Revision as of 07:43, 20 January 2015 editEVula (talk | contribs)39,066 editsm →Fictional character biography: tweaking← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 15:40, 28 November 2024 edit undoOilSlick96 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users2,801 edits →Other versions | ||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|Supervillain in the DC Universe}} | |||
{{for|the roller coaster|Mr. Freeze (roller coaster)}} | |||
{{for| |
{{for-multi|other uses}} | ||
'''Mr. Freeze''' is the name of two<!--Do not add "fictional" as it is tautological; supervillains (and characters in general) are by definition implied to be fictionalized to some extent.--> ]s appearing in ]s published by ]. Created by writer Dave Wood and artists ] and ], the character initially debuted in '']'' #121 (February 1959) as '''Mr. Zero''', a ] with an unknown birth name who, after a physiology-altering mishap, becomes an ice-themed criminal typically armed with freezing weapons and an adversary of the superhero ] forced to live in ] temperatures and wear a special "]" for survival. He was later renamed "Mr. Freeze" after the version featured in the 1966 '']'' television series. | |||
{{pp-move-indef}} | |||
{{Infobox comics character | |||
|image = Freezebig.png | |||
|converted = yes | |||
|caption = Mr. Freeze and Batman <br>Art by Greg Land | |||
<!--|character_name = Mr. Freeze--> | |||
|real_name = Victor Fries | |||
|publisher = ] | |||
|debut = as Mr. Zero: ''Batman'' #121<br>(February 1959); as Mr. Freeze: '']'' #373<br>(March 1968) | |||
|creators = {{Plainlist| | |||
* ] | |||
* David Wood (uncredited) | |||
* ] (uncredited) | |||
}} | |||
|alliances = {{Plainlist| | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
}} | |||
|aliases = Mister Zero, Doctor Zero, Doctor Schimmell | |||
|powers = Genius-level intellect<br>Expert in cryogenics<br>Wields freeze gun<br>Wears an exo-suit that keeps his body at subzero temperatures and gives him superhuman strength and durability | |||
|}} | |||
In 1992, Mr. Freeze was reinvented as a ] ] by writer ], producer ], and artist ] for '']'', which portrayed '''Dr. Victor Fries, PhD''' (pronounced "freeze") as a scientist in ] who suffers a lab accident while trying to ] preserve his terminally ill wife, ]. He turns to crime to fund his research in his obsessive quest to cure Nora by any means necessary, which brings him into conflict with Batman. The animated revamped depiction of Mr. Freeze received widespread acclaim and redefined the character, providing such a burst in his popularity that DC Comics ] the ] conceived by Dini into the mainstream comic book continuity, and adapted it for almost every incarnation of the ] since. | |||
'''Mr. Freeze''', real name '''Dr. Victor Fries''', is a ], a ] who appears in ]s published by ]. He frequently serves as an enemy of ]. Created by ], David Wood and ], he first appeared in '']'' #121 (February 1959).<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> | |||
As one of Batman's most enduring enemies belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up his ], Mr. Freeze has been adapted in various ]. He has been portrayed in film by ] in '']'' (1997), and in television by ], ], and ] in the 1966 ''Batman'' series, and ] in '']''. ], ], ], and others have provided the character's voice in animation and video games. | |||
Freeze is a scientist who must wear a ] 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 ], he is a former cryogenics expert who suffered an ] while attempting to cure his ] wife ]. | |||
==Creation and development== | |||
Mr. Freeze was played by ], ] and ] in the original '']'' television series and by ] in the 1997 film '']'', and was voiced by ] in '']'' and by ] in '']''. | |||
Created by Dave Wood, ], and ], the character made his first appearance in '']'' #121 (February 1959) as "Mr. Zero", a criminal scientist whose experimental "ice gun" backfires and spills cryogenic chemicals on him, forcing him to wear a sub-zero suit for survival and transforming him into a ]y ] who commits ice-themed crimes.<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/><ref>{{cite book |last =Rovin |first =Jeff |title =The Encyclopedia of Supervillains |publisher =Facts on File |date =1987 |location =New York |isbn = 0-8160-1356-X |page=225}}</ref><ref name="B#121">''Batman'' #121 (February 1959). DC Comics.</ref> The name "Mr. Freeze" was first used when the character was adapted for the 1960s '']'' television series, in which he was played by three different actors: ], ] and ].<ref name="Freeze 1">{{cite web|url=http://www.bat-mania.co.uk/main/villains/mr_freeze.php|title=Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze|access-date=2008-05-09|publisher=Bat-Mania}}</ref><ref name="Freeze 2">{{cite web|url=http://www.bat-mania.co.uk/main/villains/mr_freeze2.php|title=Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze 2|access-date=2008-05-09|publisher=Bat-Mania}}</ref><ref name="Freeze 3">{{cite web|url=http://www.bat-mania.co.uk/main/villains/mr_freeze3.php|title=Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze 3|access-date=2008-05-09|publisher=Bat-Mania}}</ref> Mr. Freeze debuted in the episode "]" on February 2, 1966, and his comic book counterpart was soon renamed as well in '']'' #373 (March 1968).<ref name="Detective Comics Vol 1 373">''Detective Comics'' (vol. 1) #373. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
Nearly thirty years later, lead producers ] and ] provided a complete overhaul for the character in adapting him for '']''. Artist ] redesigned Mr. Freeze for the series at Timm's request, while ] provided the character's voice.<ref name="Bio">{{cite web|url= http://www.artofmikemignola.com/Bio|title= Art of Mike Mignola - Bio|year= 2010|publisher= Art of Mike Mignola|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131105025849/http://www.artofmikemignola.com/Bio|archive-date= November 5, 2013|url-status= dead|df= mdy-all|access-date= February 9, 2012}}</ref> The episode "]", which was written by Dini and directed by Timm, aired on September 7, 1992, and retold Mr. Freeze's origin as Dr. Victor Fries, a scientist who turns to crime to find a cure for his cryogenically frozen, terminally ill wife, ].<ref name="Heart of Ice">{{cite web|url=http://www.toonzone.net/anbat/btas/hoi.html|title=Heart of Ice|quote=Mr. Freeze targets the industrialist responsible for his wife's death.|access-date=2008-05-09|publisher=Toon Zone|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080428110756/http://www.toonzone.net/anbat/btas/hoi.html|archive-date=2008-04-28}}</ref> This revamped depiction of Mr. Freeze as a complex and tragic villain was enthusiastically accepted by fans and provided such a burst in the popularity of the character that his comic book counterpart was resurrected in the comic after the episode aired (having previously been unceremoniously ] by the ]).<ref>{{cite comic|writer=]|penciller=]|inker=]|colorist=]|letterer=]|editor=] (comics)|story=Cold Cases|title=]|volume=1|issue=#670|date=January 1994|publisher=]|location=New York City}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Irvine |first2=Alex |last3=Manning |first3=Matthew K. |last4=McAvennie |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |title=DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-8578-6 |page=86}}</ref><ref>{{Cite comic|writer=]|penciller=]|inker=]|colorist=]|letterer=Harkins, Tim|editor=]|story=The Funniest Thing Happened...|title=] II: The Joker's Wild!|issue=#1|date=October 1991|publisher=]|location=]}}</ref> Mr. Freeze's characterization and backstory from ''Batman: The Animated Series'' were even ] into the mainstream comic book continuity, and have become the standard portrayal for the character in almost every incarnation of the ''Batman'' mythology and its media adaptations.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Steve|last1=Daly|first2=Anne|last2=Thompson|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,291605,00.html|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090427113344/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,291605,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 27, 2009|title=A Tights Squeeze|magazine=]|publisher=]|location=New York City|date=March 8, 1996|access-date=May 8, 2008}}</ref> | |||
]'s list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time List ranked Mr. Freeze as #67.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comics.ign.com/top-100-villains/67.html |title=Mr. Freeze is Number 67 |publisher=Comics.ign.com |date= |accessdate=2010-12-25}}</ref> | |||
==Overview== | |||
Originally called '''Mr. Zero''',<ref name="UGO - Freeze">{{cite web|url=http://batman.ugo.com/roguesgallery/mrfreeze/|title=UGO's World pf Batman - Rogues Gallery: Mr. Freeze|accessdate=2008-05-10|publisher=]}}</ref> he was renamed and popularized by the ], in which he was played by several actors.<ref name="Freeze 1"/><ref name="Freeze 2"/><ref name="Freeze 3"/> | |||
Nearly 30 years later, a television adaptation of Batman revitalized him once again. '']'' retold Mr. Freeze's origin in "]", an episode by writer ]. The episode introduced his terminally ill, ] wife ], which explained his obsession with ice and need to build a criminal empire to raise research funds.<ref name="Heart of Ice"/> 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 ].<ref>''Robin II: Joker's Wild'' #1 (1991)</ref> Freeze was resurrected in the comic after the episode aired.<ref>''Detective Comics'' Vol.1 #670 (1993)</ref> | |||
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 ] 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 '']'', in which he was portrayed by ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,291605,00.html|title=A Tights Squeeze| accessdate= 2008-05-08| publisher=] |first1= Steve| last1= Daly| first2= Anne| last2= Thompson |date=8 March 1996}}</ref> | |||
==Fictional character biography== | ==Fictional character biography== | ||
===Pre-Crisis version=== | |||
From the time of his first appearance in 1959 onwards, Mr. Freeze was portrayed as one of many "joke" villains (see also ]) cast as stock enemies of Batman.<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> Originally called Mr. Zero,<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> the producers of the 1960s '']'' television series renamed him Mr. Freeze (and portrayed Batman addressing him as "'''Dr. Schivel'''"),<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> and the name quickly carried over to the comic books. Three actors who portrayed Mr Freeze were ], ], and ]. | |||
{{Infobox comics character | |||
| character_name = Mr. Freeze | |||
| image = Image:Batman121 mr zero.jpg | |||
| image_size = | |||
| caption = The Pre-Crisis version of Mr. Freeze's first appearance as "Mr. Zero" in ''Batman'' #121 (February ]).<br>Art by ]. | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| debut = '''As Mr. Zero:'''<br />'']'' #121 (February 1959)<br />'''As Mr. Freeze:'''<br />"]"<br />'']''<br />(February 2, 1966) | |||
| creators = Dave Wood<br />]<br />] | |||
| real_name = Unknown | |||
| species = ] | |||
| homeworld = ] | |||
| alliances = | |||
| aliases = Mr. Zero<ref name="UGO - Freeze">{{cite web|url=http://batman.ugo.com/roguesgallery/mrfreeze/ |title=UGO's World of Batman – Rogues Gallery: Mr. Freeze |access-date=May 10, 2008 |publisher=] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527232551/http://batman.ugo.com/roguesgallery/mrfreeze/ |archive-date=May 27, 2008 }}</ref> | |||
| powers = | |||
* ]-level intellect | |||
* ] adaptation | |||
| cat = super | |||
| subcat = DC Comics | |||
| hero = n | |||
| villain = y | |||
}} | |||
In order to create an ice gun, a scientist whose name remains unknown starts experimenting with a concentrated freezing solution. He suffers an unfortunate accident that changes his physiology, forcing him to live in environments below ]. He adopts the criminal identity of Mr. Zero. To be able to go out to the normal environment, Zero creates an ], which helps him remain in cold temperatures, even in hot climates. Using this equipment, Zero gathers a small gang and starts a crime spree in ], stealing mainly diamonds and other precious jewels. Mr. Zero is eventually confronted by the local vigilantes, ] and ]. Unable to stand against his cold weapons, the Dynamic Duo fails to stop Zero. They are captured by him and brought to his secret cold hideout, near the mountains. Trapped in blocks of ice, Batman and Robin learn Zero's plan to steal a large collection of gems. Batman eventually breaks a nearby steam pipe, causing steam to fill the hideout, melting the ice away and apparently curing Zero from his ailment. After this, Batman and Robin are able to capture the whole gang and bring Zero to the authorities.<ref name="B#121" /> | |||
After years of inactivity, Zero's condition apparently returns. Going back to his life of crime, he changes his alias to Mr. Freeze and is forced to remain in cold temperatures once again. In this second exploit, Freeze redesigns his cryo-suit and improves his cryothermal gun. With a new gang, he starts a new series of crimes and steals valuable pieces of art. Similar to his first criminal activities, Freeze is eventually stopped by Batman and Robin.<ref>''Detective Comics'' #373. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
===Silver Age=== | |||
]]] | |||
In the ] ] 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 ] temperatures to survive.<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> | |||
Long after this, Freeze becomes part of a ].<ref>''Batman'' #291-294. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
===Modern Age=== | |||
], Freeze was revamped utilizing Paul Dini's backstory. '''Dr. Victor Fries''' (surname pronounced "freeze") was a brilliant ]. As a child, he was fascinated by freezing animals. His parents, horrified by his "hobby", sent him to a strict ], where he was miserable, feeling detached from humanity. In college, he met a woman named ], whom he fell in love with and ultimately married.<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> | |||
Mr. Freeze later changes his cryo-suit with one that allows him more mobility. Freeze eventually falls in love with a woman called Hildy. In order to slow her aging process, Freeze sets out to recreate the accident that transformed him. For his experiments, Freeze uses wealthy people in Gotham as test subjects, but all the efforts result in failure. The victims turn into frozen zombies, who follow Freeze's commands. His new crimes alert the police and Batman. In the ensuing fight, Batman is only able to win when Hildy shows her true intentions and betrays Freeze, only to be encased in solid ice when her plan backfires.<ref>''Batman'' #308. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
A year and a half after Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, Nora contracts a terminal illness, while Fries works on a ] for ]. 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 ]. 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. | |||
Freeze's next plan consists of freezing Gotham City by removing all the heat and transporting the energy to the neighboring city of ]. Freeze is unable to accomplish his goal and is stopped by Batman and ].<ref>''World's Finest'' #257. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
Batman's operatives find Freeze, who shoots one of them with his freeze gun. Batman eventually apprehends him, however.<ref>''Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #192-196: "Snow"</ref> | |||
During one last attempt to freeze Gotham entirely, Mr. Freeze creates a large ice cannon. After robbing a bank, Freeze is confronted by Batman and the new ], who manages to defeat him with help from ] and ], whom Freeze previously captured.<ref>''Batman'' #375. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
Freeze's crimes tend to involve freezing everyone and everything he runs into<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> 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 ] or ]. In one of his notable team-ups, Freeze constructed a cryogenic machine for ] so that Hush might take revenge on Batman. | |||
===Victor Fries=== | |||
During his time with the ], he fashions for ] a sub-zero machine in exchange for the use of her own ]. 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. | |||
{{Infobox comics character | |||
| character_name = Mr. Freeze | |||
| image = Mr._Freeze_(Victor_Fries).png | |||
| image_size = | |||
| caption = The Victor Fries version of Mr. Freeze as depicted in ''Batman'' #525 (December 1995).<br />Art by ] (pencils) and ] (inks). | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| debut = '''Television''': "]"<br />'']''<br />(September 7, 1992)<br />'''Comics''': ''Batman: Mr. Freeze'' #1 (1997) | |||
| creators = ]<br />]<br />] | |||
| real_name = Dr. Victor Fries | |||
| species = ] | |||
| homeworld = ] | |||
| alliances = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />] | |||
| powers = | |||
* ]-level intellect<ref name="DC.com">{{cite news |url=https://www.dc.com/characters/mister-freeze |title=Mister Freeze |website=] |access-date=January 16, 2024 |language=en }}</ref> | |||
* ] adaptation | |||
* ]<ref name="Batman Eternal 31">''Batman Eternal'' #31</ref> | |||
* Cryokinesis<ref name="Batman Annual Vol 2 1">''Batman Annual'' (vol. 2) #1</ref> | |||
* Decelerated aging | |||
* Toxic immunity | |||
* ] grants: | |||
** ] and durability | |||
| cat = super | |||
| subcat = DC Comics | |||
| hero = n | |||
| villain = y | |||
}} | |||
Following the ] crossover event, the ] is rebooted and Mr. Freeze's origin is retroactively revamped to match the one conceived by Paul Dini for ''Batman: The Animated Series''.<ref name="wf interview page 2">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/heartofice/interview/02.php |title=''Heart of Ice'' interview "The Role of Mr. Freeze In The Animated Universe" page 2 – Finding a Voice|access-date=2008-02-08 |publisher= worldsfinestonline.com}}</ref> Dr. Victor Fries, Ph.D. is a brilliant expert in cryogenics in Gotham City. As a child, he was fascinated with cryonic preservation and liked to freeze animals. His parents are horrified by his "hobby" and send him to a strict ], where he is miserable, bullied and ]; as a result, he feels detached from humanity. In college, he meets ], the woman he ultimately marries.<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> | |||
===The New 52=== | |||
During the ] crossover as part of ], the Court of Owls send assassins known as Talons to kill almost 40 of the most important citizens of Gotham, including Mr Freeze. ], ] and ] choose to save him, and subsequently remand him into ]'s custody.<ref>''Red Hood and the Outlaws'' #8 (2012)</ref> | |||
Eighteen months after Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, Nora contracts a fatal disease, so Fries begins developing a freeze ray for ] in order to preserve her in suspended animation until a cure can be found. 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. As Fries puts Nora in suspended animation, Boyle interrupts and tampers with the experiment, 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 superpowered villain whom Batman faces in this continuity. Eventually, Batman's operatives find Freeze, who shoots one of them with his freeze gun, but Batman eventually apprehends him.<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> | |||
''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. | |||
During the "]" storyline, Mr. Freeze sold his soul to ] in exchange for cryokinesis and temperature control where the latter ability enables him to survive in warm temperatures without use of his cryogenic suit.<ref>''Underworld Unleashed'' #1. DC Comics.</ref><ref>''Green Lantern'' (vol. 3) #66–69. DC Comics.</ref> While planning to freeze the elderly in order to preserve them, Mr. Freeze was secretly planning to steal their assets causing his henchmen Ice and Cube to get concerned. Though Batman defeats Mr. Freeze, he ends up getting away.<ref>''Batman'' #525. DC Comics.</ref> He would somehow revert to his pre-upgraded appearance causing him to sport a new cryogenic suit and wield a new freeze gun.<ref>''Batman'' #535. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
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.<ref>''Batman Annual'' Vol. 2 #1 (2012)</ref> | |||
Initially locked in ], Freeze was eventually transferred to the Gotham State Penitentiary, from where he escaped and attempted to steal technology from ] until he was stopped and returned to prison by Batman.<ref>''Detective Comics'' #595. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
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 ]. 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 ] behind forever. Infiltrating ], Freeze has a brief fight with ] and ], 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 "]" storyline, Mr. Freeze sets up a base in the sewers which is stumbled upon by ] and Tommy Mangles.<ref>''Robin'' Vol. 2 #69. DC Comics.</ref> Mr. Freeze finds them and uses his freeze gun on them after getting information about a storage room with canned food in it. He and ] were defeated by ] and arrested by Detective Mackenzie Bock with the Gotham City Police Department also bringing the frozen bodies of Gearhead and Tommy Mangles into their custody as well.<ref>''Robin'' Vol. 2 #70. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
During the '']'' storyline, Mr. Freeze appears as a member of the ] at the time when the ] arrived from their world.<ref>''Forever Evil'' #1</ref> ] later visits Mr. Freeze to let him know of the war going on at ].<ref>''Detective Comics'' Vol. 2 #23.3</ref> The ]s are able to bring the remaining Talons to Mr. Freeze after Man-Bat and Scarecrow steal them from Blackgate.<ref>''Forever Evil: Arkham War'' #3</ref> Mr. Freeze and ] later encounter the Rogues when they land in their territory.<ref>''Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion'' #3</ref> Mr. Freeze tells ] he is not interested in capitalizing on the bounty on their head, only to use ] 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's crimes tend to involve freezing everyone and everything that he encounters<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> so he forgoes 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 ] during his ]<ref>''Detective comics'' #804–806. DC Comics.</ref> or ] during the ] of ].<ref>''Batman'' #635. DC Comics.</ref><ref>''Batman'' #836. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
==Powers and abilities== | |||
Like most Batman villains, Mr. Freeze plans his crimes about a specific ]; in his case, ice and cold.<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> 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 ].<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> | |||
In one of his notable team-ups, Freeze constructs a cryogenic machine for ] so that Hush might take revenge on Batman, Freeze's equipment allowing Hush to preserve ]'s surgically removed heart to use as a means of threatening her life.<ref>''Detective Comics'' #850. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
In the '']'' storyline, the demon ] grants Mr. Freeze the ability to generate subzero temperatures, no longer needing his freeze-gun or refrigeration suit. However, after his encounter with ], ], and ] in Central Park, he reverted to his original subzero biology. He then gained a new subzero armor and weaponry.<ref>{{Cite comic | |||
| Writer = ]; Peterson, Harry | |||
| Artist = ]; ] and others | |||
| Story = | |||
| Title = Underworld Unleashed | |||
| Volume = | |||
| Issue = 3 | |||
| Date = November 1995 - January 1996 | |||
| Publisher = ] | |||
| Page = | |||
| Panel = | |||
| ID = 1563894475 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
During the "]", Mr. Freeze appears as a member of ]'s ].<ref>''Villains United'' #1. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
==Other versions== | |||
After Batman's ], most of the Arkham inmates were ] by a ]. Freeze was among them and he started working on a project called Ice-X Protocol when the GCPD tried to capture him. He stunned them with his gun and captured Gordon, taking him to his secret lair. Gordon managed to break free and defeat Freeze by causing an explosion that weakened Freeze. After his capture, Freeze was taken to ] Prison.<ref>''Battle for the Cowl: Commissioner Gordon'' #1. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
===Smallville=== | |||
Mr. Freeze appears in the comic book adaptation of '']'', partnered with the ] of ].<ref>''Smallville: Season 11'' #8</ref> 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 ].<ref>''Smallville: Season 11'' #9</ref> | |||
During the "]" storyline, Mr. Freeze is among the villains that are sent to another planet by a Boom Tube by the ].<ref>''Salvation Run'' #1. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
===Robot Mr. Freeze=== | |||
In '']'', Mr. Freeze appears as a robot that is controlled by Doctor Thurman.<ref>''Blackhawk'' #117</ref> | |||
Mr. Freeze later fashions a sub-zero machine for ] in exchange for the use of her Lazarus Pit. He attempts to restore Nora to life without waiting for the adjusting needed in the pool chemicals; she returns to life as the twisted Lazara and escapes. She blames her husband for her plight, and she estranges herself from him.<ref>''Batgirl'' #69–70. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
===Justice League Adventures=== | |||
Based in the ], Mr. Freeze is part of a group of ice-themed villains called the "]" that tried to overthrow a small ]n nation. The Cold Warriors appear in ''Justice League Adventures'' #12 (December 2002). | |||
=== |
====''The New 52''==== | ||
] and ].]] | |||
Based in the ] 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). | |||
In September 2011, '']'' rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, during the '']'' crossover, the ] sends assassins known as Talons to kill 40 of the most important citizens of Gotham, including Mr. Freeze. ], ] and ] choose to save him, and subsequently remand him into ]'s custody.<ref>{{cite comic| writer=]|penciller=]|inker=]|letterer=Sienty, Dezi|editor=]|story=Last Regrets – I've Had a Few|title=]| volume=1|issue=#8| date=June 2012| publisher=]|location=]}}</ref> ''Batman Annual'' (vol. 2) #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 cold. It is later revealed that the accident left Fries' mother in constant pain, and Fries ended her suffering by pushing her into the same frozen lake. In this new origin, Nora was never Fries' wife. Her name was Nora Fields, a woman born in 1934. 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.<ref>{{cite comic|writer=]|penciller=]|inker=]|colorist=]|letterer=Cipriano, Sal|editor=Marts, Mike|story=Night of the Owls: First Snow|title=Batman Annual|volume=2|issue=#1|date=July 2012|publisher=]|location=]}}</ref> | |||
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 ]. He escapes shortly afterward and rearms himself with the Penguin's help. Freeze decides to kill Bruce Wayne and takes Nora, whom he believes to be his wife so that they can leave ] behind forever. Infiltrating ], Freeze has a brief fight with ] and ], 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. | |||
===Flashpoint=== | |||
In the alternate timeline of the '']'', Mr. Freeze attacks the ] in ] to find a cure for his wife Nora. However, ] 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.<ref>''Flashpoint: Citizen Cold'' #1 (June 2011)</ref> This version of Mr. Freeze is a friend of Fallout's, and pursues revenge against Citizen Cold for murdering him.<ref>''Flashpoint: Citizen Cold'' #2 (July 2011)</ref> It is later revealed that radiation produced by Fallout is the cure Mr. Freeze was searching for.<ref>''Flashpoint: Citizen Cold'' #3 (August 2011)</ref> | |||
During the "]" storyline, Mr. Freeze appears as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains at the time when the ] arrived from their world.<ref>{{cite comic| writer=]|penciller=]|inker=]|colorist=]|letterer=Leigh, Rob| editor=Cunningham, Brian|story=Nightfall| title=]|volume=1|issue=#1|date=November 2013| publisher=]| location=]}}</ref> The ] later visits Mr. Freeze to let him know of the war going on at ].<ref>{{cite comic| writer=]|penciller=Kudranksi, Szymon|inker=Kudranksi, Szymon|colorist=]|letterer=Sienty, Dezi|editor=Marts, Mike|story=City of Fear| title=Detective Comics|volume=2|issue=#23.3|date=November 2013| publisher=]| location=]}}</ref> The ]s are able to bring the remaining Talons to Mr. Freeze after the Man-Bat and the Scarecrow steal them from Blackgate.<ref>{{cite comic| writer=]|penciller=]|inker=Mendoza, Jaime|colorist=Delhouse, Andrew|letterer=Esposito, Taylor|editor=Gluckstern, Rachel|story=Batman Death March| title=]|volume=1|issue=#1|date=December 2013| publisher=]| location=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite comic| writer=]|penciller=]|inker=Mendoza, Jaime|colorist=Dalhouse, Andrew|letterer=Lanham, Travis|editor=Gluckstern, Rachel|story=Das Bat!| title=]|volume=1|issue=#3|date=February 2014| publisher=]| location=]}}</ref> Mr. Freeze and ] later encounter the Rogues when they land in their territory.<ref>{{cite comic| writer=Buccallato, Brian|penciller=Hepburn, Scott|inker=Coehlho, Andre|colorist=Filardi, Nick|letterer=Sienty, Dezi|editor=Cunningham, Brian|story=Dark Knight| title=]|volume=1|issue=#3|date=February 2014| publisher=]| location=]}}</ref> Mr. Freeze tells the ] III he is not interested in capitalizing on the bounty on their heads, only to use the ] 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>{{cite comic| writer=Buccallato, Brian|penciller=Hepburn, Scott|inker=Coehlho, Andre|colorist=Filardi, Nick|letterer=Sienty, Dezi|editor=Cunningham, Brian|story=Escape from Gotham| title=]|volume=1|issue=#4|date=March 2014| publisher=]| location=]}}</ref> | |||
==In other media== | |||
=== |
====''DC Rebirth''==== | ||
In the '']'' sequel '']'', Mr. Freeze is among the villains that attend the underground meeting held by the ] that talks about the Superman Theory. When Comedian crashes the meeting, Mr. Freeze's helmet is punctured by a bullet shot by an unseen combatant.<ref>''Doomsday Clock'' #6 (July 2018). DC Comics.</ref> In the "Ends of the Earth" story arc of ''All-Star Batman'', Freeze has awoken many people that have been held in cryogenic stasis — using them as an army to steal resources for his research to cure his wife Nora, himself, and all of these people — and plans to release deadly bacteria held in one of the world's oldest ice cores to make a new world, but ] has injected himself with a cold-resistant virus that becomes airborne when his skin is exposed and is able to kill the spores.<ref>''All-Star Batman'' #7 (2017). DC Comics.</ref> | |||
] as Mr. Freeze in the '']'' television series.]] | |||
* In the 1960s '']'' television series, Mr. Freeze was played by ] in the first two-part appearance, ] in the second two-part appearance, and ] in the third two-part appearance.<ref name="Freeze 1">{{cite web|url=http://www.bat-mania.co.uk/main/villains/mr_freeze.php|title=Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze|accessdate=2008-05-09|publisher=Bat-Mania}}</ref><ref name="Freeze 2">{{cite web|url=http://www.bat-mania.co.uk/main/villains/mr_freeze2.php|title=Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze 2|accessdate=2008-05-09|publisher=Bat-Mania}}</ref><ref name="Freeze 3">{{cite web|url=http://www.bat-mania.co.uk/main/villains/mr_freeze3.php|title=Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze 3|accessdate=2008-05-09|publisher=Bat-Mania}}</ref> 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 ] like the comic books and is given an alias "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. Mr. 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 him in exchange for Batman. Batman and Robin save Diamante and apprehend Mr. 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 ] 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 Mr. Freeze's hideout, rescue Miss Iceland, and defeat Mr. Freeze before he can freeze all of Gotham. 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, Mr. Freeze tells the police officers not to touch the Freeze Collar's dials. | |||
During the "]" storyline, Mr. Freeze was given a special playing card by ] which enables him to perform cryokinesis.<ref>''Teen Titans'' Vol. 6 #12. Marvel Comics.</ref> Mr. Freeze and his frost monsters fought different superheroes who moved through his domain. Robin is the one who defeated Mr. Freeze and he regressed back to normal when the threat of the Dark Multiverse was sent back to its own dimension.<ref>''Nightwing'' Vol. 4 #29. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
* Mr. Freeze appeared in '']'', voiced by ]. 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.<ref>{{cite video|date=2007|title=The New Adventures Of Batman|medium=DVD|publisher=Warner Bros. Home Video}}</ref> | |||
Mr. Freeze was suspected of murdering three women and was put on trial. Due to Batman's later investigation, he found that Mr. Freeze didn't commit the crime and he was found not guilty by the jury.<ref>''Batman'' Vol. 3 #51-53. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in '']'' episode "The Deep Freeze", voiced by ]. 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 Mr. Freeze and Professor Frost steal the N-1000, they steer it to the ]. When Batman, Robin and ] face Mr. Freeze and Professor Frost at the North Pole, Batman and Robin fire a beam that reverses the polarity of Mr. Freeze's freeze gun so that it warms up. They then apprehend Mr. Freeze and Professor Frost where they are both placed into prison. | |||
Several ] due to the events in "]", ]'s Apex Lex form gives Mr. Freeze a vial that would cure and furthermore revive his frozen wife. Freeze had to kidnap several women who matched his late wife's characteristics in both mental and physical states, going as far as modifying their DNA to hers in order to experiment with the vial before reviving his wife. In the end, it worked and his wife came back to life cured. She soon took up the name "Mrs. Freeze".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Detective Comics #1014 - Cold Dark World: Awake!|last1=Tomasi|first1=Peter|last2=Mahnke|first2=Doug|publisher=DC Comics|date=October 2019|issue=1014}}</ref> After Mrs. Freeze betrayed him, Mr. Freeze turned to Batman for help.<ref>''Detective Comics'' #1015. DC Comics.</ref> During the fight, Mrs. Freeze used a syringe on Mr. Freeze which started to heat him up while also eradicating the special nanites that kept him cold without the assistance of his cryogenic suit. Batman had to put Mr. Freeze in the same cryogenic state that Nora was in while Mrs. Freeze fled to the northern parts of Canada.<ref>''Detective Comics'' #1016. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in several series for the ], voiced by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toonzone.net/anbat/actors/villains.html#ansara| title= Batman: The Animated Series - Actors - Villains|accessdate=2008-05-09|publisher=Toon Zone}}</ref> | |||
** Mr. Freeze appears in '']'' with his design created by '']'' creator ] as per request of series creator ].<ref name="BTAS">{{cite video|date=2004|title=Batman: The Animated Series|medium=DVD|publisher=Warner Bros. Home Video}}</ref> Mr. Freeze is introduced in the episode "Heart of Ice" (which won an ] for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program). ]''.]]According to flashbacks, cryogenic scientist Victor Fries was working for the company Gothcorp and ] funds for an experiment in order to save his ] wife ] by cryogenically freezing his wife until a cure could be found. However, Gothcorp CEO Ferris Boyle (voiced by ]) 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 Victor to die. He survived but was severely ] by the substances. Unable to live outside subzero conditions, he must wear a cryogenic suit to survive and also triples his strength. He becomes the criminal 'Mr. Freeze' and steals the parts for a freezing machine he wishes to build and use in his vendetta against Boyle. This leads to Mr. Freeze's first confrontation with ]. When he freezes Boyle up to the waist, Batman confronts Mr. Freeze, fighting him one-on-one until Mr. Freeze's transparent head dome is broken by a thermos of ], inducing ] and rendering Mr. Freeze unconscious. The Dark Knight then presents evidence of Boyle's crime to the press and Mr. Freeze is imprisoned in Arkham Asylum in a special cell kept at subzero temperatures.<ref name="Heart of Ice">{{cite web|url=http://www.toonzone.net/anbat/btas/hoi.html|title=Heart of Ice|quote=Mr. Freeze targets the industrialist responsible for his wife's death.|accessdate=2008-05-09|publisher=Toon Zone}}</ref> Mr. Freeze later appears in "Deep Freeze". Kidnapped by giant robots and brought to the off-shore city Oceana, he meets billionaire amusement park designer Grant Walker (voiced by ]), a man that wants to become like immortal like Freeze to create a frozen world for selected residents. Mr. Freeze agrees to help when Walker promises to cure Nora. Batman and ] arrive and try to reason with Mr. Freeze that if he were to help Walker, Nora would hate him. Mr. Freeze eventually turns on Walker, freezing his benefactor to a wall. Mr. Freeze overloads Oceana's power-core, which starts the destruction of the city as he instructs its inhabitants to evacuate. Mr. Freeze stays behind to die with his wife, and he, Nora and Walker disappear in the explosion. The episode's ending reveals that they all survive, trapped in ]s.<ref name="Deep Freeze">{{cite web|url=http://www.toonzone.net/anbat/btas/df.html|title=Deep Freeze|accessdate=2008-05-09|publisher=Toon Zone}}</ref> Mr. Freeze's next appearance is in the direct to animated film '']''. After Nora's tank is shattered, Mr. Freeze kidnaps ], intending to harvest Barbara's organs to cure Nora. Mr. 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 Mr. 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. Mr. Freeze is last seen at the ], crying tears of joy as he learns of Nora's recovery. | |||
** Mr. Freeze returns in '']''. In the episode "Cold Comfort", Mr. Freeze sports a new, sleeker look.<ref>{{cite video|date=2005|title=Batman: The Animated Series Volume Four|medium=DVD|publisher=Warner Brother Home Video}}</ref> ]''.]] Although Nora Fries is cured, Victor Fries' condition prevented him from reuniting with his former wife. As Victor's mutation was slowly destroying his body, he has kidnapped many scientists to try and stop the process, only succeeding in saving his head. When Nora married her doctor and left Gotham permanently, the ] destroys whatever is left of Fries' humanity. With his head supported by four robotic legs built into his suit, Mr. Freeze 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 ] and ]. At his hideout, Mr. 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. Mr. Freeze boards a helicopter to drop the bomb. However, Batman follows him and they engage in a duel in which the Dark Knight uses a grappling gun to hook Mr. Freeze to the bomb and drop it into the river, where an explosion creates a huge iceberg. Although Mr. Freeze is presumed dead, his head is seen to be missing as the episode ends.<ref name="Cold Comfort">{{cite web|url=http://www.toonzone.net/anbat/tnba/cc.html|title=Cold Comfort| accessdate= 2008-05-09| publisher=Toon Zone}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode |title=Cold Comfort |episodelink= |series=The New Batman Adventures |serieslink= |credits=Hilary J. Bader, Dan Riba, Shirley Walker, Koko Yang, Dong Yang |network=The WB |station= |airdate=1997-10-11 |season=1 |number=3 |minutes= }}</ref><ref name="Meltdown">{{cite web| url= http://www.toonzone.net/anbat/bb/meltdown.html| title= Meltdown| accessdate= 2008-05-09| publisher= Toon Zone}}</ref><ref name="BB - Meltdown">{{cite episode |title=Meltdown |episodelink= |series=Batman Beyond |serieslink= |credits=Hilary J. Bader, Alan Burnett, Butch Lukic, Lolita Ritmanis, Koko Yang, Dong Yang |network=The WB |station= |airdate=1999-02-13 |season=1 |number=5 |minutes= }}</ref> | |||
** ]''.]] In '']'', Bruce Wayne still has several of Mr. Freeze's guns in the ]. The new ] (Terry McGinnis) uses one gun to freeze ] in the episode "Black Out" but Inque destroys this one in the episode "Disappearing Inque". A second gun is seen in the Batcave's background during subsequent episodes. In the episode "Meltdown", Victor Fries' disembodied head is revealed to have survived for 40 years thanks to cryogenic technology, which has granted him ]. Wayne-Powers CEO ] has Dr. Stephanie Lake (voiced by ]) use Victor as a test subject for a process that could cure Powers' own mutation. After his mind is transferred into a ] body created from his baseline ], Fries sees this as a second chance and 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, Victor's new body soon begins to revert to the same subzero ]. Although Lake and Powers betray Fries when he returns to their lab for help, he escapes. After recovering an advanced suit of sub-zero armor that fires ice blasts directly out of gauntlets equipped onto his hands, Fries seeks revenge by freezing Lake and Powers and attempting to blow up Wayne-Powers' complex to commit suicide. In the middle of his plan, Victor battles the second Dark Knight and then fights with Blight. Fries redeems himself by saving Batman from Blight. Batman attempts to rescue Fries from the collapsing building, however, Fries refuses help and presumably dies in the explosion.<ref name="Meltdown"/><ref name="BB - Meltdown"/> | |||
** Although Mr. Freeze never appears in the '']'' animated series, another of his freeze guns is seen in the Batcave. In the series finale "Starcrossed" (Part 3), the ]ian officer Kragger (voiced by ]) uses the freeze gun on ] but the ] blows the freeze charge back, encasing Kraggar in ice.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Starcrossed |episodelink= |series=Justice League |serieslink= |credits=Butch Lukic, Dan Riba, Rich Fogel, Dwayne McDuffie |network=Cartoon Network |station= |airdate=2004-05-29 |season=2 |number=50, 51, 52 |minutes= }}</ref> | |||
** Mr. Freeze is briefly mentioned in the '']'' first season finale "Epilogue" by Terry McGinnis. | |||
Mr. Freeze was later seen as an inmate at Arkham Tower.<ref>''Detective Comics'' #1053. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
]''.]] | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in '']'', voiced by ]. 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 Batman defeats him.<ref name="The Batman - episode">{{cite web|first=Alan|last=Burnett|url=http://www.tv.com/the-batman/the-batman-superman-story-1/episode/1127696/recap.html|title=The Batman: The Batman/Superman Story (1) Recap|accessdate=2008-05-11|date=2007-09-22|publisher=TV.com}}</ref> In the episode "Fire and Ice", Mr. Freeze teams up with ] to put Gotham in a permanent winter. Batman defeats both of them and leaves them tied up outside the police station.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Fire and Ice |episodelink= |series= The Batman|serieslink= |credits=Seung Eun-Kim, Michael Jelenic |network=The WB |station= |airdate=2005-05-28|season=2 |number=21 |minutes= }}</ref> In the episode "The Icy Depths", Mr. Freeze competes against the ] to claim an umbrella that is in fact a map to a sunken treasure. When the location is found, Mr. 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.<ref>{{cite episode |title=The Icy Depths |episodelink= |series=The Batman |serieslink= |credits=Anthony Chun, Steven Melching |network=The CW |station= |airdate=2006-05-06 |season=3|number=38 |minutes= }}</ref> 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 the ability to walk, and is forced to use mechanical spider legs. After a near-death escape, he places himself in cryogenic suspension until someone wakes him up 1,000 years in the future in 3027. Once his suit is repaired, he continues terrorizing Gotham. Eventually, law enforcement officers use methods saved for the future by Batman to defeat Mr. Freeze and place him in a special cell.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Artifacts |episodelink= |series=The Batman |serieslink= |credits=Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman |network=The CW |station= |airdate=2007-02-03 |season=4 |number=46 |minutes= }}</ref> 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 ], ] and Penguin in fighting the Joining when Arkham Asylum is attacked. Mr. Freeze saves ] by freezing one of the Joining's robots. In the episode "The Batman/Superman Story" (Part 1), Mr. Freeze is hired by ], along with ], ] and Bane, to kidnap ] and use her as bait for Superman. He and the villains are defeated by Superman, Batman and Robin. | |||
==Powers and abilities== | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in '']'', voiced by ] in a ] accent. He first appears in his ] appearance (under the name Mr. Zero) in the episode "Legends of the Dark Mite", where he is among the Batman villains in ]'s fantasy. Batman defeats him by throwing a ] at his helmet. Mr. Freeze makes a cameo in the teaser for the episode "Sidekicks Assemble" as one of the villain holograms that Robin, ] and ] fight. Mr. Freeze later appears in the episode "]" with a design resembling George Sanders' depiction. He is among the villains at a weapons auction held by ]. In the episode "Bold Beginnings!", Mr. Freeze has captured ], ] and ]. 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 his first team-up with Batman against ]. 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 ] in which the assembled villains are literally roasting Batman alive. With help from ], Batman breaks free from his death trap and defeats Mr. Freeze and the other villains present. | |||
Like most Batman villains, Mr. Freeze's crimes are often centered around a specific ]; in his case, ice, cold and snow. The lab accident that bathed him in chemical coolants radically altered his biology and lowered his body temperature to 23 degrees Fahrenheit, transforming him into a metahuman who is impervious to sub-freezing temperatures and incapable of surviving outside of them.<ref name="Batman Annual Vol 2 1"/> As a result, anything Freeze's skin comes into contact with will freeze. He can generate ice around his body, encase an entire person's body in ice simply by touching them, and cause ice to rapidly form along structures through physical contact.<ref name="Batman Eternal 31"/><ref name="Batman Annual Vol 2 1"/> The demon ] briefly grants Freeze the ability to generate absolute zero temperatures around him, though his body is soon reverted to its original sub-zero state.<ref>{{Cite comic|writer = ]|artist = ]; ] and others| Title = Underworld Unleashed| Issue = #3| Date = November 1995 – January 1996| Publisher = ]| location=New York City}}</ref> Since the chemicals he was exposed to were meant for cryo-stasis, Freeze's aging has been decelerated to the point that he is considered to be virtually immortal, and he is immune to most ]s, ], ]es, and illnesses.<ref>''Arkham Manor: Endgame'' #1. DC Comics.</ref><ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> | |||
Freeze possesses a genius-level intellect and a gifted scientific mind. He is an expert in ], ], ], ], and ], having built his own specialized ] suit and equipment to keep his body temperature below freezing, as well as a "freeze ray" gun capable of creating gusts of cold that approach absolute zero.<ref name="UGO - Freeze"/> Freeze's ] also increases his strength and durability to superhuman levels. His inventions have been described as being as technologically advanced as that of ] or ].<ref>''Detective Comics'' #849. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in the '']'', voiced by ]. Introduced in the episode "Independence Day" (Part 1), Mr. Freeze 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 ], ] (Cameron Mahkent) and ]. He and the other villains collaborate with ] (Joar Mahkent) in a breakout plot. When Mr. Freeze is brought to the prison's warden ], he ends up freezing his own collar and then taking out the guards. He is defeated when ] shatters his helmet, forcing Freeze to turn his powers on himself in order to survive. In the episode "Coldhearted", Mr. Freeze and the other ice-based villains are seen in their cells. | |||
==Reception== | |||
* Mr. Freeze's future appearance in '']'' has been discussed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hitfix.com/the-fien-print/interview-gotham-director-danny-cannon-on-batman-without-batman-and-introducing-mr-freeze|title=Interview: 'Gotham' director Danny Cannon on Batman without Batman and introducing Mr. Freeze|last=Fienberg |first=Daniel|work=HitFix|date=June 23, 2014|accessdate=June 23, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/s243/gotham/news/a587439/gotham-to-introduce-mr-freeze-the-science-needs-to-be-real.html#~oLBIwF9RFTcBmC|title=Gotham to introduce Mr Freeze: 'The science needs to be real'|last=Jeffery |first=Morgan|work=Digital Spy|date=July 30, 2014|accessdate=July 30, 2014}}</ref> | |||
'']''{{'}}s list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time List ranked Mr. Freeze as #67.<ref name="IGNT100CBVATMF67">{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-comic-book-villains/67|title=Mr. Freeze is Number 67 |publisher=Comics.ign.com |access-date=2010-12-25}}</ref> | |||
==Other characters named Mr. Freeze== | |||
===Film=== | |||
===Robot Mr. Freeze=== | |||
]'' played by ].]] | |||
In '']'', Mr. Freeze appears as a robot created and controlled by Professor Thurman to pose as a villain so that Thurman could use his "Instant Freeze Icing Machine" invention to commit crimes without incriminating himself, but the plan is eventually foiled by the Blackhawks and Thurman is arrested.<ref>{{cite comic|artist=]|penciller=]|inker=]|title=]|issue=#117|publisher=]|location=New York City|date=October 1957}}</ref> | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in the 1997 film '']'', played by ]. The film employs a variation of the most common origin story: He was formerly Dr. Victor Fries, now 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 Fries suffering from the ] MacGregor's Syndrome. Freeze later crashes a charity event held by Wayne Enterprises and steals a diamond from the event. Mr. Freeze is captured by Batman and detained at Arkham Asylum, but flees with the help of ] and Bane. Ivy cuts off Nora's life support and convinces Mr. 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 his ]; 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, his new cellmate. The character's penchant for cold and ice-related puns was noted by critics.<ref>{{cite news |first=Janet |last=Maslin |url=http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/batman-film-review.html |title=Batman and Robin |accessdate=2008-05-23 |date=1997-06-20 |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Roger |last=Ebert |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19970620/REVIEWS/706200301 |title=Batman & Robin |accessdate=2013-03-08 |date=1997-06-20 |work=Chicago Sun Times}}</ref> ] of Reelviews commented that "Schwarzenegger, aside from looking like a cross between the ] and ], appears totally confused about what he's doing. Sometimes he's in '']'' mode; on other occasions, he's chomping on a cigar like he's back in '']''." He also noted that Freeze's backstory and motivation were "too complex for Schwarzenegger to convey effectively (wasn't there a point when ] was being mentioned for this role?) or for 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."<ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Berardinelli |url=http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=770 |title=Batman and Robin |accessdate=2013-03-08 |date=1997-06-20 |work=ReelViews}}</ref> Robin Dougherty of ] 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."<ref>{{cite news |first=Robin |last=Dougherty |url=http://www.salon.com/1997/07/20/batman/ |title=Batman & Robin |accessdate=2013-03-08 |date=1997-07-20 |work=Salon}}</ref> ] was considered for the role,<ref name=pop>{{cite news | author=Jeff Gordinier; Jeffrey Wells | title = Bat Signal | url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,299916,00.html |work=Entertainment Weekly | date = 1995-12-15 | accessdate = 2008-11-14| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20081025194917/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,299916,00.html| archivedate= October 25, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> before the script was rewritten to accommodate Schwarzenegger's casting.<ref>{{cite news | author=Michael Mallory | url = http://www.variety.com/vstory/VR1117343049 | title = An ice-cold Arnold sends Batman back to his cave |work=Variety | date = 1997-03-05 | accessdate = 2008-11-11| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20081216115549/http://www.variety.com/vstory/VR1117343049| archivedate= December 16, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Schumacher decided that Mr. Freeze must be "big and strong like he was chiseled out of a glacier".<ref name=shadow>], Peter MacGregor-Scott, ], ], ], ], ''Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Part 6-Batman Unbound'', 2005, ]</ref> Schwarzenegger was paid a $25 million salary for the role.<ref>{{cite news | author=Dave Karger; Cindy Pearlman | url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,287018,00.html | title = The Bat and the Beautiful |work=Entertainment Weekly | date = 1997-03-14 | accessdate = 2008-11-11| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20081216120048/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,287018,00.html| archivedate= December 16, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref name="Time256thBatRob">{{cite news|last=Masters|first=Kim|title=Hollywood Fades to Red|work=Time|date=August 5, 1996|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,984941-1,00.html|accessdate=February 19, 2009}}</ref> His ] and wardrobe took six hours to apply each day.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,287931,00.html | title = Summer Movie Preview |work=Entertainment Weekly | date = 1997-05-16 | accessdate = 2008-11-11| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20081203204422/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,287931,00.html| archivedate= December 3, 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> | |||
===Earth-Two Mr. Zero=== | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in '']''. He is seen with the "cold warriors" ] (Cameron Mahkent), ] (Louise Lincoln) and ] 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. | |||
An issue of '']'' revealed that there was a criminal on ] who also operated as Mr. Zero. While not much is known about Earth-Two's Mr. Zero, his freeze gun was among the weaponry used by ] to attack ], ], and Batman of Earth-One.<ref>''The Brave and the Bold'' #182. DC Comics.</ref> | |||
==Other versions== | |||
* Although Mr. Freeze does not appear in '']'', his gadgets (including his freeze gun) are found by Killer Frost in Arkham Asylum's Warehouse. | |||
===''Flashpoint''=== | |||
An alternate timeline variant of Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze appears in '']''. This version is a friend of ] and an enemy of the eponymous ], who later kills Freeze. Additionally, Freeze's motivations revolve around seeking a cure for Fallout's radioactive powers.<ref>''Flashpoint: Citizen Cold'' #1 (June 2011). DC Comics.</ref><ref>''Flashpoint: Citizen Cold'' #2 (July 2011). DC Comics.</ref><ref>''Flashpoint: Citizen Cold'' #3 (August 2011). DC Comics.</ref> | |||
===''Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''=== | |||
===Video games=== | |||
An alternate universe variant of Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze appears in '']''. After being exposed to mutagen by the ], Freeze mutates into an anthropomorphic polar bear and joins other mutated Arkham Asylum inmates to attack Batman and ] before the inmates are defeated by ]. Sometime later, the inmates are stated to have been cured and in ] custody.<ref>''Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' #6. DC Comics/IDW.</ref> | |||
Mr. Freeze also appears in several ''Batman'' video games: | |||
===''Batman: White Knight''=== | |||
* He is a boss in ''Batman: The Animated Series'', ''The Adventures of Batman & Robin'' for the ] (in which Mr. Freeze was the game's final boss). | |||
An alternate universe variant of Victor Fries appears in '']''. This version retired from his criminal lifestyle to focus on curing his wife Nora Fries' disease. Additionally, his cryogenically mutated physiology considerably slowed his body's aging process. Years prior, Victor unnamed father and Nora's father, Jacob Smithstein, worked as cryogenic researchers in interwar Germany. Amidst the rise of the Nazis, Victor's father joined them as an SS officer and became cold and abusive towards Victor. After being conscripted to experiment on Jewish prisoners using cryotech, Victor helped the Smithsteins escape, during which Jacob was shot and made Victor promise to protect Nora. After arriving in the U.S., Victor would go on to help deliver Bruce Wayne after the latter's mother Martha went into premature labor and attempt to save ].<ref>{{Cite comic|writer = Sean Murphy|artist = Klaus Janson|colorist = Matt Hollingsworth|letterer = Andworld Design|editor = Mark Doyle|title = Batman: White Knight Presents Von Freeze|volume = 1|issue = 1|date = '''January 2020'''|publisher = DC Black Label|location = Burbank, CA}}</ref> | |||
===''Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story''=== | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in the video game adaptation of the movie ''Batman & Robin''. | |||
An alternate universe variant of Victor Fries appears in the ] novel ''Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story'', written by ] and with art by Isaac Goodhart.<ref></ref> | |||
==In other media== | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in ''Batman: Chaos in Gotham''. | |||
{{main|Mr. Freeze in other media}} | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in '']''. 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, 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/batman-vengeance|title=Batman Vengeance - MobyGames|accessdate=2008-05-10|publisher=Moby Games}}</ref> | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=15788|title=Game Stop - Batman Vengeance|accessdate=2008-05-08|publisher=Game Stop}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=21120|title=Game Stop - Batman: Dark Tomorrow|accessdate=2008-05-08|publisher=Game Stop}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Matt|last=Casarnassina|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/166/166827p1.html|title=IGN: Batman Vengeance Review|accessdate=2008-05-10|date=2001-11-19|publisher=IGN}}</ref> | |||
* 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 '']'' with his vocal effects provided by ]. He appears as an enemy of Batman and a follower of the ].<ref>''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.</ref> 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 '']'' which can be scanned to unlock his bio. | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in '']'', voiced by ].{{citation needed|date=January 2010}} 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 '']'', voiced by ]. He appears as both an ally to Batman and a ]. 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 ]'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 ]. 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 ] 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 ] 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 ] 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. | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in '']'', voiced by ]. He appears as a boss fight and an unlockable character found at the observatory. | |||
* In '']'', Mr. Freeze has an interactable object in which the character can be frozen by it. | |||
* Mr. Freeze's origins and first encounter with Batman is featured in the '']'' DLC Story ''Cold, Cold Heart'', with Maurice LaMarche reprising his role. The DLC is reportedly 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 the cyrogenicist 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 appears as a playable character in '']'', voiced by ]. The ''Batman Beyond'' version of Victor Fries is also playable via downloadable content. | |||
===Web series=== | |||
* In the third season of the ] series '']'', a new villain is introduced: '''Dora Smithy''' (voiced by ]), 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. | |||
===Merchandising=== | |||
Mr. Freeze is also the name of two ] ]s at two ] parks (] and ]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sixflags.com/stLouis/rides/MrFreeze.aspx|title=Mr. Freeze: Six Flags, St. Louis|accessdate=2008-05-10|publisher=Six Flags}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sixflags.com/overTexas/rides/MrFreeze.aspx|title=Mr. Freeze: Six Flags Over Texas|accessdate=2008-05-10|publisher=Six Flags}}</ref> | |||
]'s ] features two sets, ''The Batcave: The Penguin and Mr. Freeze's Invasion'', which includes ] incarnations of Mr. Freeze, The Penguin, Batman, ], ], ], 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 '']'' 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.<ref>{{Cite comic | |||
| Writer = ] | |||
| Penciller = ] | |||
| Inker = Kubert, Andy | |||
| Story = Blood Ties | |||
| Title = Batman vs. Predator | |||
| Volume = | |||
| Issue = 3 | |||
| Date = February 1992 | |||
| Publisher = ], ] | |||
| Page = | |||
| Panel = | |||
| ID = | |||
}}</ref> | |||
In '']'', Mr. Freeze is not seen, but his freeze gun is used to destroy aliens, and an alien cloned from Fries' DNA can be seen.<ref>{{Cite comic | |||
| Writer = ] | |||
| Penciller = ] | |||
| Inker = ] | |||
| Story = | |||
| Title = Batman/Aliens 2 | |||
| Volume = | |||
| Issue = 2 | |||
| Date = 2003 | |||
| Publisher = ], ] | |||
| Page = | |||
| Panel = | |||
| ID = 84-7904-703-8 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
===Miscellaneous=== | |||
* Freeze has made numerous appearances in the comics set in the DC Animated Universe. | |||
:* He appears in '']'' issue #5, set after the events of "Cold Comfort".<ref>{{Cite comic | |||
| Writer = ] | |||
| Artist = ], ] | |||
| Story = Polar Opposites | |||
| Title = Batman: Gotham Adventures | |||
| Volume = | |||
| Issue = 5 | |||
| Date = October 1998 | |||
| Publisher = ] | |||
| Page = | |||
| Panel = | |||
| ID = | |||
}}</ref> 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 '']''.<ref name="World's Finest"/> 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 ]. 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 ], a ''Batman Beyond''' villain, states that the secret to ] is locked inside the villain's head.<ref name="World's Finest">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/batribute/backstage/15.php|title=The World's Finest - Batman Adventures: #15|accessdate=2008-05-09|publisher=World's Finest}}</ref> | |||
:* Mr. Freeze made two appearances in '']'' comics. In the first, he claims that ] 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.<ref>Justice League Adventures #12</ref> | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in the direct-to-video original animation '']: The Joker's Playhouse'' (2010), voiced by ]. | |||
* Mr. Freeze makes an appearance in the online musical '']'' by ], in which he is portrayed by Jim Povolo. | |||
===Parodies=== | |||
* Mr. Freeze appears in the '']'' ], voiced by ]. He crashes the museum where the Blue Star of Egypt is being displayed and runs into competition from Captain Cold, ] and Chillblaine. | |||
* Mr. Freeze reappears in "The Robot Chicken DC Comics Special II: Villains in Paradise". He has no speaking roles but can be seen at the table in the ] as well as at the beach with ]. Later in the episode, Mr. Freeze is laying on a beach towel and a random guy next to him points out that he might be dead. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist|30em}} | {{Reflist|30em}} | ||
==External links== | |||
{{wikiquote|Batman (comics)#Mr. Freeze|Mr. Freeze}} | |||
* | |||
*{{gcdb|type=character|search=Mr.+Freeze|title=Mr. Freeze}} | |||
*{{comicbookdb|type=character|id=1584|title=Mr. Freeze}} | |||
*{{DCdatabase|Mister Freeze}} | |||
{{Batman}} | {{Batman characters}} | ||
{{Batgirl}} | |||
{{1966-1968 Batman television series}} | |||
{{Outsiders (comics)}} | |||
{{1989–1997 Batman film series}} | |||
{{Robin}} | |||
{{DC Animated Universe}} | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeze, Mr.}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Freeze, Mr.}} | ||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | |||
] | ] | ||
] | ] | ||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | ] | ||
] |
Latest revision as of 15:40, 28 November 2024
Supervillain in the DC Universe For other uses, see Mr. Freeze (disambiguation).Mr. Freeze is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Dave Wood and artists Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, the character initially debuted in Batman #121 (February 1959) as Mr. Zero, a mad scientist with an unknown birth name who, after a physiology-altering mishap, becomes an ice-themed criminal typically armed with freezing weapons and an adversary of the superhero Batman forced to live in sub-zero temperatures and wear a special "cryo-suit" for survival. He was later renamed "Mr. Freeze" after the version featured in the 1966 Batman television series.
In 1992, Mr. Freeze was reinvented as a tragic villain by writer Paul Dini, producer Bruce Timm, and artist Mike Mignola for Batman: The Animated Series, which portrayed Dr. Victor Fries, PhD (pronounced "freeze") as a scientist in Gotham City who suffers a lab accident while trying to cryogenically preserve his terminally ill wife, Nora. He turns to crime to fund his research in his obsessive quest to cure Nora by any means necessary, which brings him into conflict with Batman. The animated revamped depiction of Mr. Freeze received widespread acclaim and redefined the character, providing such a burst in his popularity that DC Comics retroactively integrated the origin story conceived by Dini into the mainstream comic book continuity, and adapted it for almost every incarnation of the Batman franchise since.
As one of Batman's most enduring enemies belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery, Mr. Freeze has been adapted in various media incarnations. He has been portrayed in film by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Batman & Robin (1997), and in television by George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach in the 1966 Batman series, and Nathan Darrow in Gotham. Michael Ansara, Clancy Brown, Maurice LaMarche, and others have provided the character's voice in animation and video games.
Creation and development
Created by Dave Wood, Sheldon Moldoff, and Bob Kane, the character made his first appearance in Batman #121 (February 1959) as "Mr. Zero", a criminal scientist whose experimental "ice gun" backfires and spills cryogenic chemicals on him, forcing him to wear a sub-zero suit for survival and transforming him into a gimmicky stock villain who commits ice-themed crimes. The name "Mr. Freeze" was first used when the character was adapted for the 1960s Batman television series, in which he was played by three different actors: George Sanders, Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach. Mr. Freeze debuted in the episode "Instant Freeze" on February 2, 1966, and his comic book counterpart was soon renamed as well in Detective Comics #373 (March 1968).
Nearly thirty years later, lead producers Paul Dini and Bruce Timm provided a complete overhaul for the character in adapting him for Batman: The Animated Series. Artist Mike Mignola redesigned Mr. Freeze for the series at Timm's request, while Michael Ansara provided the character's voice. The episode "Heart of Ice", which was written by Dini and directed by Timm, aired on September 7, 1992, and retold Mr. Freeze's origin as Dr. Victor Fries, a scientist who turns to crime to find a cure for his cryogenically frozen, terminally ill wife, Nora. This revamped depiction of Mr. Freeze as a complex and tragic villain was enthusiastically accepted by fans and provided such a burst in the popularity of the character that his comic book counterpart was resurrected in the comic after the episode aired (having previously been unceremoniously killed off by the Joker). Mr. Freeze's characterization and backstory from Batman: The Animated Series were even retconned into the mainstream comic book continuity, and have become the standard portrayal for the character in almost every incarnation of the Batman mythology and its media adaptations.
Fictional character biography
Pre-Crisis version
Comics characterMr. Freeze | |
---|---|
The Pre-Crisis version of Mr. Freeze's first appearance as "Mr. Zero" in Batman #121 (February 1959). Art by Curt Swan. | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | As Mr. Zero: Batman #121 (February 1959) As Mr. Freeze: "Instant Freeze" Batman (February 2, 1966) |
Created by | Dave Wood Sheldon Moldoff Bob Kane |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Unknown |
Species | Metahuman |
Place of origin | Gotham City |
Notable aliases | Mr. Zero |
Abilities |
In order to create an ice gun, a scientist whose name remains unknown starts experimenting with a concentrated freezing solution. He suffers an unfortunate accident that changes his physiology, forcing him to live in environments below zero temperature. He adopts the criminal identity of Mr. Zero. To be able to go out to the normal environment, Zero creates an air conditioned costume, which helps him remain in cold temperatures, even in hot climates. Using this equipment, Zero gathers a small gang and starts a crime spree in Gotham City, stealing mainly diamonds and other precious jewels. Mr. Zero is eventually confronted by the local vigilantes, Batman and Robin. Unable to stand against his cold weapons, the Dynamic Duo fails to stop Zero. They are captured by him and brought to his secret cold hideout, near the mountains. Trapped in blocks of ice, Batman and Robin learn Zero's plan to steal a large collection of gems. Batman eventually breaks a nearby steam pipe, causing steam to fill the hideout, melting the ice away and apparently curing Zero from his ailment. After this, Batman and Robin are able to capture the whole gang and bring Zero to the authorities.
After years of inactivity, Zero's condition apparently returns. Going back to his life of crime, he changes his alias to Mr. Freeze and is forced to remain in cold temperatures once again. In this second exploit, Freeze redesigns his cryo-suit and improves his cryothermal gun. With a new gang, he starts a new series of crimes and steals valuable pieces of art. Similar to his first criminal activities, Freeze is eventually stopped by Batman and Robin.
Long after this, Freeze becomes part of a mock criminal trial.
Mr. Freeze later changes his cryo-suit with one that allows him more mobility. Freeze eventually falls in love with a woman called Hildy. In order to slow her aging process, Freeze sets out to recreate the accident that transformed him. For his experiments, Freeze uses wealthy people in Gotham as test subjects, but all the efforts result in failure. The victims turn into frozen zombies, who follow Freeze's commands. His new crimes alert the police and Batman. In the ensuing fight, Batman is only able to win when Hildy shows her true intentions and betrays Freeze, only to be encased in solid ice when her plan backfires.
Freeze's next plan consists of freezing Gotham City by removing all the heat and transporting the energy to the neighboring city of Metropolis. Freeze is unable to accomplish his goal and is stopped by Batman and Superman.
During one last attempt to freeze Gotham entirely, Mr. Freeze creates a large ice cannon. After robbing a bank, Freeze is confronted by Batman and the new Robin, who manages to defeat him with help from Vicki Vale and Julia Pennyworth, whom Freeze previously captured.
Victor Fries
Comics characterMr. Freeze | |
---|---|
The Victor Fries version of Mr. Freeze as depicted in Batman #525 (December 1995). Art by Kelley Jones (pencils) and John Beatty (inks). | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Television: "Heart of Ice" Batman: The Animated Series (September 7, 1992) Comics: Batman: Mr. Freeze #1 (1997) |
Created by | Paul Dini Bruce Timm Mike Mignola |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Dr. Victor Fries |
Species | Metahuman |
Place of origin | Gotham City |
Team affiliations | Injustice League Secret Society of Super Villains Legion of Doom Suicide Squad GothCorp |
Abilities |
|
Following the Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover event, the DC Universe is rebooted and Mr. Freeze's origin is retroactively revamped to match the one conceived by Paul Dini for Batman: The Animated Series. Dr. Victor Fries, Ph.D. is a brilliant expert in cryogenics in Gotham City. As a child, he was fascinated with cryonic preservation and liked to freeze animals. His parents are horrified by his "hobby" and send him to a strict reform school, where he is miserable, bullied and abandoned by his parents; as a result, he feels detached from humanity. In college, he meets Nora, the woman he ultimately marries.
Eighteen months after Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, Nora contracts a fatal disease, so Fries begins developing a freeze ray for GothCorp in order to preserve her in suspended animation until a cure can be found. 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. As Fries puts Nora in suspended animation, Boyle interrupts and tampers with the experiment, 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 superpowered villain whom Batman faces in this continuity. Eventually, Batman's operatives find Freeze, who shoots one of them with his freeze gun, but Batman eventually apprehends him.
During the "Underworld Unleashed" storyline, Mr. Freeze sold his soul to Neron in exchange for cryokinesis and temperature control where the latter ability enables him to survive in warm temperatures without use of his cryogenic suit. While planning to freeze the elderly in order to preserve them, Mr. Freeze was secretly planning to steal their assets causing his henchmen Ice and Cube to get concerned. Though Batman defeats Mr. Freeze, he ends up getting away. He would somehow revert to his pre-upgraded appearance causing him to sport a new cryogenic suit and wield a new freeze gun.
Initially locked in Arkham Asylum, Freeze was eventually transferred to the Gotham State Penitentiary, from where he escaped and attempted to steal technology from S.T.A.R. Labs until he was stopped and returned to prison by Batman.
During the "No Man's Land" storyline, Mr. Freeze sets up a base in the sewers which is stumbled upon by Gearhead and Tommy Mangles. Mr. Freeze finds them and uses his freeze gun on them after getting information about a storage room with canned food in it. He and Ratcatcher were defeated by Robin and arrested by Detective Mackenzie Bock with the Gotham City Police Department also bringing the frozen bodies of Gearhead and Tommy Mangles into their custody as well.
Freeze's crimes tend to involve freezing everyone and everything that he encounters so he forgoes 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 during his reign or Black Mask during the return of Jason Todd.
In one of his notable team-ups, Freeze constructs a cryogenic machine for Hush so that Hush might take revenge on Batman, Freeze's equipment allowing Hush to preserve Catwoman's surgically removed heart to use as a means of threatening her life.
During the "Infinite Crisis", Mr. Freeze appears as a member of Alexander Luthor Jr.'s Secret Society of Super Villains.
After Batman's death, most of the Arkham inmates were freed by a new Black Mask. Freeze was among them and he started working on a project called Ice-X Protocol when the GCPD tried to capture him. He stunned them with his gun and captured Gordon, taking him to his secret lair. Gordon managed to break free and defeat Freeze by causing an explosion that weakened Freeze. After his capture, Freeze was taken to Iron Heights Prison.
During the "Salvation Run" storyline, Mr. Freeze is among the villains that are sent to another planet by a Boom Tube by the Suicide Squad.
Mr. Freeze later fashions a sub-zero machine for Nyssa al Ghul in exchange for the use of her Lazarus Pit. He attempts to restore Nora to life without waiting for the adjusting needed in the pool chemicals; 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
In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, during the Night of the Owls crossover, the Court of Owls sends assassins known as Talons to kill 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. Batman Annual (vol. 2) #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 cold. It is later revealed that the accident left Fries' mother in constant pain, and Fries ended her suffering by pushing her into the same frozen lake. In this new origin, Nora was never Fries' wife. Her name was Nora Fields, a woman born in 1934. 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.
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 takes 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. The Scarecrow later visits Mr. Freeze to let him know of the war going on at Blackgate Penitentiary. The Man-Bats are able to bring the remaining Talons to Mr. Freeze after the Man-Bat and the Scarecrow steal them from Blackgate. Mr. Freeze and Clayface later encounter the Rogues when they land in their territory. Mr. Freeze tells the Mirror Master III he is not interested in capitalizing on the bounty on their heads, only to use the 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.
DC Rebirth
In the Watchmen sequel Doomsday Clock, Mr. Freeze is among the villains that attend the underground meeting held by the Riddler that talks about the Superman Theory. When Comedian crashes the meeting, Mr. Freeze's helmet is punctured by a bullet shot by an unseen combatant. In the "Ends of the Earth" story arc of All-Star Batman, Freeze has awoken many people that have been held in cryogenic stasis — using them as an army to steal resources for his research to cure his wife Nora, himself, and all of these people — and plans to release deadly bacteria held in one of the world's oldest ice cores to make a new world, but Batman has injected himself with a cold-resistant virus that becomes airborne when his skin is exposed and is able to kill the spores.
During the "Dark Nights: Metal" storyline, Mr. Freeze was given a special playing card by The Batman Who Laughs which enables him to perform cryokinesis. Mr. Freeze and his frost monsters fought different superheroes who moved through his domain. Robin is the one who defeated Mr. Freeze and he regressed back to normal when the threat of the Dark Multiverse was sent back to its own dimension.
Mr. Freeze was suspected of murdering three women and was put on trial. Due to Batman's later investigation, he found that Mr. Freeze didn't commit the crime and he was found not guilty by the jury.
Several years later due to the events in "Year of the Villain", Lex Luthor's Apex Lex form gives Mr. Freeze a vial that would cure and furthermore revive his frozen wife. Freeze had to kidnap several women who matched his late wife's characteristics in both mental and physical states, going as far as modifying their DNA to hers in order to experiment with the vial before reviving his wife. In the end, it worked and his wife came back to life cured. She soon took up the name "Mrs. Freeze". After Mrs. Freeze betrayed him, Mr. Freeze turned to Batman for help. During the fight, Mrs. Freeze used a syringe on Mr. Freeze which started to heat him up while also eradicating the special nanites that kept him cold without the assistance of his cryogenic suit. Batman had to put Mr. Freeze in the same cryogenic state that Nora was in while Mrs. Freeze fled to the northern parts of Canada.
Mr. Freeze was later seen as an inmate at Arkham Tower.
Powers and abilities
Like most Batman villains, Mr. Freeze's crimes are often centered around a specific theme; in his case, ice, cold and snow. The lab accident that bathed him in chemical coolants radically altered his biology and lowered his body temperature to 23 degrees Fahrenheit, transforming him into a metahuman who is impervious to sub-freezing temperatures and incapable of surviving outside of them. As a result, anything Freeze's skin comes into contact with will freeze. He can generate ice around his body, encase an entire person's body in ice simply by touching them, and cause ice to rapidly form along structures through physical contact. The demon Neron briefly grants Freeze the ability to generate absolute zero temperatures around him, though his body is soon reverted to its original sub-zero state. Since the chemicals he was exposed to were meant for cryo-stasis, Freeze's aging has been decelerated to the point that he is considered to be virtually immortal, and he is immune to most toxins, bacteria, viruses, and illnesses.
Freeze possesses a genius-level intellect and a gifted scientific mind. He is an expert in physics, chemistry, neurobiology, medicine, and mechanical engineering, having built his own specialized cryogenic suit and equipment to keep his body temperature below freezing, as well as a "freeze ray" gun capable of creating gusts of cold that approach absolute zero. Freeze's armored suit also increases his strength and durability to superhuman levels. His inventions have been described as being as technologically advanced as that of Apokolips or Lex Luthor.
Reception
IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time List ranked Mr. Freeze as #67.
Other characters named Mr. Freeze
Robot Mr. Freeze
In Blackhawk, Mr. Freeze appears as a robot created and controlled by Professor Thurman to pose as a villain so that Thurman could use his "Instant Freeze Icing Machine" invention to commit crimes without incriminating himself, but the plan is eventually foiled by the Blackhawks and Thurman is arrested.
Earth-Two Mr. Zero
An issue of The Brave and the Bold revealed that there was a criminal on Earth-Two who also operated as Mr. Zero. While not much is known about Earth-Two's Mr. Zero, his freeze gun was among the weaponry used by Earth-Two's Hugo Strange to attack Robin, Batwoman, and Batman of Earth-One.
Other versions
Flashpoint
An alternate timeline variant of Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze appears in Flashpoint: Citizen Cold. This version is a friend of Fallout and an enemy of the eponymous Citizen Cold, who later kills Freeze. Additionally, Freeze's motivations revolve around seeking a cure for Fallout's radioactive powers.
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
An alternate universe variant of Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze appears in Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. After being exposed to mutagen by the Shredder, Freeze mutates into an anthropomorphic polar bear and joins other mutated Arkham Asylum inmates to attack Batman and Robin before the inmates are defeated by Splinter. Sometime later, the inmates are stated to have been cured and in A.R.G.U.S. custody.
Batman: White Knight
An alternate universe variant of Victor Fries appears in Batman: White Knight. This version retired from his criminal lifestyle to focus on curing his wife Nora Fries' disease. Additionally, his cryogenically mutated physiology considerably slowed his body's aging process. Years prior, Victor unnamed father and Nora's father, Jacob Smithstein, worked as cryogenic researchers in interwar Germany. Amidst the rise of the Nazis, Victor's father joined them as an SS officer and became cold and abusive towards Victor. After being conscripted to experiment on Jewish prisoners using cryotech, Victor helped the Smithsteins escape, during which Jacob was shot and made Victor promise to protect Nora. After arriving in the U.S., Victor would go on to help deliver Bruce Wayne after the latter's mother Martha went into premature labor and attempt to save Alfred Pennyworth.
Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story
An alternate universe variant of Victor Fries appears in the DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults novel Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story, written by Lauren Myracle and with art by Isaac Goodhart.
In other media
Main article: Mr. Freeze in other mediaSee also
References
- ^ "UGO's World of Batman – Rogues Gallery: Mr. Freeze". UGO. Archived from the original on May 27, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
- Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 225. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
- ^ Batman #121 (February 1959). DC Comics.
- "Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze". Bat-Mania. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
- "Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze 2". Bat-Mania. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
- "Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze 3". Bat-Mania. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
- Detective Comics (vol. 1) #373. DC Comics.
- "Art of Mike Mignola - Bio". Art of Mike Mignola. 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- "Heart of Ice". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
Mr. Freeze targets the industrialist responsible for his wife's death.
- Dixon, Chuck (w), Kitson, Barry (p), Smith, Bob (i), Roy, Adrienne (col), Costanza, John (let), Peterson, Scott (comics) (ed). "Cold Cases" Detective Comics, vol. 1, no. 670 (January 1994). New York City: DC Comics.
- Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
- Dixon, Chuck (w), Lyle, Tom (p), Smith, Bob (i), Ray, Adrienne (col), Harkins, Tim (let), O'Neil, Dennis (ed). "The Funniest Thing Happened..." Robin II: The Joker's Wild!, no. 1 (October 1991). New York City: DC Comics.
- Daly, Steve; Thompson, Anne (March 8, 1996). "A Tights Squeeze". Entertainment Weekly. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
- Detective Comics #373. DC Comics.
- Batman #291-294. DC Comics.
- Batman #308. DC Comics.
- World's Finest #257. DC Comics.
- Batman #375. DC Comics.
- "Mister Freeze". DC.com. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Batman Eternal #31
- ^ Batman Annual (vol. 2) #1
- "Heart of Ice interview "The Role of Mr. Freeze In The Animated Universe" page 2 – Finding a Voice". worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
- Underworld Unleashed #1. DC Comics.
- Green Lantern (vol. 3) #66–69. DC Comics.
- Batman #525. DC Comics.
- Batman #535. DC Comics.
- Detective Comics #595. DC Comics.
- Robin Vol. 2 #69. DC Comics.
- Robin Vol. 2 #70. DC Comics.
- Detective comics #804–806. DC Comics.
- Batman #635. DC Comics.
- Batman #836. DC Comics.
- Detective Comics #850. DC Comics.
- Villains United #1. DC Comics.
- Battle for the Cowl: Commissioner Gordon #1. DC Comics.
- Salvation Run #1. DC Comics.
- Batgirl #69–70. DC Comics.
- Lobdell, Scott (w), Rocafort, Kenneth (p), Rocafort, Kenneth (i), Sienty, Dezi (let), Chase, Bobbie (ed). "Last Regrets – I've Had a Few" Red Hood and the Outlaws, vol. 1, no. 8 (June 2012). New York City: DC Comics.
- Snyder, Scott (w), Fabok, Jason (p), Fabok, Jason (i), Steigerwald, Peter (col), Cipriano, Sal (let), Marts, Mike (ed). "Night of the Owls: First Snow" Batman Annual, vol. 2, no. 1 (July 2012). New York City: DC Comics.
- Johns, Geoff (w), Finch, David (p), Friend, Richard (i), Oback, Sonia (col), Leigh, Rob (let), Cunningham, Brian (ed). "Nightfall" Forever Evil, vol. 1, no. 1 (November 2013). New York City: DC Comics.
- Tomasi, Peter (w), Kudranksi, Szymon (p), Kudranksi, Szymon (i), Kalisz, John (col), Sienty, Dezi (let), Marts, Mike (ed). "City of Fear" Detective Comics, vol. 2, no. 23.3 (November 2013). New York City: DC Comics.
- Tomasi, Peter (w), Eaton, Scot (p), Mendoza, Jaime (i), Delhouse, Andrew (col), Esposito, Taylor (let), Gluckstern, Rachel (ed). "Batman Death March" Forever Evil: Arkham War, vol. 1, no. 1 (December 2013). New York City: DC Comics.
- Tomasi, Peter (w), Eaton, Scot (p), Mendoza, Jaime (i), Dalhouse, Andrew (col), Lanham, Travis (let), Gluckstern, Rachel (ed). "Das Bat!" Forever Evil: Arkham War, vol. 1, no. 3 (February 2014). New York City: DC Comics.
- Buccallato, Brian (w), Hepburn, Scott (p), Coehlho, Andre (i), Filardi, Nick (col), Sienty, Dezi (let), Cunningham, Brian (ed). "Dark Knight" Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion, vol. 1, no. 3 (February 2014). New York City: DC Comics.
- Buccallato, Brian (w), Hepburn, Scott (p), Coehlho, Andre (i), Filardi, Nick (col), Sienty, Dezi (let), Cunningham, Brian (ed). "Escape from Gotham" Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion, vol. 1, no. 4 (March 2014). New York City: DC Comics.
- Doomsday Clock #6 (July 2018). DC Comics.
- All-Star Batman #7 (2017). DC Comics.
- Teen Titans Vol. 6 #12. Marvel Comics.
- Nightwing Vol. 4 #29. DC Comics.
- Batman Vol. 3 #51-53. DC Comics.
- Tomasi, Peter; Mahnke, Doug (October 2019). Detective Comics #1014 - Cold Dark World: Awake!. DC Comics.
- Detective Comics #1015. DC Comics.
- Detective Comics #1016. DC Comics.
- Detective Comics #1053. DC Comics.
- Waid, Mark (w), Porter, Howard; Jimenez, Phil and others (a). Underworld Unleashed, no. 3 (November 1995 – January 1996). New York City: DC Comics.
- Arkham Manor: Endgame #1. DC Comics.
- Detective Comics #849. DC Comics.
- "Mr. Freeze is Number 67". Comics.ign.com. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- Dillin, Dick (a), Dillin, Dick (p), Cuidera, Chuck (i). Blackhawk, no. 117 (October 1957). New York City: DC Comics.
- The Brave and the Bold #182. DC Comics.
- Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #1 (June 2011). DC Comics.
- Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #2 (July 2011). DC Comics.
- Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #3 (August 2011). DC Comics.
- Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6. DC Comics/IDW.
- Sean Murphy (w), Klaus Janson (a), Matt Hollingsworth (col), Andworld Design (let), Mark Doyle (ed). Batman: White Knight Presents Von Freeze, vol. 1, no. 1 (January 2020). Burbank, CA: DC Black Label.
- Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story at DC Comics
Batgirl | |
---|---|
Incarnations | |
Supporting characters | |
Antagonists | |
Related identities | |
Publications | |
Related articles | |
The Outsiders | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Members |
| ||||
Supporting characters | |||||
Enemies | |||||
Locations | |||||
Other media |
Robin | |
---|---|
Robins | |
Supporting characters | |
Antagonists |
|
Related identities | |
In other media | |
Publications | |
Alternative versions | |
Related | |
DC Animated Universe | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Creators | |||||
Television |
| ||||
Films | |||||
Digital content | |||||
Comics | |||||
Video games |
| ||||
Characters | |||||
Miscellaneous |
- Action film villains
- Batman characters
- Characters created by Bob Kane
- Characters created by Bruce Timm
- Characters created by Paul Dini
- Comics characters introduced in 1959
- Cyborg supervillains
- DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
- DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
- DC Comics cyborgs
- DC Comics film characters
- DC Comics immortals
- DC Comics male supervillains
- DC Comics metahumans
- DC Comics scientists
- DC Comics television characters
- Fictional characters with elemental transmutation abilities
- Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities
- Fictional cryonically preserved characters in comics
- Fictional German people
- Fictional inventors in comics
- Fictional marksmen and snipers
- Fictional mass murderers
- Fictional matricides
- Fictional physicians
- Fictional scientists in films
- Film supervillains
- Male film villains
- Undead supervillains
- Video game bosses
- Villains in animated television series