Blizzard (comics)

Gregor Shapanka is a Hungarian scientist obsessed with immortality, and decides that the study of cryonics is the first step towards his goal. Shapanka takes a job at Stark Industries to fund his research and attempts to steal directly from Tony Stark. After being caught and fired by Tony Stark for trying to steal from Tony Stark's secret vault, Gregor creates a suit containing cold-generating devices and is dubbed by the papers as "Jack Frost."[3] He attempts to raid Stark Industries where he captures Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan, but is defeated by Iron Man.[4]

Several years later, Gregor Shapanka escaped prison and attacked Stark's Long Island industrial complex using a new far more powerful cold-generating battle-suit and calling himself the Blizzard. This time, Blizzard was out to steal Stark's climatron device which could be used to alter weather patterns. Blizzard nearly froze Iron Man to death, but Iron Man was rescued by Potts. Iron Man caused Blizzard's battle-suit to short-circuit and then captured him.[5]

Gregor Shapanka obtained financing for recreating his cold-generating costume from multimillionaire Justin Hammer. Blizzard formed a partnership with two other clients of Hammer known as Blacklash and Melter. Together, the three criminals attacked a hotel casino in Atlantic City, only to be defeated by Iron Man and private bodyguard Bethany Cabe.[6]

Shortly thereafter, Shapanka reconstructs his cold suit in prison. When Electro uses his electrical powers to break out of the adjoining cell Shapanka is caught in the blast and the suit is fused to his body. Electro and the Blizzard then join forces to take over the Daily Bugle, but are stopped by Spider-Man and Daredevil.[7]

Some months later during the Demon in a Bottle storyline, Justin Hammer hires the Blizzard to join an army of supervillains and battle Iron Man.[8]

Blizzard's body somehow gained the ability to generate intense cold without artificial means. Feeling alienated from humanity, Shapanka (again calling himself Jack Frost) went to live in an ice palace he created within a mountain. Hulk found Jack Frost's new home and destroyed the ice palace. Jack Frost was seemingly killed in the collapse of his ice domain.[9]

Gregor Shapanka reappeared in the guise of the Blizzard. Somehow, Blizard had lost his bodily power to generate cold and once again needed his battlesuit to create low temperatures. Shapanka returned to crime and formed a gang to aid him. However, upon robbing a bank in New York City, Blizzard and his henchmen were found and defeated by Spider-Man and were taken into police custody. Thanks to his lawyer, Blizzard was soon back at large and kidnapped Bobby Saunders (a boy whom he saw speaking with Spider-Man). Through Saunders, Blizzard intended to get revenge for his most recent defeat. Blizzard mistakes a villainous version of Iron Man from the year 2020 for the modern Iron Man and attempts to ambush him. The future Iron Man however is on an urgent mission to find Bobby Saunders (who would grow up to be a terrorist in 2020) and instantly kills the Blizzard with a repulsor blast.[10]

Blizzard
Art by Rick Leonardi
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Iron Man #223 (October 1987)
Created by	David Michelinie Bob Layton
In-story information
Full name	Donald "Donnie" Gill
Species	Inhuman
Team affiliations	Thunderbolts Masters of Evil Hammer Industries
Abilities	Ice generation and projection Superhuman strength, speed, and agility Electricity manipulation

Born in Delaware, Donald "Donnie" Gill was a professional criminal hired by Justin Hammer (who gave him a cryogenic suit resembling the original Blizzard's suit). Since Blizzard was vaporized by Iron Man 2020, Donnie adopted the name. His first mission involved working with Beetle and Blacklash to capture Force, who had betrayed Hammer. However, Blizzard was clumsy and annoyed his teammates with his amateurish mistakes (such as creating an ice wall blocking the path to their objective). After encasing Blacklash in ice, the trio fled as reinforcements arrived to protect Force.[11]

The trio again tried to capture Force, who was protected by Iron Man. Although Blizzard fought better, when Force entered the fight he neutralized the villains' powers. Blizzard, Beetle, and Blacklash split up, fled and rested until their powers returned. Force found Blizzard, whose powers were ineffective against him so Blizzard fought him with bare hands. Force repelled him, blasting him through a wall. Blizzard doggedly tried to blast Force again (despite warnings), and was electrocuted. The Beetle and Blacklash abandoned Blizzard; Chemistro blamed them for their failures, and they were arrested.

Before Blizzard could be jailed, he was rescued by Rhino for Hammer. His loyalty to Hammer increased, although Iron Man tried to mentor him. Hammer negotiated with Iron Man for Blizzard, forcing the latter to help him take down the Ghost.[12] Iron Man agreed, but Blizzard refused to believe that Hammer betrayed him. After hearing a recording, Blizzard was crushed; he surrendered to Iron Man, and was saved by Chemistro and Melter.

After solo missions against the Avengers and the New Warriors, attending the AIM Weapons Expo with several other super-villains and joining the largest group of the Masters of Evil, Blizzard worked with a smaller team (including villains Constrictor, Crossfire and daughters of Tarantula and Batroc the Leaper). Their mission failed after interference from Agent X and his allies.

Blizzard attacked She-Hulk in a bar; instead of defeating him, she invited him for a drink. Drunk, he contemplated his lack of recognition. Before collapsing in a stupor, Blizzard noted that he liked She-Hulk. After reverting to her Jennifer Walters persona she collapsed, vomiting, on top of him.[13]

With the Avengers disbanded, the Beetle (now known as Mach-IV) decided to form a new group of Thunderbolts. Like the original Thunderbolts, they were former villains seeking redemption for their crimes as superheroes. Gill was one of the first members invited to join by Mach-IV, and he agreed.[14] However, he lacked confidence despite his desire to help people. As a Thunderbolt, Blizzard fought several enemies, including Fathom Five,[14] the Wrecking Crew[15] and the Purple Man.[16]

Blizzard and fellow Thunderbolt Speed Demon became close friends. When Speed Demon tried to commit crimes with the Shocker, Blizzard convinced him to use his former Whizzer outfit and a tracking device. Angry with Blizzard, Speed Demon tied him upside-down and naked on a bridge.[17] Although doubting his status as a superhero and feeling hopeless, Blizzard gained strength from the others (especially Songbird, who insulted him and dismissed him from the group when she became its leader).

Baron Zemo, forming a group to fight Songbird's Thunderbolts, recruited Blizzard (who spent his days in bars after his firing by Songbird). His new teammate, the Fixer, enhanced Blizzard's abilities. He battled the Thunderbolts; the groups were soon assimilated, and Blizzard helped them against the U-Foes during Civil War.[18] Against Overmind, Blizzard proved himself to his teammates by shielding them (and Songbird).

In the final battle against the Grandmaster, Blizzard's suit was destroyed after the Wellspring energy was released[19] and he was pardoned for his past crimes.[20] Blizzard later appeared as an inmate at the Raft.[21]

Blizzard later aligns himself with Iron Man, Zeke Stane, Whirlwind, and Living Laser against the Mandarin but is defeated by the Mandarin's forces.[22]

During the "Infinity" storyline, Blizzard was seen with Whirlwind robbing banks when they are approached by Spymaster. Blizzard and Whirlwind are recruited by Spymaster to join him and his villain allies (consisting of Constrictor, Firebrand IV, Titanium Man, Unicorn, and Whiplash IV) in a plot to attack the almost-defenseless Stark Tower. During the briefing, Blizzard suddenly collapses.[23] When Blizzard regains consciousness, he discovers that his skin has turned white. Blizzard had been exposed to the Terrigen Mists unleashed upon the face of the entire Earth by Black Bolt. Being unknowingly an Inhuman descendant, Blizzard experienced Terrigenesis which causes the manifestation of his latent powers. Blizzard thought that this was his opportunity to "be part of something bigger" and decided to leave Spymaster's team. However, he and Whirlwind were brutally attacked by Spymaster and Titanium Man when they tried to leave.[24] Blizzard and Whirlwind were forced into taking part of the assault to Stark Tower. After Spymaster used teleporter discs to teleport some Iron Man Armors to the buyers, he escaped and left Blizzard and the rest of his accomplices to be discovered by the heroes which were using the tower as a base. They managed to defeat the heroes, and they were offered to be taken to Spymaster by Titanium Man. When they arrived to a spaceship where Spymaster was, they were ambushed by him and Titanium Man who revealed himself as Captain Atlas of the Kree (who were the masterminds behind the heist).[25] Blizzard and the other villains managed to escape custody and started fighting Spymaster, Titanium Man and the army of Iron Men (controlled by Spymaster). The actual Iron Man arrived to the spaceship, after having tracked down the armors, and helped Blizzard and his allies defeat the enemies. During the fight, Blizzard used the powers he discovered of being like a human battery to overcharge the armors and deactivate them, but he fainted and fell off the spaceship's cargo door. A suit Iron Man was controlling rescued him, but in order to let his friends escape, Blizzard froze himself and the suit. Blizzard was taken to S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and was left under the simulation he had been delivered to the Inhumans in order to prove himself as the changed man Blizzard thought he was....until S.H.I.E.L.D. could know what to do with him.[26]

At the time when Donnie Gill was unavailable, Justin Hammer had a man named Mickey Quaid become a substitute Blizzard in order to assist Afterburner, Beetle, Blacklash, Boomerang, and Spymaster in fighting Silver Sable and the Wild Pack.[27]

Randall "Randy" Macklin, an ex-criminal, fails to find work following his release from prison and uses a spare Blizzard costume he was safeguarding for his friend Donnie Gill. Macklin, however, is quickly defeated by Iron Man, who offers him a legitimate job at Stark Enterprises.[28]

A man named Jim became the fourth Blizzard upon being granted cryokinesis by Mandarin and Zeke Stane as part of their plans to revamp and upgrade the different enemies of Iron Man. His first mission is to freeze desalinization plants in Abu Dhabi where it would leave the country with no water. It was revealed that Mandarin had a bomb placed in Jim's neck to ensure his compliance.[29]

When Iron Man tries to persuade his enemies to turn against Mandarin, Blizzard heeded the calls as Iron Man deactivated the bombs on them[30] Blizzard aligns himself with Iron Man, Zeke Stane, Whirlwind, and Living Laser against Mandarin and his Titanomechs. During the battle, Blizzard is impaled by a Titanomech.[22]

In the Earth-X reality, the Donnie Gill version of Blizzard has the same history. He was killed by Norman Osborn prior to the Green Goblin's rise to power.[31]

In the House of M reality, the Donnie Gill version of Blizzard appears as a member of Hood's Masters of Evil.[32]

The Donnie Gill version of Blizzard appears in Iron Man & Power Pack issue #2 with Speed Demon. He kidnaps Irena Crumb (daughter of millionaire Arnold Crumb, and a school rival of Julie Power's) from her school and takes her to an abandoned warehouse across town, where he tortures her. Speed Demon runs in, telling him that Power Pack has found them; Power Pack bursts in, and a fight ensues. At one point, Blizzard freezes the ground, causing Speed Demon to slip and smash into him. The Pack captures Blizzard, and Lightspeed takes his mask so she can rescue Irena from Speed Demon incognito. Afterwards, Blizzard and Speed Demon are arrested.[33]

• The Gregor Shapanka version of Blizzard appears as "Jack Frost" in the Iron Man segment of The Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Chris Wiggins.
• The Donnie Gill version of Blizzard appears in the animated series Iron Man, primarily voiced by Chuck McCann, though Neil Ross voiced him in the episode "The Beast Within".[34] He is depicted as a servant of the Mandarin and received a suit of exo-armor that appeared occasionally throughout the series. In the episode "The Armor Wars" Pt. 1, both Blizzard and his associate Blacklash had their exo-armors targeted and neutralized by Iron Man. In the two-part series finale, "Hands of the Mandarin," Blizzard received a new exo-armor, only for the Mandarin to use his energy to power the Heart of Darkness. He was freed by Iron Man and sent to jail.
• The Donnie Gill version of Blizzard appears in Iron Man: Armored Adventures, voiced by David Orth. This version is a cryogenics scientist and a former employee of Obadiah Stane, but was left scarred and vowed revenge. Similarly to Iron Man, Blizzard wears a technological suit equipped with a freezing ray attached to his right arm. Introduced in the episode "Cold War", Iron Man teamed up with Blizzard to attack Stane, but eventually discovered that Blizzard was a criminal who wanted to kill Stane. After a battle on top of Stark Tower, a crazed Blizzard was cryogenically frozen. In the episode "Best Served Cold", Stane unfreezes him and forces him to find a cure for his daughter Whitney by planting a bomb in his armor. Blizzard manages to break free however and tried to kill Iron Man. When he got back to Stark Tower, he encountered Madame Masque before Iron Man knocked him out. In the episode "Invincible Iron Man: Reborn", he, Whiplash, and Mr. Fix came under the services of Justin Hammer. The three of them attempt to kill Iron Man and War Machine, but the trio are defeated. Later in the episode "Titanium vs Iron", Blizzard cools Justin Hammer's burning Titanium Man armor and witnesses Mr. Fix's "death" at the hands of Hammer. In the episode "The Hammer Falls", Blizzard is mentioned to have been murdered by a mysterious figure, later revealed to be Justin Hammer as Titanium Man.
• The Donnie Gill version of Blizzard appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, voiced by Troy Baker.[34] In the episode "Breakout, Part 1", he is shown escaping from the Vault and fighting Iron Man. In the episode "The Man Who Stole Tomorrow", Blizzard was apprehended by Thor, Ant-Man and Wasp and placed in Prison 42. In the episode "Assault on 42", Annihilus and his Annihilation Wave attacked the prison, taking Blizzard as one of several casualties.
• The Donnie Gill version of Blizzard makes non-voiced appearances in Ultimate Spider-Man.
• Donnie Gill appeared in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., portrayed by Dylan Minnette.[35] This version is a cadet at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. Introduced in the episode "Seeds", he and his friend Seth Dormer build a weather device to impress corrupt industrialist, Ian Quinn. The two create ice themed distractions to throw Phil Coulson and his agents off, but the device causes a super-storm that kills Seth. Gill is taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, but develops ice based powers.[36] In the episode "Making Friends and Influencing People",[37] Gill is shown to have perfected his powers during his incarceration before escaping during Hydra's takeover and began killing many of their agents. He ends up at a cargo ship before running into Jemma Simmons while she was working undercover as a Hydra agent. She tries to apprehend him, but Gill freezes the boat captain to stop Hydra from taking him back. However, her superior Sunil Bakshi uses a trigger phrase to reactivate Gill's mind-control. Gill is ordered to freeze everyone on the ship, but he is sniped by Skye and lost in the ocean, though his body was never recovered.[38]
• The Donnie Gill version of Blizzard appears in the Japanese anime series Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, voiced by Hideo Ishikawa.
• The Randy Macklin version of Blizzard appears in the Spider-Man episode "Spider-Man on Ice", voiced by Trevor Devall.[34] This version is depicted as a low-level henchman of the crime boss Hammerhead. Macklin was apprehended by the police due to the unexpected interference of Peter Parker. However, he escaped police custody and acquired a cryogenic gauntlet from Harry Osborn. Dubbing himself the Blizzard, Macklin defeated Hammerhead's gang and was slowly mutated by the gauntlet. He attempted to freeze Manhattan, but Spider-Man acquired thermal technology from Harry and disarmed him before leaving him for the police.

• The Donnie Gill version of Blizzard appears as a boss in The Invincible Iron Man.
• The Donnie Gill version of Blizzard is featured as a boss and a playable character in Marvel: Avengers Alliance.
• The Donnie Gill version of Blizzard appears in Marvel Heroes, voiced by Michael Benyaer.