Mr. Freeze is a recurring antagonist in the cartoon series The Batman. In a departure from the character's usual depiction as a tragic villain, this version is a thief and a homicidal maniac.
He is voiced by Clancy Brown, who also played Lex Luthor in Superman: The Animated Series, Mr. Krabs in SpongeBob SquarePants, Byron Hadley in The Shawshank Redemption, Surtur in Thor: Ragnarok, Dr. Neo Cortex in the Crash Bandicoot video game franchise, Savage Opress in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Gunmar in the Tales of Arcadia franchise, the Evil Entity in the Scooby-Doo franchise, and The Kurgan in Highlander.
Before becoming Mr. Freeze, Victor Fries was an average human being with short black hair, blue eyes and a medium build. After his mutation, Freeze's skin was turned white and his eyes are completely red.
Freeze's suit is mostly black with tubes and see-through panels that show parts of both his arms. Freeze's suit gives him a more muscular appearance. The top of his suit also is exposed and covered with ice where his head can be seen.
Personality
Unlike other versions, who are widowed scientists trying to help their wives by any means necessary, this version of Mr. Freeze is an evil criminal. He is cold, aggressive, and calculating. He appears to have an affinity for diamonds and has a complete disregard for any life other than his own.
Biography
Before becoming Mr. Freeze, Victor Fries was nothing more than a common bank robber. After a successful heist involving diamonds, Victor found himself pursued by the Batman and ended up being chased into a cryonics laboratory. Victory met his fate there, when in attempt to reclaim his diamonds that he had dropped whilst fending off the hero. Victor jumped in an attempt to catch his diamonds and fell in one of the cryogenic pods, which had a live exposed wire inside it. Despite the Batman's attempt to help Victor, it proved futile, and Victor was presumed to be dead. However, Victor was electrocuted at the same time and his blood was frozen, which ended up turning him into a neither living nor dead mutant, who could generate extreme cold around himself. Victor's body was later, at one point, put under observation by a scientist. However, Victor soon escaped and forced the scientist to build him a suit that could contain and grant him better control over his new powers. Victor would then use his newfound abilities to become the supervillain Mr. Freeze.
Freeze later attacks a ship and other locations around Gotham to steal the most rarest diamonds getting the attention of Ellin Yin and Ethan Bennit. He encounters Batman yet again but instead of defeat, Freeze manages to escape and continue with his crime spree. Batman then questions if he should keep up his crime fighting career, since he creates criminals like Mr. Freeze. He soon realized that it was Victor's own fault he ended up like this, and stopped his plan to be emperor of Gotham, leaving him for the police.
Mr. Freeze later works with Firefly in their attempt to have the city showed in a never ending winter. This soon fails when Batman defeats the two to save Gotham. Both villains also end up turning on each other, due to their different attributes and after a fight between Freeze and Firefly, both are left for the police.
Mr. Freeze also rivaled Penguin in racing against each other to find and rob valuable treasure hidden under the sea. Freeze uses Ewan Fripp, Alfred's old friend, for locating the treasure. Mr. Freeze in the end fights Penguin for the treasure, but Batman stops both of them from hurting each other and gets them arrested by the police.
Freeze is soon captured by Rumor in his attempt to kill him alongside Gotham's criminals. When Freeze is released, he tries to freeze Batman but accidentally freezes most of the criminals and then Batman opens the cell he is standing on, causing him to fall down. Batman then throws the Kabuki Twins onto Freeze to then lock up the cell, leaving him and the others to get arrested alongside Rumor.
Freeze alongside Penguin, Bane, and Joker later fight The Joining, as well as assisting the police in their battle. Him and Gordan later share a mutual respect for each other after freeze saves Gordan from a robot.
Freeze is eventually hired by Lex Luthor alongside Bane, Black Mask, and Clayface to kill Superman. Freeze attempts to stop him from breathing by freezing Superman. However Batman and Robin arrive and defeat him alongside the three villains.
He also tried attacking the city after Batman was dead (hibernating for one thousand years), but was stopped with the help of holograms of Batman and his neutralizing formula. However, in this instance his appearance was changed into that of a man who had multiple mechanic "arms" from his lower half of his body and with no legs.
He later makes a cameo at Arkham as Batman, Robin, and Green Arrow search for Hugo Strange.
Powers and Abilities
Mr. Freeze, as a result of his accident, generates extreme cold around him. But with the special technology in his cryogenic suit he is able to shoot ice blasts from his hands at will, and project ice-waves around him. He often uses these abilities to create bridges at high areas and paths across the water. He also has created winter-wonderlands and several ice burgs with his powers alone. He also possesses a special heat rod that allows him to heat and shatter any ice he creates. Using this device, he can freeze enemies then shatter them to pieces.
Gallery
Batman vs Mr Freeze
Trivia
This is the only post–DC Animated Universe version of Mr Freese who does not have a wife and tragic backstory. This, along with other character changes, is one of the reasons The Batman is criticized by a decent number of Batman fans. However, this iteration's character design has drawn some praise from fans also.
Although this version of Freeze was never seen to have a wife or tragic backstory, he was briefly seen in his flashback with photos of himself happily together with an unknown woman.
His origin is somewhat similiar to Joker from the 1989 film.
