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Mr. Freeze Deserves a DC Solo Film, Says Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith has stated his desire to see Mr. Freeze return to the big screen. There are currently a number of DC movies in development, but none on the docket will feature the classic Batman villain. Though villains like Harley Quinn and the Joker are still much of the focus for the DC movie landscape going forward, Smith believes that Victor Fries should also get his due on film.
Mr. Freeze is one of Batman’s most famous adversaries, often regarded as one of his greatest. He's been adapted to film before, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the infamous Batman & Robin. That version of Mr. Freeze (and that film in general) is widely reviled by fans of the character, who had hoped to see Victor Fries portrayed in a way that did the character justice. Other iterations of the character in comics and in Batman: The Animated Series showed the potential in a story fixated on Freeze, and Kevin Smith used examples like this to back up the idea of a Mr. Freeze solo movie.
Smith’s opinion on the matter can be heard in the latest Fat Man on Batman podcast episode. When Smith was asked by a fan which DC villain he’d like to see get their own movie, he made the case for Mr. Freeze. After a subtle joke about the many Joker movies currently in development, Smith referred to the BTAS version of Mr. Freeze, how Paul Dini’s take on the character transformed him from campy to tragic. Smith also then argues that Mr. Freeze’s freeze gun would be a "visually cool" thing to see on the big screen.
The BTAS episode “Heart of Ice” is ranked highly, and even won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program when it was released. The episode changed the character’s origin in the comics due to its popularity, so Smith’s lead example is a strong one. Much of the criticisms of Marvel's Cinematic Universe has rested on the villains being one-dimensional, a trend that characters like the more sympathetic and emotionally complex Killmonger and Thanos are changing. An engaging, sympathetic villain like Freeze is indeed a great choice to be the focus of a film, and can help rebound from generically portrayed DC movie bad guys like Ares and Steppenwolf.
While he is compelling, it's hard to imagine that DC would bank on Mr. Freeze as the new leading man of his own film. He has depth, but lacks the charisma of characters like The Joker and Harley Quinn, who can be as fun to watch as they are terrifying. Comic book villain solo films are not exactly a guaranteed success just yet, though Venom might change that. If Freeze does indeed show up again on screen, it most likely would be as the main villain in a Batman film. Either way, most fans would probably agree that he deserves the chance to cool down theaters again.
Release Dates:
. Aquaman (2018) release date: Dec 21, 2018
. Shazam! (2019) release date: Apr 05, 2019
. Wonder Woman 2 (2019) release date: Nov 01, 2019
. Joker (2019) release date: Oct 04, 2019
