ICICLE

Real Name: Christine Grayson
Identity: Not Publicly Known
Occupation: Adventurer/Actress/Thief
Group Affiliation: League of Champions
Base of Operations: Los Angeles CA
Place of Birth: San Francisco CA
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Jonathan Grayson (brother), Honey Grayson (adopted daughter), Patricia Grayson-Saunders (mother), Harold Saunders (stepfather)

Height: 5'4"
Weight: 110 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
First appearance: Champions v2 #3 (November 1987)

Background:

Unlike her brother Icestar, Icicle didn't get her powers over ice and cold from a scientific accident. She's had them ever since she was born. Even when she was little, the cold never bother her. On the rare occasions it snowed in San Francisco, you could be sure you'd find little Christine out there in her pajamas first thing in the morning. Indeed, many years later, it was an analysis of the peculiar nature of his little sister's blood than led Doctor John Grayson to the development of the cryogenic serum that gave him his powers.

The question of where Icicle's powers came from has never been adequately answered. At one point, brother John suspected that Chrissie's powers might derive from a genetic anomaly, that she might in fact be a mutant, but her genome was thoroughly examined and no anomaly was found. So there's a mystery here.

Whatever the origin of Icicle's powers might be, the fact is that she has natural abilities far surpassing her brother's. Not only can she command ice and cold, she can store the heat she pulls out of the environment, and release it at will to devastating effect. She's almost as fast as her brother, and quite a bit more nimble. She has also on occasion demonstrated a remarkable mental resiliency. Telepaths simply can't get into her mind.

There is also an ability she has that she's thus far managed to keep entirely secret. Not even Icestar knows she can do this. She is fully capable of messing with other people's thoughts and behavior, and can do what she calls a "brain freeze."

Icicle has two great character flaws. The first is that she's a compulsive liar. She simply doesn't know how to tell the truth. The second is that she's a compulsive thief. If she sees something she wants, she takes it. One of the reasons she wanted to become a member of the League of Champions was to get help in dealing with those problems. She has to some extent managed to overcome those problems, but the impulses are still there lurking beneath the surface.

She does have a mischievous sense of humor. For example, she has suggested to her brother that they should recruit the Winter Wonderlass and form the "Just Ice League."

Icicle has attended college at Caltech. But she found a greater purpose when she and Icestar learned of the existence of a daughter he never knew he had. Pretty little Honey Grayson is also the daughter of Icestar's old girlfriend, Cynthia Wu, aka the "evil" Madame Synn. And when Cynthia dropped out of sight, Icicle decided that Honey needed a mommy. With Icestar's permission, Icicle adopted the girl, and to Icestar's surprise has thus far done what he considers to be an admirable job of raising her.

In recent years, Icicle has found a home in Hollywood, where her supposed character flaws have proven advantageous. After selling the idea of a movie based on a fictionalized version of her life (if you ask her, she'll tell you not one word of it was true), she sold an idea for a TV series based on the adventures of Santa's li'l elfin graddaughter, Chrissie Claus. Maybe you've seen it on Wednesday nights. Icicle herself plays Chrissie, which sure saves a lot of money on special effects.

Still, despite her burgeoning career as an actress, what Icicle really wants is to make her big brother proud. So you can bet your bottom dollar that, whenever the call goes out, Icicle will be there, ready to be a Champion once more.