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Mr. Freeze in other media

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Adaptations of Mr. Freeze in other media
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)

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.

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

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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

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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 (1992), 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 film Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, Nora is cured and remarries while Freeze's mutation degrades his body, leaving only 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 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

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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] 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

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Video games

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Lego DC series

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Main article: Lego Batman

Batman: Arkham

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

  • Mr. Freeze's cell and character bio appear in Batman: Arkham Asylum.[42]
  • Mr. Freeze appears as a boss in Batman: Arkham City. 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 "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 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.
  • 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

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References

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  1. ^ "Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze". Bat-Mania. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  2. ^ "Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze 2". Bat-Mania. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  3. ^ "Batmania UK: 1966 Batman: Villains: Mr. Freeze 3". Bat-Mania. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  4. ^ Leane, Rob (May 17, 2016). "Gotham season 2: finale trailer teases new villains". Den of Geek. New York City: Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  5. ^ Ausiello, Michael (October 28, 2015). "Gotham Scoop: Mr. Freeze to Be Played by House of Cards' Nathan Darrow". TVLine. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  6. ^ Bruno Heller, Megan Mostyn-Brown (2015-03-07). "A Dead Man Feels No Cold". Gotham. Season 2. Episode 13. Fox.
  7. ^ "Batman: The Animated Series – Actors – Villains". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Mr. Freeze Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 19, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  9. ^ Batman: The Animated Series (DVD). Warner Bros. Home Video. 2004.
  10. ^ "Heart of Ice". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  11. ^ "Deep Freeze". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  12. ^ Batman: The Animated Series Volume Four (DVD). Warner Brother Home Video. 2005.
  13. ^ "Cold Comfort". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  14. ^ Hilary J. Bader, Dan Riba, Shirley Walker, Koko Yang, Dong Yang (1997-10-11). "Cold Comfort". The New Batman Adventures. Season 1. Episode 3. The WB.
  15. ^ "Meltdown". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on 2008-04-15. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  16. ^ Hilary J. Bader, Alan Burnett, Butch Lukic, Lolita Ritmanis, Koko Yang, Dong Yang (1999-02-13). "Meltdown". Batman Beyond. Season 1. Episode 5. The WB.
  17. ^ Burnett, Alan (2007-09-22). "The Batman: The Batman/Superman Story (1) Recap". TV.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-05. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  18. ^ Brandon Vietti, Greg Weisman (2007-02-03). "Artifacts". The Batman. Season 4. Episode 46. The CW.
  19. ^ Wes Gleason [@Wes_Gleason] (27 December 2016). "@ArthurDenorfia Mr. Freeze" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ The Late Batsby. DC Super Hero Girls: Super Shorts. January 10, 2019 [released in theaters June 20, 2018]. Event occurs at 3:53. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  21. ^ Parlevliet, Mirko (May 19, 2022). "Batwheels Voice Cast and First Look Revealed". Vital Thrills.
  22. ^ Malley, Michael (March 5, 1997). "An ice-cold Arnold sends Batman back to his cave". Variety. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
  23. ^ Maslin, Janet (June 20, 1997). "Batman and Robin". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  24. ^ Ebert, Roger (June 20, 1997). "Batman & Robin". Chicago Sun Times. Chicago, Illinois. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  25. ^ Karger, Dave; Pearlman, Cindy (March 14, 1997). "The Bat and the Beautiful". Entertainment Weekly. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
  26. ^ Masters, Kim (August 5, 1996). "Hollywood Fades to Red". Time. New York City. Archived from the original on May 28, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  27. ^ "Summer Movie Preview". Entertainment Weekly. New York City. May 16, 1997. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
  28. ^ Colgan, Stevyn (2009). Joined-Up Thinking. ISBN 9780330464154.
  29. ^ "Stomp Tokyo Video Reviews - Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero". Stomptokyo.com. March 25, 1998. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  30. ^ "Trailer: 'Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham' Pushes the Dark Knight to the Limit". 19 January 2023.
  31. ^ Melissa, Billie (2023-11-14). "Luke Wilson Is Bruce Wayne in Merry Little Batman". Men's Journal | Streaming. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  32. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (November 19, 2023). "Trailer: 'Merry Little Batman' Brings a Lighter Dark Knight Tale to Prime Video". Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  33. ^ "Batman Vengeance – MobyGames". Moby Games. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  34. ^ "Game Stop – Batman Vengeance". Game Stop. Archived from the original on 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  35. ^ "Game Stop – Batman: Dark Tomorrow". Game Stop. Archived from the original on 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  36. ^ Casarnassina, Matt (2001-11-19). "IGN: Batman Vengeance Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  37. ^ Tinner, Phillip (August 22, 2020). "New Batman Game Called Gotham Knights, Court of Owls Confirmed". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  38. ^ @GothamKnights (September 2, 2022). ". @DonaldKChang is Mr. Freeze" (Tweet). Retrieved September 5, 2022 – via Twitter.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ "Syndicated Comics". 2018-07-22.
  41. ^ "Lego® DC Super-Villains Reveals Darkseid's Villainy in Action in New Clip".
  42. ^ Cowen, Nick (2009-09-02). "Batman: Arkham Asylum interview with Paul Dini".
  43. ^ "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League - Season of Frozen Hearts - Available July 25". Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  44. ^ Justice League Adventures #12 (December 2002)
  45. ^ DC Super Friends #16 (August 2009)
  46. ^ Miller, Brian Q. (w), West, Kevin (p), Deering, Marc (i), Temofonte, Saida (let), Chadwick, Jim (ed). "Detective, Part 4" Smallville Season Eleven, vol. 1, no. 8 (December 5, 2012). New York City: DC Comics.
  47. ^ Smallville: Lantern #4 (September 2014)
  48. ^ Injustice: Ground Zero #4
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