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 worsened and he was quickly hospitalized when 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 got emancipated 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, 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 guy 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 juggle 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 teammates.

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

Oliver has dark blond hair, 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 cares way more than he wants 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 commendable and 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 utilize a variety of hazardous chemicals and chemical agents.

ROGUES GALLERY

BLOODSHOT

Known Aliases:
The Huntsman
Threat Level: Delta
Method of Operation:
Bounty Hunting, Human Trafficking, War Crimes
Vendettas: UNTIL

Bloodshot, or The Huntsman as he is also known as, is a ruthless mercenary whose favored targets are mutants. He collects them, hunts them for sport, sells them to the highest bidder or uses them as a resource. The Huntsman has been used as a bogeyman tale for mutants, but it is definitely not a story suited for young children.

Bloodshot is known to supplement his arsenal of heavy weapons with power stolen from mutants, by having himself augmented through gruesome surgical procedures. A certain young, British cryokinetic is on his list of wanted specimens and valuable targets.

Incarcerated

PIZZAVORE

Known Aliases:
Pizzaface
Threat Level: Beta
Method of Operation:
Alien Abductions, Dine and Dash, Widespread Panic
Vendettas: Darren's Pizza, Speed-E Pizza

When this unknown alien creature hatched, it was ravaged by an insatiable hunger, the first thing it came across was a Darren's Pizza establishment. Fortunately the creature only feast itself upon the human food, and not the humans customers, but as a result it developed a strong taste for pizza. It has been craving the cheesy, tomatoey flatbread ever since. And so it was dubbed Pizzavore.

In Oliver's book there are few crimes more unforgivable than to deprive one of their pizza. Which makes this monster, regardless of its origins or whatever species it may be, Black Ice's mortal foe.

Inactive

THE ALCHEMIST

Known Aliases:
???
Threat Level: Gamma
Method of Operation:
Chemical Warfare, Conspiracy, Drug Production
Vendettas: Black Ice

???

Inactive

MISS PUSSYCAKES

Known Aliases:
Bob the Cat
Threat Level: Alpha
Method of Operation:
Aggressive Behavior, Littering, Theft, Trespassing
Vendettas: Black Ice

Miss Pussycakes is the ridiculously pampered and monstrously obese cat of Olevia Alvarez or Lash, one of Oliver's closest allies. Whether it is because of the attention Olevia gives Oliver, the low body temperature of the cryokinetic or the fact Oliver once utilized Miss Pussycakes as a weapon, the beast clearly detests Black Ice.

Oliver has long suspected Miss Pussycakes was once the pet of a supervillain. He also believes the cat was responsible for the pizza thefts over the summer of 2015, but has not been able to prove it.

Still At Large

HOT PINK

Known Aliases:
Eleanora Russell
Threat Level: Alpha
Method of Operation:
Bribery, Manipulation, Reckless Behavior, Sabotage
Vendettas: The Progeny (most notably Lash)

Instead of getting a car, Eleanora convinced her dad to buy her metahuman powers for her sixteenth birthday. After volunteering for a procedure to turn her into a mutate Eleanora got her wish in the form of calokinetic abilities. She adopted the name Hot Pink and became a supermodel as well as a superhero. In truth, she could not care less about helping people and behaves more like a villain.

After modeling with Black Ice in a photo shoot and failing to seduce him, Hot Pink developed an unhealthy crush for the British hero. An obsession that almost rivals her selfish desire for glamour and fame.

Active

COOL FACTS

MEDIA

• Black Ice: The Cool Life of a Cryokinetic
• Black Ice: #ColdHardReality (Progeny Writing Challenge September 2015)

• Black Ice - In-Game Costume Files
• Black Ice - Character Reference Sheet

TESTIMONIALS