concoction of cryogenic liquids and other chemicals in order to maintain the appearance of a normal human teenager.

CAUTION:

Outside of his meta abilities and standard crime fighting paraphernalia, Black Ice is known to be able to utilize a variety of hazardous chemicals and chemical agents.

• Black Ice is a member of The Progeny, a team of young heroes.

• He is most active within Millennium City, The City of the Future.

• Sometimes works alongside the MCFD or aids their crime lab.

• Possesses extensive knowledge in the field of (cryo)chemistry.

• Has fought alongside the esteemed Protectors of the World.

• Is sometimes featured in the media or in superhero news.

• Is sponsored by Good Guise - Men's Grooming Products.

• Oliver Black is British and speaks with an English accent.

• Oliver is a student at Millennium City University or MCU.

• He is also an avid gamer and a practitioner of Parkour.

• Has become a very regular customer at Darren's Pizza.

• Word is that Oliver is currently dating Olevia Alvarez.