Icemaiden & Ice
Created by E. Nelson Bridwell & Ramona Fradon • Tora
created by Keith Giffen & JM DeMatteis
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NAME + ALIASES:
Sigrid Nansen
KNOWN RELATIVES:
None
GROUP AFFILIATIONS:
Global Guardians, Justice League of America
FIRST APPEARANCE:
Infinity, Inc. #32 (November 1986). Historical: Super Friends #9
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NAME + ALIASES:
Tora Olafsdotter, Icemaiden II)
KNOWN RELATIVES:
King Olaff (father, deceased, Queen Olaf (mother), Ewald (brother,
deceased)
GROUP AFFILIATIONS:
Global Guardians, Justice League of America
FIRST APPEARANCE:
Justice League America #12
DEATH:
Justice League Task Force #14
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The original Icemaiden is Sigrid Nansen. This Norwegian woman
grew up under the shadow of her mother, a renown biophysics researcher.
When the Global Guardians
were formed, Norway felt the pressure to send a representative. Sigrid
was anxious to prove herself and became a test subject to try to duplicate
the powers of the legendary "ice-people." It was successful
and Sigrid became the first Icemaiden. She first met the American heroes
Infinity, Inc. while on a mission to Canada. (Infinity,
Inc. #32)
Sigrid struggled with
insecurities, though, which were only intensified when Tora Olafsdotter applied
to the Guardians. In her final mission, she failed herself and her teammates.
In shame, she resigned her position.
Tora was a bona fide member of a primitive
isolated tribe of magic wielding Norsemen. She was the tribe's princess,
and had
the
uncanny ability to magically control the formation and flow of ice since
birth. When she was in her late teens, Tora's tribe was discovered by
an American explorer, who convinced her to return to civilization with
him. (Secret Origins #33) Later, she became
a member of the Global Guardians. She agreed to serve as Icemaiden
in the
Guardians in return for Norwegian government's help in protecting her
people. When the Guardians were disbanded, she joined her friend, Green
Flame in making a bid for Justice League membership. (Justice
League International #14) Soon, the pair changed their names
to simply "Fire" and "Ice." (#19)
Tora was shy, but good-natured, a complete alien from the civilized world
and its customs. Since Fire had always served as her tutor, Tora formed
a somewhat unusual view of the modem world. Ice was the only member of
the JLI who has ever shown any compassion for the overbearing Guy Gardner,
and even dated him for a time. (Justice League America
#28)
She left briefly to return to her Arctic homeland, where she discovered
that her brother Ewald had been recruited and empowered by the
Overmaster. When Ewald died in an
explosion, Ice absorbed some of the Overmaster's power. (#79-85)
This power made her the Overmaster's pawn, but she ultimately broke free
from his control — only to be slain by the villain. (Justice
League Task Force #14)
Following Tora's death, Sigrid came out of retirement to join the JLA
herself. (Justice League America #98) She hoped
to redeem herself and to honor Tora's legacy. As before, she was plagued
by insecurities, but began friendships with Fire and Nuklon.
Fire helped her break out of her shell, and Sigrid became a true hero
in her own right. (#102) She came "out
of the closet" as well, expressing interest in the JLA's associate,
Olivia Reynolds. (#110) This incarnation
of the League was short-lived, and afterwards she joined an unofficial
branch of Justice League Europe. That "League" was infiltrated
by the Mist, who lured Icemaiden away and killed three of their members.
(Starman #38) The Mist did not kill
Sigrid.
Recently, Tora's friends — including Fire, and Guy — formed
a group called the Super Buddies.
On one of their adventures, the team found themselves in Hell, where
they apparently encountered Tora herself! (JLA
Classified #6) Guy and Fire were stunned to see Tora again and
the outpouring love was too much for the Demon Etrigan to bear. He
bade them to leave and even allowed them to take Ice with them (he said
that her presence in Hell was a mistake). The team could go but were
bound by Hell's "Orpheus Protocol" — if on the way out
of Hell, any were to turn and look behind them at Ice, her soul
would again be forefeit (although Etrigan claimed that this time,
she would pass on to her proper afterlife). The journey proved too
difficult for Fire, who did turn to look. Ice vanished and
the team returned to the surface. (#7) Beetle
tried to console Bea by hypothesizing that after all, they had been
in hell and it was very likely that this "Tora" was merely
a personal torture for Bea and Guy. (#9)
Icemaiden has since fared barely better. She fell victim to the Organ
Thief, who flayed her skin from her body. This left S.T.A.R. doctors
scrambling to keep her body temperature warm enough to prevent freezing herself. In
the midst of a scuffle, her containment unitwas breached. Her prognosis
remains unknown. (JSA: Classified #19)
 In retrospect, the JLA's writer at the time, Mark
Waid, regrets the decision to kill Ice.
Both Icemaidens possessed the ability to create and manipulate masses
of ice. Sigrid's powers were manmade; Tora's powers were inborn.
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Justice
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