'Batman: The Animated Series' fans are like a cult. This is because they know that the animated show from the early 1990s is what completely changed the superhero genre, especially at DC.
The four-season show not only opened up a broader animated universe for the company but also spawned its own animated feature film (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm) that's also become a cult classic and one of the most quintessential Batman stories ever told.
In fact, you could probably say the same about the 'Animated Series' itself even though it created characters like Harley Quinn and totally reinvented classic supervillains such as Mr. Freeze.
But many of these changes became canon and affected the comics and live-action feature films that came around years later.
Yeah, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Mitch Brian created THAT impactful of a show.
But fans of the series seem to truly connect with what these showrunners, as well as their team of writers, voice-performers, animators, and composers, did to elevate Mr. Freeze.
Here's what went down...
Mr. Freeze Was Essentially A 'Zero'
Mr. Freeze was a throw-away villain when he was created in Batman #121 in 1959. Essentially, he was a villain with a gimmick, not unlike many foes that our favorite heroes have gone up against. Freeze originally went by the name 'Mr. Zero', but that was later revised. This just made it clearer that the character's creators Dave Wood and Sheldon Moldoff didn't know what to do with him.
The character had his iconic freezing gun as well as had to stay in a suit due to a cryogenic accident, but his motives were completely different than what we'd seen in any medium since 'Batman: The Animated Series'. In fact, Mr. Freeze was just a petty thief.
The character was used sparingly in the comics, as well as in the 1960s 'Batman' television show that starred Adam West.
It was this show that renamed the character, but there was still no grasp on him. He was even played by three different actors. Honestly, Mr. Freeze just didn't connect with television audiences or readers of the comics. Therefore, the character was essentially "killed off" for a number of years, according to CBR.
This was until the team behind 'Batman: The Animated' Series got ahold of him in the early '90s.
The Character Was Given A Heart Of Ice
The character was re-introduced in one of the best episodes of the series, "Heart Of Ice". Not only was the character visually re-imagined, but he was also given a weighty backstory that actually made you sympathize with him. In his excellent video essay, Matt Draper described "Heart Of Ice" as a simple tale of noir revenge but also an excellent origin story for Dr. Victor Fries (AKA Mr. Freeze).
This origin story, which Mike Mignola is mostly responsible for, gave Victor a clear and sympathetic goal even though the way he went about trying to accomplish this goal was criminal. This is because the stakes were relatable.
Before turning into Mr. Freeze, Dr. Victor Fries was experimenting on his cryogenically frozen wife, Nora, who was diagnosed with a terminal disease. During his experimentation, his boss shut down the program, ending Victor's research and seemingly killing his wife in the process. Additionally, Victor was harmed when he fell into some of his chemicals which alter his biological make-up. This forced him into a suit that controls the temperature of his body and put him on a path for revenge.
This backstory became canon in not just the animated series, but also in the much-maligned 'Batman & Robin', the comics, and the other cartoons that followed. It also caused much of the DC universe to reevaluate how their villains are written.
In the episodes of the show that followed, Freeze appeared only a handful of times. However, when he did, his backstory and motivations were built-upon, especially when it was revealed that his wife actually survived the shutdown and remained in her frozen state. This all gave Freeze even more motivation to break the law to save her, thus putting him in conflict with Batman.
Because of the audiences' love of the character, as well as the Daytime Emmy win for "Heart of Ice", Freeze was featured in one of the two main animated films to spin-off from the original animated series, 1998's 'Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero'. This film served as a stand-alone sequel to the series and 'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm'.
The film was well-received by audiences and critics, especially when compared to the live-action 'Batman & Robin' which also featured Freeze and came out just a year earlier.
While 'Batman & Robin' may have harmed the character of Mr. Freeze, the legacy that 'Batman: The Animated Series' created for him is undeniable. While the comics and cartoons that followed continued to build upon this legacy for the better, Batman fans are awaiting Freeze's return to the big-screen... But only if filmmakers don't royally mess him up again.
