Battles
| Participants | Episode(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Winter vs. Qrow | "It's Brawl in the Family" | Interrupted |
| Winter's Summoning vs. Weiss | "Volume 5 Weiss Character Short" | Won |
| Penny and Winter vs. Cinder | "The Enemy of Trust" | Lost |
Background
Winter Schnee is Jacques Schnee's eldest child and is Weiss and Whitley Schnee's elder sister. She also appears to be a former student of Atlas Academy, a member of the Atlesian military's Special Operatives unit and a subordinate of General James Ironwood. When she arrives at Beacon Academy, she says that it has "been a long time", implying she is familiar with the school and has visited it before.
Manga
In Chapter 4 of the manga, Weiss recalls a conversation she once had with Winter that prompted her to realize that the praise she received as a child were only due to her family name and not on her own merits. This spurred Weiss to create her own identity and embrace her own sense of self, just as Winter did.
RWBY
RWBY Investigations
Weiss arrives at Vale's Cross Continental Transmit System tower to contact the Schnee Dust Company's world headquarters in Atlas for information. When doing so, the operator mentions that Winter might be there and offers to patch Weiss through to her, but Weiss declined.
- Episodes Covering These Events
Vytal Festival Tournament
Qrow fights Winter
Winter arrives in Vale during the Vytal Festival following the conclusion of the battle between Teams SSSN and NDGO. When Weiss catches sight of her sister's airship, she becomes overjoyed and hurries off to go meet her. Winter lands in front of Beacon Academy and disembarks, flanked by several Atlesian Knight-200 androids.
Despite Weiss' ecstatic greeting, Winter's initial response is very cold, refusing to tell her sister either the reason for her presence or its duration. She then goes on to criticize Weiss' "novice" performance in the Vytal Festival tournament, refusing to even classify it as a victory. However, after this cold initial exchange, Winter becomes warmer towards Weiss, expressing interest and concern for her well-being, as well as her social life. Weiss accordingly introduces Winter to Ruby, whom she finds "underwhelming" but nonetheless thanks for "taking an interest" in Weiss.
After this exchange, Winter requests a tour of Team RWBY's room, hoping to ensure everything is in order. However, before they can depart, the pair is stopped by Qrow Branwen, who proceeds to insult Winter and her boss, James Ironwood. This proves to be the final straw for Winter, and it leads to her attacking Qrow. As the two go back and forth in their battle, Winter eventually moves in to finish her opponent; however, she is ordered to cease and desist by Ironwood at the last second. As Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch arrive to break things up, Ironwood leads Winter away.
The two arrive in Ozpin's office, and Winter paces back and forth with anger. When Ozpin, Glynda and Qrow arrive, Winter begins to criticize Qrow's behavior, but she is ordered to leave by Ironwood, who tells her that they will discuss what happened back on his ship.
Winter summons a Beowolf
Later, Winter shares a meal with Weiss in a pavilion. She says she is about to leave Vale because she was sent there only to oversee additional security units for the tournament. When she learns that Weiss is struggling with summoning via glyphs, she gives a short lesson. She creates a glyph with only one hand, and it expands to form a pure white Beowolf. After Weiss fails to summon with a glyph, Winter remarks that if she can't learn, she could always give up and go back home. Where her father could find her work as a receptionist, encouraging her younger sister by appealing to her competitive nature and desire to prove herself.
Winter assumes correctly that Weiss has had problems with their father, so she presents Weiss with two options; Either Weiss could stay in touch with their father and his resources, or she could turn him away and explore as much as she could of both Remnant and herself. The two bid farewell, and Winter leaves Beacon on her airship that night.
- Episodes Covering These Events
Stationed in Mistral
Winter, after a few weeks in Mistral, sends word to General Ironwood of a threat in Mistral. She reports about mobilization efforts and sudden spikes in weapon and Dust trade. After some time, General Ironwood calls her back to Atlas as he closes the Kingdom's borders.
- Episode(s) Covering These Events
A New Approach
Reunited with her younger sister
After some time, General Ironwood calls Winter back to Atlas as he closes the Kingdom's borders. After her return, Ironwood informs Winter that he's chosen her as a successor to inherent the Winter Maiden's powers. She is tasked with seeing Fria, the current Maiden, regularly to ensure she's the one who obtains the powers.
In Atlas, Winter serves as a personal bodyguard and assistant to Ironwood, delivering messages to the people of Mantle about Atlas' state and otherwise helping him. By the time Ruby's Group makes their way through his closed borders, Ironwood has thought of a new plan to defeat Salem.
After they meet in person, Winter shows immense concern over her younger sister, scolding her for her recklessness. She and Ironwood tell the group of his new plan which involves updating the communication systems of Remnant through Amity Colosseum and revealing the existence of Salem to the world, showing RWBY's group an image of the Amity Communications Tower.
Ironwood assigns Ruby's Group their first mission in Atlas: to secure the Schnee Dust Company Mine #2 alongside the Ace Operatives, which will serve as the launch site of the Amity Communications Tower. The mine itself had to be cleared of Grimm, particularly a Geist that has managed to evade the military's initial sweep. After their success, James, Winter and Penny Polendina have the two student teams gather at Amity Colosseum, where they promotes the teams to official Huntsmen and Huntresses, much to their surprise, throwing the students a small celebration party before taking their leave.
Winter introduces Weiss to Fria
As Ruby's Group continues their preparations to get the Communications Tower ready and hone their skills, Winter works closely with Weiss to catch up on missing time and train her Summoning. After an exercise, Weiss says that she has had to move forward from the Schnee name, to which Winter replies that eschewing the Schnee name is the "most beneficial" thing that she has ever done. Winter recommends Weiss join with Ironwood, but Weiss is ambivalent. Winter comments that Ironwood believes his actions to be right, to which Weiss responds that everyone believes so. Winter insists that Ironwood is not keeping secrets from her and Weiss asks whether she can be sure. Winter seems affected by this question and does not respond.
Winter brings Weiss to see Fria, the Winter Maiden, and tells her that, due to her frailty, no one but Winter is allowed to see her, lest anyone else become the Winter Maiden when she should die. Weiss questions the burden this puts on Winter, but Winter tells her that she has accepted it as her destiny. Both watch a campaign advertisement by Jacques Schnee, in which he decries Ironwood's boycott of the other Kingdoms and announces his shutdown of all "nonessential" Schnee Dust Company operations. Winter comments that he has provided the spark to set the Kingdom on fire.
Cordially invited
Following a massacre in the Mantle Warehouse, Winter and Clover Ebi discover the person behind the murders frame Ironwood in Mantle is Tyrian Callows, a known serial killer who is now known to be working under Salem. Winter and Clover, along with Ruby, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, and Qrow meet with Ironwood in the headmaster's office, where James informs the group he is close to declaring martial law after Robyn takes to vigilantism. Winter later receives an invitation to a private dinner party at the Schnee Manor where Ironwood is to defend his council position, delivering it to her general.
- Episodes Covering These Events
- "Unforeseen Complications"
- "A New Approach"
- "Ace Operatives"
- "Pomp and Circumstance"
- "Sparks"
- "Worst Case Scenario"
A Banquet at the Schnee Manor
Winter later attended the dinner at the Schnee Manor, as one of Ironwood's main witnesses to give evidence in defending the general's seat in the council. There, Winter defended why Ironwood was keeping secrets regarding the attack in Mantle, citing the Atlesian military was still investigating the incident.
Winter storms off the dining room
After her father implies the kingdom of Atlas lacks any trust in its military, Winter has an outburst, shouting at Jacques about trust, and he turns it around on Ironwood, criticizing the lack of reasons Ironwood has given the council to trust him. Winter storms out of the room, nearly bumping into a dark-haired waitress on her way out.
Penny finds Winter standing in a hallway, attempting to calm herself down. There, the two of them have a talk about emotions and speaking from the heart. Winter tells Penny she wouldn't understand her reaction, to Penny's dismay, having taken it as not being an emotion she would feel due to a lack of humanity. Noticing this, Winter corrects herself by explaining she should have stayed in line and repressed her feelings given how many bad memories the Manor itself holds. Unable to understand Winter's reasoning, Penny resigns that she doesn't understand and goes back to the dining room.
Upon Weiss' discovery of Jacques' illegal actives with the thought-to-be-dead Arthur Watts, Winter demands he restore the heat to Mantle, to which he responds that he has been locked out of the system. Winter has her men arrest him, and proceeds to help with coordinations to move civilians to safety.
- Episodes Covering These Events
Destiny Lost
Winter leads the Atlesian students
During the Battle of Mantle, Winter is stationed in Atlas Academy with instructing students where to go inside the building. She receives a transmission from Ironwood, asking her if she's seen anyone enter the school grounds during the battle, worrying Winter when she claims she hasn't. Ironwood orders her to make sure, and Winter runs into the building, frightened.
Winter meets with Penny at the Atlas Medical Facility, having been ordered to claim the powers of the Winter Maiden from Fria, effectively cutting the Maiden's life short. As they approach the room, Winter and Penny receive word of Salem's impending arrival and Ironwood's plan to raise the city of Atlas further into the sky. Penny is worried over the news of James' plan to leave Mantle to die, though Winter defends his actions as making the hard choice for the rest of the world so that they don't have to make it.
Winter and Penny discuss Ironwood's choice and their humanity
Penny and Winter prepare Fria for the transfer of her powers while discussing how to deal with emotions and how it makes them human. They hear rumblings across the Medical Facility, and Winter hurries out into the now darkened hallway. Red lights that run along the ceiling are flickering on and off, there are broken AK-200s on the floor and the walls have black marks on them. Winter spots Cinder Fall at the end of the hallway, who shoots a fireball at her direction. Winter narrowly avoiding her fire blast, managed to go back into the room and lock the door and draw her weapons only for Cinder to instantly destroy the sealed door to challenge the duo for the powers of the Winter Maiden. She smugly approach the two as she stated how "lucky" she was to have found not only the Winter Maiden but also both of Ironwood's "puppets".
Penny recognizing Cinder as the mastermind for the Fall of Beacon and the person who engineered her first "death", proceeded to question Cinder on her involvement. Cinder then condescendingly and simply state that her death was "unfortunately temporary" and then proceed to threaten her to step aside and let her claim the Maiden powers for herself, otherwise there will be no parts left of her to be salvaged. Undeterred by the Fall Maiden, Penny thus then defiantly brings out her weapons and declare her intentions of fighting against her and stop her quest for power.
Cinder is enraged by Winter and what she represents to the criminal
Penny and Winter begin to attack Cinder, who easily out-duels them in the fight, while venting her frustration to Winter about how the Atlas elite such as herself hoards power from others causing people to hunger for it, including herself. She declares to the two she refuses to starve. Cinder becomes enraged, violently takes the fight outside of the building in a fit of anger. There, she breaks Winter's Aura and returns to the facility while Penny saves Winter from falling to her death.
Once inside, Cinder opens the Aura transfer pod containing Fria and attempts to steal her Winter Maiden powers. However, Fria forces her to retreat by using her Maiden powers to unleash a massive freezing whirlwind. Without her Aura, Winter is unable to safely enter the room, so Penny enters in her stead and calms Fria.
With Fria's whirlwind gone, Winter is able to enter the room and cuts off Cinder's Shadow Hand to stop her from stealing Fria's powers. Although the arm grows back, the agony is enough to cause Cinder to direct her rage toward Winter. Cinder begins to ruthlessly beat down on Winter, severely injuring her to the point of her clothes being left in tatters and heavily bruising and scarring the specialist. Meanwhile, Penny takes Fria's hand and inherits the Winter Maiden powers. As Cinder prepares to kill Winter, she is forced to flee upon seeing Ruby and Weiss, due to a fear of her Silver Eyes.
"What did you do?"
After the light fades, Ruby notices Cinder is now missing, and asks Penny what happened, to which Penny replies that Fria is gone. Winter angrily corrects her with a glare, saying Fria is a part of Penny now. Winter then sits herself up, advising the three to surrender to Ironwood's orders, or to run. Weiss begs her not to, pleading to her sister that she needs help. Winter screams at Weiss, telling her she's giving her younger sister a head start to escape. Winter calls for help from Atlesian personnel, and Weiss tells her everyone needs to carve out their own path.
Later, Winter sends Ironwood a message, informing him they had lost both the Maiden powers and, as a result, the key to the Atlas Vault, eliciting a scream of rage from the General.
- Episodes Covering These Events