DC's Biggest New Threat Just Got a Kryptonian Power Boost
Warning, this article contains spoilers for Black Adam: Endless Winter Special #1.
Justice League's Endless Winter event has introduced one of the most powerful DC Comics villains of all time: The Frost King. He is almost mythical, as he was the subject of much nordic folklore - but it turns out the man and the myth are actually very different. The one who calls himself Frost King is merely a man who, like many of the Justice League, discovered he had special powers.
Edwald Olaffson was a simple village elder in Greenland during the 10th century. He lived an ordinary life until one day his son was nearly mauled by a polar bear. Edwald extended his arms and used cryokinesis - the ability to manipulate snow and ice - on the bear, freezing him in place. From that day on Edwald's life changed. The village began to rely on him and his power to keep it safe. But as Edwald's power grew, his handle on them weakened. They became so uncontrollable the village unanimously decided he was a pariah, the Frost King of legend, sent to decimate crops and enact the endless winter. When the village decided to try and burn his entire family alive, Olaffson embraced the title and became the Frost King everyone feared.
The Flash May Finally Be Beaten in DC's Endless Winter
Now he's back and after hundreds of years, he has still forsaken the world for not accepting him and his abilities. Trapped under Superman's former Fortress of Solitude, Frost King has absorbed Kryptonian crystal energy that seeped into the ice. This power upgrade made him a foe worthy of taking on the league, and evenly matching them. Frost King even overpowered Superman in their first battle. The league learns that they aren't the only version of the Justice League he has done battle with either. The Justice League Viking, an ancient team comprised of Viking Prince, Swamp Thing, Hippolyta, and Black Adam was formed to combat Frost King when his endless winter became a global threat in the 10th century. Black Adam battled Frost king for the second time in Black Adam: Endless Winter Special #1 by Andy Lanning and Ron Marz.
The first time they crossed paths Black Adam used Frost King's family to manipulate him, further enraging the man-turned-monster. This caused Frost King to seek vengeance on Justice League Viking, and the world, a vengeance that would endure hundreds of years thanks to the ice he was frozen in. When Black Adam and the Frost King reunite history repeats itself and Black Adam leverages Olaffson's frozen family against him. Sebastian Stagg, the one responsible for the excavation that freed Frost King used a robot to blast him with Kryptonian energy, thinking it would destroy him.
Like the Kryptonian energy that enhanced him initially, the blast only made Frost King more powerful. He grew to a monstrous size and was able to grab Black Adam's entire body in a single fist. Once again, Stagg has ruined things for Earth as the world is battered by the endless winter that Frost King has unleashed. Frost King has already taken the world hostage using his cryokinesis and now with this recent upgrade, he seems unstoppable. The Justice League has its work cut out for them. The 9-issue crossover event comes to an end in Justice League: Endless Winter #2 on December 29th.