UGO's World of Batman - Rogues Gallery: Mr. Freeze - BATMAN.UGO.COM

Mr. Freeze:

First appearing in Batman #121 (February 1959) as the less-interestingly-named Mr. Zero, Mr. Freeze was originally just one more villain-with-a-gimmick in Batman's ever-expanding gallery of weird rogues. In Mr. Zero's case, the gimmick was cold, and ice-themed crimes were his specialty. Even the earliest version of the character employed a 'freezing gun' with which to turn Batman and Robin into giant ice-cubes (a fate which is strangely, but fortunately, not terminal for the caped crusaders). Becoming 'Mr. Freeze' when the character was adapted and absorbed into the world of William Dozier's campy '60s TV show, the cold-themed character had to wear a special suit (not, in those early days, a suit of armor, but more akin to an astronaut's garb) which kept his temperature below freezing. Played on the television show by no less than three actors (in order: George Sanders, the director Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach), the character held a certain tenuous hold over fans' fascination - enough that the newly-minted Mr. Freeze would become a regular villain in the rotation of rogues in Batman's various comics. Yet this Mr. Freeze - despite his unfortunate need to keep himself chilled 24/7 - was not a particularly sympathetic character, usually committing crimes for common reasons (basic human greed in most cases).

The character was to undergo a radical refashioning in the episode "Heart of Ice" of the brilliant Batman: The Animated Series in 1992. In this story, Mr. Freeze (who had been referred to by Adam West's Batman on one occasion as "Dr. Schimmel") becomes the scientist Victor Fries, whose expertise in cryogenics allows him to preserve his terminally-ill wife Nora until a cure can be found for her condition. Dr. Fries' effort to aid his wife are disrupted by his employer, GothCorp executive Ferris Boyle (Boyle - get it, boil - is voiced by a pre-Joker Mark Hamill), whose intervention causes an explosion. In the explosion, Fries is immersed in his cryogenic formula and becomes the cold, calculating Mr. Freeze, bent on taking revenge ("a dish best served cold") for Boyle's endangerment of his wife.

This last, much more compelling version of the character would become a lasting part of the mainline Batman continuity. The wretched bat-blasphemy that is Batman & Robin even included a scene inspired by "Heart of Ice," in which Arnold Schwarzenegger's horrid Freeze constructs a revolving ice-sculpture of his beloved wife. This scene, which in essence occurred in the ending of the original animated series episode, was quite touching in light of the character's serious tone and sympathetic nature. Batman & Robin's Mr. Freeze, however, is a one-dimensional rip-off of its original, revelling in his hatred and constantly spewing Schwarzeneggerian one-liners and ice-related puns. The genius of the animated series' Mr. Freeze is that he is, finally, a useful reflection of the Batman - no longer simply a cold-themed gimmicky caricature, Victor Fries is a man out for revenge - a quest which both reflects and contrasts with Batman's quite similar obsession. The contrast, as laid out beautifully in "Heart of Ice," is that Batman is out to see justice done - and he becomes, in a strange way, more of an ally to Freeze than an enemy. This rendition of the character is so much more fascinating and powerful than his predecessors that we can only hope his influence will continue - and that the character may even grow further along these lines.

Rogues Gallery: Mr. Freeze Images

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