The Blue Snowman is a fictional character appearing in

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

. Created by writer

William Moulton Marston William Moulton Marston (May 9, 1893 – May 2, 1947), also known by the pen name Charles Moulton (), was an American psychologist who, with his wife Elizabeth Holloway, invented an early prototype of the polygraph. He was also known as a self- ...

and artist Harry G. Peter, the character debuted in 1946 in ''

Sensation Comics ''Sensation Comics'' is the title of an American comic book comics anthology, anthology series published by DC Comics that ran for 109 issues from 1942 to 1952. For most of its run, the lead feature was Wonder Woman, a character which had been int ...

'' #59 as a high-tech extortionist named Byrna Brilyant who used a fearsome costumed persona (known then only as the Snow Man) to coerce money out of innocent victims. Brilyant's

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

gender identity was presented as that of a woman who disguised herself as an ostensibly male supervillain to deflect criminal suspicion – a genderplay trope Marston incorporated into several other foes he created to battle Wonder Woman, including

Doctor Poison Doctor Poison is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. A sadistic bioterrorist with a ghoulish face, she first appeared in 1942’s ''Sensation ...

and

Hypnota Hypnota (also sometimes Hypnotic Woman) is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. Created by writer William Moulton Marston and artist H.G. Pet ...

. The 2021 relaunch ''

Infinite Frontier Infinite Frontier is a 2021 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. It is the follow-up to the 2018 New Justice relaunch. The relaunch and event was shepherded by ...

'' portrays the

Modern Age The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...

Byrna Brilyant as

Genderfluid Gender fluidity (commonly referred to as genderfluid) is a non-fixed gender identity that shifts over time or depending on the situation. These fluctuations can occur at the level of gender identity or gender expression. A genderfluid person m ...

, their Blue Snowman stylings part of their flexible gender-presentation. In her first appearance in 1946, Brilyant's alter ego dressed in a bulky blue robe, complete with jowlish blue head mask and blue

derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

. A later appearance in 1948 (in ''

'' #28) changed her name from the Snow Man to the Blue Snowman, keeping the head mask and hat, but replacing the robe with a bulbous metallic bodysuit, similar in silhouette to that of the advertising mascot the

Michelin Man Bibendum (), commonly referred to in English as the Michelin Man or Michelin Tire Man, is the official mascot of the Michelin tire company. A humanoid figure consisting of stacked white tire, tires, it was introduced at the Lyon Exposition inter ...

. The Golden Age Blue Snowman's primary weapon was a giant cannon which could fire a "snow ray" producing "blue snow," a form of precipitation freezing anything it touches. The Modern Age Blue Snowman not only continues to sport a derby, but also wears an advanced exo-suit of blue

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...

-style armor fashioned to look like the round features of a children's snowman. This armor is outfitted with weaponry capable of firing a cryogenic blast that can freeze anything in its path, similar to the ice guns wielded by fellow DC Comics rogues

Mr. Freeze Mr. Freeze is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Dave Wood and artists Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, the character initially debuted in ''Batman'' #121 (February 1959) as Mr. ...

and

Captain Cold Captain Cold (Leonard Snart) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in '' Showcase'' #8 (June 1957). In his comic book appearances, ...

Publication history

Blue Snowman first appeared in ''Sensation Comics'' #59 and was created by

and H.G. Peter.

Fictional character biography

Earth-Two version

Byrna Brilyant's scientist father died while working on his invention of "blue snow", a special form of precipitation that freezes everything it touches. This invention was intended to "serve humanity", although precisely how seems rather vague. Thinking to put her father's work to more profitable use, Byrna creates the masculine identity of the Snow Man and unleashes snow upon the farming community of Fair Weather Valley, demanding each farmer's "life savings" in return for the chemical antidote that will free crops, livestock, and people from the snow's effects. The Blue Snow Man is discovered in "his" mountain sanctuary by

, who forces "him" to defrost the valley. Like many of Wonder Woman's enemies, Brilyant is sentenced to prison on the Amazon penal colony Transformation Island, but in 1948 she and seven female super-villains escape and pool their talents as Villainy Inc. Led by

Eviless Eviless (also called Saturna) is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. A slave driver from the planet Saturn, she had several Golden Age of Com ...

, the evil eight are again defeated by Wonder Woman. In this appearance, she calls herself the Blue Snow Man.

Post-Crisis

Blue Snowman does not appear for many years following the ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...

'' continuity reboot. Sometime later, she reappears and is killed by an alien bug that Vartox brought to Earth to impress Power Girl. In this version, Byrna uses a robotic suit of armor that generates ice. She was also mentioned as having worked with the Ice Pack, which did not exist in that continuity.

The New 52

In 2011, "

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

" rebooted the DC universe. Blue Snowman is first seen when appearing briefly after battling Wonder Woman and her ally Hessia alongside her robot minions.

DC Rebirth

In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called ''

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 (2011–2016) initiative in May 2016 as its launching point ...

'' which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". Blue Snowman's origin is altered. At some point, Byrna Brilyant came into contact with

Veronica Cale Veronica Cale is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. A genius pharmaceutical tycoon and ruthless criminal mastermind, she was created by comic ...

, who had equipped Brilyant with an Exo-Mecha suit. This suit enabled Brilyant to attack Washington D.C., with blue snow, though the suit was eventually destroyed by Wonder Woman which in turn rendered Brilyant comatose.

Infinite Frontier

In DC's 2021 relaunch known as ''

'', which made further alterations to the continuity, Blue Snowman makes an appearance, wearing the post-Crisis version of the suit, ambushing Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor during their

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

date. Having encased both Wonder Woman's and Steve Trevor's arms in blue ice, the villain went to finish Steve off, at which point Wonder Woman knocked off Snowman's helmet. Steve was surprised to discover that Blue Snowman was a woman, but Byrna corrected that assumption by coming out as gender-fluid. Wonder Woman decided to let Byrna leave, hoping that this new insight will bring them peace. Two days before

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

tracks Blue Snowman down for help in curing

Poison Ivy Poison ivy is a type of allergenic plant in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' native to Asia and North America. Formerly considered a single species, '' Toxicodendron radicans'', poison ivies are now generally treated as a complex of three separate s ...

's mysterious viral infection. The two ultimately cure Blue Snowman with a magical staff after getting permission from

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

and invite them to stay for Christmas.

Powers and abilities

Blue Snowman possesses no superhuman powers, but has a genius-level intellect. They wield an exoskeletal armor and various ice-generating technology.

Other versions

The Legend of Wonder Woman

Blue Snowman was set to appear in the second volume to ''The Legend of Wonder Woman'', a retelling of Wonder Woman's origins by Renae de Liz and Ray Dillon. However, DC cancelled the project under unknown circumstances. De Liz later posted preliminary artwork featuring Blue Snowman on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

Sensational Wonder Woman

In the digital-first anthology series ''Sensational Wonder Woman'', Blue Snowman first appears in the story "Ice Blue", where she receives funding from Veronica Cale to enhance her blue snow technology. Blue Snowman later appears in "The Queen's Hive", where she, Giganta, Dr. Poison, and Silver Swan serve as

Queen Bee A queen bee is typically an adult, mated female ( gyne) that lives in a colony or hive of honey bees. With fully developed reproductive organs, the queen is usually the mother of most, if not all, of the bees in the beehive. Queens are develope ...

's generals. The Blue Snowman later attacks a city but is stopped by Wonder Woman with the help of Will, one of her young fans. After the fight Wonder Woman suggests that Byrna might find better self satisfaction and respect if she used her talents to help others instead of bullying them.

Tales from Earth-6

Blue Snowman was re-imagined as "Frosteen" in this anthology special celebrating

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

. In the story, Frosteen battled Maria Mendoza, the version of Wonder Woman that Lee created for DC's '' Just Imagine...'' line.

In other media

Television

* Blue Snowman makes a non-speaking appearance in the ''

'' episode "Getting Ice Dick, Don't Wait Up" as a member of the "cold boys". * Byrna Brilyant makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the ''

My Adventures with Superman ''My Adventures with Superman'' is an American animated superhero anime-influenced series based on the DC Comics character Superman. The series is developed by Jake Wyatt, produced by Warner Bros. Animation and animated by Studio Mir in South ...

'' episode "Most Eligible Superman".

Video games

Blue Snowman appears as a boss in '' Justice League: Cosmic Chaos'', voiced by Vanessa Marshall. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.

Miscellaneous

* Blue Snowman appears in ''

DC Super Friends The Imaginext System is a brand of role-playing, adventure toys designed for kids 3 or older made by Mattel, under the label of Fisher-Price. History At the time of its introduction at the 1998 Toy Fair,

'' #16 as a member of the Ice Pack. * Blue Snowman appears in '' All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' #4.''All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' #4. DC Comics.

References

External links

The Unofficial Blue Snowman Biography
{{Wonder Woman Comics characters introduced in 1946 Characters created by H. G. Peter Characters created by William Moulton Marston DC Comics female supervillains DC Comics LGBTQ supervillains DC Comics supervillains Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities Fictional cross-dressers Fictional humanoids Fictional non-binary people Fictional snowmen Golden Age supervillains Wonder Woman characters