In a world where Oblivion has created from nothing, wars rage and the innocent are slaughtered and “devils laugh”. In a fortress above all the suffering, Oblivion, the master of this realm speaks to his two servants. Oblivion commands his servants, the Idiot and White Light, to not fail him in their next mission, and they tell him they know the price of failure. Then Oblivion transports them to present day earth.
In Port Jefferson, Long Island, where Iceman’s parents live, he is in his ice form propelling himself above the streets below. Pedestrians look up to notice him but Iceman does not care because he is thinking of his parents. The reason Iceman is here in this town is to be present at his father’s retirement party. Iceman is thinking of how scared he is to see his parents again and realizing he is less scared of villains in his past then them.
As he sleds over a bus stop he notices a girl getting off the bus he recognizes. It is Mary, his cousin, one of the only people besides his parents that grew up with him that know his mutant secret. He swings down and picks her up while she does not seem surprised she asks him if he is not worried about someone figuring his secret identity out. As the pedestrians watch Mary being picked up by who they think is the Silver Surfer, Iceman explains to Mary that no one really even recognizes the name Iceman. He tells Mary that the reason he is afraid to face his parents is because he had promised them he would get out of the hero business and continue taking classes in accounting. Which he did for a while but now he is back doing hero stuff with the Defenders. Iceman is wondering whether he got back into superheroing because he wants to help mankind or just because Hank and Warren (Beast & Angel) are such big pressures in his life. As Iceman and Mary are talking, Iceman notices a girl walking with what seems to be her parents, brother, and grandfather. Mary notices his attention is somewhere else and asks him what’s wrong. While Iceman stutters he finally comes out and says he is “in love”. Iceman drops Mary off on the sidewalk and tells her to not tell her parents she has seen him. Mary tells him she will see him later, as Iceman thinks of the girl he just saw and wonders what he can do to impress her.
Iceman begins to make an ice-pole to slide down but when he slides down in front of the beautiful girl and her family the ice-pole breaks and Iceman falls to the ground. The girl screams and tells her family to run away, but her brother stays back thinking that this guy is not a bad guy. Iceman wonders to himself of why his ice-pole broke and he complains that now he has a migraine and plus he scared off the girl. Just then a cop comes up and asks Iceman (although the cop calls him Silver Surfer) if he is done kidnapping innocent girls. Iceman then tells him it was all a misunderstanding and he is not the Silver Surfer, but the Iceman. The cop then realizes who he is from the news reports and tells him he does not want Iceman spreading his “mutant trash” all over “his city”. Iceman decides the best thing to do is leave so he freezes the cop in ice and tells him an hour on ice might help him “cool off”.
Iceman ducks behind a fence in some backyard and begins to change from his uniform to meet his parents. As he changes he thinks to himself of the entire mutant hate crimes lately. He thinks that with Dazzler coming out as a mutant and the X-Men’s recent win against Stryker would have helped ease human and mutant relations. A little dog starts barking at him and an old lady looks out her window to see Iceman changing in her back yard. She screams for help, thinking he is taking his clothes off. Iceman tries to calm her down but she keeps screaming and not wanting to have the police involved again Iceman runs away.
Bobby runs and as he is thinking of the dog he just saw and how his parents would never allow him to have a pet. He remembers how overprotective his parents were and how that’s probably the reason he is so “neurotic” and he does not notice the same pretty girl in front of him and he accidentally knocks her down. Bobby apologizes to her and her father tells him that “accidents happen” and to not feel bad. The grandfather asks Bobby if he is new to the area and he explains that he grew up in this neighborhood and he is just back visiting his parents. Bobby tells them who his parents are and the old man tells him to tell his parents the “Smiths” said “hi”. As the pretty girl’s family is walking into their home (which is right next door to Bobby’s parents home) he tries to talk to the pretty girl but her little brother drags her into their house. Bobby walks to his home shocked that he is in love with the “girl next door”.
When Bobby enters his parents home they react to be so happy to see him and Bobby wonders why he was so scared to see them again. A few minutes later though he remembers why when his mother complains of his shirt being too wrinkled and his father saying that “super heroes” think “their to busy to dress decent for their parents.”
Meanwhile across town Ralph (the cop who tried to bust Iceman earlier) and another police officer notices two mutant looking people who are talking about, if this was the right “coordinates” and the other confirming it was. Ralph thinks that these mutants must be Iceman’s friends and he tries to harass them. The one named White Light begins to glow and Ralph says “Buddy, if you think that crazy light o’ yours is gonna stop Ralph Ratchit, then….” and then White Light commands Ralph to be silent. Which he does and also he commands Ralph to drop his weapon and he does that also. The Idiot picks up a dumpster and asks if he can kill the two cops. White Light tells him no and the Idiot drops the dumpster. White Light commands the officers to go home and fall asleep and forget any of this ever happened, which they do. Then the villains go off to hunt their prey.
Back at Bobby’s parents home the party is underway with all of his father’s friends and family there. Two of Bobby’s relatives are pinching his cheeks and telling him about when he was a baby. When Mary finds him and drags him outside to finish their earlier conversation. Bobby tells her that how he is upset because his parents want him to become an accountant and live a normal life. Just cousin Joel comes out tries to give Bobby advice on why he should not quit college (which Bobby is thinking about). Bobby gets mad at Joel and starts to tell him what he can do with his advice, when Bobby’s dad comes out and tells him not to shame him by acting this way and to come back inside. Bobby though gets mad and walks off leaving his father screaming to come back.
As Bobby walks down the sidewalk he wonders if he should blame himself or his parents because he is so screwed up and again he does not notice the pretty girl carrying a tray of brownies and he knocks her down on accident. Bobby apologizes and tells her his name and she says that her name is Marge and that she was taking the brownies over to Bobby’s dad’s party. He asks if they can just “salvage what they can from the brownies” and “have” their “own party”.
Elsewhere at the old ladies house from earlier White Light and the Idiot cause the old lady to think them as nice folks whose car just broke down and they need to use her telephone. When they get inside her house though White Light commands the old lady and her dog to go to sleep for an hour. Then White Light creates a device that will help the Idiot (who’s ability is strength and the ability to detect mutants nearby) to increase his tracking ability to help them find their prey better.
Meanwhile on the front steps of Marge’s house Bobby tells her about his life growing up in this neighbor hood. Marge’s family comes out and tells them that a special show will be on television in a minute if they would like to watch it. They both agree they would rather stay outside and talk. Marge laughs at Bobby’s stumbling through his words and tells him that she likes him. Bobby tells her he likes her also and just then White Light and the Idiot crash through the roof of the porch. White Light asks the Idiot which one is the prey they are after. Bobby thinks they are after him and transforms into Iceman although the Idiot can not tell if it‘s Marge or Bobby who they are after. White Light tries to tell Iceman to become tired and surrender (White Light‘s ability is to charm people with his light, to make them do what he wants, and also to invent anything he can imagine). Iceman starts to surrender but realizes it is just a trick and throws up an ice-shield in enough time to protect him from his light. The Idiot crashes through Iceman’s shield and asks Iceman to make it easy on them and just surrender. Iceman says “not in this lifetime” and wonders how he can move this fight away from the area and he hopes Marge made it out all right. The next scene shows Marge and her little brother running into a closet and a light surrounding them and they disappear. Then Bobby remembers his parents next door and worries about them and all his relatives.
Next door at the Drake’s estate, Bobby’s mother Madelaine tries to rush to his side but her husband William holds her back. Mr. Drake tells her not to go that she could get killed and that Bobby can take care of himself. Just then the Idiot pulls the entire house of Marge’s down on Iceman and themselves as Bobby’s parents watch from the front steps of their home.
The Drakes rush over to find their son and they see him come from the rubble with White Light and the Idiot cased in ice. Though before they make it to Iceman the two villains disappear and leave Iceman all alone. Just then Ralph Ratchit walks in wearing his bathrobe and putting Iceman under arrest. As Iceman’s parents, Mary, and Joel rush to see what’s going on Joel is surprised and asks Mary if “that thing is Bobby ?” Iceman sits on the torn down chimney and thinks to himself “Why Me ?”
