Snowman AKA Klaus Kristin is a superhuman enemy of Batman.
History[]
Origins[]
Klaus Kristin is the hybrid son of a male yeti and a woman named Katrina Kristin. Katrina was a diplomat who had gone on a United Nations expedition through the Himalayas where she was wounded and separated from her party. She was saved by the yeti who took her to his cave where they had intercourse, with Katrina not realizing her saver's species until the next morning.
When Katrina finally was reunited with human-society she was suffering from a psychological breakdown and was only able to say the word "Yeti". She then died giving-birth to her son Klaus who was born an albino with superhuman powers. When amongst human-society, Klaus used his natural super-powers to become a professional athlete.
Criminal Career[]
Needing money to fund research and treatment for his genetic-condition, he came to Gotham City in "Where Walks A Snowman" to use his powers for a crime-spree. After he attacked a criminal named Jackie, Batman became suspicious of the criminal being monstrous. After meeting Klaus at a party as Bruce Wayne, he became suspicious of him and upon investigation discovered Klaus's mother's diary.
Following this, Klaus fled to Austria with Batman in pursuit who challenged him to a skiing competition. The two proceeded to engaging in a skiing based fight until Batman blinded him with a flare-gun and knocked him off of a cliff. Klaus survived however, and fled to the Himalayas in an attempt to find his father.
In Detective Comics #522, "Snowblind" Batman hears rumors that a yeti, fitting Klaus description, is in Tibet. He goes there to capture the Snowman, only to end up battling him and his father. Here it was discovered that due to being a hybrid-species, Klaus suffered from genetic-flaws which had drastically shortened his life-span and that he had fled to the Himalayas to find peace before his death.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Cryokinesis: Snowman has control over ice and snow.
- Superhuman-Strength: He also has super-strength.
Weaknesses[]
- Thermal Regulation: Due to his yeti biology, Klaus would be unhealthy if not regularly exposed to cold climates.
- Hybrid Species Genetics: As a result of being a hybrid, Klaus suffered from genetic flaws just like many real-life hybrids do. Namely, his lifespan was drastically shortened. It can additionally be speculated based off of real-life science that he was unable to reproduce and likely suffered from a heart condition of some sort.
The Yeti in Lego Batman: The Videogame
In other media[]
- Lego Batman: The Videogame: An unlockable minor playable character in Lego Batman: The Videogame named, "Yeti" bears a striking resemblance to and may be the Snowman.
- DCAU: While not appearing in any of the DCAU films or series, Snowman did make an appearance in the spin-off comic Justice League Adventures #12. In it, he along with Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold, Killer Frost, Minister Blizzard, Icicle, Cryonic Man, and Polar Lord (General Eklu of the planet Tharr, home-world of Polar Boy) formed the super-villain alliance known as the Cold Warriors. The group attempted a hostile takeover of a small African nation, and were defeated by the Justice League. His current whereabouts are unknown.
- Batman: Arkham City: In the video-game Arkham City, inmates of Arkham City can be heard exclaiming, "It's colder than the Snowman's heart". This is mostly likely in reference to Mr. Freeze although it leaves room for speculation.
Klaus as he appears in the DCAU
Notes[]
- There have been several DC universe characters to be Yetis or have Yeti/Snowman in their names. In Action Comics #255, Congo Bill and Congorilla came across a yeti in the Bukari Mountains. When Superman's rocket landed on Earth, it awakened the Abominable Snowman who took the form of a human named "Dr. Phoenix" by using a mirage-projector which turned dreams into reality. He attempted to destroy modern human civilization before he was defeated by Superman. Wonder Woman's enemy Byrna Brilyant was a drag-king who used a robotic suit to become "The Blue Snowman". Additionally, the Chinese superhero Hu Wei was a metahuman who could turn into a yeti.
- While in the DC Universe Yeti's are real, in real-life Yetis are almost definitely a post-colonial glorification of legends deriving from romanticizations and misidentifications of: mountain nomads, Himalayan brown bears, and Japanese snow monkeys.