Warning: Spoilers for Detective Comics #1089 ahead!Batman Villains are also often defined by their obsessions and pigeonholed into stagnant roles, regardless of attempts to further characterize them. It’s rare and noteworthy when an established character gets a chance to break the mold, which is why it’s all the more impressive that Mr. Freeze Has done so twice, finally moving on from the role cast for him by Batman: The Animated Series Over three decades ago.
Detective Comics #1089 by Ram V, Dan Watters, Guillem March, Christopher Mitten, Luis Guerrero, TrÃona Farrell, Steve Wands and Ariana Maher is the conclusion of the epic. Gotham Nights arc, featuring the Orgham family’s attempt to exclude Batman from the hearts and minds of Gotham and its people. As Batman sets Gotham to rights, the effects are felt by all manner of characters across the city—including Mr. Freeze, who was Batman’s reluctant ally during the effort.
In his underground cave, Mr. Freeze looks at the statues he made of his ex-wife, Nora – the object of his obsession – and finally decides to leave her behind, saying: “Time to move on, I guess.“
After 30 years, Mr. Freeze is no longer defined by his relationship with Nora
A major plot point of Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is widely recognized (among other reasons) for elevating Mr. Freeze from relative obscurity and Give him a backstory so compelling that it would become the character’s defining trait for decades to come. For the animated series, Mr. Freeze is instead known as “Mr. Zero,” functioning as little more than an average criminal with a freeze gun—virtually indistinguishable from Flash foe Captain Cold in methodology, if not in costume. The change to Mr. Freeze first came for the sake of the 1966 Batman Live-action TV series, although this does little to make the character stand out.
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Mr. Freeze earns his classic backstory in the 14th episode of Batman: The Animated Series sEason 1, “Heart of Ice.” Mr. Freeze is now the tragic Victor Freeze, a cryogenics expert who froze his wife Nora to buy time for him to try and find a cure for her mysterious disease. This revamp was so popular that the “Mr. Zero” period of the character was almost erased from memory; In fact, the creation of Nora Fries changed the character so much that She has since come to dominate every aspect of Mr. Freeze’s life.
Mr. Freeze’s obsession with Nora has frozen his character for too long
Where could the iconic Batman villain go next?
There have been a few attempts to excuse Mr. Freeze from the struggles his “Heart of Ice” origin has over his character. During DC’s New 52 reboot, the publisher experimented with Nora continuing Mr. Freeze’s obsession, but removing their marriage; The decision was heavily criticized and was quickly reversed. The next attempted change was more lasting, with Mr Freeze finally toting Nora in Detective Comics #1013, only for her to end up rejecting him in subsequent issues. But, while Nora and Mr. Freeze are now canonically separatedHis obsession with her stuck as his primary motivation.
The long history with Nora is what makes Mr. Freeze’s declaration to move on so strong. For over thirty years, what was once a novel revision of ​​an empty villain has grown into such a stranglehold that It (ironically) froze Mr. Freeze’s character development. Even concurrent titles like the DC-era Dawn Harley Quinn Performed by Tiny Howard and Sweeney Boo portrayed Freeze as peering over Nora just as obsessively as when he was trying to heal her. By definitively explaining Mr. Freeze’s obsession with Nora over, DC is finally ready for Mr. Freeze to be more than the man who metaphorically and literally put his lost love on a pedestal.
The disproportionate shadow Nora cast over Mr. Freeze killed him too Batman: The Animated Series‘Legacy; With that decade-old connection gone, there are plenty of options for Mr. Freeze going forward, as the character’s unique cold disposition makes him just as likely to be an antihero as he is to be a brutally effective villain. Fans who grew up with Batman: The Animated Series Could never have believed that day would come, however Mr. Freeze is finally ready to take Gotham on his terms – and not even Batman Can guess what will come next.
Detective Comics #1089 is available now from DC Comics.