kids encyclopedia robot

Mr. Freeze facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Mr. Freeze
Mister Freeze (Victor Fries).png
Variant cover art of Batman - One Bad Day: Mister Freeze #1 (November 2022).
Art by Brian Bolland.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance As Mr. Zero:
Batman #121 (February 1959)
As Mr. Freeze:
Batman
"Instant Freeze" (February 2, 1966)
As Victor Fries:
Batman: The Animated Series
"Heart of Ice" (September 7, 1992)
Created by As Mr. Zero:
Dave Wood (writer)
Sheldon Moldoff (artist)
Bob Kane (concept)
As Victor Fries:
Paul Dini (writer)
Bruce Timm (concept)
Mike Mignola (designer)
In-story information
Alter ego Victor Fries
Species Metahuman
Team affiliations Injustice League
Secret Society of Super Villains
GothCorp
Suicide Squad
Notable aliases Mr. Zero
Dr. Art Schivel
Crown Prince of Chilblains
King of Cold
Mr. IceBox
Abilities
  • Genius-level intellect
  • Sub-zero physiology
  • Cryo-suit grants:
    • Superhuman strength and durability
  • Cryokinesis via weaponry

Mr. Freeze is one of many of Batman's foes. Created by Dave Wood, Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, the character first appeared in Batman #121 (February 1959).

Mr. Freeze is the alter ego of Dr. Victor Fries, a cryogenics expert in Gotham City who was caught in a laboratory mishap whilst attempting to cure his terminally ill wife, Nora. The accident drastically lowered his body temperature to sub-zero levels, forcing him to wear a cryogenic suit in order to survive. Fries turns to crime to find a cure for his wife's illness through any means necessary, which often puts him into conflict with Batman.

The character has been adapted in various media incarnations, having been portrayed in live-action by George Sanders, Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach in the 1960s Batman television series, Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, and Nathan Darrow in the Fox crime drama Gotham. Michael Ansara, Clancy Brown, Maurice LaMarche, and others have provided his voice in media ranging from animation to video games.

Powers, abilities, and equipment

Like most Batman villains, Mr. Freeze plans his crimes about a specific theme; in his case, ice, snow, and cold. An accident caused Mr. Freeze to become genetically altered with a bizarre condition that has irreversibly frozen him to the bone, transforming him into a cold-blooded mutant whose body temperature must always be kept below zero. His altered biology caused his skin cells to become storage units for the cold to help his body chemistry to be comfortably chilled, allowing him to become both entirely immune and adapted to sub-freezing temperatures. Extraordinarily, his age progression has slowed drastically in a suspended animated state; some interpretations also suggest that the chemical he was soaked in was glycerol, a cryo-protectant he intended to use for cryopreservation. His unique physiology makes him immune to most toxins, bacteria, and viruses.

Freeze has one weapon that is more powerful than his gun, suit, and other cryotechnology: his mind. A profoundly gifted scientific genius with an incredible mind for invention, he is skilled in physics, engineering, genetics, computer science, chemistry, and medical science. His science and technology are even as advanced as Apokilips or those of Lex Luthor. His childhood obsession with cryogenics has led him to become one of the most gifted cryogenicists in Gotham. Victor was also able to build a cryonic life support machine for Catwoman, whose heart was surgically removed by Hush, and was capable of inventing a wide variety of cryotechnology for his extensive array of cryogenic weapons and armor. Freeze is a remarkable medical scientist in his research on the pathology and neuroscience of Nora's neurological illness. His specialization in cryonics has successfully proven his thesis on immortality through suspended animation; preserving his wife in a frozen state to delay her illness until a cure could be found is the best example of his research.

SDCC 2012 - Mr Freeze (7580310868)
Mr. Freeze cosplay

Combined with his suit, Freeze's strength and durability are augmented to superhuman levels. Freeze's suit protected him from a bomb attack by the Ventriloquist's henchmen but the helmet of the armor was damaged by a sniper, causing the gases to leak due to the pressure. Freeze's strength and durability increased further after receiving a more advanced cryogenic armor, which was less heavy than the previous one, and was capable of withstanding gunshots and explosives. Freeze's most iconic weapon is his freeze gun, capable of creating gusts of cold that approach absolute zero. The gun is also capable of creating a "cold field" and imprison its opponents in a cocoon of ice.

In the Underworld Unleashed storyline, the demon Neron granted Mr. Freeze the ability to generate subzero temperatures, no longer needing his freeze gun or refrigeration power suit. However, after his encounter with Green Lantern, Donna Troy, and Purgatory in Central Park, he reverted to his original subzero biology. He then gained a new subzero armor and weaponry.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sr. Frío para niños

  • List of Batman family enemies
kids search engine
Mr. Freeze Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.