Marvel Voices: Iceman Infinity Comic #4 [The End]: Bobby Literally Freezes Time!

[Mercury]

Los Angeles, California. Captain America, Black Panther, and Iron Man are in the middle of a fight against Tyros, "a former herald of Galactus with a penchant for world domination." They are losing. Tyros reveals, "A single speck of the Black Winter gives me power beyond all measure!" (See Thor [2020] #1-6.) He asserts, "The UNIVERSAL ALL-DEATH will inevitably come," after which he thrashes Thor and Captain Marvel.

Suddenly: The Silver Surfer and Bobby fly into the action. "Brother Defender," Silver Surfer says to Bobby, "We ride together at last. Tyros must be separated from the Black Winter particle." "Don't worry, World's Greatest Heroes! I've got this," assures Bobby, suggesting, "You guys should really call me more often," before Tyros attacks him and the Silver Surfer.

Bobby fights back, but Tyros seemingly gets the upper hand, freezing and breaking his arms with the Black Winter. However, Bobby instantly reconstructs his arms and asserts, "I am the Omega. And I will freeze time itself to stop you in your tracks, you overgrown snowbird!" He lunges at Tyros and thinks to himself, "'Omega-level' means no upper limit to my mutant power. I let it all flow through me. More than ever before. ... Space-time freezes around me at a quantum level. An existential cold beyond the logics of hydrokinesis or thermodynamics. Mutant magic? Or something else entirely?"

As Bobby extracts, presumably, the "speck of Black Winter" from Tyros' third-eye region, he asks himself, "All this for a single snow crystal?" However, he doesn't stop there. "Let's seal it in absolute zero. Iceman saves the world. But at what cost?" he asks himself. "I pushed too far. I can't stop this cold. And I don't feel a thing. Who said no limits is a good thing? What have I done to myself?"



South Pole. Days later... Northstar and Firestar approach an ice castle. Firestar conducts a debriefing, "Okay, team. This is a rescue mission. Reality is freezing in a close range around Bobby, so he retreated away from everyone. Not even our telepaths can communicate with him—all they can read is that he's in shock. He needs his Amazing Friends. Are we ready?" Firestar and Northstar clasp hands, and the latter responds, "To combine lightspeed and starheat to try to cancel out his power aura, even if it kills us? For Otter-Pop, yeah." And that's precisely what they do—weaken the "freezing aura"—before sending Christian into the ice castle.

Inside the castle, Christian approaches Bobby, who is surprised. "Christian?! You're...here?" Christian clarifies, "Well, technically not. My psionic astral projection is. In this case...I'm just the messenger." Suddenly, Romeo emerges from Christian's astral form. "Hi, Bobby," he says. "You really went literal with the emotional barriers this time, huh?" Before Bobby can finish asking how Romeo is there, Christian chimes in, "Did I pull a Frost family classic and invade your privacy to contact your ex and hit a soft spot? Sorrynotsorry. See you outside."

After Christian leaves, Bobby says to Romeo, "You have to go back to safety. Everyone needs to stay away. This is too dangerous. I am too dangerous." Rome places his hand on Bobby's face and says, "I know you got this. Give me your eyes and listen closely. I'm going to use my empathic power on you, and I want you to feel fully...to know unquestionably, in every cell of your being...that what I'm about to say is true: You. Are. Loved." Suddenly, Bobby is thawed and the ice castle shatters.

Outside, a shockwave sends Northstar and Firestar spinning. Christian asks, "D-did he do it? Did it work?" Nearby, Romeo cradles Bobby, who is sobbing. "It's okay. You're okay now. Everything's okay now," Romeo assures him, holding him tight.

Los Angeles. Bobby notes to himself, over a scene of him, presumably, at a Pride celebration, dancing with nothing but shorts and a harness on, "I cried my ice out. Like I had never cried before in my life. It felt like unlocking a whole new mutation. We too often abuse the term "human" to refer to non-mutants. I think we end up denying ourselves of our own humanity. Of our right to live fully, beyond our struggles and fights. At least I know I did. And I deserve better.

Later, Bobby meets up with Daemond (see issue #3), who apologizes to him. "I'm sorry about all that mess with Loki..." Bobby assures him, "It's good. I'm just glad Christian was able to help you." Bobby and Daemond hug. Bobby continues his narration: "We all [deserve better]. It doesn't always make sense."

Bobby is then shown crying with his mother and holding her hand as they both stare at his father's grave. "I'm not sure what I mean by this," says Bobby, "but I don't want to keep thinking of myself as a different species from my own family."



Later, Bobby and Romeo meet up. "Progress is anything but linear," Bobby says in his narration. Romeo asks, "One date at a time, and see where it goes?" Bobby says, "I can work with that."

Bobby concludes his narration over scenes of him sliding across Los Angeles: "Sometimes, [progress] is more like my ice slides...full of ups...and downs...and spins and twirls...but always, always moving forward. And I'm here for the ride!"

The end!