100 Greatest Superhero Stories Ever
By Steve Lam
#25. Batman: The Animated Series Season 1, Episode 14: “Heart of Ice”
Medium
Animated Television Series
Release Date
September 7, 1993
Credits
Director: Bruce Timm
Writer: Paul Dini
Cast: Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne / Batman / Valet, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred Pennyworth, Michael Ansara as Dr. Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze, Mari Devon as Summer Gleeson, Mark Hamill as Ferris Boyle
The Reason It’s Great
When Mr. Freeze was created, he was mainly seen as a joke character, not to be taken seriously. However, the critically acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series rewrote his origin, making him one of the most tragic and compelling Batman villains.
A number of heists at GothCorp lead Batman to a man named Mr. Freeze, who’s stealing items to complete his freeze gun. Because the robberies specifically targeted GothCorp, Bruce looks into the company’s CEO, Ferris Boyle. Later, Batman goes into GothCorp and reviews its security tapes.
Batman discovers that cyrogenics research Victor Fries was using company equiment to keep his wife in stasis until a cure could be found for her terminal illness. Boyle, though, saw it as a waste of money. In a deadly struggle, Fries is accidentally doused with chemicals—transforming him into Mr. Freeze and unable to live ouside of sub-zero temperatures.
The episode garnered critical acclaim and propelled Batman: The Animated Series, still in its freshman year, into popularity. It would go on to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program. Due to the episode’s popularity, comics and other stories have retconned Mr. Freeze’s origin to match that of the show’s.