Mr. Freeze in other media

Last updated
Adaptations of Mr. Freeze in other media
Arnold Schwarzenegger Mr. Freeze costume in Batman.jpg
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 appearance Batman #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.

Contents

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

Otto Preminger as Mr. Freeze in Batman Otto Preminger Mr. Freeze.jpg
Otto Preminger as Mr. Freeze in Batman

Animation

DC Animated Universe

Mr. Freeze's designs in the DC Animated Universe: Batman: The Animated Series (left), The New Batman Adventures (center), and Batman Beyond (right) Mr. Freeze (DCAU).jpg
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's cryonically suspended body. [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 the 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". Freeze's 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

Mr. Freeze as he appears in The Batman MrFreeze.png
Mr. Freeze as he appears in The Batman

Film

Live-action

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin (1997) Mister Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger).jpg
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin (1997)

Animation

Video games

Lego DC series

Batman: Arkham

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

Miscellaneous

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