Mr. Freeze

Mr. Freeze
Mr. Freeze and Batman Art by Greg Land
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	as Mr. Zero: Batman #121 (February 1959); as Mr. Freeze: Detective Comics #373 (March 1968)
Created by	Bob Kane David Wood Sheldon Moldoff
In-story information
Alter ego	Dr. Victor Fries
Team affiliations	Injustice League Secret Society of Super Villains GothCorp
Notable aliases	Mister Zero, Dr. Zero, Dr. Schimmell
Abilities	Genius-level intellect. Cryogenic weaponry. Sub-zero physiology that allows him to permanently survive at a frozen state; any form of heat can cause him to have heat stroke. Enhanced strength and durability. Wears refrigerated exo-skeletal suit.

Mr. Freeze (Dr. Victor Fries) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. Created by Bob Kane, David Wood and Sheldon Moldoff, the character first appeared in Batman #121 (February 1959),^[1] where he was known as Mr. Zero. Mr. Freeze is one of Batman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery.

Freeze is a scientist who must wear a cryogenic suit in order to survive, and bases his crimes around a "cold" or "ice" theme, complete with a "freeze gun" that freezes its targets solid. In the most common variation of his origin story, he is a former cryogenics expert who suffered an industrial accident while attempting to cure his terminally ill wife Nora Fries.

Mr. Freeze was played by George Sanders (February 2–3, 1966), Otto Preminger (November 9–10, 1966) and Eli Wallach (March 29–30, 1967) in the original Batman television series, by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, and by Nathan Darrow on the TV series Gotham; he was voiced by Michael Ansara in Batman: The Animated Series, by Clancy Brown in The Batman, and by Maurice LaMarche in the Batman: Arkham video game franchise.

IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time List ranked Mr. Freeze as #67.^[2]

Overview

Originally called Mr. Zero,^[1] he was renamed and popularized by the 1960s Batman television series, in which he was played by several actors.^[3][4][5]

Nearly 30 years later, a television adaptation of Batman revitalized him once again. Batman: The Animated Series retold Mr. Freeze's origin in "Heart of Ice", an episode by writer Paul Dini. The episode introduced his terminally ill, cryogenically frozen wife Nora, which explained his obsession with ice and need to build a criminal empire to raise research funds.^[6] This more complex, tragic character was enthusiastically accepted by fans, and has become the standard portrayal for the character in most forms of media, including the comic book series itself, which previously had the character casually killed off by the Joker.^[7] Freeze was resurrected in the comic after the episode aired.^[8]

The episode was seen as groundbreaking for a Saturday morning cartoon and helped set the tone for the rest of the series. This back story was also made canon in the comics and has been the character's official origin in almost every incarnation of Batman until New 52.

Elements of this origin story were incorporated into the 1997 film Batman & Robin, in which he was portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.^[9]

Fictional character biography

From the time of his first appearance in 1959 onwards, Mr. Freeze was portrayed as one of many "joke" villains (see also Killer Moth) cast as stock enemies of Batman.^[1] Originally called Mr. Zero,^[1] the producers of the 1960s Batman television series renamed him Mr. Freeze (and portrayed Batman addressing him as "Dr. Schivel"),^[1] and the name quickly carried over to the comic books. The three actors who portrayed Mr Freeze were George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach.

Silver Age

In the Pre-Crisis continuity, it is explained that Mr. Freeze is a rogue scientist whose design for an "ice gun" backfires when he inadvertently spills cryogenic chemicals on himself, resulting in him needing subzero temperatures to survive.^[1]

Modern Age

Post-Crisis, Freeze was revamped using a similar backstory to the one created by Paul Dini for Batman: The Animated Series.^[10] Dr. Victor Fries, Ph.D. (surname pronounced "freeze") was a brilliant cryogenicist. As a child, he was fascinated with cryonics, as he began his "hobby" of freezing animals. His parents, horrified by his fascination, sent him to a strict boarding school, where he was miserable and felt detached from humanity. In college, he met a woman named Nora, whom he fell in love with and ultimately married.^[1]

A year and a half after Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, Nora contracts a fatal illness, while Fries works on a freeze ray for GothCorp. Fries' boss Ferris Boyle decides to tell the mob about the gun, leading Batman to create a team of specialists to help him do his job better. Fries decides to use the device on Nora, to put her in cryo-stasis. His boss interrupts and tampers with the experiment, however, resulting in an explosion that kills Nora. Fries survives, but the chemicals in the freeze ray lower his body temperature to the point that he must wear a cryogenic suit in order to survive. He swears revenge on those responsible for the death of his wife (whom he talks to often), and becomes Mr. Freeze, the first supervillain Batman faces in this continuity.

Batman's operatives find Freeze, who shoots one of them with his freeze gun. Batman eventually apprehends him, however.^[11]

Freeze's crimes tend to involve freezing everyone and everything he runs into^[1] so he never forges alliances with the other criminals in Gotham, preferring to work alone. On rare occasions he has worked with another member of Batman's rogues gallery, usually as an enforcer for Gotham's mob bosses, such as the Penguin or Black Mask. In one of his notable team-ups, Freeze constructed a cryogenic machine for Hush so that Hush might take revenge on Batman.

During his time with the Secret Society of Super Villains, he fashions for Nyssa al Ghul a sub-zero machine in exchange for the use of her own Lazarus Pit. He attempts to restore Nora to life without waiting for the adjusting needed in the pool chemicals. However, she returns to life as the twisted Lazara, and escapes. She blames her husband for her plight, and she estranges herself from him.

The New 52

During the Night of the Owls crossover as part of The New 52, the Court of Owls sent assassins known as Talons to kill almost 40 of the most important citizens of Gotham, including Mr Freeze. The Red Hood, Starfire and Arsenal choose to save him, and subsequently remand him into Batgirl's custody.^[12]

Batman Annual #1 introduces a new origin for Mr. Freeze. Here, Victor Fries' fascination with cryonics began when he was a boy and his mother fell through the ice of a frozen lake. The ice was able to keep her preserved long enough for help to arrive, thus sparking his lifelong obsession with the cold. It is later revealed that the accident left Fries' mother in constant pain, and Fries ended her suffering by pushing her into a lake. In this new origin, Nora was never Fries' wife. Her name was Nora Fields, a woman born in 1943. When Nora was 23, she was diagnosed with an incurable heart disease, so her family placed her in cryogenic stasis hoping that a cure would be found in the future. Fries, having written his doctoral thesis on Nora, took on a position as a cryogenic researcher and technician at Wayne Enterprises, the facility that housed Nora's body.

Eventually, he fell in love with Nora and became dedicated to finding a reliable method for slowly thawing cryogenic subjects. However, Bruce Wayne ordered the project to be shut down, as he began to feel uncomfortable with Fries' obsession with Nora. Furious, Fries hurled a chair at Wayne, who dodged the attack; the chair smashed into an array of cryonic chemical tanks, the contents of which sprayed onto Fries and transformed him into Mr. Freeze.^[13]

The Court of Owls uses Freeze's cryogenic-thaw formula to revive their Talons, and then they try to kill him. Freeze survives, but is captured by the Red Hood and sent to Arkham Asylum. He escapes shortly afterward and rearms himself with the Penguin's help. Freeze decides to kill Bruce Wayne and take Nora, whom he believes to be his wife, so that they can leave Gotham City behind forever. Infiltrating Wayne Enterprises, Freeze has a brief fight with Nightwing and Robin, but he subdues them. Then, Freeze goes to the penthouse, where he finds Batman and the frozen Nora. Batman defeats Mr. Freeze by injecting his suit with the thawing formula, which he had intended to use to revive Nora from suspended animation.

During the Forever Evil storyline, Mr. Freeze appears as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains at the time when the Crime Syndicate arrived from their world.^[14] The Scarecrow later visits Mr. Freeze to let him know of the war going on at Blackgate Penitentiary.^[15] The Man-Bats are able to bring the remaining Talons to Mr. Freeze after Man-Bat and Scarecrow steal them from Blackgate.^[16] Mr. Freeze and Clayface later encounter the Rogues when they land in their territory.^[17] Mr. Freeze tells Mirror Master he is not interested in capitalizing on the bounty on their head, only to use Weather Wizard to create optimal conditions for him to freeze Gotham. As the Rogues are fighting the two, Black Mask (alongside his False Face society) arrives to capture the Rogues to receive the bounty.^[18]

Powers and abilities

Like most Batman villains, Mr. Freeze plans his crimes about a specific theme; in his case, ice and cold.^[1] He freezes areas around him using special weapons and equipment, most notably a handheld "Freeze gun". His refrigeration suit grants him superhuman strength and durability, making him a powerful villain in Batman's rogues gallery.^[1]

In the Underworld Unleashed storyline, the demon Neron grants Mr. Freeze the ability to generate subzero temperatures, no longer needing his freeze-gun or refrigeration suit. However, after his encounter with Green Lantern, Donna Troy, and Purgatory in Central Park, he reverted to his original subzero biology. He then gained a new subzero armor and weaponry.^[19]

Other versions

Smallville

Mr. Freeze appears in the comic book adaptation of Smallville, partnered with the Prankster of Intergang.^[20] He agrees to work for Intergang in order to fund Nora's treatment. Freeze is betrayed by Prankster, however, and is defeated by Batman and Green Arrow.^[21]

Robot Mr. Freeze

In Blackhawk, Mr. Freeze appears as a robot that is controlled by Doctor Thurman.^[22]

Justice League Adventures

Based in the DC animated universe, Mr. Freeze is part of a group of ice-themed villains called the "Cold Warriors" that tried to overthrow a small African nation. The Cold Warriors appear in Justice League Adventures #12 (December 2002).

DC Super Friends

Based in the DC Super Friends universe, Mr. Freeze is part of a group of ice-themed villains called the "Ice Pack" that encased a city in ice and snow. The Ice Pack appear in DC Super Friends #16 (August 2009).

Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint, Mr. Freeze attacks the S.T.A.R. Labs in Central City to find a cure for his wife Nora. However, Citizen Cold attacks and uses his cold gun to freeze Mr. Freeze's body. Mr. Freeze tries to escape on robotic legs, but Citizen Cold freezes him to death and tells him that Nora is dead.^[23] This version of Mr. Freeze is a friend of Fallout's, and pursues revenge against Citizen Cold for murdering him.^[24] It is later revealed that radiation produced by Fallout is the cure Mr. Freeze was searching for.^[25]

Swamp Thing

During the Rotworld storyline where Swamp Thing traveled to an alternate Earth afflicted by a mutating plague Mr. Freeze was mentioned to be an inmate in Arkham, not making attempts to escape out of Batman's false claims of implanting him with explosives.

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

In the crossover comic, Mr. Freeze has mutated into a humanoid mutant polar bear by Shredder.

In other media

Television

Live-action

• Mr. Freeze appeared in the 1960s Batman television series, portrayed by George Sanders in the first two-part appearance, Otto Preminger in the second two-part appearance, and Eli Wallach in the third two-part appearance.^[3][4][5] Sanders and Wallach used German accents for the role while Preminger used his own Austrian accent. While the George Sanders version wore the classic refrigerated suit, the Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach versions wore a "Freeze Collar" around their neck that went with Mr. Freeze's cooling suit. Before Mr. Freeze was on the series, he was always called Mr. Zero. In this version, he continues to be campy like the comic books and is given an alias of "Dr. Art Schivel". In his first appearance "Instant Freeze", it is revealed that it was Batman who spilled the cryogenic chemicals on Schivel during an attempted arrest. Freeze ends up stealing diamonds from the Gotham City Diamond Exchange. When Batman and Robin try to stop him, he freezes them with his freeze gun. In the next episode "Rats Like Cheese", Mr. Freeze kidnaps Paul Diamante of the Gotham City Eagles and offers to return his hostage in exchange for Batman. Batman and Robin save Diamante and apprehend Freeze. During this appearance, Mr. Freeze's hideout has "warm lights" so that his henchmen can interact with him. In the episode "Green Ice", Mr. Freeze escapes from prison and captures Miss Iceland from the finals of the Miss Galaxy Pageant. In the next episode "Deep Freeze", Mr. Freeze has led all of Gotham City to believe that Batman has given in to his bribes. Batman and Robin managed to find Freeze's hideout, rescue Miss Iceland, and defeat Freeze before he can freeze all of Gotham. Batman arranges for Warden Crichton to have a special refrigerated cell made for Mr. Freeze. In the episode "Ice Spy", Mr. Freeze kidnaps Icelandic scientist Professor Isaacson in order to obtain an "Instant Ice" formula. In the episode "The Duo Defy", Mr. Freeze finally obtains the "Instant Ice" formula and ends up building a large freeze ray. He is thwarted by Batman and Robin again. As he is taken away by the police, Freeze tells the police officers not to touch the Freeze Collar's dials.
• Mr. Freeze appears in season 2 of Gotham, portrayed by Nathan Darrow.^[26][27] In this version, his surname is pronounced "/fraɪs/"; though Gordon does intialy believe it's pronounced "freeze". As in the comics, he is a scientist who researches cryogenic technology to find a cure for his wife Nora's terminal illness. To this end, he freezes people with a cryogenic gun and uses them as test subjects. When Nora dies during one of the experiments, Fries attempts suicide by turning the coolants from his gun on himself. He survives, however, and is rendered unable to survive outside of sub-zero temperatures. Hugo Strange has him declared dead and takes him to Arkham Asylum's Indian Hill Laboratory, where he intends to use him as an "assistant" in experiments with cryogenically frozen bodies.^[28] Strange also dispatches him to kill Karen Jennings, one of his former test subjects.^[29] In the season finale, "Transference", Strange orders Fries to kill Selina Kyle, but Bridgit Pike, another of Strange's genetically altered minions, interferes. She and Fries do battle, he with his freeze ray and she with her flamethrower; they accidentally incapacitate Strange when he gets in the crossfire.^[30]

Animation

• Mr. Freeze appeared in The Batman/Superman Hour, voiced by Ted Knight. The Filmation series has Mr. Freeze make extensive use of his self-made technology such as making certain parts of his hideout "warm corridors" to accommodate his underlings.^[31]

• Mr. Freeze appears in The New Adventures of Batman episode "The Deep Freeze", voiced by Lennie Weinrib. Unlike his appearance in the theme song, Mr. Freeze is shown without the helmet that goes with his freeze suit. He and his henchman Professor Frost plot to steal the N-1000 (a superfast submarine) to pull off the "Crime of the Century". When Batman and Robin raid his hideout, Mr. Freeze manages to freeze both of them and takes Robin with him as he escapes. When Freeze and Professor Frost steal the N-1000, they steer it to the North Pole. When Batman, Robin and Bat-Mite face Mr. Freeze and Professor Frost at the North Pole, Batman and Robin fire a beam that reverses the polarity of Freeze's freeze gun so that it warms up. They then apprehend Freeze and Professor Frost where they are both placed into prison.

• Mr. Freeze appears in The Batman, voiced by Clancy Brown. This version is a bank robber who is condemned to life in a cryogenic suit after an accident in a cryogenics lab while being chased by Batman. Unlike other versions of the character, The Batman interpretation fires ice blasts directly out of his hands rather than from a gun. After emerging from a cryogenic chamber, he forces a scientist to create a special refrigerated suit for himself. In the episode "The Big Chill", he commits a series of robberies and freezes Batman's body. Upon freezing a park, he holds the police at bay until the Dark Knight defeats him.^[32] In the episode "Fire and Ice", Mr. Freeze teams up with Firefly to put Gotham in a permanent winter. Batman defeats both and leaves them tied up outside the police station.^[33] In the episode "The Icy Depths", Mr. Freeze competes against the Penguin to claim an umbrella that is in fact a map to a sunken treasure. When the location is found, Freeze freezes the surrounding waters so that he can access the boat. When the ice starts to melt, he fights the Penguin to claim the treasure. Both of them are fished out of the water by the police.^[34] An older version appears in the episode "Artifacts". In the year 2027, Mr. Freeze's powers have increased to the point that he wears a special mecha suit but he also loses an unhealthy amount of weight and the ability to walk and is forced to use mechanical spider legs. After a near-death fight with Batman and Nightwing, he places himself in cryogenic suspension until someone wakes him up in the future of 3027. Once his suit is repaired, he continues terrorizing Gotham. Eventually, law enforcement officers use Batman's methods to defeat Freeze and place him in a special cell.^[35] In the episode "Rumors", Mr. Freeze is among the villains captured by the titular villain. In the episode "The Joining" (Part 2), Mr. Freeze joins the Joker, Bane and the Penguin in fighting the Joining when Arkham Asylum is attacked. Freeze saves Commissioner Gordon by freezing one of the Joining's robots. In the episode "The Batman/Superman Story" (Part 1), Mr. Freeze is hired by Lex Luthor, along with Black Mask, Clayface and Bane, to kidnap Lois Lane and use Lois as bait for Superman. He and the villains are defeated by Superman, Batman and Robin.

• Mr. Freeze appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by John DiMaggio in a German accent. This version first appears in his Golden Age appearance and later as the George Sanders depiction. Under the name Mr. Zero, he is among the Batman villains in Bat-Mite's fantasy in the episode "Legends of the Dark Mite". Batman defeats him by throwing a batarang at his helmet. Mr. Freeze makes a cameo in the teaser for the episode "Sidekicks Assemble" as one of the villain holograms that Robin, Speedy and Aqualad fight. Mr. Freeze later appears in the episode "Chill of the Night!". He is among the villains at a weapons auction held by Joe Chill. In the episode "Bold Beginnings!", Mr. Freeze has captured Aquaman, Green Arrow and Plastic Man. Batman rescues and recruits the captured heroes to fight Mr. Freeze and his henchmen. After Mr. Freeze is defeated, Aquaman remains behind to wait for the police and continue telling Mr. Freeze of the first team-up with Batman against Black Manta. Mr. Freeze also appears in the opening for the episode "Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth" in which he is one of the villains at the Joker's celebrity roast in which the assembled villains are literally roasting Batman alive. With help from Jeffrey Ross, Batman breaks free from his death trap and defeats Mr. Freeze and the other villains present.

• Mr. Freeze appears in the cartoon series Young Justice, voiced by Keith Szarabajka. Introduced in the episode "Independence Day" (Part 1), he terrorizes a park in Gotham City until he is distracted and weakened by Robin and taken down by Batman. In the episode "Terrors", Mr. Freeze is seen as an inmate at Belle Reve alongside Captain Cold, Icicle Jr. (Cameron Mahkent) and Killer Frost (Crystal Frost). He and the other villains collaborate with Icicle Sr. (Joar Mahkent) in a breakout plot. When Freeze is brought to the prison's warden Amanda Waller, he ends up freezing his own collar and then taking out the guards. He is defeated when Superboy shatters his helmet, forcing Freeze to turn his own powers on himself in order to survive. In the episode "Coldhearted", Mr. Freeze and the other ice-based villains are seen in their cells.

DC animated universe

Mr. Freeze appears in several series for the DC animated universe, voiced by Michael Ansara.^[36]

• The character first appears in Batman: The Animated Series with a design created by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola as per request of series creator Bruce Timm.^[37] Cryogenic scientist Victor Fries was working for Gothcorp and embezzled funds for an experiment in order to save his terminally ill wife Nora Fries by cryogenically freezing his wife until a cure could be found. However, the company's CEO Ferris Boyle (voiced by Mark Hamill) broke into the lab with guards, demanding an end be put to the experiment. When Fries desperately grabbed a security guard's pistol to aim at Boyle, the corrupt CEO kicked him into a table of chemical beakers filled with cryogenic substance, leaving Victor to die. He survived but was severely mutated by the substances. Unable to live outside subzero conditions, he wears a cryogenic suit to survive and also triples his strength. Mister Freeze is introduced in the Emmy Award-winning episode "Heart of Ice" (for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program). He steals the parts for a freezing machine he wishes to build and use in his vendetta against Boyle. This leads to Freeze's first confrontation with Batman. When he freezes Boyle up to the waist, Freeze confronts Batman, fighting one-on-one until Freeze's transparent head dome is broken when Batman uses Alfred Pennyworth's thermos of chicken soup, inducing thermal shock and rendering Freeze unconscious. The Dark Knight then presents evidence of Boyle's crime involving Nora to the press and Freeze is imprisoned in a special Arkham Asylum cell kept at subzero temperatures.^[6] Mister Freeze later appears in the episode "Deep Freeze". After being kidnapped by a giant robot and brought to the off-shore Oceana city, he meets billionaire amusement park designer Grant Walker (voiced by Daniel O'Herlihy), a man that wants to become immortal like Freeze to create a frozen world for selected residents. Freeze agrees to help when Walker promises to cure Nora. Batman and Robin arrive and try to reason with Freeze that if he were to help Walker, Nora would hate him. Freeze eventually turns on Walker, freezing his benefactor to a wall. Freeze overloads Oceana's power-core which starts the city's destruction as he instructs its inhabitants to evacuate. Freeze stays behind to die with his wife, and he along with Nora and Walker disappear in the explosion. The episode's ending reveals that they all survive, trapped in icebergs.^[38] Mister Freeze's next appearance is in the direct-to-animated film Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero. After Nora's tank is shattered, Freeze kidnaps Barbara Gordon to harvest organs to cure Nora. Freeze makes a deal with greedy former colleague Gregory Belson (voiced by George Dzundza) to help cure his wife in exchange for gold. Batman and Robin thwart this plan and Freeze is then presumed killed in the explosion of his lair on an abandoned oil rig. Wayne Enterprises then finances a surgery that saves Nora's life. Freeze is last seen at the North Pole, crying tears of joy as he learns of Nora's recovery.
• Mister Freeze appears in The New Batman Adventures, sporting a new, sleeker design.^[39] As his mutation slowly destroys his body, Victor Fries kidnapped scientists (voiced by Jeff Bennett and Lauren Tom) to try and stop the process, only succeeding in saving his head which is supported by four robotic legs built separate from his suit. When a cured Nora Fries married her own doctor and left Gotham permanently, the trauma destroys whatever is left of Fries' humanity. Mister Freeze vows to inflict on others the loss he's suffered in the episode "Cold Comfort" by taking away the things they value most, much to the confusion of Robin and Batgirl. When Freeze is confronted at his hideout by Batman and Batgirl, he reveals his true condition to them as well as his goal of destroying Gotham City — all the Dark Knight holds dear — by dropping a 'reverse fusion bomb' that will freeze the city. Freeze boards a helicopter to drop the bomb. However, he is followed by Batman and they engage in a duel in which Batman uses a grappling gun to hook Freeze to the bomb and drop it into the river, where an explosion creates a huge iceberg. Although Freeze is presumed dead, his head is seen to be missing as the episode ends.^[40][41]
• In Batman Beyond, several of Mister Freeze's guns have been procured by the elderly Bruce Wayne and is displayed in the Batcave. The new Batman (Terry McGinnis) uses one to freeze Inque in the episode "Black Out", however, Inque destroys this one in the episode "Disappearing Inque". Another one is seen in the Batcave's background during subsequent episodes. The tragic villain personally appears in the episode "Meltdown". His disembodied head is revealed to have survived for decades thanks to cryogenic technology. Wayne-Powers' CEO Derek Powers and Dr. Stephanie Lake (voiced by Linda Hamilton) use him as a test subject for a process that could cure Powers's own mutation. Transferring his mind into a clone built from his own baseline DNA, Victor Fries sees this as a second chance. Fries initially tries to right some of the wrongs he has committed by creating a charitable organization with all his legitimate earnings from before he was imprisoned, which impresses Terry. However, Victor's new body soon begins to revert to his original body's same subzero biology. Although Lake and Powers betray him when he returns to Wayne-Powers for help, Fries escapes. After recovering an advanced suit of sub-zero armor that fires ice blasts directly out of gauntlets equipped onto his hands, Mister Freeze seeks revenge by freezing Lake and Powers and attempting to blow up Wayne-Powers' complex to commit suicide. In the middle of his plan, Freeze battles Batman and then fights with Blight. Freeze redeems himself by saving the new Dark Knight from Blight. Batman attempts to rescue Freeze from the collapsing building, however, Freeze refuses help and presumably dies in the explosion.^[42][43]

Film

• Mister Freeze appears in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the film, Dr. Victor Fries was in an accident in a cryogenics lab he was using to find a cure for his wife Nora Fries suffering from the terminal illness MacGregor's Syndrome and is now dependent on a diamond-powered subzero suit. Mister Freeze crashes a charity event held by Wayne Enterprises and steals a diamond from the event. Mister Freeze is captured by Batman and detained at Arkham Asylum, but flees with the help of Poison Ivy and Bane. Ivy cuts off Nora's life support and convinces Mister Freeze that Batman was responsible for the deed; enraged, he vows to destroy Gotham City by freezing it solid. With the use of a gigantic ray gun stationed in an observatory, he freezes over the entirety of Gotham. In a subsequent fight with Batman, Mr. Freeze destroys the observatory with a set of bombs (planted by Bane) in an unsuccessful attempt to take Batman with him. Batman shows Mr. Freeze a recording of Ivy during her fight with Batgirl, in which she brags about killing Nora. Batman tells Mr. Freeze that his wife is not dead; she was restored and moved to Arkham, where he can complete his research. Batman asks him for the cure he created for the first stage of MacGregor's Syndrome for Alfred Pennyworth; Mr. Freeze atones for his misdeeds by giving Batman the medicine he had developed. Freeze is then detained at Arkham where he exacts his revenge on Ivy where he is now her new cellmate. The character's penchant for cold and ice-related puns was noted by critics.^[44][45] James Berardinelli of Reelviews commented that "Schwarzenegger, aside from looking like a cross between the Michelin Man and Robocop, appears totally confused about what he's doing. Sometimes he's in Terminator mode; on other occasions, he's chomping on a cigar like he's back in Last Action Hero." He also noted that Freeze's backstory and motivation were "too complex for Schwarzenegger to convey effectively or for [director Joel] Schumacher to care about exploring. As a result, Mr. Freeze ends up being a frustratingly incomplete brute who's out to smother Gotham City under a blanket of ice."^[46] Robin Dougherty of Salon lamented that "Schwarzenegger’s exuberance is pinned down. He’s like a moth squashed by an 18-wheeler. He’s also paralyzed by amazingly inert dialogue. How many lame jokes about cold can you fit into two hours? Buy a ticket and find out."^[47] Patrick Stewart was considered for the role,^[48] before the script was rewritten to accommodate Schwarzenegger's casting.^[49] Schumacher decided that Mr. Freeze must be "big and strong like he was chiseled out of a glacier".^[50] Schwarzenegger was paid a $25 million salary for the role.^[51][52] His prosthetic makeup and wardrobe took six hours to apply each day.^[53]
• Mr. Freeze appears in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. He is seen with the "cold warriors" Icicle Jr. (Cameron Mahkent), Killer Frost (Louise Lincoln) and Captain Cold when they are among the villains trying to claim the bounty on Superman and Batman. After a brief fight with Batman, they are all defeated by Superman's heat vision.
• At the end of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Mr. Freeze's freeze gun can be seen in the Batcave.
• In Batman: Assault on Arkham, Mr. Freeze's freeze gun is found and used by Killer Frost (Louise Lincoln) against Batman in the Arkham Asylum warehouse.
• An alternate universe version of Victor Fries appears in Justice League: Gods and Monsters, voiced by Jim Meskimen. He was a Nobel prize winning thermal expert who was part of Lex Luthor's "Project Fair Play", a weapons program contingency that would be used to destroy the Justice League if necessary. Fries was measuring atmospheric carbon levels near the Arctic Circle before being murdered by a Metal Man designed to frame Batman for the crime.
• Mr. Freeze made a cameo appearance in the 2016 animated film Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (which is a continuation of the 1966 Batman TV series). This version resembles an orange-haired version of Eli Wallach's depiction of Mr. Freeze. He along with other supervillains team up with Robin and Catwoman in order to stop a group of clone rogue Batmen.

Video games

Mr. Freeze also appears in several Batman video games:

• He is a boss in Batman: The Animated Series, The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega Genesis in which Mr. Freeze was the game's final boss.
• Mr. Freeze appears in the video game adaptation of the movie Batman & Robin.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Batman: Chaos in Gotham.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Batman Vengeance, with Michael Ansara reprised his role.^[54] He was seen targeting a scientist named Isaac Evers, whom he blames for sending him a video promoting Promethium gas in order to spite him, unaware that the real culprit was the Joker planning to use Mr. Freeze's invasion of the lab as a distraction to steal large quantities of the gas.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Batman: Dark Tomorrow.^[55][56][57]
• He is also one of the main villains in the PC game Toxic Chill, in which Mr. Freeze pairs up with the Riddler in an attempt to change the very weather of Gotham. He is eventually betrayed and nearly killed by the Riddler who sets off a volcanic eruption. Both are sent to Arkham Asylum, and are made cellmates. It is suggested that Freeze tortures the Riddler in Arkham as revenge for his treachery.
• Mr. Freeze appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by Robert Kraft. Freeze appears when the player, using a Villain character, is attempting to steal some diamonds from a Wayne Enterprises warehouse. Joker orders the player via communicator to give the diamonds to Freeze, only to later command him or her to go inside Freeze's base in Gotham Mercy Hospital and steal the diamonds back, right when Freeze is once again trying to bring back Nora and thus sabotaging the procedure. The villain player must then confront Mr. Freeze, who is enraged and willing to kill the player. Freeze also appears in the Arkham Asylum alert, where he has allied with Scarecrow and Poison Ivy to spread chaos in the Asylum, under doctor Jeremiah Arkham's orders. Freeze has taken over one of the wings in the asylum, covering the whole area with ice and snow. The team of 4 players (Heroes or Villains) must defeat Freeze one time in his area, and then face him again when he is fighting side by side with Scarecrow and Ivy.

Lego series

• Mr. Freeze appears Lego Batman: The Video Game, with his vocal effects provided by Ogie Banks. He appears as an enemy of Batman and a follower of the Riddler.^[58] In it his design is based mainly on the animated series, and he uses his freeze gun to freeze enemies and water. The strength granted to him by his suit allows him to pick up objects others cannot. His suit also protects him from toxins.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, voiced by Townsend Coleman. He appears as a boss fight and an unlockable character found at the observatory.
• Mr. Freeze appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced by Liam O'Brien in the mannerism of the Batman & Robin portrayal. The Batman Beyond version is also playable via downloadable content.

Arkham series

Mr. Freeze appears in the Batman Arkham series where he is voiced by Maurice LaMarche.

• In Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mr. Freeze's frost and icicles covered cell can be seen in the Penitentiary area which can be scanned to unlock his bio.
• In Batman: Arkham City, He appears as both an ally to Batman and a boss battle. After the Joker poisons Batman, the Dark Knight has to find Mr. Freeze. Batman searches for him in the GCPD building (literally the coldest place in Arkham City), only to find his lab swarmed by the Penguin's men who reveal that Penguin is holding Mr. Freeze hostage in the Cryus Pinkney National History Institute. It is revealed that Penguin stole Mr. Freeze's gun and is holding GCPD officers hostage. Batman saves the hostages and Mr. Freeze from Penguin's men in the museum and asks Mr. Freeze for the cure to his ailment, only for Mr. Freeze to reveal he needs his suit, which Penguin possesses. He tells Batman that his suit has a disruptor that can be used to turn off his freeze gun so that he can defeat Penguin. After Penguin is apprehended and Mr. Freeze recovers his suit, he gets revenge by locking Penguin in a display case. Mr. Freeze then tells Batman that the cure he made for Joker degenerates too quickly and needs a restorative enzyme that has been bonded to human DNA, something that would take decades, only for Batman to reveal he knows someone who has been exposed to that enzyme for centuries. Mr. Freeze tells Batman he only needs a sample of this person's DNA to complete the cure, and Batman proceeds to track down one of the warriors of the League of Assassins Penguin had captured. When Batman returns to the GCPD with the blood sample, Mr. Freeze creates two vials of the cure before locking one in a safe and destroying the other, demanding Batman save Nora Fries from Joker. Batman fights Mr. Freeze to unlock the safe, which proves difficult as Mr. Freeze is much too powerful to be confronted directly. Batman is forced to hide and find ways to stun Mr. Freeze, such as using grates in the floor to surprise him as he passes by. Each time Mr. Freeze is incapacitated, he counteracts his weaknesses. After he is beaten, Batman opens the safe only to find that the wall behind the safe was broken into and in the place of the cure there is only a note saying: "Get well soon!" and some joker cards. Batman realizes that Harley Quinn had stolen the cure while the Dark Knight was distracted fighting Mr. Freeze. Mr. Freeze gives Batman freeze grenades to help him retrieve the cure, and begs him to find Nora, which becomes a side mission in the game. After Nora is saved, Batman finds Mr. Freeze with his wife and tells him to end his life of crime for Nora's sake. Mr. Freeze's boss battle was widely praised as a step up from the repetitive titan thug bosses from the previous game.
• In Batman: Arkham Origins, his origins and first encounter with Batman is featured in the DLC Story "Cold, Cold Heart" which is based on the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Heart of Ice". Mr. Freeze also has a new design for the DLC featuring cleated boots and a larger freeze gun built into the right arm of his suit. In the DLC, Mr. Freeze is in collaboration with the Penguin's gang in order to crash a party at Wayne Manor in order to capture Ferris Boyle. When Batman arrives at GothCorp, he finds Penguin trying to backstab Mr. Freeze into giving him what Freeze is after (thinking it to be weapons) until Mr. Freeze uses his freeze gun to create a chain reaction that traps Penguin in a wall of ice. Upon getting the X-E suit to withstand the cold, and acquiring a cryogenic drill to penetrate the ice wall, Batman finds residual evidence that Boyle was behind the accident that turned Victor Fries into Mr. Freeze, and that Boyle is in possession of Mr. Freeze's cryogenically frozen wife. Batman later confronts and defeats Mr. Freeze. Boyle then takes a piece of machinery and attacks Mr. Freeze only for Batman to knock out Boyle. During the DLC's credits, a news voice-over states that Mr. Freeze, Penguin, and Boyle have been all arrested by the police.
• Mr. Freeze is featured in Batman: Arkham Knight. Mr. Freeze's freeze gun can be found in the evidence room at the Gotham City Police Department. According to Aaron Cash, Mr. Freeze hasn't been seen or heard since Arkham City and implies that he possibly gave up his criminal life to continue his work on finding a cure for Nora Fries. There was also a mentioning that the freeze gun was used by some members of the Gotham City Police Department to make ice cream until it was confiscated from them by James Gordon. Mr. Freeze appears in the December "Season of Infamy" downloadable content (DLC) pack in the side misson "In From The Cold". Batman discovers a frozen vessel just off the coast of Gotham and investigates finding Mr. Freeze at his wife's old cryogenic chamber. He says that the Arkham Knight's Militia took Nora after he refused to help Scarecrow and Arkham Knight with their plans to take down Batman. Freeze entrusts Batman to rescue his wife from the soldiers. After fighting through a barrage of Militia henchmen, Batman finds Nora and breaks her out of her damaged cryochamber. Much to both Batman and Freeze's surprise, she no longer wants to be frozen in ice and simply wants to spend time with Victor. It's also revealed that she could hear every word he said, despite being in suspended animation. After taking down a Militia force trying to destroy Fries' vessel, Nora and Victor meet face-to-face at last and Fries removes the protection from his helmet. As they look off at Gotham, Nora asks how long they have to which Victor replies merely days, Nora simply noting with morbid amusement that time has never been on their side. They then depart Gotham City for good.
• Mr. Freeze appears as a playable character in the mobile game Batman: Arkham Underworld. He is unlocked after the player completes a mission for him, after which he becomes playable, wielding his freeze gun with different firing modes.

Web series

In the third season of the Flash series Gotham Girls, a new villain is introduced: Dora Smithy (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Mr. Freeze's sister-in-law. She blames Freeze for Nora's death, and dons his freezing equipment in a quest for revenge. As a result, there is an emphasis on Mr. Freeze himself throughout the season, and he is discussed several times, although he never actually makes an appearance. In the Batman Unlimited shorts Mr. Freeze appears on a rampage in a gigantic robot suit. Batman manages to destroy the suit and Freeze ejects. Freeze then attacks Batman only for Batman to shatter his helmet. Batman puts a gas mask on him and handcuffs him, comforting Mr. Freeze until the cops arrive.

Merchandising

Mr. Freeze is also the name of two LIM roller coasters at two Six Flags parks (Six Flags St. Louis and Six Flags Over Texas).^[59][60]

Lego's Batman line features two sets, The Batcave: The Penguin and Mr. Freeze's Invasion, which includes minifigure incarnations of Mr. Freeze, The Penguin, Batman, Robin, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne, a henchman, and three hench-penguins. The second set, Batman's Buggy: The Escape of Mr. Freeze, includes minifigures of Mr. Freeze and Batman. In 2013, the character Mr.Freeze was re-introduced in the LEGO SuperHeroes theme in set 76000 "Arctic Batman Vs. Mr.Freeze Aquaman on Ice".

Dark Horse comic books

Mr. Freeze appears in the third Batman vs. Predator comic book, Blood Ties. His gang members are killed by the Predators, but he is spared since he is not visible to the Predator due to his lack of body heat.^[61]

In Batman/Aliens 2, Mr. Freeze is not seen, but his freeze gun is used to destroy aliens, and an alien cloned from Fries' DNA can be seen.^[62]

Miscellaneous

• Mr. Freeze has made numerous appearances in the comics set in the DC Animated Universe.

• The character appears in Batman: Gotham Adventures issue #5, set after the events of The New Batman Adventures episode "Cold Comfort".^[63] He has made further appearances in Batman Adventures. The comic's writers intended Batman Adventures #15 to be Mr. Freeze's final appearance. Though the issue's ending is ambiguous, it does set up for his eventual fate, as revealed in Batman Beyond.^[64] Nora Fries finally encounters Victor Fries after her new husband is nearly killed by a robot he himself created in Mr. Freeze's image to attack him, hoping to prove to Nora that her first husband was a monster. The story ends with Mr. Freeze's head falling into a pond at the Arctic. Deleted material from the comic portrays Ferris Boyle and Grant Walker being killed by the Mr. Freeze robot. The story implies that Powers Technology takes possession of Mr. Freeze's head and puts it in storage. The company's owner, Warren Powers (father of Batman Beyond villain Derek Powers), states that the secret to immortality is locked inside the villain's head.^[64]
• Mr. Freeze made two appearances in Justice League Adventures comics. In the first, he claims that Captain Cold has stolen his freeze gun design, but in the second they are working together, alongside other cold-based villains as part of a plan to conquer Earth for a race of cold-based aliens, although they turn against their 'ally' when he attempts to betray them only for them to be released by Batman.^[65]

• Mr. Freeze appears in the direct-to-video original animation DC Super Friends: The Joker's Playhouse (2010), voiced by Eric Bauza.
• Mr. Freeze makes an appearance in the online musical Holy Musical B@man! by StarKid Productions, in which he is portrayed by Jim Povolo.

Parodies

• Mr. Freeze appears in the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special, voiced by Nathan Fillion. He crashes the museum where the Blue Star of Egypt is being displayed and runs into competition from Captain Cold, Icicle and Chillblaine.
• Mr. Freeze reappears in Robot Chicken DC Comics Special 2: Villains in Paradise albeit has no speaking roles. He can be seen at the table in the Legion of Doom as well as at the beach with Sinestro. Later in the episode, Mr. Freeze is lying on a beach towel and a random guy next to him points out that he might be dead, however he is later seen attending the wedding of Gorilla Grodd to Bizarro Superman.

See also

• List of Batman Family adversaries

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Mr. Freeze

• Mr. Freeze UGO profile
• Mr. Freeze at the Grand Comics Database

• Mr. Freeze at the Comic Book DB
• Mister Freeze on DC Database, an external wiki, a DC Comics wiki