Tora Olafsdotter is Ice, a superhero who wields ice magic. She was a member of Justice League International, where she became good friends with Fire. She was the on-again-off-again girlfriend of Guy Gardner.
History
Early Life
Born into a Norwegian Romani clan. As a young child, Tora Olafsdotter began displaying a cryokinetic ability, that her father was desperate to hide from the rest of the clan. He feared that Tora's grandfather would consider her the chosen one, the return of a goddess. Furthermore, he was concerned that his father would use Tora for criminal activities.[1]
However, one day, Tora was playing soccer with some other girls. One got angry at her and began hitting Tora, which resulted in Tora using her powers to fend her off. This happened while Tora's family, including her grandfather, were close by. Because of this, Tora fled with her parents and sister to Germany. When Tora was 13, her grandfather tracked them down and tried to take her by force, with the aid of his men. To defend herself, Tora's father told her to make it cold. She was reluctant, but then unleashed her powers. She froze her grandfather and his men to death. Unfortunately, her actions had also resulted in the death of her father.[1] Tora continued running with her mother and sister, until an opportunity presented itself. Tora made a deal with the government, who moved her family to New Zealand.[2]
Global Guardians
Tora joined the Global Guardians as Norway's member replacing Icemaiden. However, being ashamed of her past, she decided to lie about it. She began claiming to be a princess of an isolated tribe of magic-wielding Norsemen, as heroes came from a better stock than her.[2] The UN funding for the Global Guardians was withdrawn in the wake of the Justice League's reformation as the Justice League International, her friend Green Flame (later Fire) talked her into walking up to a JLI embassy and asking for a job. Remarkably, in the wake of Black Canary's resignation and the abduction of several members, the short-handed JLI took them on.
Justice League
Ice's personality was an amusing mix of girl-next-door wholesomeness and innocent-abroad naiveté, which served as a contrast to the impulsive, even problematic traits of her friend and teammate Fire. As a kind of duo, her friend and she had changed their names from Green Flame and Icemaiden to Fire and Ice.
Ice served with the Justice League International for years (remaining with the American branch even after a European branch was opened), occasionally dated Green Lantern Guy Gardner and even expressed an open (albeit unrequited) crush on Superman after he joined the team. Ice was even present at Superman's unfortunate death. She was one of the few Justice Leaguers still standing after Doomsday, Superman's killer, had torn through the team.
Her fate caught up with her and she was killed by the Overmaster while under his mental influence.
Before her untimely death, Ice displayed enhanced powers. This was after a battle with her brother, who had tried to conquer Ice's homeland.
Ghost Appearances
Ice has appeared on several occasions since her death.
Fire and Cruiser are involved in an accident which leaves them cold, tired and snowbound. They swap their life stories, and as she begins to drift into unconsciousness, which would be fatal following her concussion, Fire sees a vision of her late friend Ice, who helps her decide to live. It is unknown if Ice was a ghost or a figment of Fire's imagination, but Fire awoke to a warm burning fire and she and Cruiser had traded sitting positions.
Ice's spirit once again appears. She and several other deceased JLA members are resurrected by Felix Faust. In the end, she sacrifices herself again to save the JLA from his dark magic, and recites the same final words she spoke when killed by the Overmaster.[3]
In another instance, either the spirit or an illusion of Ice appeared, in which she was (possibly mistakenly) damned to Hell or a dimension similar to Hell. After Fire and Guy Gardner negotiate with Etrigan for her release, Fire looks behind to see that Ice is following while they leave, which violates Hell's Orpheus clause, causing Ice's spirit to vanish. Together Guy Gardner and Fire mourned the again-lost Ice, even though they had never been entirely certain that this manifestation was really her. It is implied that Ice vanished to Valhalla.
Resurrection
Barbara Gordon's Birds of Prey team, on mission in Azerbaijan, discovers Ice unconscious within a Rocket Red exosuit which they wrest from the possession of an underworld figure, Kerimov. With Kerimov hiring the Secret Six to transport the exosuit, the Birds of Prey and Secret Six would come to blows after Big Barda and Huntress capture it. Kerimov plans to use "the resurrection of a goddess" to manipulate the Russian people by playing on their superstitions about "ice princesses", and to use her great power to make himself a powerful ruler. Creote awakens the lifeless Tora. However, an enraged Ice unleashes her wrath upon both the Birds of Prey and Catman's Secret Six; she seeks to avenge her own murder. Huntress' mention of Guy Gardner in addition to a hard slap brings Ice back to her senses, while Deadshot dispatches Kerimov (who, as her savior, retained some influence over Tora). Eventually, Ice leaves the country in the company of the Birds of Prey.
She later meets up with Fire at a facility belonging to the United Nations-affiliated intelligence service Checkmate, as they talk about old times and try to catch up on the current ones.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Ice-Magic: Ice can, at will, project in various forms quantities of ice and snow through her hands just enough to down an opponent. She can create platforms of ice upon which she can skate. She is able to generate larger amounts of ice and snow, and conjure massive icy figures.
- Cryokinesis: Ice has the ability to generate/create ice at will.
Abilities
Trivia
- Prior to the retcon of her origin, in Justice League: Generation Lost #12, Tora had a brother named Ewald.
- Ice's surname literally translates to Olaf's Daughter. Her father was initially King Olaf; in Justice League: Generation Lost #12 it was changed to Marius with no explanation for the surname.
Related
- 257 Appearances of Tora Olafsdotter (New Earth)
- 70 Images featuring Tora Olafsdotter (New Earth)
- 2 Quotations by or about Tora Olafsdotter (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Tora Olafsdotter (New Earth)
Footnotes
  This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats. |
  This character is or was a member of the White Lantern Corps, guided by the Life Entity to wield the White Light of Life. |