Number: DLN-005

Weapon: Ice Slasher

Weakness: Elec Beam

A robot created for conducting research at the South Pole. Dodge his Ice Slasher with well-timed jumps at just the right height.

In  the real world, we send helpful robots into all kinds of extreme situations that humans can’t physically withstand. How nice would it be to have someone like Ice Man by our side, investigating super-cold environments while we sit back and avoid any alien parasites that may or may not be lurking in the Antarctic?

Oh uh, well that oddly specific concern aside, Ice Man was doing his duty when Dr Wily reprogrammed him as part of his robo-assault force. With the power to freeze foes in their tracks, Ice Man made a powerful addition to the team.

Ice Man falls after just three blasts from the Elec Beam. When he’s done, you get the Ice Slasher, a projectile that – appropriately enough – freezes enemies on the spot. It’s also useful against Fire Man y’know.

As a kid, Ice Man was my least favorite of the MM1 roster, only because I was hugely into robots and monsters; Ice Man basically looked like a dude in a snowsuit so by my 7-year-old logic he wasn’t as (ahem) cool as the others. Today, I quite like the design and appreciate his practical application in the Mega-verse. Later bosses feel like a stretch to have a “purpose” as anything other than an evil robot, while Ice Man is clearly built with a plan in mind.

In fact, back in 2008 I made a PixelBlock version of Ice Man just to show how my feelings had changed. Hold your hand up high, sir!

I’ve also been asking others about their favorite Robot Masters, and Ice Man just so happens to be someone’s…  second favorite 😛

Art from the Mega Man Legacy Collection Museum Mode

Jamal Peppers ( Archie Comics )

My second favorite Robot Master is Ice Man. I was fortunate enough to draw Ice Man and Guts Man, my other favorite Robot Master , together in a story for Archie Comics’ Mega Man series.

Like Guts Man, Ice Man’s design has always appealed to me. His big eyes bulging out from under his white fur-lined hood have always made me laugh and I liked the idea of this adorable little character being a powerful enemy. He’s also a lot of fun to draw.