50 Greatest Super Villains In Comic Book History

40. Mr. Freeze

(Write-up by Eric Chrisman, Caped Crusades Editor)

Mr. Freeze comes in at #40 on this list, and he might have been much higher had he not spent the majority of his existence so far as mostly a joke. He was nothing more than a random dude who had a freeze gun. It wasn’t until a major revision in the seminal Batman: The Animated Series that he became Victor Fries, tragic villain. It was that show that gave him the origin story of a brilliant scientist, desperate to save his wife from a fatal disease, and stricken with his condition (he can only function in above freezing temperatures with his trademark cold suit) due to his boss’ callousness.

Though sometimes he falls prey to wanting revenge on those he feels has wronged him, his number one motive is helping to heal his wife. Freeze is also one of the few villains with a decent chance at redemption. In the Batman Beyond episode “Meltdown”, Fries is actually at least temporarily cured. Freed from his burden, Victor Fries tries to atone for his crimes, even creating a charitable organization. He’s only driven back to being a criminal after his treatment stop working, he tries to get help, and the very people that “cured” him try to kill him and he understandably wants revenge.

It’s the tragic element of Mr. Freeze that makes him more than a one-note bad guy, as well as one of the top 50 comic book villains ever.

Next: No. 39: Never misses, except for one guy