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 [[Dick Grayson|Nightwing]] and [[Damian Wayne|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.
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 [[Dick Grayson|Nightwing]] and [[Damian Wayne|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 of America|Crime Syndicate]] arrived from their world.<ref>''Forever Evil'' #1</ref> Scarecrow later visits Mr. Freeze to let him know of the war going on at Blackgate Penitentiary.<ref>''Detective Comics'' Vol. 2 #23.3</ref> The Man-Bats are able to bring the remaining Talons to Mr. Freeze after Man-Bat and Scarecrow were able to steal them from Blackgate Penitentiary.<ref>''Forever Evil: Arkham War'' #3</ref> Mr. Freeze and Clayface later encounter the Rogues when they land in their territory.<ref>''Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion'' #3</ref> 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.<ref>''Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion'' #4</ref>
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.
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 greater 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 since.
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. Schimmell"),[1] and the name quickly carried over to the comic books.
Silver Age
Batman #121 (1959), the first appearance of the character as "Mr. Zero". Cover art by Curt Swan
In the Pre-Crisiscontinuity series, 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 his needing subzero temperatures to survive.[1]
Modern Age
Post-Crisis, Freeze was revamped utilizing Paul Dini's backstory. Dr. Victor Fries (surname pronounced "freeze") is a brilliant molecular biologist. As a child, he is fascinated by freezing animals. His parents, horrified by his "hobby", send him to a strict boarding school, where he is miserable, feeling detached from humanity. In college, he meets a woman named Nora, whom he falls in love with and ultimately marries.[1]
A year and a half after Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, Nora has contracted a terminal illness, while Fries works on a freeze ray. Fries' boss 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.[10]
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 send assassins known as Talons to kill almost forty of the most important citizens of Gotham with Mr Freeze being one of them. The Red Hood, Starfire and Red Arrow choose to save him, and subsequently remand him into Batgirl's custody.[11]
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's 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.[12]
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.[13] Scarecrow later visits Mr. Freeze to let him know of the war going on at Blackgate Penitentiary.[14] The Man-Bats are able to bring the remaining Talons to Mr. Freeze after Man-Bat and Scarecrow were able to steal them from Blackgate Penitentiary.[15] Mr. Freeze and Clayface later encounter the Rogues when they land in their territory.[16] 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.[17]
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.[18]
Other versions
Smallville
Mr. Freeze appears in the comic book adaptation of Smallville, partnered with the Prankster of Intergang.[19] 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.[20]
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.[22] This version of Mr. Freeze is a friend of Fallout's, and pursues revenge against Citizen Cold for murdering him.[23] It is later revealed that radiation produced by Fallout is the cure Mr. Freeze was searching for.[24]
In the 1960s Batman television series, Mr. Freeze was played 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 show, he was always called Mr. Zero. The show's version of him continues to be campy like the comic books and is given an alias Dr. Schimmell.[1] In his first appearance, "Instant Freeze", it is revealed that it was Batman who spilled the cryogenic chemicals on Dr. Schimmell (portrayed by Sanders) during an attempted arrest. Batman thus feels a certain amount of guilt for his condition. Mr. Freeze ends up stealing some famous diamonds from the Gotham City Diamond Exchange. When Batman and Robin try to stop him, he ends up freezing them with his freeze gun. In the next episode, "Rats Like Cheese," Mr. Freeze kidnaps Paul Diamante of the Gotham City Eagles Team and offers to return him in exchange for Batman. Batman and Robin were able to apprehend Mr. Freeze. During this appearance, Mr. Freeze's hideout has "warm lights" so that his henchmen can interact with Mr. Freeze. In "Green Ice," Mr. Freeze (portrayed by Preminger) 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 Mr. Freeze's bribes. Batman and Robin managed to find Mr. Freeze's hideout, rescue Miss Iceland, and defeat Mr. Freeze (who was placed in the same freezer that he placed Miss Iceland in after his Freeze Collar was knocked off). In "Ice Spy," Mr. Freeze (portrayed by Wallach) kidnaps Icelandic scientist Professor Isaacson in order to obtain an "Instant Ice" formula. In "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 Mr. Freeze and his henchmen are arrested by the police, he told the police officers that apprehended him not to touch the dials on his Freeze Collar.
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 underlings.[25]
Mr. Freeze appears in The New Adventures of Batman episode "The Deep Freeze" voiced by Lennie Weinrib in a Russian-like accent. Unlike the theme song, Mr. Freeze was shown without the helmet that goes with his refrigerated suit. He and his henchman Professor Frost plot to steal the N-1000 (a superfast submarine) to pull of the Crime of the Century. When Batman and Robin raid his hideout, Mr. Freeze manages to freeze both of them but takes Robin with him and Professor Frost. When Mr. Freeze and Professor Frost managed to steal the N-1000, Mr. Freeze has Professor Frost steer it to the North Pole. When Batman and Bat-Mite catch up, Robin makes his escape while Mr. Freeze and Professor Frost continue to the North Pole. When Batman, Robin, and Bat-Mite catch up to Mr. Freeze and Professor Frost at the North Pole, Batman and Robin fire a beam from their device that reverses the polarity of Mr. Freeze's freeze gun so that it warms up. Batman and Robin managed to defeat Mr. Freeze and remand him to prison.
Mr. Freeze appears in Batman: The Animated Series with his design created by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola as per request of series creator Bruce Timm.[27] Mr. Freeze is introduced in the episode "Heart of Ice", which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program. Mr. Freeze depicted in Batman: The Animated Series.According to flashbacks, cryogenic scientist Victor Fries was working for the company Gothcorp and embezzled funds for an experiment in order to save his terminally ill wife Nora Fries by cryogenically freezing her until a cure could be found. However, Gothcorp 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 and aimed it at Boyle, the corrupt CEO kicked him into a table of chemical beakers filled with cryogenic substance, leaving him to die. He survived, but was severely mutated by the substances. Unable to live outside subzero conditions, he must wear a cryogenic suit to survive, which also triples his strength. In the present day, he now calls himself "Mr. Freeze", and steals the parts for a freezing machine he wishes to build and use in his vendetta against Boyle. This leads to his first confrontation with Batman, whom he traps in a block of ice. Freeze leaves the trapped Batman in his hideout, confronting Boyle at the Gothcorp Humanitarian Party and freezing him up to the waist. Batman escapes, then confronts Freeze at the party, fighting him one-on-one until he breaks a thermos of chicken soup on Freeze's transparent head dome to cause it to shatter with the induced thermal shock, rendering Freeze unconscious. Batman then presents evidence of Boyle's crime to the press. Freeze is imprisoned in Arkham Asylum in a special cell that is kept at subzero temperatures.[6] Mr. Freeze later appears in "Deep Freeze", in which he is kidnapped by giant robots and brought to an off-shore city called Oceana. There, he meets billionaire amusement park designer Grant Walker (voiced by Daniel O'Herlihy), who wants to become like Freeze so he can create a frozen world for selected residents. Freeze agrees to help when Walker promises to cure his wife. 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 him to a wall. Freeze overloads Oceana's power-core, which starts the destruction of the city as he instructs its inhabitants to evacuate. Freeze stays behind to die with his wife, and he, Nora and Walker disappear in the explosion. The episode's ending reveals that they survive, trapped in icebergs.[28] Mr. Freeze's next appearance is as the main antagonist in the direct to animated film Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero. After Nora's tank is shattered, Freeze kidnaps Barbara Gordon, intending to harvest her organs to cure Nora. Freeze makes a deal with a greedy former colleague 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.
Mr. Freeze returns in The New Batman Adventures with a new, sleeker look. File:Freeze-tnba.pngMr. Freeze as seen in The New Batman Adventures.After his wife is cured but his condition prevents him from reuniting with her.[29] In the episode "Cold Comfort", Freeze learns that the serum that mutated his body is slowly destroying it. Although he has kidnapped many scientists to try and stop the process, they only succeed after the process has claimed all but his head, which is supported by four robotic legs built into his suit. By this time, Nora has married the doctor assigned to her case and left Gotham permanently. The trauma destroys whatever is left of Freeze's humanity, and he vows to inflict on others the loss he's suffered by taking away the things they value most. One of his targets is Bruce Wayne, and he almost kills Alfred Pennyworth at Wayne Manor. At his hideout, Freeze is confronted by Batman and Batgirl, and he reveals his true condition to them, as well as his goal of destroying Gotham — and thus all Batman holds dear — by dropping a "reverse fusion bomb" that will freeze the city. Freeze boards a helicopter to drop the bomb, but Batman follows him and they engage in a duel in which Batman uses his grappling gun to hook Freeze to the bomb and drop it into the river, where an explosion creates a huge iceberg. Freeze is presumed dead but, as the episode ends, his head is seen to be missing.[30][31][32][33]
In Batman Beyond, Bruce Wayne still has one of Mr. Freeze's guns in the Batcave. His successor as Batman, Terry McGinnis, uses the gun to freeze Inque in the episode "Black Out", but Inque destroys it in "Disappearing Inque". Yet another gun is seen in the Batcave's background in subsequent episodes. File:Mr. Freeze (future).jpgMr. Freeze as he appears in Batman Beyond.In the episode "Meltdown", Victor Fries' disembodied head is revealed to have survived for 40 years thanks to the cryogenics technology, which has granted him eternal life. Wayne-Powers CEO Derek Powers has Dr. Stephanie Lake (voiced by Linda Hamilton) use Fries as a test subject for a process she hopes will cure Powers' own mutation. She creates a clone body for Fries using his baseline DNA and transfers Fries' mind into it. Given a second chance, Fries tries to right some of the wrongs he has committed, creating a charitable organization with all his legitimate earnings from before he was imprisoned. However, Fries' new body soon begins to revert to the same sub-zero biology. Lake and Powers betray Fries when he returns to their lab for help, but he escapes. After he recovers an advanced suit of sub-zero armor, Fries seeks revenge by freezing Lake and Powers and attempting to blow up a Wayne-Powers complex. In the middle of his plan, Freeze fights Batman and then does battle with Powers' villainous alter ago, Blight. Fries redeems himself by saving Batman from Blight, and Batman attempts to rescue Fries from the collapsing building. Fries refuses help, however, and presumably dies in the explosion.[32][33] In the uncut version of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, a life-size replica of Mr. Freeze (in his The New Batman Adventures design) is briefly seen.
While Mr. Freeze never appeared in either the Justice League animated series or Justice League Unlimited, another of his freeze guns is seen in the Batcave in the former's series finale "Starcrossed (Pt. 3)" which Kragger (voiced by Hector Elizondo) uses on Superman to which the Kryptonian blows the freeze charge back which freezes the Thanagarian instead,[34] and is briefly mentioned in the latter's second season finale "Epilogue" by Terry McGinnis.
Mr. Freeze appears in The Batman voiced by Clancy Brown. This version of Mr. Freeze 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 him. In the episode "The Big Chill", he becomes 'Mr. Freeze' and commits a series of robberies and manages to freeze Batman's body. Upon freezing a park, Freeze holds the police at bay until Batman defeats him.[35] In the episode "Fire and Ice", Mr. Freeze teams up with Firefly to put Gotham in a permanent winter. Batman defeats both of them and leaves them tied up outside the police station.[36] In the episode "The Icy Depths", Mr. Freeze competes against 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 Penguin to claim the treasure. Both of them are fished out of the water by the police.[37] In the episode "Artifacts" (set in 2027), Mr. Freeze's powers have increased to the point that he wears a special mecha suit. However, he loses an unhealthy amount of weight and becomes unable to walk, and is forced to use mechanical spider legs. After a near-death escape, Freeze places himself in cryogenic suspension until someone wakes him up 1,000 years in the future in 3027. Once his suit is repaired, Freeze continues terrorizing Gotham. Eventually, law enforcement officers use methods saved for the future by Batman to defeat Freeze and place him in a special cell.[38] In "Rumors", Mr. Freeze is among the villains captured by the titular villain. In "The Joining (Pt. 2)", Mr. Freeze joins the Joker, Penguin and Bane in fighting the Joining when Arkham Asylum is attacked. Freeze saves Commissioner Gordon by freezing one of the Joining's robots. In "The Batman/Superman Story (Pt. 1)", Mr. Freeze is hired by Lex Luthor, along with Black Mask, Clayface and Bane, to kidnap Lois Lane and use her 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 using a German accent. He first appears in his Silver Age appearance under the name 'Mr. Zero' in the episode "Legends of the Dark Mite" where he is among the Batman villains in Bat-Mite's fantasy. Batman defeats him by throwing a batarang at his helmet. Mr. Freeze makes a cameo in the teaser for "Sidekicks Assemble" as one of the villain holograms that Robin, Speedy and Aqualad fight. Mr. Freeze later appears in "Chill of the Night!" with a design resembling George Sanders' depiction. He is among the villains at a weapons auction held by Joe Chill. In "Bold Beginnings!", Mr. Freeze has captured Aquaman, Green Arrow and Plastic Man. Batman rescues them and recruits them 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 his first team-up with Batman against Black Manta. Mr. Freeze also appears in the opening for "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 Young Justice voiced by Keith Szarabajka. Introduced in "Independence Day (Pt. 1)", Mr. Freeze terrorizes a park in Gotham City until he is distracted and weakened by Robin and taken down by Batman. In "Terrors", Mr. Freeze is seen as an inmate at Belle Reve alongside Captain Cold, Icicle Jr., and Killer Frost. He and the other villains collaborate with Icicle Sr. 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 powers on himself in order to survive. In "Coldhearted", Mr. Freeze and the other ice-based villains are seen in their cells.
Mr. Freeze appears in the 1997 film Batman & Robin played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. the film employs a variation of the most common origin story: He was formerly Dr. Victor Fries, who became dependent on a diamond-powered subzero suit following an accident in a cryogenics lab he was using to find a cure for his wife Nora, who suffers from the terminal illness MacGregor's Syndrome. Freeze later crashes a charity event held by Wayne Enterprises and steals a diamond from the event. 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 Freeze that Batman was responsible for the deed; enraged, Freeze 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, Freeze destroys the observatory with a set of bombs (planted by Bane) in an unsuccessful attempt to take Batman with him. Batman shows Freeze a recording of Ivy during her fight with Batgirl, in which she brags about killing Nora making him realize his partner is a traitor. Batman tells 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 his butler, Alfred Pennyworth; 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, his new cellmate for trying to murder his wife and her betrayal. The character's penchant for cold and ice-related puns was noted by critics.[39][40]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 (wasn't there a point when Patrick Stewart was being mentioned for this role?) 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."[41] 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."[42]Patrick Stewart was considered for the role,[43] before the script was rewritten to accommodate Schwarzenegger's casting.[44] Schumacher decided that Mr. Freeze must be "big and strong like he was chiseled out of a glacier".[45] Schwarzenegger was paid a $25 million salary for the role.[46][47] His prosthetic makeup and wardrobe took six hours to apply each day.[48]
Mr. Freeze appears in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. He is seen with the "cold warriors" Icicle II, Killer Frost 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.
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, 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, who planned to use Freeze's invasion of the lab as a distraction for him to steal large quantities of the gas. Michael Ansara reprised his role as Mr. Freeze.[49]
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 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.[53] 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's cell, covered in frost and icicles, can be seen in the Penitentiary area of Batman: Arkham Asylum which can be scanned to unlock his bio.
Mr. Freeze appears in DC Universe Online voiced by Robert Kraft.[citation needed] 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.
Mr. Freeze appears in Batman: Arkham City voiced by Maurice LaMarche as both an ally to Batman and a boss battle. After the Joker poisons Batman he has the Dark Knight 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 Freeze hostage in the Cryus Pinkney National History Institute. It is revealed that the Penguin stole Freeze's gun and is holding GCPD officers hostage. Batman saves the hostages and Freeze from Penguin's men in the museum and asks Freeze for the cure to his ailment, only for 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 the Penguin. After the Penguin is apprehended and Freeze recovers his suit, he gets revenge by locking Penguin in a display case. Freeze then tells Batman that the cure he made for the 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; Ra's al Ghul. Freeze tells Batman he only needs a sample of Ra's' DNA to complete the cure, and Batman proceeds to track down Ra's using one of the warriors of the League of Assassins Penguin had captured. When Batman returns to the GCPD with a sample of Ra's' blood, Freeze creates two vials of the cure before locking one in a safe and destroying the other, demanding Batman save Nora from the Joker. Batman fights Freeze to unlock the safe, which proves difficult as Freeze is much too powerful to be confronted directly. Batman is forced to hide and find ways to stun Freeze, such as using grates in the floor to surprise him as he passes by. Each time 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 he was distracted fighting Freeze. 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 Freeze with his wife and tells him to end his life of crime for Nora's sake. Freeze's boss battle was widely praised as a step up from the repetitive titan thug bosses from the previous game.
Mr. Freeze appears as a minor antagonist 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 has an interactable object in Injustice: Gods Among Us in which the character can be frozen by it.
Multiple rumours have appeared concerning the upcoming story DLC for "Batman: Arkham Origins" stating that Freeze will be its main villain, and that his origin will be the center of the plot.
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 dons his freezing equipment in a quest to wipe out Gotham's supervillain, due to a misunderstanding that Mr. Freeze's actions killed her only sister. 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.
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 "Artic 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.[56]
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.[57]
Miscellaneous
Freeze has made numerous appearances in the comics set in the DC Animated Universe.
He appears in Batman: Gotham Adventures issue #5, set after the events of "Cold Comfort".[58] 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.[59] Nora finally encounters Victor after her new husband is nearly killed by a robot he himself created in 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 Derek, a Batman Beyond' villain, states that the secret to immortality is locked inside the villain's head.[59]
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.[60]
Mr. Freeze appears in the direct-to-video original animation DC Super Friends: The Joker's Playhouse (2010) voiced by Eric Bauza.
^Hilary J. Bader, Dan Riba, Shirley Walker, Koko Yang, Dong Yang (1997-10-11). "Cold Comfort". The New Batman Adventures. Season 1. Episode 3. The WB. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |episodelink= and |serieslink= (help)
^ abHilary J. Bader, Alan Burnett, Butch Lukic, Lolita Ritmanis, Koko Yang, Dong Yang (1999-02-13). "Meltdown". Batman Beyond. Season 1. Episode 5. The WB. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |episodelink= and |serieslink= (help)
^Butch Lukic, Dan Riba, Rich Fogel, Dwayne McDuffie (2004-05-29). "Starcrossed". Justice League. Season 2. Episode 50, 51, 52. Cartoon Network. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |episodelink= and |serieslink= (help)
^Seung Eun-Kim, Michael Jelenic (2005-05-28). "Fire and Ice". The Batman. Season 2. Episode 21. The WB. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |episodelink= and |serieslink= (help)
^Anthony Chun, Steven Melching (2006-05-06). "The Icy Depths". The Batman. Season 3. Episode 38. The CW. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |episodelink= and |serieslink= (help)
^Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman (2007-02-03). "Artifacts". The Batman. Season 4. Episode 46. The CW. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |episodelink= and |serieslink= (help)
^Ebert, Roger (1997-06-20). "Batman & Robin". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
^Berardinelli, James (1997-06-20). "Batman and Robin". ReelViews. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
^Dougherty, Robin (1997-07-20). "Batman & Robin". Salon. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
^Jeff Gordinier; Jeffrey Wells (1995-12-15). "Bat Signal". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 25, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-14. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Dave Karger; Cindy Pearlman (1997-03-14). "The Bat and the Beautiful". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-11. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Summer Movie Preview". Entertainment Weekly. 1997-05-16. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-11. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^Game Informer features a two-page gallery of the many heroes and villains who appear in the game with a picture for each character and a descriptive paragraph. See "LEGO Batman: Character Gallery", Game Informer 186 (October 2008): 93.
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