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| Jack Frost | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | U.S.A. Comics #1 (August 1941) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Charles Wojtkoski |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Isabrot |
| Species | Ice Giant-Elder God hybrid |
| Team affiliations | Liberty Legion |
| Notable aliases | The God in the Ice |
| Abilities | Cold and ice manipulation Superhuman stamina and durability |
Jack Frost is a fictional superhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character first appeared in 1941 inU.S.A. Comics published by Marvel's 1940s forerunnerTimely Comics, during the period fans and historians call theGolden Age of comic books.[1]
First appearing inU.S.A. Comics #1 (cover-dated August 1941) from Marvel predecessorTimely Comics, Jack Frost was one of the first creations of future Marvel editor-in-chief and publisherStan Lee,[2] who collaborated with pencilerCharles Wojtkoski. Another of the Jack Frost stories was written byCarmine Infantino and drawn byFrank Giacoia.[3] Attribution for the other stories has been debated.[4] The character appeared in four issues (U.S.A. Comics #1-4), before he was swept aside by a more popular headliner,Captain America.[5]
Jack Frost outwardly recalls thefolklorish spirit of winterJack Frost, with icy blue skin and blue shorts.[1] His powers and appearance resembleIceman, another Stan Lee creation who appeared twenty years later, in 1963'sThe X-Men.[6]
Jack Frost's four stories were originally untitled, but comics historians refer to them as "The Origin of Jack Frost", "The Mechanical Octopus Pirates", "The Ambulance Racketeers" and "The Adventure of the Frozen Corpses".[7]
In addition to the four comics stories inU.S.A. Comics, Jack also appeared in a two-page text feature written by Lee in issue #2, "When U.S.A. Heroes Meet!" In this story, there's a gathering at the home of Dan Kane (also known as the superhero Captain Terror) of that issue's heroes: Jack Frost, Rockman,the Whizzer, the Defender and the Vagabond. Jack makes friends with the other heroes, although at one point he does call them "a bunch of sissies". The group agrees to meet next issue and present the tale that they've decided is the best story of the month. The conceit was dropped, and the group did not reassemble in the next issue.
More than three decades after Jack Frost's final appearance, Marvel launchedThe Invaders in 1975, an intentionally nostalgic comic featuring star characters from the Golden Age —Captain America,Bucky Barnes,the Human Torch andthe Sub-Mariner — inWorld War II-era adventures. Writer and editorRoy Thomas wanted to expand the franchise, so he created a second superteam — theLiberty Legion — with a group of second-string Golden Age heroes including Jack Frost, along withMiss America,the Whizzer,the Patriot,the Thin Man,Red Raven andthe Blue Diamond.[8]
Thomas said that he chose Jack Frost for the team because the character fit an archetype that Thomas was looking for: "I felt I should have a Sub-Mariner type and, in a way, Jack Frost kind of fit that bill", he said. He chose not to explore Jack's backstory, although there are indications that he may be an alien: "His background was vague in the original stories, so I wanted to keep it vague", said Thomas.[8]
Jack fought with the Legion in five stories in 1976. The team was introduced inMarvel Premiere #29 and 30 (April and May 1976), as well as an issue ofThe Invaders and two issues ofMarvel Two-in-One. The Liberty Legion returned for another four issues ofThe Invaders in 1978-1979, and then the team disappeared from the canvas. Thomas said that there were plans for aLiberty Legion series, but by that point, the sales figures on theInvaders comic were dropping, and Marvel decided against launching a spin-off.[8]
Frost came back for one issue in April 1991 —Captain America #384, "Lair of the Ice Worm" — and then went back into hibernation. He made another two appearances in 2009, in the Golden Age nostalgia seriesAvengers/Invaders #10 and 12 (June & Aug 2009).
In a 2025 issue of theScarlet Witch series, Jack Frost was finally rescued by theScarlet Witch from within his ice worm prison.[9]
Jack Frost resembles a young man made of ice, and can create and withstand extremely cold temperatures and generate large amounts of ice.[10]
The introduction in his first story implies that he is a mythical creature, a lonely figure existing in theArctic landscape: "The far north! Challenging! Mysterious! Foreboding! The land that no man really knows... in this great, frozen waste, surrounded by an eternal, deathly quiet, lives a person we have all heard of but few men have seen — the King of the Cold — Jack Frost!"[7]
This spirit was awoken by the cries of a dying prospector, who's been shot by a claim-jumper. In his final moments, the man pleads with Jack to protect his daughter inNew York City, and Jack — horrified by the crime — transports himself to America to confer with the police. They do not believe his story, so he determines to fight evil wherever he can find it.[11]
DuringWorld War II, he joined with other superheroes to form the teamLiberty Legion and protect the United States fromAxis home-front infiltration. The Liberty Legion was initially assembled byBucky to rescue theInvaders brainwashed by theRed Skull. With the Legion, Jack Frost battledNamor the Sub-Mariner and the originalHuman Torch, and protected bystanders from shrapnel with an ice umbrella.[12]
Jack Frost was seen again in a 1991 issue ofCaptain America, in which it was explained that he had sacrificed himself by melding with a powerful Arctic "ice-worm" monster, in order to neutralize it and keep it from savaging innocent people. Jack Frost was briefly freed during an encounter with Captain America, before willingly being swallowed by and joining with the ice-worm once more.Thor speculates that Jack Frost may be the diminutive child of aNorse mythologyFrost giant.[13] This was subsequently confirmed inScarlet Witch vol.4 #8 (2025) wherein it is revealed he is the son of Buri and an ice giant.[14]
Jack Frost has the ability to generate sub-freezing temperatures. Combined with ambient water vapor, he can create snow, sleet, and ice for various effects such as propelling snow flurries at hurricane wind-speeds or fashioning ice into various simple constructs such as spheres, bridges, or walls. He also has superhuman stamina and durability. Jack Frost has bluish-white skin that glistens from the glaze of frost that covers it. His skin temperature is 32 °F (0 °C).
