Name: Jackson Steel
Nick: "Jack", "Jacko", "Jackal" or "Cold Steel"

Superhero Alias: Iceman

Age: 29

Gender: Male

Appearance: Jackson Steele stands 6' tall and weighs 188 Lbs. He is in decent shape as he works out when he has time and is in good health at the moment. Jackson suffers from Albinism, a skin pigment affliction that explains his very pale complexion and white hair. The illness also insures his eyes are a very light blue color. Due to his condition, Jackson wears sunglasses all the time, even when in doors. Since Jackson is partial to the color red, he has stitched a thin red piping into his X-men uniform.


[img]http://highlights-hair.com/img/278x362/men-017-BL-P.jpg[/img]

Personality: Jackson is an intelligent young man, polite and considerate of others. He is positive and upbeat. He tends to quiet, conservative and uninterfering of other people's activities. Jackson will not speak to someone unless they have spoken to him first. He tends to be reactionary when it comes to interpersonal relationships. The knowledge that he may die from Cancer any year and that his mortality is not as long as everyone else's weighs heavy on his mind, but he retains a buoyant flair about his personality. Once he warms up to someone, he has a warm and friendly smile. He is the type of person who appears to be genuinely concerned for others.

Power and other abilities: Jackson is able to shoot water from his extended hands as if his arms were fire hoses. He can vary the temperature of the water to turn it to ice if need be. He can also alter the temperature around him within a 30 - 80 foot radius of his location. Lastly, he can protect everyone within 30 - 80 feet of his position from feeling the effects of cold temperatures. This protection has no defense against intense heat. If Jackson is an arid environment, he cannot shoot water from his fingertips. There must be water in the air or a nearby source for this ability to work. The water comes out only if he wills it. Otherwise, he is like a normal fair haired and fair-skinned human. Jackson himself is immune to any harmful effects of extreme cold weather. Heat, sunlight and fire on the other hand can be detrimental.

The range of Jackson's protection depends on his health. He suffers from skin cancer, but the illness is currently in remission. When the cancer takes over his body, he becomes weak and is unable to perform any of his abilities. Doctors have tried chemotherapy and minor invasive surgeries, which have not worked. Generally, within six to eight months after a procedure, the cancerous tissue will return. When the cancer weakens him, the range of Jackson's frost protection becomes lessened or closer to the 30-foot point. When he is in good health, he can expand his abilities to 80 feet. Increased exposure to the sun increases his chances of the cancer coming out of remission. He must keep his skin covered with clothing and apply SPF 50+ sunscreen to his face and hands in order to go out of doors. 

Backstory: Jackson Steel was born and raised in Westwood, MA. He attended parochial school at St. Catherine's of Sienna in Norwood through Grade 5, St. Sebastian's Academy in Needham from grades 6 - 8 and Xavarian Brothers High School from grades 9 - 12. Jackson also holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Boston College and a Master's degree in Molecular Biology from Tufts University. He uses his skills to understand both his immunity to cold and his cancer. While in middle and high school, Jackson learned to play the violin and enjoys performing classical violin pieces.

Jackson's father inherited his father's and grandfather's wealth. He was a principal shareholder in several Health Care facilities in the greater Boston area. He served as Chairman of the board of trustees for Partner's healthcare. Jackson's mother works as a television reporter for Channel 5 WCVB News in Needham, MA.

Jackson was born at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in 1983. Upon birth, he was immediately diagnosed with Albinism, a rare skin pigmentation disorder that determined he would have white hair and very light blue eyes for the rest of his life. This also left him mildly photophobic and sensitive to the UV rays of the sun. He must wear sunscreen and be protected from the sun's deadly rays at all times.

Naturally, it isn't always possible to keep a child protected especially one is curious about the world and wants to get outside to play with friends. He was diagnosed with skin cancer at age 12 and has undergone a battery of tests and procedures to cure him of his ailments ever since. Currently his cancer is in remission and he is enjoying a good health moment.

When Jackson was six years old, his mother noticed her son playing in the backyard on their swing set. There was more than three feet of snow on the ground and the thermometer read 20 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is common to allow a child to play outside in the wintertime. Like most parents, Jackson's mother bundled him up in his snowsuit, boots, wool hat and mittens. When his mother looked out this one day in January of 1990, she noticed her son playing on the swings wearing a pair of sweats, a short-sleeved shirt and his boots.

Fearful that her son would catch a cold, she ran outside and yelled for him to come inside. When she touched his arm, she felt that it was warm instead of the cool temperature you would normally feel on someone's skin who has been exposed to sub freezing temperatures for at least an hour. Her mother thought it odd and kept an open mind. She brought him inside and kept an eye on him for the next several years.

During his elementary school years at St. Catherine's, Jackson's mother observed his ability to form ice from a glass of water. Jackson was just learning about his abilities at this same time. Slowly over time, the abilities detailed above came out when he played with his friends. Doctors checked him over and ran many tests to understand how he was able to manipulate the temperature in his immediate surroundings or turn water into ice. The doctors were continually baffled and let it go as a fluke. In fact, it was during these tests at the age of 12 that they detected the skin cancer.