When the air gets stale and cold on a moderate day in Gotham City, there’s a good chance Mr. Freeze is nearby. Once upon a time, Victor Fries was a well-off scientist and supposedly a loving husband. Today, he is best known for his sociopathic temperature checks on the citizens of Gotham. Often, he claims that his heartless actions are all done for the sake of his true love. What if I told you that everything he did was completely backwards? Listen to me below.

Three states of matter

First of all, it took over four decades to define the character. In 1959, the original incarnation of the character was created as a dastardly thief named “Mr. Zero.” In those simpler times, an uncomfortable number of villains were born from accidents, suddenly becoming opportunistic villains In contrast, their heroic counterparts suffer similar tragedies but instead choose to help others. Therefore, Mr. Zero was already working on a nefarious weapon before his accident, which accidentally explodes, forcing him to rely on extreme cold. to survive To this day, it’s not entirely clear why a scientist would need a bunch of thugs to construct a freeze gun for anything other than mischief.

However, the character would appear in 1966. Batman adaptation with the new permanent nickname of “Mr. Freeze.” Freeze inherits Zero’s tragic history in exchange for a clever menagerie of heat and cold weapons. Notably, this version of the character would perpetually change actors, in name, hair length and oddly eyebrow color Plus, the wacky ’60s allowed the character to take on an eccentric camp attitude Besides, his inconsistency would eventually dissipate with the iconic melodramatic iteration. of Batman: The Animated Series. By the time we get to Schwarzenegger at Batman and Robin (1997)his gimmick becomes a single note from then on.

The hypocrite’s oath

Today, Freeze’s story is pretty much simple. Usually it’s no different than an Emmy Award winner.”Heart of Ice», Victor engages in a life of crime for the sake of his extremely ill wife Nora. Typically, his way of thinking involves stealing resources he might need for his treatment. Ironically, his choice of care is to freeze her until he finds a cure. Which, if we were realistic, would probably kill her. Still, some argue that Freeze isn’t that bad. Even considering the implications that all he really needs is funding, his actions reflect him as an unrepentant monster.

Unfortunately, its fundamentally paradoxical nature is at the root of the problem. For example, why is his name Mr. Freeze and not “Doctor Freeze?” » A likely implication is that its practice in cryogenics or medicine is not permitted. Clearly, he does not respect the Hippocratic Oath or the well-being of his “patients.” Yet Batman is written to consistently negotiate with Freeze as an intellectual. Honestly, this isn’t just a tactic to calm him down either. Bruce Wayne usually provides the madman with everything he needs, sincerely believing in his research.

I heard you were cool

Frankly, even if I accept Freeze’s dilemma, he still shoots innocent people with a freeze ray. Hypothetically speaking, its entire premise could benefit from a minor reinvention. Victor’s achievements in cryogenics could involve the patenting of cryogenic resuscitation. This way, writers can narrow down his specialty to cryogenics. Freeze can then focus on what he does best and kidnap other doctors and professionals who can do what he can’t for his wife. Think desperate blue-collar “John Q,” but with a sci-fi hook. This is partly what makes A Bad Day: Mr. Freeze forcing you to read before its sickening revelations.

Despite my criticisms of the semantics of his name and expertise, Freeze remains one of Batman’s most cerebral and dramatic foes in DC Comics media. Personally, the most effective Freeze stories like Tom King’s “Cold days” Or Gotham Centralthe first arc of “In the exercise of his duties“, focus on the character’s dark realities. Additionally, the New52 temporarily reinvents Freeze as a delusional, obsessive stalker freezing out female victims. Later, writers use its cryogenic technology as a key element in the preservation and awakening of the Talon assassins in Scott Snyder’s film. The Court of Owls.

Freezer

In a very real sense, writers want to find characters and intellectual properties that they can exploit again and again. To that end, repeatedly telling Victor’s story has an understandable appeal. In fact, most fans tend to like Freeze. His iconic snowsuit, piercing red glasses, and fishbowl remain powerful symbols regardless of interpretation. In truth, just as the bat symbol remains an icon of justice, Victor Fries’ images also instantly evoke ideas of loneliness and cold logic. However, like most comic book villains, his development is perpetually persistent. At least outside of temporary status quo changes where Nora dies, appears as a villain, or leaves him. Usually in this order.

At its core, modern-day Mr. Freeze chills us because of his relevant motivations. In particular, the character is based on the concepts of unrequited love and loss. The cold is not only a metaphor for the death of emotion, but for its unhealthy preservation. To be frank, Freeze totally represents our inability to let go of those we love. Alternatively, Batman understands what it means to live with loss. While Victor freezes these moments in time, both are simply trapped in the fear of loss. That said, I still view him as a gun-wielding psychopath who looks for excuses to hurt others.

In conclusion

Whether on the page or off, I think the character is still a work in progress. It took decades to come up with a name and purpose for the character, and it hasn’t changed much since. Although the character exhibits several silly attributes, he also exhibits many profound aspects. Including, but not limited to, his fascinating attachment to his wife or his stoic attitude. Somehow, this bumbling character became one of Batman’s scariest rogues and still garners sympathy. Overall, Mr. Freeze is unchangingly simple, but maybe that’s how fans like him: frozen forever.

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