Bobby Drake - Phase 1
This page is about the Phase 1 incarnation of the character. For other uses, see Bobby Drake (disambiguation).
| Bobby Drake - Replaced in Phase 2 | |
|---|---|
 Portrayed by Shawn Ashmore | |
| Codename: | Iceman |
| Affiliations: | X-Men, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters- staff |
| Birthdate: | April 22, 1985 |
| Journal: | x_iceman |
| Player: | |
One of the longest-term residents of the mansion, Bobby has grown from an insecure teenager into an X-Man and teacher. He was married to Theresa Cassidy but prolonged times apart and the processing of growing and changing have meant they have legally separated and are in the process of divorcing. He was among the lost during the Dark Phoenix Saga.
Contents
Details
Character Journal: x_iceman
Real Name: Robert "Bobby" Louis Drake
Codename: Iceman
Aliases: None Known
First Appearance: May 8th, 2003
Date of Birth: April 22, 1985
Place of Birth: Boston, MA
Citizenship: Dual: United States (Natural Birth) and Irish
Relatives: William Robert Drake (Father), Madeline Beatrice Bass Drake (Mother), Ronald "Ronnie" Drake (Brother); former wife, Theresa Cassidy
Education: Graduate of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Degrees in Accounting and Education with teaching certification in Math
Relationship Status: Separated from Theresa Cassidy as of January 2012, divorce proceedings pending.
Occupation: Elpis Employee, Former Math Teacher; as of April 2007, Former Caretaker/Bookkeeper - Cassidy Keep, Current Substitute Teacher
Team Affiliation: X-Men
Biography
Childhood
Robert Drake was a pretty run of the mill kid in most ways. He was only noticeable for being the All-American boy. Playing baseball, getting in the mischief around the neighborhood, building tree houses with his friends, but it all changed abruptly.
Bobby was on the mound for his hometown baseball team in late summer. A small amount of rain began to fall on the field, but the entire crowd was shocked as the rain began to turn to snow. While the local weatherman explained it as a sudden and freak cold front over the east coast, Bobby feared that it was due to something different. His entire body began to shake just before the snowstorm, causing him to think that he may have something to do with it. Those fears were confirmed a few months later, when his soda at school suddenly froze solid in his hand. Wearing gloves for fear that he may freeze something else by accident, it took Bobby months to comb the internet, searching for information about mutations until he found a technopath in his area who would be willing to help him. Helping Bobby hack into underground mutant chat rooms, the pair eventually found out about Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Bobby applied a week later, using the time to put together folders for a fake boarding school as his cover story for his family.
Living At The X-Mansion
Bobby was very close with a small group of students in his class including John Allerdyce and Kitty Pryde. However, the group fell apart during the events of X2, as Bobby started a relationship with Marie D'Ancato, making Kitty feel like a third wheel, and John lash out due to his own unresolved feelings towards Bobby.
Bobby spent eight years at the school as both student and graduate/teacher. He steadily gained control over his powers over time, but the events of X2 left his family situation a mess. Betrayed by his brother to the police, his parents frightened of him, Bobby took things very hard, becoming quiet and withdrawn. His relationship with Marie D'Ancato suffered as well, with the young couple breaking up only weeks after the invasion. This was partly spurred by Bobby's conflicting relationship with John Allerdyce, who admitted romantic feelings for the other boy that were not returned. John's defection to the Brotherhood of Mutants almost destroyed the friendship entirely, with things being slowly mended via IM over many months. Things derailed further when, after John's return, Bobby was replaced by the shapeshifter Mystique for several months, who did her level best to emotionally torture John, as well as disrupting the school in general.
The deception was discovered in November 2003, when, during a mission to rescue the son of a senator from the FOH, Bobby was found in a shed, having been physically and sexually abused. He was rescued and brought back to the school, but recovery was long in coming. He was helped by his friend (and later roommate) Angelo Espinosa, who protected the older boy as much as he was able. An unfortunately encounter with the empath Manuel de la Rocha in the kitchen set Bobby's recovery back and began a long-term enmity between Manuel and Angelo.
Over time Bobby began to rebuild his life. The departures of both Marie and John from the school gave him the chance to focus on the future, rather than the past, and he was able to reconcile - to a degree - with his family, although his brother Ronny would never be fully comfortable with him and would eventually become interested in the FOH (a fact Bobby would discover Christmas of 2005). Given Bobby's experiences of the group, discovery of this was not taken well. The arrival of a new student with no memory of her past - Jane Doe - brought more change, but of a positive sort, as the two began tentatively dating. The relationship was strained by Bobby's frequent absences during this time, and eventually ended when Jane left the school to seek out her identity.
As a college student, Bobby remained at the school, teaching mathematics and training with the X-Men, and later joining Nathan Dayspring's NGO Elpis. When John returned to the mansion it was revealed that the two had regained their friendship through a series of IMs and e-mails. Although the relationship is still very awkward between the two of them is still tentative, they still work hard at rebuilding what they had.
Relationship with Theresa Cassidy
While in college, Bobby started a whirlwind relationship with Theresa Cassidy. Although very hot and heavy at first, both were given a scare when Theresa thought she was pregnant. This led to an awkward proposal and almost ended the relationship when it was found to be a false pregnancy. The relationship between Theresa and Bobby, as well as his relationship between himself and his team leader Scott Summers was tested when Bobby was seduced by Jean Grey’s alter ego, Jane. Although Bobby kept the affair secret at first, the truth eventually came to light, causing the couple’s relationship to be pushed to the brink once again.
After Theresa returned from a visit with her uncle, “Black” Tom Cassidy, many were shocked to find that the pair had reconciled, but the surprises were just beginning. In August 2007, Bobby and Theresa took a trip to relieve stress in Las Vegas. While there, the two decided to have a “fake” wedding to surprise the mansion. Unfortunately, the plan went haywire, and they were actually married.
While many thought that the relationship would never last, the pair has survived, having an “official” wedding at Cassidy Keep in August 2009. Theresa still wears the ring Bobby bought her for the joke in Las Vegas as her wedding ring.
Life at Cassidy Keep
In 2007, a most unexpected Christmas gift from Sean Cassidy presented Bobby and his young wife with a dilemma. As Sean was returning to Interpol, he handed over Cassidy Keep to his daughter and her husband. With Terry still completing college, it was decided that Bobby would quit his place on the team and with Elpis and go live at the Keep, making sure things ran smoothly, with Terry visiting periodically. These plans were delayed, however, when Elpis' office in Tell Aviv was bombed, requiring Bobby to stay on and help with things. When Elpis was sufficiently back on its feet, he left, although not without one last fight with Terry. The pair made up, however, and Terry joined Bobby at the Keep when classes. They had their 'real' wedding in August while living in the middle of a full renovation/restoration of the Keep.
In November 2007, Bobby decided to go back to school and earn his teaching degree. However, mindful of his responsibilities to the Keep, he chose to do that degree by correspondence at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He and Terry continued their relationship long-distance, with her contacting him and visiting him regularly, until she finished her degree at PACE and returned to Ireland to pursue her career with Interpol, with her father's assistance.
Return to the Mansion
While at Cassidy Keep, Bobby is surprised when he opens the door and finds a carbon copy of himself staring him in the face. His brother, Ronnie, has manifested the power, but because of his guilt in being a mutant as a former FOH member and how he treated Bobby, he has shifted into the form that he feels the most guilt towards, and cannot figure out how to turn back. After contacting Xavier, Bobby brings his brother to the Mansion, where he and the Professor come to the conclusion to send Ronnie to Muir Island to work on his abilities.
But Bobby's story wasn't done there. Discovering the sudden leave of several key members of the mansion, Bobby makes the difficult decision to stay, and resume his post as a teacher at the school. He also has committed to return to the X-Man team.
Second Tour as an X-Man
After taking over his post as teacher at the school once again, Bobby threw himself into work as a member of the X-Men, although his initial attempts weren't the most successful. Bobby was part of the manhunt for super powered villains who escaped during their transfer from the Vault. While his team was able to recapture the Corrupter and Ruckus, Iceman ignored the orders of his team, letting his vendetta against the Brotherhood get the better of him. These headstrong actions allowed for two Brotherhood members, Katu and Bloodhawk to escape.
While 2009 ended roughly for Drake, he had much more success in his leathers during 2010. He was part of the team working to stop the invading Indian navy of D. Kenneth Neramani. He and several other of his team members were on hand at graduation to stop the plans of The Purifiers and the Reavers as they invaded. During an investigation of Haven in District X, Drake found a missing mutant in the woman's basement being used for her own personal gain. These events shook him deeply, but his work was at least partially responsible for the eventual arrest of Haven. Around Halloween of the same year, Bobby was called on again to investigate the disappearance of a separate team as they investigated the mysterious M-Squad. While things got a little messy for Bobby and his teammates, they eventually were able to escape with both their lives and their teammates intact. He capped off his year by helping Julian Keller and his family by rescuing the youngest member from a group of mercenaries hired by the Lords of War.
While his life as a team member began to take off again, his life as a husband hit a bit of a snag. Being able to talk to Terry less and less, he began confiding in his friends more, most notably Amanda Sefton. This lead to the pair almost kissing, and Bobby realizing he needed to have a long talk with his wife. The results of the conversation, and how the marriage will recover remains to be seen.
The next year was rather 'more of the same', with Bobby continuing to teach and playing the occasional prank on Hank. A mission in Madripoor nearly ended in disaster for the team, with an ambush by Lady Deathstrike and her team. During the fight, Bobby tried his best to protect his young teammate, Firestar, with nearly fatal consequences to himself.
The next mission proved to be a complete 180 in terms of pace, with Bobby's secret past as the 1997 Massachusetts Under 14 Year Old Roller Dancing Champion actually coming in handy when the X-Women were required to go undercover as a roller derby team during an investigation into Kick distribution and mutant smuggling. With their freedom at stake in a bet with Arcade, it was Bobby's coaching and tactics that allowed the X-Men to win their matches.
Since that time, Bobby dropped out of sight for a while, possibly trying to screw up the courage needed to finally address the state of his relationship. It proved unsuccessful, and when he was offered the chance to go to the West Coast Annex to perform a costs analysis of the operation there, he jumped at it. Terry was particularly displeased by yet another long-distance situation, and the two finally decided a legal separation was the best course of action for both of them.
Physical Characteristics
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 160 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Dusty Blonde
Other Features: In 2006, Bobby discovered his 'ice form' during a training session in which his body becomes fully composed of ice.
Powers
Cyrokenesis
Bobby is able to freeze moisture in the air and use it to form solid ice that is much more dense and durable than normal. He has used this ability to create projectiles, walls, and slides, just to name a few. He can also use this ability to lower the temperature of the air around him in an area as large as a small apartment. Bobby can only create as many objects as he can mental focus on, and if he loses focus, the object will simply crash to the ground.
Temperature Manipulation
Bobby can control his body temperature and lower it. He has reached a low limit of approximately -105 Degrees F, although he has not pushed past this point. This ability can make him invisible on infrared scanners, as well as makes him immune to sub-zero temperatures and Hypothermia.
Ice Form
Bobby can change his entire body to an organic ice compound. This compound increases his strength to nearly twice its normal levels and his endurance to nearly three times his human levels. It also affects his durability as if a piece of his body is lost while in his ice-form, he can reattach it using his Cyrokenesis abilities. However this form does have its drawbacks as it decreases his agility, making his joints more mechanical. If Bobby is every rendered unconscious while in his Ice-Form, he will revert immediately back to his normal form.
Equipment
None.
External Links
Phase 1
Trivia
Bobby is known for making ice cream of unusual flavors.
Notable Flavors:
- Pastrami Swirl - Catseye
- Chocolate Fruit and Peanut Butter Swirl with Nougat - Doreen Green
- Candy Mash Up - Monkey Joe
Plots
2003
2004
2005
X-Men Mission: Hole in the World
X-Men Mission: Mutant Michelangelo
2006
X-Men Mission: The Perfect Nanny
2007
2009
2010
X-Men Mission: Who You Gonna Call?
2011
X-Men Mission: The Grotesque and the Sublime
X-Men Mission: Roller Derby Queen
Meta
Player:
E-mail:
AIM:
Player Icon Base: Shawn Ashmore
Meta Trivia: Bobby's first player was also one of the co-creators of the game, Queer as John, making his journal one of the oldest in the game. Jess picked Bobby up in 2003, and played him until 2007. Craig adopted Bobby in October 2009 and played him until January 2012.
