Mr. Freeze

This article is about the comic book character. For the Gotham episode, see Mr. Freeze (Gotham). For the roller coaster, see Mr. Freeze (roller coaster).

Mr. Freeze
Mr. Freeze in Batman Annual #1 (July 2012). Art by Jason Fabok.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	As Mr. Freeze Batman "Instant Freeze"/"Rats Like Cheese" As Victor Fries: Batman: The Animated Series "Heart of Ice"
First comic appearance	As Mr. Zero: Batman #121 (February 1959) As Mr. Freeze: Detective Comics #373 (March 1968)
Created by	As Mr. Zero: Dave Wood (writer) Sheldon Moldoff (artist) Bob Kane (concept) As Victor Fries: Paul Dini (writer) Bruce Timm (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Victor Fries
Team affiliations	Injustice League Secret Society of Super Villains GothCorp
Notable aliases	Mr. Zero Dr. Schivel Crown Prince of Chilblains King of Cold
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Sub-zero physiology allows survival at a frozen state Refrigerated exo-skeletal battle suit grants superhuman strength and durability Utilizes cryogenic weaponry

Mr. Freeze (Victor Fries) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Dave Wood and artist Sheldon Moldoff, he first appeared in Batman #121 (February 1959) as the ice-based criminal Mr. Zero, but he was soon renamed "Mr. Freeze". Years later, his origin story was revamped to match the one conceived by writer Paul Dini for Batman: The Animated Series. Dr. Victor Fries was a cryogenics expert in Gotham City who was caught in a laboratory mishap while attempting to cure his terminally ill wife, Nora; the accident drastically lowered his body temperature to sub-zero levels, forcing him to wear a cryogenic suit in order to survive. This depiction of Mr. Freeze has since endured as one of the superhero Batman's most recurring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his central rogues gallery.

IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time List ranked Mr. Freeze as #67. The character has been portrayed in live-action by George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach in the Batman television show; by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1997 film Batman & Robin; and by Nathan Darrow on the Fox crime series Gotham. He has also been voiced by Michael Ansara in the DC animated universe, by Clancy Brown in The Batman, and by Maurice LaMarche in the Batman: Arkham video game franchise.

Overview

Originally called Mr. Zero, he was renamed and popularized by the 1960s Batman television series, in which he was played by several actors.

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

The episode was seen as groundbreaking for a Saturday morning cartoon and helped set the tone for the rest of the series. This backstory was also made canon in the comics and has been the character's official origin in almost every incarnation of Batman until September 2011, when The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity.

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

Fictional character biography

The character's first appearance as "Mr. Zero" in Batman #121 (Feb. 1959); art by Curt Swan

From the time of his first appearance in 1959, Mr. Freeze was portrayed as one of many "joke" villains (see also Killer Moth) cast as stock enemies of Batman. He was originally called Mr. Zero, but the producers of the 1960s Batman television series renamed him Mr. Freeze and portrayed Batman addressing him as "Dr. Art Schivel", and the name quickly carried over to the comic books. The actors who portrayed Mr. Freeze were George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach. In the Pre-Crisis continuity, it is explained that Mr. Freeze is a rogue scientist whose design for an "ice gun" backfires when he inadvertently spills cryogenic chemicals on himself, resulting in him needing sub-zero temperatures to survive.

Modern Age

Freeze was revamped using a history similar to the one created by Paul Dini for Batman: The Animated Series. Dr. Victor Fries, Ph.D. (surname pronounced "freeze") was a brilliant cryogenicist. As a child, he is fascinated with cryonics, so he begins freezing animals. His parents are horrified by his "hobby" and send him to a strict boarding school, where he is miserable and feels detached from humanity. In college, he meets a woman named Nora, whom he ultimately marries.

Nora contracts a fatal illness 1½ years after Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, 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.

Freeze's crimes tend to involve freezing everyone and everything that he encounters so he never forges alliances with the other criminals in Gotham, preferring to work alone. On rare occasions, he has worked with another member of Batman's rogues gallery, usually as an enforcer for Gotham's mob bosses, such as the Penguin or Black Mask. In one of his notable team-ups, Freeze 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 his time with the Secret Society of Super Villains, he 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 the 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 1943. When Nora was 23, she was diagnosed with an incurable heart disease, so her family placed her in cryogenic stasis hoping that a cure would be found in the future. Fries, having written his doctoral thesis on Nora, took on a position as a cryogenic researcher and technician at Wayne Enterprises, the facility that housed Nora's body.

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

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

During the Forever Evil storyline, Mr. Freeze appears as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains at the time when the Crime Syndicate arrived from their world. 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 Man-Bat and Scarecrow steal them from Blackgate. Mr. Freeze and Clayface later encounter the Rogues when they land in their territory. Mr. Freeze tells Mirror Master II he is not interested in capitalizing on the bounty on their heads, only to use Weather Wizard to create optimal conditions for him to freeze Gotham. As the Rogues are fighting the two, Black Mask (alongside his False Face society) arrives to capture the Rogues to receive the bounty.

DC Rebirth

In the Watchmen sequel Doomsday Clock, Mr. Freeze is among the villains that attend the underground meeting held by 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.

Powers and abilities

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

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

Other versions

Smallville

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

Robot Mr. Freeze

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

Justice League Adventures

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

DC Super Friends

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

Flashpoint

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

Swamp Thing

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

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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

Batman: White Knight

Victor Fries appears in the 2017 series Batman: White Knight. In this series, Victor Fries has retired from his criminal lifestyle to focus on curing his wife's disease. It is later revealed that, due to his unique, cryogenically-dependent physiology, Fries's aging had been slowed considerably, and that his father was a member of the Nazi SS during the Second World War, but acted as a double agent, allowing America to stay one step ahead of Germany on the scientific front. As a result of this, a massive freeze cannon was constructed beneath a lighthouse off the coast of Gotham City. The superweapon is discovered by Neo-Joker (the second Harley Quinn who felt that, by taking pills to retain his sanity, Jack Napier was destroying the most beautiful part of himself) and is used to freeze most, if not all, of Gotham. Freeze is able to reverse the effects with the aid of Batgirl. It is also revealed that Fries had been contacted by Batman in an attempt to secure the villain's aid to save the life of Alfred Pennyworth, but unfortunately their efforts were in vain.

In other media

Television

Live-action

Eli Wallach as Mr. Freeze in the Batman television series

• Mr. Freeze appeared in the 1960s Batman television series, portrayed by George Sanders in the first two-part appearance, Otto Preminger in the second two-part appearance, and Eli Wallach in the third two-part appearance. Sanders and Wallach used German accents for the role while Preminger used his own Austrian accent. While the George Sanders version wore the classic refrigerated suit, the Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach versions wore a "Freeze Collar" around their neck that went with Mr. Freeze's cooling suit. Before Mr. Freeze was on the series, he was always called Mr. Zero. In this version, he continues to be campy like the comic books and is given an alias of "Dr. Art Schivel". In his first appearance "Instant Freeze", it is revealed that it was Batman who spilled the cryogenic chemicals on Schivel during an attempted arrest. Freeze ends up stealing diamonds from the Gotham City Diamond Exchange. When Batman and Robin try to stop him, he freezes them with his freeze gun. In the next episode "Rats Like Cheese", Mr. Freeze kidnaps Paul Diamante of the Gotham City Eagles and offers to return his hostage in exchange for Batman. Batman and Robin save Diamante and apprehend Freeze. During this appearance, Mr. Freeze's hideout has "warm lights" so that his henchmen can interact with him. In the episode "Green Ice", Mr. Freeze escapes from prison and captures Miss Iceland from the finals of the Miss Galaxy Pageant. In the next episode "Deep Freeze", Mr. Freeze has led all of Gotham City to believe that Batman has given in to his bribes. Batman and Robin managed to find Freeze's hideout, rescue Miss Iceland, and defeat Freeze before he can freeze all of Gotham. Batman arranges for Warden Crichton to have a special refrigerated cell made for Mr. Freeze. In the episode "Ice Spy", Mr. Freeze kidnaps Icelandic scientist Professor Isaacson in order to obtain an "Instant Ice" formula. In the episode "The Duo Defy", Mr. Freeze finally obtains the "Instant Ice" formula and ends up building a large freeze ray. He is thwarted by Batman and Robin again. As he is taken away by the police, Freeze tells the police officers not to touch the Freeze Collar's dials.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Gotham, portrayed by Nathan Darrow. In this version, his surname is pronounced "/fraɪs/". As in the comics, he is a scientist who researches cryogenic technology to find a cure for his wife Nora's terminal illness. To this end, he freezes Gotham's citizens with a cryogenic gun and uses them as test subjects. Horrified at what Victor has become, Nora indirectly kills herself during one of the experiments (replacing a perfected coolant with a failed, lethal formula). Devastated, Fries attempts suicide by turning the coolants from his gun on himself. He survives, however, and is rendered unable to survive outside of sub-zero temperatures. Hugo Strange has him declared dead and takes him to Arkham Asylum's Indian Hill Laboratory, where he uses him as an "assistant" in experiments with cryogenically frozen bodies. Strange also dispatches him to kill Karen Jennings, one of his former test subjects. In the season finale, "Wrath of the Villains: Transference", Strange orders Fries to kill Selina Kyle, but Bridgit Pike, another of Strange's genetically altered minions, interferes. She and Fries do battle, he with his freeze ray and she with her flamethrower; they accidentally incapacitate Strange when he gets in the crossfire. In the episode "Heroes Rise: The Primal Riddle", crime bosses Oswald Cobblepot and Ivy Pepper find Fries in an Arctic location. They persuade him to help Cobblepot in his revenge on fellow criminal Edward Nygma by returning his special suit to him that they took from Wayne Enterprises and promising to cure his condition. In the episode "Heroes Rise: Destiny Calling", Fries assists mobster Fish Mooney with obtaining an antidote to a virus engineered by Jervis Tetch, and fighting ninja sent by the League of Shadows. After Mooney's death, Fries, Pike and Strange are arrested by the police, but Cobblepot arranges their release. In the episode "Heroes Rise: Heavydirtysoul", Cobblepot has Fries use his freeze gun on Nygma in order to turn him into a frozen "centerpiece" for the Iceberg Lounge. In the episode, "A Dark Knight: The Demon's Head", after Nygma is freed from his icy prison, Cobblepot summons Freeze to put him back on ice, but when he realizes that he is no longer the Riddler or Ed Nygma anymore, Cobblepot decides to spare him. In the episode, "A Dark Knight: The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause", Fries is recruited to join Jerome Valeska's "Legion of Horribles", along with Tetch, Scarecrow, Pike, Cobblepot, and Solomon Grundy. In "A Dark Knight: Mandatory Brunch Meeting", he attends the Legion of Horribles' mandatory brunch meeting, where Jerome assigns him to find a big laboratory. In "A Dark Knight: That's Entertainmen!", Fries and Tetch bring back a hostage for Scarecrow to test his new laughing toxin. In the season finale, "A Dark Knight: No Man's Land", after Jeremiah Valeska blows up all bridges that lead out of the city, Gotham is labeled as a "no man's land", with villains, including Fries, claiming territory across the city.
• Victor Fries was mentioned by Dr. Thomas Snow as one of his scientist contacts in The Flash episode "The Icicle Cometh" of the show's fifth season. The freeze gun later appeared in an "Elseworlds" crossover used by his wife, Nora.

Animation

• Mr. Freeze appeared in The Batman/Superman Hour, voiced by Ted Knight. The Filmation series has Mr. Freeze make extensive use of his self-made technology such as making certain parts of his hideout "warm corridors" to accommodate his underlings.
• Mr. Freeze was originally supposed to be featured in the Challenge of the Super Friends season of Super Friends as a member of the Legion of Doom. However, due to Filmation's The New Adventures of Batman production at that time, Mr. Freeze was restricted to appear in the second show. He was eventually replaced with Captain Cold.
• Mr. Freeze appears in The New Adventures of Batman episode "The Deep Freeze", voiced by Lennie Weinrib. Unlike his appearance in the show's opening credits, Mr. Freeze is shown without the helmet that goes with his freeze suit. He and his henchman Professor Frost plot to steal the N-1000 (a superfast submarine) to pull off the "Crime of the Century". When Batman and Robin raid his hideout, Mr. Freeze manages to freeze both of them and takes Robin with him as he escapes. When Freeze and Professor Frost steal the N-1000, they steer it to the North Pole. When Batman, Robin and Bat-Mite face Mr. Freeze and Professor Frost at the North Pole, Batman and Robin fire a beam that reverses the polarity of Freeze's freeze gun so that it warms up. They then apprehend Freeze and Professor Frost where they are both placed into prison.

Mr. Freeze's character design in Batman: The Animated Series

• Mr. Freeze appears in several series for the DC Animated Universe, voiced by Michael Ansara.
  • The character first appears in Batman: The Animated Series with a design created by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola as per request of series creator Bruce Timm. Dr. Victor Fries was a scientist working for GothCorp who embezzled funds to cryogenically freeze his terminally ill wife Nora until a cure could be found for her condition. When GothCorp's corrupt CEO Ferris Boyle interfered, Fries was accidentally exposed to beakers of cryogenic chemicals, mutating him into a metahuman unable to live outside of sub-zero conditions and forcing him to wear a cryogenic suit to survive. Introduced in the Emmy Award-winning episode "Heart of Ice" (for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program), Mr. Freeze attempts to exact vengeance against Boyle for the accident, leading to his first confrontation with Batman. After Batman discovers the truth about Freeze's tragic past, he leaves both Freeze and Boyle to be taken into police custody; Batman presents evidence of Boyle's crimes involving Nora to the press and Freeze is imprisoned in a special Arkham Asylum cell kept at sub-zero temperatures. Mr. Freeze later appears in "Deep Freeze". After being kidnapped by a giant robot and brought to the off-shore city of Oceana, he meets billionaire amusement park designer Grant Walker, who seeks to become immortal like Freeze and create a frozen world for selected residents. Freeze agrees to help when Walker promises to cure Nora, but Batman and Robin arrive and manage to convince Freeze that if he were to help Walker, Nora would resent him. Freeze eventually turns on Walker and overloads Oceana's power core to destroy the city, and stays behind with Nora and Walker. The ending reveals that they all survive, trapped in icebergs.
  • Mr. Freeze appears in the direct-to-animated film Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero. After Nora's cryogenic chamber is shattered, Freeze kidnaps Barbara Gordon to harvest her organs to cure Nora. Freeze makes a deal with greedy former colleague Gregory Belson to help cure his wife in exchange for gold. Batman and Robin thwart his plan and Freeze is then presumed killed in the explosion of his lair on an abandoned oil rig. Wayne Enterprises then finances a surgery that saves Nora's life. Freeze is last seen at the North Pole, crying tears of joy as he learns of Nora's recovery.
  • Mr. Freeze returns in The New Batman Adventures, sporting a new, sleeker design. As his mutation slowly degrades his body, Victor Fries kidnapped two scientists (voiced by Jeff Bennett and Lauren Tom) to try and stop the process, only succeeding in saving his head which is supported by four robotic legs built separately from his suit. When a cured Nora Fries married her own doctor and left Gotham permanently, the trauma destroys whatever is left of Fries' humanity. Mister Freeze vows to inflict on others the loss he has suffered in the episode "Cold Comfort" by taking away the things they value most, much to the confusion of Robin and Batgirl. When Freeze is confronted at his hideout by Batman and Batgirl, he reveals his true condition to them as well as his goal of destroying Gotham City — all the Dark Knight holds dear — by dropping a 'reverse fusion bomb' that will freeze the city. Freeze boards a helicopter to drop the bomb. However, he is followed by Batman and they engage in a duel in which Batman uses a grappling gun to hook Freeze to the bomb and drop it into the river, where an explosion creates a huge iceberg. Although Freeze is presumed dead, his head is seen to be missing as the episode ends.
  • In Batman Beyond, several of Mister Freeze's freeze guns have been procured by the elderly Bruce Wayne and are displayed in the Batcave. The new Batman (Terry McGinnis) uses one to freeze Inque in the episode "Black Out", however, Inque destroys this one in the episode "Disappearing Inque". Another one is seen in the Batcave's background during subsequent episodes. The tragic villain personally appears in the episode "Meltdown". His disembodied head is revealed to have survived for decades thanks to cryogenic technology. Wayne-Powers' CEO Derek Powers and Dr. Stephanie Lake (voiced by Linda Hamilton) use him as a test subject for a process that could cure Powers' own mutation. Transferring his mind into a clone built from his own baseline DNA, Victor Fries sees this as a second chance. Fries initially tries to right some of the wrongs he has committed by creating a charitable organization with all his legitimate earnings from before he was imprisoned, which impresses Terry. However, Victor's new body soon begins to revert to his original body's same sub-zero biology. Although Lake and Powers betray him when he returns to Wayne-Powers for help, Fries escapes. After recovering an advanced suit of sub-zero armor that fires ice blasts directly out of gauntlets equipped onto his hands, Mister Freeze seeks revenge by freezing Lake and Powers and attempting to blow up Wayne-Powers' complex to commit suicide. In the middle of his plan, Freeze battles Batman and then fights with Blight. Freeze redeems himself by saving the new Dark Knight from Blight. Batman attempts to rescue Freeze from the collapsing building, however, Freeze refuses help and presumably dies in the explosion.

Mr. Freeze as he appears in The Batman.

• Mr. Freeze appears in The Batman, voiced by Clancy Brown. Debuting in the episode "The Big Chill", this version of Victor Fries is a diamond thief who was accidentally electrocuted in a cryogenic laboratory chamber, transforming him into a cryokinetic metahuman capable of blasting ice with his bare hands and generating extreme cold around him; he forced a scientist to create a cryogenic suit to contain his condition. Photos of Fries' wife Nora are briefly seen in his car, but whether she is deceased or terminally ill in this continuity is unknown. In "Fire and Ice", Mr. Freeze joins forces with Firefly to attack the GCPD Christmas Gala. In "The Icy Depths", Mr. Freeze comes into conflict with the Penguin over an umbrella that hides a map to an ancient sunken treasure. In "Artifacts", it is revealed that while the immortal Mr. Freeze's powers have increased significantly in the future, he is forced to use a special exosuit due to having his lower body replaced with mechanical spider legs. In "Rumors", Mr. Freeze is among the villains captured by the eponymous vigilante. In "The Joining (Part 2)", Mr. Freeze, the Joker, Bane, and the Penguin are seen fighting the titular extraterrestrial invaders at Arkham Asylum. In "The Batman/Superman Story (Part 1)", Mr. Freeze, Black Mask, Clayface, and Bane are hired by Lex Luthor to kidnap Lois Lane as bait to lure Superman.

• Mr. Freeze appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by John DiMaggio. He is featured in the episodes "Legends of the Dark Mite!", "Sidekicks Assemble!", "Chill of the Night!", "Bold Beginnings!", and "Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!".

• Mr. Freeze appears in Young Justice, voiced by Keith Szarabajka. In the pilot episode "Independence Day (Part 1)", he terrorizes a park in Gotham City until he is defeated by Batman and Robin. In "Terrors", Mr. Freeze joins forces with fellow ice-based villains Icicle Sr., Icicle Jr., Captain Cold, and Killer Frost in an attempt to break out of Belle Reve Penitentiary. In "Coldhearted", Mr. Freeze is briefly seen in his cell at Belle Reve.

• Mr. Freeze appears in Justice League Action, voiced by Peter Stormare. In the episode "Freezer Burn", he uses an unwilling Killer Frost as a power source for the freeze gun on his airship.

• DC Super Hero Girls is set to feature Mr. Freeze in one of its episodes, voiced by John de Lancie.

Film

Live-action

File:Mister Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger).jpg

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze in the 1997 film Batman & Robin

• Mr. Freeze appears as the main antagonist in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who received top billing ahead of George Clooney, who portrayed Batman). In the film, Dr. Victor Fries was in an accident in a cryogenics lab he was using to find a cure for his wife Nora Fries suffering from the (fictional) terminal illness MacGregor's Syndrome and is now dependent on a diamond-powered sub-zero suit to keep cold or he would die. Mister Freeze crashes a charity event held by Wayne Enterprises and steals a diamond from the event. Mister Freeze is captured by Batman and detained at Arkham Asylum, but flees with the help of Poison Ivy and Bane. Ivy cuts off Nora's life support and deceives Mister Freeze into thinking that Batman was responsible for the deed as part of a plan to use him to freeze up Gotham City. 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, revealing her real colours to him. Batman tells Mr. Freeze that his wife is not dead; she was restored and moved to Arkham, where he can complete his research. Batman asks him for the cure he created for the first stage of MacGregor's Syndrome for Alfred Pennyworth; Mr. Freeze atones for his past actions by giving Batman the medicine he had developed. Freeze is then detained at Arkham where he exacts his revenge on Ivy for her deception and treachery. The character's penchant for cold- and ice-related puns was noted by critics. James Berardinelli of Reelviews commented that "Schwarzenegger, aside from looking like a cross between the Michelin Man and Robocop, appears totally confused about what he's doing. Sometimes he's in Terminator mode; on other occasions, he's chomping on a cigar like he's back in Last Action Hero" despite the character's aversion to heat. He also noted that Freeze's backstory and motivation were "too complex for Schwarzenegger to convey effectively or for [director Joel] Schumacher to care about exploring. As a result, Mr. Freeze ends up being a frustratingly incomplete brute who's out to smother Gotham City under a blanket of ice." Robin Dougherty of Salon lamented that "Schwarzenegger’s exuberance is pinned down. He’s like a moth squashed by an 18-wheeler. He’s also paralyzed by amazingly inert dialogue. How many lame jokes about cold can you fit into two hours? Buy a ticket and find out." Patrick Stewart was considered for the role, before the script was rewritten to accommodate Schwarzenegger's casting. Schumacher decided that Mr. Freeze must be "big and strong like he was chiseled out of a glacier". Schwarzenegger was paid a $25 million salary for the role. His prosthetic makeup and wardrobe took six hours to apply each day.

Animation

• Mr. Freeze appears in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. He is seen with the "Cold Warriors" Icicle Jr. (Cameron Mahkent), Killer Frost (Louise Lincoln) and Captain Cold when they are among the villains trying to claim the bounty on Superman and Batman. After a brief fight with Batman, they are all defeated by Superman's heat vision.
• At the end of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Mr. Freeze's freeze gun can be seen in the Batcave.
• In Batman: Assault on Arkham, Mr. Freeze's freeze gun is found and used by Killer Frost (Louise Lincoln) against Batman in the Arkham Asylum warehouse.
• An alternate universe version of Victor Fries appears in Justice League: Gods and Monsters, voiced by Jim Meskimen. He was a Nobel prize winning thermal expert who was part of Lex Luthor's "Project Fair Play", a weapons program contingency that would be used to destroy the Justice League if necessary. Fries was measuring atmospheric carbon levels near the Arctic Circle before being murdered by a Metal Man designed by Will Magnus to frame Batman for the crime.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants, voiced by Oded Fehr. His origin is above the same, except this version has banished himself to the Arctic because he believes that "he's not fit for humanity." until he is employed by Penguin to mutate Killer Croc and Chemo into giant monsters and freeze Gotham for revenge. With their plan almost complete, Penguin betrays him by secretly giving Bane and Clayface the same formula without knowing. Now filled with guilt for what he's done, Freeze decided to help Batman and his team to stop Penguin.
• Mr. Freeze made a cameo appearance in the 2016 animated film Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (which is a continuation of the 1966 Batman TV series). This version resembles an orange-haired version of Eli Wallach's depiction of Mr. Freeze. He along with other supervillains team up with Robin and Catwoman in order to stop a group of clone rogue Batmen.
• Mr. Freeze appears in The Lego Batman Movie, voiced by David Burrows. This version of Mr. Freeze resembles the one from Batman: The Animated Series and uses a robotic mech equipped with a freeze gun. He is among the Batman villains that assist Joker in his attack on Gotham City. At the time when Joker was planning to set off a bomb, Mr. Freeze was present during this plot where he fights Batman and retreats. Later on during the ceremony where Barbara Gordon is being sworn in as the new police commissioner, Joker assigns Mr. Freeze and Clayface to capture her. Though Barbara Gordon does a trick that causes Mr. Freeze to accidentally freeze Clayface. During the fight against the Phantom Zone inmates, Mr. Freeze and Clayface defeat the Kraken from Clash of the Titans.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Video games

Mr. Freeze also appears in several Batman video games:

• He is a boss in Batman: The Animated Series, The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega Genesis in which Mr. Freeze was the game's final boss.
• Mr. Freeze appears in the video game adaptation of the movie Batman & Robin.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Batman: Chaos in Gotham.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Batman Vengeance, with Michael Ansara reprised his role. He was seen targeting a scientist named Isaac Evers, whom he blames for sending him a video promoting Promethium gas in order to spite him, unaware that the real culprit was the Joker planning to use Mr. Freeze's invasion of the lab as a distraction to steal large quantities of the gas.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Batman: Dark Tomorrow.
• Mr. Freeze is also one of the main villains in the PC game Toxic Chill. 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 Mr. Freeze tortures the Riddler in Arkham as revenge for his treachery.
• Mr. Freeze appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by Robert Kraft. Freeze appears when the player, using a Villain character, is attempting to steal some diamonds from a Wayne Enterprises warehouse. Joker orders the player via communicator to give the diamonds to Freeze, only to later command him or her to go inside Freeze's base in Gotham Mercy Hospital and steal the diamonds back, right when Freeze is once again trying to bring back Nora and thus sabotaging the procedure. The villain player must then confront Mr. Freeze, who is enraged and willing to kill the player. Freeze also appears in the Arkham Asylum alert, where he has allied with Scarecrow and Poison Ivy to spread chaos in the Asylum, under doctor Jeremiah Arkham's orders. Freeze has taken over one of the wings in the asylum, covering the whole area with ice and snow. The team of four 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 the 2013 arcade game Batman.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Injustice 2, voiced by Jim Pirri, as a "Premier Skin" for Captain Cold. In his initial appearance, he did not wear the protective helmet, which was later added in an update.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Telltale Games' Batman: The Enemy Within, voiced by Matthew Mercer. Unlike most iterations of the character, his condition does not confine him entirely to the suit and he uses a specialized glove that freezes anything it touches, as opposed to the traditional freeze gun. Mr. Freeze is a member of the Pact, alongside "John Doe", Riddler, Bane, and Harley Quinn. He joins the group to retrieve the LOTUS virus, hoping to use it to cure Nora. However, during the raid at the lab where it is kept, he is betrayed by Quinn and infected with the virus. In return for information about her whereabouts, Freeze asks Bruce Wayne/Batman to lower his confinement's temperature, hoping to combat his infection. Regardless of the decision, his fate is left ambiguous.

Lego

• Mr. Freeze appears Lego Batman: The Video Game, with his vocal effects provided by Ogie Banks. He appears as an enemy of Batman, a follower of the Riddler and the second boss of Chapter 1 "The Riddler's Revenge". 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. The Riddler assigns him to get a freeze cannon in his old factory. It is shown in the story that, while he aids the Riddler in his pursuit for Gotham City's gold reserves, he is shown to be formulating plans of his own, which involve raising an army of Freeze Maids, which he uses in his boss fight. The player has to be quick and attack him right after he shuts down his freeze gun. After he is defeated, he attempts to run away, but Batman throws a Batarang at him, causing his pack to backfire and make him bounce across the room and then land on the floor in front of Batman and Robin. In the ending cutscene, he is seen in Arkham Asylum playing with dolls of him and a Freeze Maid.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, voiced by Townsend Coleman. He appears as a cameo in the fourth level "Asylum Assignment", where he is seen in a cell constantly tapping on the glass. In Free-play mode, the player can actually kill him once s/he sends one of the Penguin's bombs inside and attacks him. Outside of the story, he appears as a boss fight and an unlockable character found at the observatory. His intro catchphrase is, "Is it just me, or is it really cold in here?"
• Mr. Freeze appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced by Liam O'Brien through an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression. He first appears as a boss in the story, on which the player helps Plastic Man defeat him in the Watchtower so that they can proceed to defeat Brainiac. The player as Batman in his Sensor-suit must attack Mr. Freeze while the character is in stealth mode. Mr. Freeze is later found in Qward in a side-quest where he requests the player to find another fuel cell for his freezer after the other was damaged by Killer Moth. The Batman Beyond version of Mr. Freeze is also playable via downloadable content.
• Mr. Freeze appears in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced again by Eric Bauza.

Batman: Arkham

• Mr. Freeze appears in the Batman Arkham series where he is voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
  • In Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mr. Freeze's frost and icicle-covered cell can be seen in the Penitentiary area which can be scanned to unlock his bio. According to the game's writer Paul Dini, Freeze was originally planned to be featured in the game, but his inclusion was dropped as he did not fit as part of the game.
  • In Batman: Arkham City, he appears as both an ally to Batman and a boss battle. After the Joker poisons Batman, the Dark Knight has to find Mr. Freeze. Batman searches for him in the GCPD building (literally the coldest place in Arkham City), only to find his lab swarmed by the Penguin's men, who reveal that Penguin is holding Mr. Freeze hostage in the Cryus Pinkney National History Institute. It is revealed that Penguin stole Mr. Freeze's gun and is holding GCPD officers hostage. Batman saves the hostages and Mr. Freeze from Penguin's men in the museum and asks Mr. Freeze for the cure to his ailment, only for Mr. Freeze to reveal he needs his suit, which Penguin possesses. He tells Batman that his suit has a disruptor that can be used to turn off his freeze gun so that he can defeat Penguin. After Penguin is apprehended and Mr. Freeze recovers his suit, he gets revenge by locking Penguin in a display case. Mr. Freeze then tells Batman that the cure he made for Joker degenerates too quickly and needs a restorative enzyme that has been bonded to human DNA, something that would take decades, only for Batman to reveal he knows someone who has been exposed to that enzyme for centuries. Mr. Freeze tells Batman he only needs a sample of this person's DNA to complete the cure and Batman proceeds to track down one of the warriors of the League of Assassins Penguin had captured. When Batman returns to the GCPD with the blood sample, Mr. Freeze creates two vials of the cure before locking one in a safe and destroying the other, demanding Batman save Nora Fries from Joker. Batman fights Mr. Freeze to unlock the safe, which proves difficult as Mr. Freeze is much too powerful to be confronted directly. Batman is forced to hide and find ways to stun Mr. Freeze, such as using grates in the floor to surprise him as he passes by. Each time Mr. Freeze is incapacitated, he counteracts his weaknesses. After he is beaten, Batman opens the safe only to find that the wall behind the safe was broken into and in the place of the cure there is only a note saying: "Get well soon!" and some joker cards. Batman realizes that Harley Quinn had stolen the cure while the Dark Knight was distracted fighting Mr. Freeze. Mr. Freeze gives Batman freeze grenades to help him retrieve the cure and begs him to find Nora, which becomes a side mission in the game. After Nora is saved, Batman finds Mr. Freeze with his wife and tells him to end his life of crime for Nora's sake. Mr. Freeze's boss battle was widely praised as a step up from the repetitive titan thug bosses from the previous game.
  • In Batman: Arkham Origins, his origin and first encounter with Batman is featured in the DLC story "Cold, Cold Heart" which is based on the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Heart of Ice". Mr. Freeze also has a new design for the downloadable content (DLC), featuring cleated boots and a larger freeze gun built into the right arm of his suit. In the DLC, Mr. Freeze is in collaboration with the Penguin's gang in order to crash a party at Wayne Manor in order to capture Ferris Boyle. When Batman arrives at GothCorp, he finds Penguin trying to backstab Mr. Freeze into giving him what Freeze is after (thinking it to be weapons) until Mr. Freeze uses his freeze gun to create a chain reaction that traps Penguin in a wall of ice. Upon getting the X-E suit to withstand the cold and acquiring a cryogenic drill to penetrate the ice wall, Batman finds residual evidence that Boyle was behind the accident that turned Victor Fries into Mr. Freeze and that Boyle is in possession of Mr. Freeze's cryogenically frozen wife. Batman later confronts and defeats Mr. Freeze. Boyle then takes a piece of machinery and attacks Mr. Freeze, only for Batman to knock out Boyle. During the DLC's credits, a news voiceover states that Mr. Freeze, Penguin and Boyle have been all arrested by the police.
  • Mr. Freeze is featured in Batman: Arkham Knight. Mr. Freeze's freeze gun can be found in the evidence room at the Gotham City Police Department. According to Aaron Cash, Mr. Freeze has not been seen or heard since Arkham City and implies that he possibly gave up his criminal life to continue his work on finding a cure for Nora Fries. There was also a mentioning that the freeze gun was used by some members of the Gotham City Police Department to make ice cream until it was confiscated from them by James Gordon. Mr. Freeze appears in the December "Season of Infamy" downloadable content (DLC) pack in the side mission "In From The Cold". Batman discovers a frozen vessel just off the coast of Gotham and investigates, finding Mr. Freeze at his wife's old cryogenic chamber. He says that the Arkham Knight's Militia took Nora after he refused to help Scarecrow and Arkham Knight with their plans to take down Batman. Freeze entrusts Batman to rescue his wife from the soldiers. After fighting through a barrage of Militia henchmen, Batman finds Nora and breaks her out of her damaged cryochamber. Much to both Batman and Freeze's surprise, she no longer wants to be frozen in ice and simply wants to spend time with Victor. It is also revealed that she could hear every word he said, despite being in suspended animation. After taking down a Militia force trying to destroy Fries' vessel, Nora and Victor meet face-to-face and Victor removes his protective helmet. As they look off at Gotham, Nora asks how long they will live, to which Victor replies "merely days". They then depart Gotham City; when Batman analyses Freeze's equipment in the GCPD lockup, a recording made by Cash ponders whether this turn of events is a happy or sad outcome for the Frieses.
  • Mr. Freeze appears as a playable character in the mobile game Batman: Arkham Underworld. He is unlocked after the player completes a mission for him, after which he becomes playable, wielding his freeze gun with different firing modes.

Web series

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

Miscellaneous

• Mr. Freeze appears in the direct-to-video original animation DC Super Friends: The Joker's Playhouse (2010), voiced by Eric Bauza.

See also

• List of Batman Family adversaries

External links

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