Mr. Freeze: One of the Greatest Comic Book Villains that No-One Ever Notices

“This is how I’ll always remember you, surrounded by winter, forever young, forever beautiful. Rest well my love, the monster who took you from me will soon learn that revenge is a dish ... best served cold!” 

   When it comes to famous comic book villains, there’s plenty of great one’s that range from the Joker, to Thanos, to Doctor Octopus, to Lex Luthor, to Venom, to Dr. Doom, and my personal favorite is Magneto from the X-Men comics. However, with all the famous comic book villains … why doesn’t anyone ever acknowledge Mr. Freeze? He’s cold-heart-ted, is forever trapped inside a suit that keeps his body temperature below freezing, and surprisingly, having a gun that freezes things makes him come off as a cool gun-slinger. I honestly think he’s the greatest of Batman’s enemies ... not just because he looks cool and has a nifty gun … but because I find him the most complex, sophisticated and tragic. Granted, there have been several different variations of the character over the years ... some ruthless ... some sympathetic ... and some downright silly ... but when he’s done right, I feel he outshines all the rest. So, why does Mr. Freeze always get the shaft? Well, let’s take a look it his media legacy, and see if we can find an answer. 

  As always, it’s best to start at the beginning, and it’s clear that he wasn’t that complex at first. When he was first introduced in the comics, he was referred to as Mr. Zero, and was basically just a one-note joke villain. The 1960’s animated TV show referred to him as “An Ice cream man from Mars”, which isn’t the least bit intimidating. However, things changed for the better in the live action 1966 Batman TV series staring Adam West. This is when the characters name was changed to Mr. Freeze, and thanks to the popularity of the show, the name has stuck with him ever sense. In his first appearance, Mr. Freeze is played by George Sanders, who you may recognize as the voice of Shere Khan from Disney's “The Jungle Book”. In this first episode, Batman is accidentally responsible for the creation of his frozen enemy … something that Tim Burton would noticeably take inspiration from in his 1989 movie, but with Batman accidentally creating the Joker as opposed to Mr. Freeze. This also marked the first time that Batman in the 60’s show felt any form of sympathy for one of his rouges.

     
   Further appearances from Mr. Freeze in the 60’s show were played by two different actors … Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach. In both cases, his costume was redesigned to feature a freezing collar, as opposed to a full-on Freeze suit, although his signature weapon remained the same. These final two portrayals fell in line with the campy tone of the show, and he no-longer warranted any sympathy from Batman. Despite their goofy appearances, Mr. Freeze in the 60’s show is still a staple of the character, and I was still plenty disappointed that he wasn’t in the 1966 film “Batman: The Movie” … I mean that was the biggest collection of Batman villains in a live-action film, and it would have been the perfect opportunity to see him among all the other classic Batman villains.

   Yet, the big one to set the template of the character was the 90’s animated Batman TV series. 

Show writer Paul Dini completely recreated the character, and is responsible for giving Mr. Freeze both a tragic backstory, as well as personal motivations revolving around a frozen wife. Whenever I think of Mr. Freeze, the first thing that always comes to mind is his design, voice and motivations from this highly influential TV show. His new design was inspired by “Hellboy” creator Mike Mignola, and holly cow … he’s never looked better. Voice actor Michael Ansara was the final ingredient that made this the definitive portrayal of the character. His voice is so firkin awesome, his performance is genuine, and dare I say it … but his voice gives me “chills” every time. He also delivers all the best and most cryptic lines, which have now become staples of the character. Batman: “To satisfy your vengeance, you would take away innocent lives?” … Mr. Freeze: “Think of it Batman, to never again walk on a summers day with a hot wind in your face, and a warm hand to hold … oh yes, I would kill for that”. Further menacing lines include … "The cold eyes of vengeance are upon you," and "All who cross me must feel the icy touch of death." While his "ice buns" would get grading in other incarnations, they're delivered with a sheer sense of menace, and come-off as awesome character quotes. 

     
   His introduction episode titled “Heart of Ice” is universally regarded as one of the best episodes of the series by far, and speaking personally, it's my favorite episode. It's where I feel my fondness for the show was set, and it even won a day-time Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program. 

We see through flashback that he was trying to rejuvenate his deathly ill wife, who he'd been keeping frozen. In the process, he was interrupted by his wicked boss, who’s interference leads to the accident transforming him into Mr. Freeze. In present day, the villain is out for vengeance against the man who ruined him, with Batman being the one obstacle getting in his way. Everything from the visuals, to the pacing, to the atmosphere, to the back and forth conversations between our hero and villain are all presented on a higher quality then most animated programs of its time, and continues to be replicated all these years later. More than anything, this episode found the perfect balance between making Mr. Freeze a ruthless threat, while also making him someone to sympathize with. The final spoken words from Freeze in this episode sum it all up ... “I failed you, I wish there were another way for me to say it......but I cannot. I can only beg your forgiveness, and pray you hear me somehow ... someplace ... where a warm hand waits for mine”.

   
  Unlike the other iconic villain’s of Batman rouges gallery, Mr. Freeze was used sparingly, and arguably had the most layered character arc over the course of the show. His follow-up episode titled “Deep Freeze” saw the bitter sweet reunion between the villain and his still frozen wife. Instead of seeking vengeance, his new goal is helping her regain her health and life again. Unfortunately for him, all his efforts get shattered at every turn. It may seem odd, but comparing Mr. Freeze’s unfortunate background with Bruce Wayne’s makes it seem like Batman got it easy. While Batman’s backstory is tragic, his parents are only dead, which means Bruce can morn them and move on. Mr. Freeze by contrast isn’t so lucky. His wife isn’t dead, she’s stuck in a form of limbo where the possibility of life is still there, but Freeze loses his chance to save her every time. He can neither morn her death or save her life, he is literally and figuratively frozen in this horrible predicament, and the one thing that makes his heart so cold isn’t hatred or greed … its hope! That is a brilliant set-up for a great villain, and one worthy of more recognition.

     
   In 1998, there was the animated direct to video movie titled “Batman and Mr. Freeze: Subzero”, which initially concluded his arc from the animated series. In this film, we see his desperation reach a freighting new low, in which he abducts Bat-Girl, and means to sacrifice her as a final effort to save his wife. 

On a side note, this marks the first and only time in which Mr. Freeze has two polar bears at his side, which has always felt like an iconic staple of the character. Once again in this film, we can sympathize with his goals, but it still doesn’t justify his actions. He also remains a consistently menacing villain, but he still has a certain sense of honor and dignity to him. In the end, he becomes a better man, and one that Batman puts his life on the line for. It’s not often that a hero and villain can come to a respected understanding. While the film did a good job with Mr. Freezes character, the plot is a little repetitive, and Batman is hardly in the movie. In fact, he doesn’t even see Freeze till the very end of the film, where they have a very brief fight. They got the internal conflicts down just fine, but I would’ve still liked a good external conflict with Batman involved. Had that been handled a little stronger, I would have placed this among the absolute best Batman movies. While that’s not the case, it is still the absolute best in which Mr. Freeze has ever been represented in a movie.

     
   Following after the movie came “The New Batman Adventures”, which followed the same continuity of the previous show, despite a new look and character redesigns. Even though Mr. Freeze’s story concluded in the movie “Subzero”, it just wasn’t fitting to continue the Batman series without one of his most popular villains present. 

Thus, in his return episode titled “Cold Comfort”, Mr. Freeze took on a noticeably darker persona. His suit was literally darker, but this time the character didn’t have the same sympathetic goals driving his actions. This was Mr. Freeze after he lost everything, no longer able to reunite with his love, as most of his body was destroyed, and replaced with cybernetic limbs. As such, he’s going to make sure that everyone in Gotham feels his same level of pain and loss. In other words, he has now officially become Darth Vader ... or maybe Dr. Loveless from “Wild, Wild West”, as he’s got these silly spider legs now. Putting that silly detail aside, this marked the highest threat level the villain has ever been, and it was genuinely thrilling to see Batman engage him in a climactic final battle with the fate on the city in the balance. While I prefer the pathos of the character, it is still a treat to see Mr. Freeze just go full villain, and he putts our hero through the fight of his life. Their final duel to the death is riveting, and we see Batman put in a grey area in which the only way to save the city is to break his one rule ... and kill Mr. Freeze. However, the final visual closes the episode on an ominous note, that he’s not really dead, and that he might return one day.

    
   Michael Ansara returned to voice his signature character one last time, and brought finality to the story of Mr. Freeze in the following TV series called “Batman Beyond”. Still tying in with the continuity of the previous show, this series takes place in the future, with a new young Batman protecting the city, while an aged Bruce Wayne guides him. During this time, Mr. Freeze’s condition has kept him in a state of hibernation, and thus, in the episode titled “Meltdown”, it was time for him to thaw. However, this time he returns in a new human body that’s no-longer frozen.

As such, Mr. Freeze tries to make amends for his past sins, and aims to start a new life. The new young Batman wishes him well, all while the older and experienced Bruce Wayne is leery of his old foe. As is the case with Mr. Freeze, tragedy continues to dog his heals, even when trying to make a new life for himself. His condition reverses, and he’s betrayed by the doctors who initially revived him. As such, he becomes a villain for one last time, adorns a new super freezing suit, and goes on a suicide mission in an attempt to kill off all his enemies. The young Batman succeeds in thwarting his plans to commit genocide, but this time Mr. Freeze takes his final chilling breath ... and parishes during the battle. The final exchange between both the young and old Batman says so much with so little. They both reflect on their deceased foe, and note both the inexcusable monster who deserved his fate … and the sympathetic man who deserved better. While this was a great send-off for the villain, I feel it would have been stronger in two parts. Still, I think Mr. Freeze has the absolute best story arc of any villain from the iconic 90’s Batman series, and was personally my favorite of the whole lot … which I don’t say lightly, as Mark Hamels portrayal of the Joker is absolutely my favorite portrayal of that character too.   

    Even with a small number of episodes, Mr. Freeze was so popular that he was selected as the final main villain in the fourth installment of Warner Brothers live action 90’s film series. The result was 1997’s theatrical picture “Batman and Robin”, with Arnold Schwarzenegger receiving top billing in the role of Mr. Freeze. This marked the characters very first appearance in a theatrical Batman movie, and his first time in live action sense the 60’s show. It's also one of the first times we see Mr. Freeze paired with another villain, this time coming in the form of Poison Ivy, who acts as the figurative devil on his shoulder, and pushing him to his worst.   

This portrayal of Mr. Freeze also combined both the sympathetic backstory and character motivation of the 90’s show, with the goofy tone and antics of the 60’s series … resulting in a villain who was a little too jokey to care for. The costume was also a bit over the top, resembling a light-up action figure, as opposed to a subtle Freeze suit. Now speaking personally, while this was a missed opportunity for my favorite Batman villain to shine in a live action picture, I never the less get a lot of joy out of watching Arnold Schwarzenegger in this role. The actor was clearly having the time of his life, and that sense of fun in his performance dose carry over to me. While not a good portrayal of the character, it’s certainly the most entertaining part of the whole film. It’s also something that I’ve come to savor, as it’s the characters only live-action theatrical appearance to date. Unfortunately, for as much as I have fun watching this silly performance, the damage was still done, and it’s arguably due to this portrayal that no other Batman movie has felt safe utilizing him as a villain. It’s a real shame because Mr. Freeze had all the potential and makings of a great comic-book villain to shine on the big-screen.        

     
  One good thing to note is that the villain has continued to shine in a number of terrific Batman comic books, and video games. 

Mr. Freeze made his third transition to live action in the 2014 series "Gotham", in which he was played by Nathan Darrow. May not be saying much, but it is one of the villains better live action portrayals to date. The show also brought back his freezing collar from the 60's show, which was an interesting call-back. Mr. Freeze would also make a small return to the silver screen, as he's seen with all the other rouges in the animated theatrical 2017 picture “The Lego Batman Movie”. It was very appreciated, although I would have preferred something more then a walk-in cameo. He did have a note-worthy role in the animated 2019 direct to video movie titled “Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. In this highly entertaining crossover, Mr. Freeze is transformed into a mutant polar bear … which was actually more awesome then it sounds. He’s also continued to appear in a number of different animated Batman and DC themed TV shows, including "Batman: The Brave and the Bold", "Young Justice", "DC: Super Friends", "Batman: Unlimited", "Harley Quine", and several others. While I don’t think I need to go into detail on every single one of them … I do quickly want to mention my second favorite portrayal of the character behind the 90’s series.

  The 2004 TV show simply titled “The Batman” took place in its own continuity, and had its own style and tone that differed from its predecessor. While not on par with the quality of the 90’s animated series, it was never the less fun to watch, and once again, Mr. Freeze was able to stand out as my favorite of Batman’s rouges in the show. His introduction episode titled “The Big Chill” made for a highly entertaining debut, and won me over as a different version of the character ... one that can be respected in his own distinct way. 

This Mr. Freeze completely dropped all the humanity and pathos in favor of a straight forward threat … and even as a one-note villain with no sign of remorse … he was still awesome as a monstrous adversary. Voice actor Clancy Brown delivered an extremely menacing performance, and gave the character a size, a presence, and made the character shine as an imposing obstacle ... one with the strength to best Batman. His design was extremely over-the-top, looking like a walking iceberg, but it fit with the shows over-the-top tone, and presentation. Just like in the 60’s show, Batman is accidentally responsible for the creation of Mr. Freeze, razing the ethical debate if our hero is doing more harm than good. There’s a great scene in which the memories of Batman’s family perishing runs parallel to Batman’s loss during his first encounter with Mr. Freeze ... and our hero has an epiphany. He may have accidentally created his enemy, but it was the crime in Gotham that created him first. Despite not having anything of dramatic substance to support his actions, this Mr. Freeze still shined as a plain awesome villain, and appeared in multiple episodes of the shows run. For the first time, we really see him mingling with other villains, including a partnership with Firefly, and a rivalry with Batman's other cold-themed rouge The Penguin.   

    
  I won’t go down all the villain’s appearances in this show like I did for the 90’s series, but I certainly wanted to mention my favorite episode of the whole show, as it likewise features Mr. Freeze as the main threat. In the season 4 episode titled “Artifacts”, we segue one-thousand years into the future, in which Batman has become a piece of history … and one that the people of New Gotham don’t entirely believe in. 

However, the new and improved Mr. Freeze comes out of hibernation, attacks the city, and threatens to kill off everyone with a new ice age. With no hero’s left to protect the city, a team of historians seek out the ruins of the Bat-cave in hopes to find some clue of how to stop Mr. Freeze. As they uncover relics in the cave, the episode flashes back on the events in which Batman made his final stand against Mr. Freeze. This episode is heavily inspired by Frank Millers graphic novel “The Dark Knight Returns”, and it’s a real treat to cut back, and forth between Batman’s final climactic mission, and a future where he’s become a legend lost in the books of history. Plus, it’s awesome that of all Batman’s foes, it’s Mr. Freeze who out lived them all, continued the Batman’s legacy, and proved once again to be one of his most powerful enemies. It’s just a sold episode all around, with a great set-up, and no shortage of admiration to the legacy of the Dark Knight.       

   In the end, for all his highs, lows and different portrayals, I still feel that Mr. Freezes deserves his place in the spot-light … not just as a great Batman villain, but in general, one of the great comic book villains.

While objectively not the greatest of Batman’s rouges, he’s still personally my favorite of the bunch, and the one I get the most excited to see different variations of in other forms of media. The best villains are those born of tragedy, similar to the way Batman was born from horrific events, and there’s so much potential for this character to have a truly sophisticated, dramatic and intense appearance in a theatrical Batman film. I understand that his portrayal in “Batman and Robin” was a fluke, but that doesn’t mean the character should be completely abandoned. He still has all the makings of a great movie villain, and one that I’m hoping to see make a come-back on the big screen someday. Any character deserves a second chance, and I really hope writers of future Batman movies will allow Mr. Freeze the chance to shine in a motion picture film. The character may literally be held on ice for now, but I’m still hoping for the best, and maybe one day my favorite of Batman’s foes will get his proper recognition as one of his absolute greatest.  

Thanks for reading my post, and continue to enjoy the movies, shows and characters you Love! 

"It would move me to tears......if I still had tears to shed."

The End