Batman: 5 Reasons Mr. Freeze Is The Most Tragic Villain (& 5 He’s A Monster)

The Dark Knight has faced many a villain in his nearly 100 years of crime-fighting, but few are as tragic as Mr. Freeze. Debuting as a typical ridiculous villain, when the creators of Batman: The Animated Series got their hands on him, his sad tale brought many a fan to tears.

However, the man known as Victor Fries is a villain, so he’s going to have his more sinister moments. Though his characterization has mostly remained the same after the cartoon gained Freeze loads of fans, his rejection of emotions or empathy has been apparent in certain moments, both in the comics and otherwise.

10 Tragic: Nora

Mr. Freeze’s entire motivation is Nora. Freeze’s beloved wife, so it’s a guarantee that she will feature a lot on this list. However, not only is Freeze’s passion for his frozen wife one of the defining features of his tragedy, but it did a lot to put him on the map.

According to producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, when Mr. Freeze came up in the discussion of how Batman: The Animated Series should handle the villains, they were apprehensive due to his characterization throughout the years. However, the creation of Nora, inspired by Vincent Price’s The AbominableDr. Phibes, led to one of the series greatest achievements.

9 Monster: Batman And Robin

It’s easy to dogpile on the reviled Batman and Robin, and it’s fair to say that Freeze is appalling in this disgrace to celluloid.

Played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who deserved better, Freeze tosses out groan-worthy ice puns and acts about as ridiculous as he looks. To director Joel Schumacher’s credit, the film maintained The Animated Series’ motivation, but the ice puns make any sympathy moot.

8 Tragic: His Sacrifice In Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn serves as more proof that the DC Universe app is capable of more than the drab and dull Titans, and an ability to cross boundaries is something fans have been loving about it. One decision that cemented this was the death of Mr. Freeze.

When Harley and her crew are captured by Freeze, Poison Ivy creates a cure to save Nora, but it involves giving her a blood transfusion that would be fatal. Freeze selflessly sacrifices his life to save Nora, which makes the bitter-towards-love Harley realize true love exists.

7 Monster: Killing A Lab Tech

When Mr. Freeze appeared in the “Under The Hood” storyline in Detective Comics, he was far more malicious than normal, and that was on display nice and early. When a lab tech helps Freeze with a new, Bruce Timm-Esque uniform, he criticizes Freeze’s previous “outdated” technology.

Annoyed and incensed by the comment, Freeze kills the lab tech in brutal fashion. This impresses his new boss, Black Mask, who orders a goon to “get him another lab tech.” This is one of Freeze’s more old-school villainous moments, as it’s a classic heel move to kill subordinates.

6 Tragic- His Mother

Though The New 52 didn’t do Freeze many favors, the lethal circumstance surrounding a young Victor Fries and his mother is certainly tragic. In a flashback to his childhood, Victor Fries and his mother are walking on a frozen lake when his mother falls through the ice and sinks into the freezing waters.

Later on, Mrs. Fries is left in horrible pain after the event, and to alleviate her suffering, Fries throws her back into the lake, leaving her to die. It’s a borderline moment, but as it’s a boy losing his mother via uncontrollable circumstances, it’s still a sad one.

5 Monster: Roping Nora Into Villainy

In the recent Detective Comics run by Peter Tomasi and Doug Mankhe, Mr. Freeze finally accomplishes his ultimate goal. After kidnapping women whose DNA makeup resembles that of Nora, Freeze develops a cure for Nora’s ailment.

In the end, the cure works like a dream, and Nora is revived. She then joins her husband as the villainous Mrs. Freeze. What makes his decision truly sinister here, is that Freeze took his innocent wife and dragged her down to his level.

4 Tragic: His Animated Arc Ends

Batman Beyond brought Freeze’s fantastic story to a proper close in the episode “Meltdown.” The episode sees Freeze placed in a new body by the main baddie, Derek Powers. He tries to atone for his evil deeds, but when his body starts to revert to its previous state, Mr. Freeze returns.

After putting Powers, also known as Blight, away, Freeze is put at risk of being buried in the crumbling laboratory. When the new Batman, Terry McGuinness, offers to help him, Freeze responds with”believe me, you’re the only who cares.” Freeze is then killed by an errant explosion.

3 Monster: His New 52 Relationship With Nora

As previously stated, Freeze’s New 52 portrayal was a rough ride. However, among the divisive era in DC Comics’ greatest failures is it’s handling of Nora. In The New 52, Freeze still is motivated by his love for Nora, but the writers threw an uncomfortable spanner in the works.

Freeze never even met Nora, as she was cryogenically frozen before Fries was even born, but Freeze falls in love with her anyway. It makes Freeze come across as an utter creep and it’s a Godsend that it was tossed out when DC Rebirth came along.

2 Tragic: He Can Never Be With Nora

At the end of Batman/ Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero, a fugitive Mr. Freeze stumbles across a house and watches a news report that proclaims that Nora has been cured. It initially seems that this is a happy ending for Freeze, but when The New Batman Adventures came along, it showed that this moment would turn Freeze upside down.

When Mr. Freeze made his animated return, his motivation was to make everyone in Gotham feel his loss after Nora fell in love with another man. Though Freeze would gain some level of redemption in Batman Beyond, this was him at his lowest.

1 Monster: Abandoning His Henchman

Although “Heart Of Ice,” the Emmy winning Batman: The Animated Series episode that first featured Mr. Freeze, showcased him as a sympathetic character, he still does something really… cold. When Freeze first encounters Batman, he accidentally freezes a henchman’s legs.

Freeze showcases his alleged lack of emotion by leaving the henchman behind and threatening his henchman when they question him. Mr. Freeze may be a tragic character, but this scene does a lot to show that he’s still not a good person.

About The Author

Seth Rector
(172 Articles Published)

Ever since he was a young lad, Seth Rector has had a love for all things that reek of geek. Movies, tv shows, comic books, and video games are what he considers his wheelhouse. A writer at heart, Seth says he’s over the moon now that he can write about what he loves. When he isn’t writing for Screen Rant, he is putting his film degree from Lights Film School to good use by working on future film projects.

More From Seth Rector