How 'The Batman' Sequel Could Introduce Mr. Freeze
*Spoilers for The Batman*
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Over the last few weeks, The Batman, director and writer Matt Reeves' take on the Caped Crusader, has proven to be a smash hit. Critics, fans, and audiences alike seem to agree that this latest adaptation of the DC Comics character is a faithful yet fresh take on the classic hero. The film portrays a more grounded yet stylistic version of Gotham City and its Dark Knight, focusing on gothic noir and detective work, much like the earlier incarnations of the comics. With a serial killer Riddler and a younger Bruce Wayne, still struggling to solidify himself in the minds of his allies and enemies, this latest cinematic entry in the Batman franchise has effectively laid the ground work for a new series, filled with potential for future stories and characters.
Naturally, many people are speculating over what the next film following The Batman will focus on and, more specifically, who will be its antagonist. For a possible answer to that question, look no further than Matt Reeves himself. In a recent interview, Reeves expressed his interest in bringing a few particular villains to the big screen in his next Batman film. One of them, none other than Mr. Freeze.
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In his first appearance in Batman #121 in February of 1959, Mr. Freeze (originally named Mr. Zero) was a fairly standard mad scientist character with the ability to freeze people, using his trademark freeze gun. As the comics went on, he was given an origin story in which a lab accident caused chemicals to spill on him and alter his physiology, making it impossible for him to survive outside of sub-zero temperatures. This would make Freeze bitter towards humanity and attempt to leave them as cold as he was.
Then, in September of 1992, the character would receive a revamp in a famous episode of Batman: The Animated Series. Heart of Ice portrayed a more human and empathetic Mr. Freeze, compelled by love rather than spite. In order to save his terminally ill wife, Nora, Victor Fries secretly used the GothCorp company's resources to preserve Nora in cryogenic stasis, while he worked on a cure for her illness. This would come to an end when Ferris Boyle, CEO of GothCorp, discovered Fries' project and tried to cut off Nora's life support. In the ensuing struggle, Boyle knocked Fries into the chemicals which made it impossible for him to survive in warm temperatures. With Nora still preserved, Fries vowed to get revenge against those who wronged him, and acquire the money and technology he would need to save his wife. This backstory and motivation for Mr. Freeze have endured to this day and made him one of Batman's most popular adversaries.
In terms of the Batman sequel itself, I see a few ways Mr. Freeze could be introduced into Reeves' take on the Batman universe. For one thing, we know that this version of Thomas Wayne made at least one shady dealing with some of Gotham City's criminal figureheads. If Wayne was involved with the more unsavory parts of the city's infrastructure, it could give the Wayne family some involvement in the kinds of corporate corruption that led to Freeze's origin, making the Wayne family one of his potential targets. There is also the fact that Gotham City is now flooded with water as a result of the Riddler's bombings. In this kind of environment, Freeze would absolutely thrive and be nearly unstoppable due to the amount of available ammo for his weaponry and increasingly freezable environments for him to wreak havoc on.
But what makes Freeze a particularly good antagonist for the Batman sequel is his hatred of Batman himself. The Batman ends with Bruce deciding that he wants his alternate persona to be a symbol of hope in order to inspire those who Gotham City failed. As someone who was scorned by Gotham's corporate corruption, Victor Fries is just the kind of person who needs that kind of hope. But if Batman decides to fight Freeze instead of help him, this could lead Batman to question whether he's fighting for the people of Gotham, or for the interests of the system itself.
There are many directions the Batman sequel could go in and Freeze is undoubtedly one of the most interesting. Whether we'll see him in the next film or not has yet to be seen. But if we do get to see Matt Reeves' take on this classic villain, it'll probably be pretty cool.
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