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Mr. Freeze, a supervillain in DC Comics and an adversary of the superhero Batman, has been adapted in various forms of media, including films, television series, and video games. The character 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.

Quick Facts Adaptations of Mr. Freeze in other media, Created by ...
Adaptations of Mr. Freeze in other media
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A mannequin of the Mr. Freeze costume worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Batman & Robin
Created byDave Wood
Sheldon Moldoff
Bob Kane
Original sourceComics published by DC Comics
First appearanceBatman #121 (February 1959)
Films and television
Film(s)Batman & Robin (1997)
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1998)
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants (2016)
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)
The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2019)
Television
show(s)		Batman (1966)
The Batman/Superman Hour (1968)
The New Adventures of Batman (1977)
Batman: The Animated Series (1992)
The New Batman Adventures (1997)
Batman Beyond (1999)
The Batman (2004)
Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008)
Young Justice (2010)
Gotham (2014)
Justice League Action (2016)
DC Super Hero Girls (2019)
Harley Quinn (2020)
Batwheels (2022)
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While early adaptations of the character were primarily based on his initial depiction in the comics as the mad scientist "Mr. Zero", almost every incarnation of Mr. Freeze following his reinvention in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992 portray him as Dr. Victor Fries, a tragic villain seeking to revive his cryogenically frozen, terminally ill wife, Nora.

Television

Live-action

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Otto Preminger as Mr. Freeze in Batman
  • An original incarnation of Mr. Freeze named Dr. Schivel appears in Batman (1966), portrayed by George Sanders in his first two-part appearance, Otto Preminger in the second, and Eli Wallach in the third.[1][2][3] This version is an Austrian scientist who was inadvertently exposed to cryogenic chemicals during a confrontation with Batman. The name "Mr. Freeze" was created specifically for the series, and would subsequently be adopted by the character's comic book counterpart.
  • Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze appears in Gotham, portrayed by Nathan Darrow.[4][5] This version's surname is pronounced "/fraɪs/" and is depicted as a scientist who freezes people in Gotham City as part of his experiments in attempting to cure Nora. After Nora kills herself upon learning of his actions, Victor attempts suicide with his own cryogenic chemicals but is instead rendered unable to live outside of sub-zero temperatures. Victor is then taken to Arkham Asylum and provided with a cryogenic suit by Hugo Strange, after which he turns to crime in an attempt to reverse his condition.[6]

Animation

DC Animated Universe

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Mr. Freeze's designs in the DC Animated Universe: Batman: The Animated Series (left), The New Batman Adventures (center), and Batman Beyond (right)

Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze appears in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced by Michael Ansara.[7][8] This version is a GothCorp scientist who embezzled funds to cryogenically preserve his terminally ill wife, Nora, until a lab accident rendered him unable to live at average temperatures and forced to wear a sub-zero suit for survival. His alter ego and backstory were conceived by writer Paul Dini, and would subsequently be integrated into the comics and other forms of media.

  • The character first appears in Batman: The Animated Series, with a design conceived by Mike Mignola at producer Bruce Timm's request.[9] Introduced in the Emmy Award-winning episode "Heart of Ice", Mr. Freeze seeks vengeance against GothCorp CEO Ferris Boyle, but is defeated and incarcerated in Arkham Asylum by Batman, who also exposes Boyle's corruption.[10] In the episode "Deep Freeze", Freeze is recruited by billionaire Grant Walker, who offers to revive Nora in exchange for his help in creating a frozen world. Convinced by Batman that Nora will resent him for his actions, Freeze turns on Walker and escapes with Nora.[11]
  • Mr. Freeze returns in The New Batman Adventures episode "Cold Comfort".[12] Following the events of the animated film Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, Nora is cured and remarries while Freeze's mutation degrades his body, leaving nothing but his head intact. Using robotic spider-legs and a new exosuit, Freeze vows to destroy what others value most, but his plan to freeze Gotham City with a "reverse fusion bomb" is foiled by Batman and Batgirl.[13][14]
  • Mr. Freeze makes his final appearance in the Batman Beyond episode "Meltdown". His disembodied head is preserved over the decades until his brain is transferred into a cloned human body by Derek Powers and Dr. Stephanie Lake, who later attempt to kill him to biopsy his organs when he begins to revert to his original mutated form. Freeze escapes and uses an advanced suit of armor to kill Lake, leading to a confrontation with both Powers and the new Batman that ends with Freeze refusing Batman's help and remaining in Powers' collapsing medical compound.[15][16]

Other series

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Mr. Freeze as he appears in The Batman

Film

Live-action

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Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin (1997)
  • Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze appears in Batman & Robin (1997), portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.[22] This version is a molecular biologist who suffered a lab accident while trying to cure his cryogenically frozen, terminally ill wife, Nora, rendering him unable to live at average temperatures and forcing him to wear a sub-zero suit powered by diamonds for survival. Additionally, he displays a propensity for making ice-related puns and is assisted by ice hockey-themed henchmen.[23][24] Mr. Freeze embarks on a string of diamond robberies to both power his suit and further his efforts to revive Nora. Despite being captured and incarcerated in Arkham Asylum by Batman and Robin, Freeze is soon freed and forms an alliance with Poison Ivy and Bane. Wanting Freeze for herself, Ivy cuts off Nora's life support and convinces him that Batman is responsible. Freeze swears vengeance against all of humanity and commandeers Gotham Observatory to convert its telescope into a giant freeze ray. As Freeze begins to encase Gotham City in ice, Batman, Robin and Batgirl arrive to defeat him. After learning of Ivy's deception and Nora's survival, Freeze accepts Batman's offer to continue his research in Arkham, where he promises to exact revenge on Ivy. Schwarzenegger was paid a $25 million salary for the role,[25][26] and his prosthetic makeup and the Mr. Freeze costume, designed by armorer Terry English, took six hours to apply each day.[27][28]

Animation

Video games

Lego DC series

Main article: Lego Batman

Batman: Arkham

Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze appears in the Batman: Arkham series, voiced by Maurice LaMarche.

  • Mr. Freeze's cell and character bio can be found in Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009).[42]
  • Mr. Freeze appears as a boss in Batman: Arkham City (2011). He is among the criminals imprisoned in Professor Hugo Strange's new city-sized prison "Arkham City", where he establishes a base for himself in the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) headquarters until he is captured by the Penguin. Freeze is rescued by Batman, who seeks his help in manufacturing a cure for a fatal blood disease, but Freeze reneges on their deal to force Batman to save Nora from the Joker. While Harley Quinn steals the cure, Freeze is defeated by Batman, who ultimately returns Nora to Freeze.
  • A young Mr. Freeze appears as the final boss of the Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) "Cold, Cold Heart" DLC. He forms an alliance with the Penguin to seek revenge against GothCorp CEO Ferris Boyle for causing his lab accident, though all three are defeated and apprehended by Batman.
  • Mr. Freeze appears in the Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) "Season of Infamy" DLC side mission "In From The Cold". Freeze seeks Batman's help in rescuing Nora after she is taken by Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight's militia. Though Batman succeeds, Nora is awakened when her cryonic chamber is damaged and she refuses to go back into stasis, instead deciding to leave Gotham City to spend her final days with Freeze in peace.
  • Mr. Freeze appears as a playable character in Batman: Arkham Underworld (2016).
  • Victoria Frias / Mrs. Freeze, a gender-bent alternate universe variant of Mr. Freeze, appears as a downloadable playable character in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, voiced by Sara Cravens. This version was forced to freeze her entire world while fighting Brainiac and joins the Suicide Squad in their mission to defeat him in exchange for their help in caring for her version of Nora.[43]

Miscellaneous

References

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