Warning: contains spoilers for Marauders #26!
Part of Iceman’s appeal is how his calm, laidback attitude belies his Omega-level status, but he recently proved he is one of the most powerful X-Men, delivering a brutal beating to Fin Fang Foom. In Marauders #26, on sale now in print and digital, Iceman single-handedly dispatches the giant dragon in a show of strength that leaves his teammates in awe.
Iceman is one of the founding members of the X-Men, part of Professor Xavier’s first class. Iceman, as the name implies, can create and manipulate ice, allowing him to create ice-based constructs as well as create ice slides to travel on. Over time, as Iceman has grown more confident in himself and his abilities, he has demonstrated new powers as well; for example, if Iceman is hurt while in his ice form, he has the ability to heal and even reconstitute himself if completely destroyed. During the Battle of the Atom storyline, a future version of the character revealed he could create “clones” of himself, with partial free-will. With all of these fantastic powers at his disposal, Iceman should be respected far more than he is, but the truth is other mutants look down on him. But in Marauders #26, written by Gerry Duggan, with art by Matteo Lolli, colors by Rain Beredo, and letters by Cory Petit, Iceman gives Fin Fang Foom plenty of reason to fear him.
Earlier in the issue, it is revealed that the Hellfire Trading Company has their own distillery; later in the issue, Captain Pryde and the Marauders are transporting barrels of the whiskey to other nations. Suddenly, the ship is attacked by Fin Fang Foom, boasting of winning a cosmic tournament—and now he needs refreshment. Foom begins chugging barrels of whiskey, drawing Iceman’s ire. Iceman begins with his basic attacks, throwing ice daggers at the dragon. Foom seems to bite Iceman in two, but Iceman reconstitutes himself, now much larger than before. Foom is still unimpressed, breathing fire on Iceman in an attempt to melt him. It backfires, and Iceman simply powers up, shooting ice spikes at Foom. With the dragon now seriously hurt, Iceman delivers one last blow, sending Foom packing. Foom swears it will not go as well next time, claiming that Iceman only beat him because Foom was celebrating. Callisto and Captain Pryde look on in awe.
Over the years, numerous hints have been dropped about Iceman’s power levels, the first being he is an Omega-level mutant, a fact he brags about to Fin Fang Foom as the dragon retreats. Omega mutants are some of the most powerful on Earth, with complete mastery over the powers and abilities. Iceman’s ability to create ice occurs when he freezes moisture in the air, giving him the ability to manipulate thermodynamics. Not only has she shown the ability to defy the laws of physics, but he can also create duplicates of himself and survive attacks that would otherwise kill him.
All of these qualities were on display in his fight with Fin Fang Foom, but recent events in other X-Men titles have truly made this an impressive feat. In recent issues of both Trial of Magneto and X-Men, the mutants have found themselves facing kaiju-type creatures—and barely beating them. However, Iceman single-handedly beat down Fin Fang Foom, even going so far as to tell other Marauders not to intervene.
Iceman was able to do what his teammates in the X-men could not: deliver a resounding defeat to a powerful monster. It shows how powerful Iceman is—and just how much more potential lays dormant.