Minister Blizzard 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 ...

. A would-be world conqueror from a hidden Arctic civilization, he debuted in 1948 in ''Wonder Woman'' #29, written by an uncredited Joye Hummel Murchison and illustrated by Harry G. Peter. One of two members of Wonder Woman's rogues gallery introduced in the 1940s to have an ice/snow motif, Minister Blizzard (after the Blue Snowman, who first appeared three years prior), was an early progenitor of the comics trope of the ice-gun wielding supercriminal, preceding more recognizable DC Comics antagonists such as

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, ...

, as well as Marvel Comics'

Blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

. Minister Blizzard's Golden,

Silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

comics appearances all portray him as a manipulative politician with chalk-white skin bent on plunging the world into a second

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

, inevitably bringing him into conflict with Wonder Woman and her allies. His

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 ...

appearances have portrayed him variously as an

eco-terrorist Eco-terrorism is an act of violence which is committed in support of environmental causes, against people or property. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines eco-terrorism as "...the use or threatened use of violence of ...

, as well as a fanatical cult leader.

Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis

Golden Age version

Professor Chemico of Holliday College creates a climate changing machine which can make hot and cold climates. He plans to use the machine to make the North Pole into a warm fertile area. Princess Snowina of Iceberg-Land learns about the invention and fears the machine will melt her people and their civilization. Her advisor Prime Minister Blizzard convinces Snowina to let him steal the invention. Minister Blizzard steals the climate changing machine from Chemico and the Holliday Girls, trapping them in a block of ice. While Wonder Woman rescues the girls, the Minister uses the machine to create a giant glacier to threaten New York. When Princess Snowina discovers his plan, Blizzard captures her and sends the glacier against New York, using the Holliday Girls as hostages to prevent a counterattack. Wonder Woman manages to stop him and then makes peace with Snowina while the Minister is taken into custody. Ultimately, Chemico's invention is not used to change any area of the Earth's climate and is largely forgotten about.

Silver & Bronze Age version

Minister Blizzard appears next in ''Wonder Woman'' #162. While walking in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

with

Steve Trevor General Steven Rockwell Trevor is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Wonder Woman. The character was created by William Moulton Marston and first appeared in ' ...

, Wonder Woman suddenly finds that the city has been iced over by a weapon created by Minister Blizzard. The Minister captures Wonder Woman with her own lasso and begins to carry out his plan to steal Manhattan Island. Wonder Woman is able to create a diversion and cause the Minister to drop her lasso. Wonder Woman then escapes, rescues Steve, and destroys Minister Blizzard's forces. Minister Blizzard later joins forces with fellow ice-powered villains Icicle I and

to create a miniature

in Ecuador. Distracting Wonder Woman and the

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

to stage a crime spree in

Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city in the Northeastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List ...

, the trio are ultimately captured, but not before Minister Blizzard reveals that he and the villainous

Shadow Thief Shadow Thief is the name of three fictional supervillains published by DC Comics. The first is a recurring foe of Hawkman named Carl Sands. The second Shadow Thief is an African-American named Carl Hammer who wore a shadow suit. The third Shadow T ...

are the true masterminds of what was to be a larger plot to freeze the entire world.

Post-Crisis

After DC Comics rebooted its continuity in the 1985 event ''

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 ...

'', Wonder Woman, her supporting cast and her enemies were re-imagined. Though originally absent from this revised mythos, Minister Blizzard would be reintroduced to the Wonder Woman canon in 2007 by writer

Allan Heinberg Allan Heinberg (born June 29, 1967) is an American film screenwriter, television writer and producer and comic book writer. Heinberg is the screenwriter of the 2017 film ''Wonder Woman'', directed by Patty Jenkins. His television writing and pro ...

as "a radical environmentalist bent on invoking another Ice Age". In a plot coordinated by

Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...

, he teams with a far-reaching coalition of Wonder Woman's adversaries, including the

Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

, the

Duke of Deception The Duke of Deception is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. Based on Dolus, Dolos, the Roman mythological deity of deceit and lies, he debut ...

Doctor Psycho Doctor Psycho is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. Doctor Psycho first appears in ''Wonder Woman'' #5 (1943), written by Wonder Woman creat ...

, Silver Swan,

Giganta Giganta is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman, and an occasional foil of the superhero the Atom (Ray Palmer), Atom. She debuted as a brutish ...

Queen Clea Queen Clea is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. The ruthless dictator of Venturia, a remote kingdom on the sunken continent of Atlantis, sh ...

Angle Man While smith Whisper A'Daire is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Greg Rucka and Shawn Martinbrough, and first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #743 (April 2000). Whisper is an op ...

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 ...

, Gundra the Valkyrie and the

Mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment, and often employed for rituals and rites. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, ...

The New 52

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 ...

reboot of DC Comics' continuity, Minister Blizzard is presented as a cult leader who controls an unnamed group of religious fanatics. Though the events are unchronicled, he was, at one point, a recurring enemy of the expatriate Amazon assassin Myrina Black.

DC Rebirth

In the post-Rebirth continuity, Minister Blizzard attempted to kill billionaire Barry O'Neill during a wintertime seasonal celebration in Gotham City. Seeking to recover "a hidden kingdom encased in snow", the Minister regarded O'Neill's creation of an ice-themed fairy tale children's attraction as a mockery to his holy efforts. He was defeated by

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

, though O'Neill's murder was soon successfully carried out by the mysterious serial-killer collective known as the Stag.

Powers, abilities, and equipment

Minister Blizzard carries a gun that fires a beam capable of instantly freezing anything it hits, as well as spontaneously generating enormous amounts of ice, snow and cold. In his earliest appearances, his gun produced a "mind-paralysis ray" which could effectively "freeze" cognition and motor responses, as well as scramble thoughts. The Minister is capable of propelling himself through the air by using his gun to materialize ice slides which rapidly form beneath and behind his feet, similar to the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

mutant superhero Iceman. Additionally, the gun appears to be able to formulate moving constructs made of ice and vapor, not unlike the hydrokinetic abilities of the

superhero Mera. Though imposing, his advanced technology is not his only formidable weapon. The Minister has consistently demonstrated a cunning capacity for deceitful manipulation. Whether abusing his position as

majordomo A majordomo () is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, this is the highest (''major'') person of a household (''domūs'' or ''domicile'') staff, a head servant who acts on behalf of the owner of a larg ...

by misleading the regent of the icy kingdom from which he hails, wholly duping his criminal accomplices

and Icicle I, or deluding followers as a cult leader, Minister Blizzard's affinity for calculating control has proven as dangerous as his ice gun.

In other media

Television

Minister Blizzard makes a non-speaking appearance in the ''

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 ...

'' episode "Getting Ice Dick, Don't Wait Up" as a member of the "cold boys".

Miscellaneous

* Minister Blizzard appears in ''

Justice League Adventures While Batman and Superman had their own animated series and comic book follow-ups, the rest of the characters in the appeared in the following comics often. ''The Batman Adventures'' ''The Batman Adventures'' was created as a comic book tie-in ...

'' #12 as a member of the Cold Warriors. * Minister Blizzard 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.''DC Super Friends'' #16 (August 2009). DC Comics.

References

External links

''Wonder Woman'' #162
{{Wonder Woman Comics characters introduced in 1948 DC Comics supervillains DC Comics male supervillains Golden Age supervillains Wonder Woman characters Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities Characters created by William Moulton Marston Characters created by H. G. Peter Fictional prime ministers Fictional eco-terrorists Fictional cult leaders