Ice King
Simon Petrikov, more commonly called the Ice King, is a fictional character in the Adventure Time franchise. He was first introduced in the American animated television series Adventure Time. The character was the main antagonist of the show's early seasons and develops into a supporting character in later seasons. He is also a main character in the adult animated spin-off series Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake. The character is voiced by the American actor Tom Kenny in most appearances.
Originally introduced as an evil but incompetent wizard obsessed with kidnapping princesses, he was depicted in later seasons of Adventure Time as a lonely man driven insane by a magical crown which grants him ice powers. The show's third season reveals that he was once an ordinary human named Simon Petrikov before falling under the influence of the crown. Simon regains his sanity and memories after being stripped of his powers by the being Golb in the series finale "Come Along with Me." Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake depicts Simon's difficulty adjusting to life after these events.
Although the character initially garnered a lukewarm reception from critics, his later backstory and character development into a tragic figure were widely acclaimed. The crown's influence over Ice King came to be seen as a complex depiction of social isolation and mental illness, notably Alzheimer's and bipolar disorder. The episodes "I Remember You" and "Simon & Marcy", focusing on the Ice King's paternal relationship with Marceline the Vampire Queen, are often considered two of the show's best.
Creation and design
The character was first voiced by the American actor John Kassir in the short film "Adventure Time", which introduced the character. In the short, the protagonists Finn the Human and Jake the Dog fight Ice King to rescue Princess Bubblegum, whom he has kidnapped. He is voiced by the American actor Tom Kenny in the television series of the same name. Kenny said that he approached the character as "a very real psychopath" who did not fully understand why his actions were wrong.Pendleton Ward, the creator of Adventure Time, considered Ice King to be a "pathetic" character. Commenting on the character's sympathetic backstory, he said that he "enjoy a villain that you fall in love with."
The journalist Neil Strauss of Rolling Stone noted that the character bore some similarities to Ward, including his "Trotsky glasses", his large beard and his strong desire for social interaction. Strauss said that "If the Ice King is Ward's dark side, then Finn, the show's 16-year-old protagonist, is his light side."
Appearances
''Adventure Time'' (2010–2018)
Ice King, a wizard capable of creating and manipulating snow and ice, was introduced as an antagonist of the series' main characters Finn and Jake. A recurring plot point throughout the series is his attempts to kidnap princesses and force them to marry him, which are repeatedly foiled by Finn and Jake. Ice King rules over the Ice Kingdom, which is located in the land of Ooo where the series takes place and inhabited by penguins. About a thousand years before the start of the series, the Earth was ravaged by the Mushroom War, a nuclear conflict that mutated life and created the magical setting of Ooo.The Ice King's heart escapes his body in "Ricardio the Heart Guy", the seventh episode of the first season, and takes on anthropomorphic features. The heart, named Ricardio, attempts to seduce Princess Bubblegum. A weakened Ice King warns Finn and Jake of Ricardio's origins and evil nature. After they defeat him, Ice King puts Ricardio back in his body and is restored to health. Ricardio escapes from Ice King's body again in "Lady & Peebles", the 19th episode of the fourth season. Ricardio fashions a body out of Ice King's flesh, believing that it will make him more attractive to Princess Bubblegum who rejects and defeats him in single combat.
The third season two-part special "Holly Jolly Secrets" revealed that the Ice King was once an antiquarian named Simon Petrikov, who purchased a magical crown from a dockworker in Scandinavia. Simon soon discovered that wearing the crown was gradually turning his skin blue and making him act erratically. Simon's fiancée Betty Grof left him as a result of the crown's influence over him. The crown's magic allowed him to survive the apocalyptic Mushroom War.
In episode 25 of season four, "I Remember You", it is revealed that Simon met Marceline the Vampire Queen when she was a young orphan, and helped her survive the fallout of the Mushroom War. Realizing that his mental health was rapidly degenerating, he wrote a letter to Marceline apologizing for anything he might do when he no longer remembers her. Despite not remembering their past, Ice King continually seeks out Marceline to be near her. The relationship between Ice King and Marceline is further explored in "Simon & Marcy", the 14th episode of the fifth season, which reveals that he reluctantly began wearing the crown so that he could use its power to protect Marceline, despite knowing that this was causing him to lose his mind. Simon left Marceline out of fear that the crown would eventually make him hurt her.
Ice King's powers are taken by Bella Noche, an anti-magic creature, in "Betty" the 48th episode of the fifth season. Freed from the magical influence of the crown, Ice King regains the memories of his identity as Simon but begins to die without the crown to keep him alive. With the help of Marceline, he creates a time portal so he can apologize to Betty, who jumps through the portal intent on saving him. Betty defeats Bella Noche, causing Simon to become the Ice King once more. Betty appears to die in an explosion, but secretly survives and begins looking for ways to free Simon from the crown. She absorbs the powers of Magic Man in episode 38 of season six "You Forgot Your Floaties", intending to use these powers to try to cure Simon.
In "Elemental", the 8th episode of season eight, Ice King accidentally frees the Patience St. Pim, an ancient Ice Elemental who existed before the Mushroom War. Patience is defeated in the miniseries "Elements", which aired as part of Adventure Time season nine. Betty returns in the miniseries and unsuccessfully attempts to cure Ice King's insanity with magic. When this fails, Betty tries to alter the past to stop Simon from finding the crown and prevent the Mushroom War from taking place. Ice King stops Betty from changing the timeline, which would erase many of Ooo's inhabitants from existence.
Betty makes another attempt to restore Simon's mind in the series finale "Come Along with Me" by harnessing the power of the evil deity GOLB. They are both swallowed by GOLB, along with Finn. Inside of GOLB, Simon is stripped of his powers and freed from the crown's curse. Betty then uses the crown to transform GOLB into a less destructive deity by merging with it, sacrificing herself in the process to become Golbetty. Afterwards, Ice King's penguin Gunter absorbs the crown and becomes the Ice Thing.
''Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake'' (2023)
Simon Petrikov is a major character in the series Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, which features gender flipped versions of characters from Adventure Time. The titular characters in Fionna and Cake were first introduced in the ninth episode of Adventure TimeSimon travels with them across the multiverse in an attempt to fix Fionna and Cake's universe, by using the power of the ice crown. Once he obtains it, Golbetty intervenes to prevent him from wearing it and falling under its curse again. Simon tells her that he doesn't feel worthy of the second chance at life that she gave him, but she tells him that she does not regret anything that happened before saying goodbye and returning him to Ooo.
Other
Ice King had a cameo appearance in Adventure Time: Distant Lands, a limited series based on Adventure Time.He is the antagonist of the videogames Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!, and Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don't Know!. The comic book miniseries Adventure Time: Ice King was published by Boom! Studios in 2016. Ice King was also a main character in the 2019 comic book miniseries Marcy & Simon.
Characterization
Ice King appears like an elderly man with blue skin, which is caused by the magical crown he wears. Wearing the crown grants him immortality, as well as the ability to control snow and ice. Although evil, Ice King has been described as "incompetent" and "ineffectual". Throughout the show, Ice King is prone to misanthropy and depressive episodes, and he expresses anxiety over his body image. Despite wanting to live a normal life, Ice King's awkward and harmful behaviors drive away friends and potential romantic partners.It is later revealed that wearing the crown drove him insane, and caused him to lose all memories of his past life as a kind man named Simon Petrikov. Simon's personality at times surfaces, but is generally repressed by the personality of the Ice King. Film critic Liz Baessler of Film School Rejects noted that, because of the amnesia and personality changes caused by the crown, Simon and Ice King could be considered "two unique consciousnesses in one body."
The character's amnesia and mental health issues have been described as a metaphor for Alzheimer's disease and senility. His mental and emotional instability has also been interpreted as a representation of bipolar disorder by some critics. Simon's mental health is not completely restored after he is freed from the crown's curse at the end of the series, instead he continues to deal with the effects of his life experience.
Novelist Lev Grossman, in an interview with NPR, praised the backstory of the Ice King and the exploration of his condition, noting that his origin is "psychologically plausible."