Deep Dive DC: Wes Looks at Heart of Ice

Welcome everyone to our second Deep Dive DC Month. I know that last year Deep Dive DC Month was in May and its only January, but I have different plans for the month of May this year. However, since we are in the month of January, and January has a tendency to be quite cold, I’ve decided to kick off Deep Dive DC month with a three-part tribute to one of Batman’s most chilling foes, Mr. Freeze, specifically, the Mr. Freeze of the DCAU, which pretty much defined the modern perception of the character. See, nowadays, we see Freeze as a tragic figure and one of Batman’s more serious foes, but this was not always the case. I happen to have read Mr. Freeze’s first appearance from way back in 1959, having owned a reprint that was released as part of a promotional tie-in to the then upcoming Batman & Robin Film. We’ll probably cover that film one of these days, but not yet. Anywho, the Mr. Freeze from that appearance (known as Mr. Zero at the time) differs radically from the character we know today, coming across as little more than another gimmicky one-off villain in a garish outfit. That was how it was for Mr. Freeze until Bruce Timm and Paul Dini came along and changed everything. Not only did they reinvent the character from the ground up, keeping only the most basic elements from previous comic book appearances, they also created easily the most interesting and complex villain in the show. What makes Freeze so unique is that he never really felt like a part of Batman’s rogue’s gallery. He was a recurring enemy of Batman to be sure, but you would never find him playing poker at some dive bar with Joker and Two-Face. While those guys are villains by choice, Freeze is more of a villain by circumstance. The man has no interest in acquiring riches or ruling Gotham, all he wants is vengeance for what was done to him and his beloved wife. It may also surprise you to learn that despite being one of the most popular villains from the show, Freeze only made five appearances across the entirety of the DCAU. For this tribute, we’ll be covering three of them. There’s today’s offering, the Emmy Award winning Heart of Ice, the TV Movie, Sub-Zero, and Freeze’s final DCAU appearance, The Batman Beyond episode Meltdown, though just to keep everyone up to speed, I will be recapping the other episodes in the subsequent articles. But in any case, let’s take a look at, Heart of Ice.

We open on snowflakes against a black background as upbeat yet still somehow haunting music plays. As we zoom out, we see that this is a snow globe with a figure of a ballerina inside. The voice of Mr. Freeze says that this is how he will always remember his wife, surrounded by winter, forever young, forever beautiful. Freeze further vows that the monster who took her from him will soon learn that revenge is a dish best served cold. By the way, for those who don’t know, Freeze here is voiced by the great Michael Ansara, who Star Trek fans will recognize as Kang from The Original Series. If I don’t point this out, someone will “Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold” is described as a Klingon Proverb in Wrath of Khan and here we have a Klingon as the voice of Mr. Freeze.

Later, a news report states that, despite this being the hottest August on record, a string of cold related crimes committed by what witnesses describe as a man wielding a freezing gun have been targeting a company called Gothcorp. Gothcorp’s sleazy CEO, Ferris Boyle responds to these attacks with a shit-eating grin and a corporate slogan in a way that just makes you want to punch him. By the way, that’s Mark Hamill playing Boyle, in one of the rare times he played a character on the show other than The Joker.

In the Batcave, Batman is doing some detective work and deduces that the thief is planning to use the stolen items to build a weapon capable of Freezing all of Gotham. This also clues Batman in to where the bad guy will strike next.

Later, at another Gothcorp facility Freeze and his flunkies have just arrived to rob the place when Batman shows up and gives chase in the Batmobile Freeze quite literally gives Batman the slip by freezing the road and causing the Batmobile to spin out of control. Personally, I have a tough time believing that with as many gadgets as Batman has on his car, he wouldn’t have equipped it with some means of driving safely on ice, but whatever. Freeze reaches the Gothcorp warehouse and completes his robbery when Batman shows up and makes quick work of the goons. Freeze tells Batman that this is a personal vendetta and does not concern him, but Batman says that if Freeze plans to break the law in his city and put innocent lives in danger, it’s his concern now. Freeze uses his gun to try and put Batman on ice and manages to incapacitate the vigilante long enough to escape. In the scuffle, one of Freeze’s henchmen gets his legs frozen and the others insist he needs a hospital but Freeze demands that they leave him and let him pay the price for his incompetence.

Back at the Batcave, Batman is treating the thug who ended up getting his legs Frozen, blind folded and unconscious of course. We also learn in this scene that the encounter with Freeze has left Batman with a nasty cold, but he can’t worry about that now, he’s got work to do, both as Batman and as Bruce Wayne

Said work as Bruce Wayne involves a meeting with one Ferris Boyle. Boyle is naturally just as slimy in person as he is on TV. I really hope that Bruce didn’t wash his hands before he shook Ferris’s, a cold is the least of what this asshole deserves. In any case, Bruce asks if Ferris knows anything about who has it out for his company, suggesting that it may be an angry ex-employee. Ferris says the only one who would hate Gothcorp that much has been dead for a year. Ferris describes this individual as an “obsessed wacko” who was caught using company recourses for personal reasons and wasting company money. Ferris continues to act like a money-obsessed jackass who literally refers to his employees as slaves right before his secretary reminds him that he needs to get ready to receive his humanitarian award. Bruce feels ill, and not because of the cold.

Batman isn’t the only one disgusted that a creep like Ferris is winning a humanitarian award. Freeze says that Ferris is about as far from a Humanitarian as a person can be, especially after what happened to his wife. Freeze tells his henchmen that the ice canon must be completed by tonight so he can finally have his revenge. Meanwhile, Batman is about to head to Gothcorp to take a look at their classified files and get to the bottom of all this as Alfred hands him a thermos full of chicken soup. As he says, it’s the only way to fight a cold.

At Gothcorp, disguised as a security guard and effecting a Brooklyn accent that would make Joey Wheeler sound dignified, Batman snoops around and finds a videotape that shows what really happened all those years ago. Dr. Victor Fries, a scientist at Gothcorp, was conducting an experiment that he felt could save lives. Fries had invented an experimental cryo-stasis chamber designed specifically for freezing those with inoperable ailments like his beloved wife Nora. However, Boyle and some security officers barged in demanding that he shut down the equipment since it’s costing him too much money. Victor insisted that if Ferris shuts down the equipment, his wife will die but Ferris doesn’t give a shit. Desperate to have his wife, Victor pulled a gun on Ferris, but Ferris just sucker punched him into a table full of unstable chemicals. Batman is shocked by what he sees. Freeze soon appears behind him saying that it would move him to tears if he still had tears to shed before freezing Batman and taking him back to his lair.

This next scene absolutely belongs to Michael Ansara. Freeze spells out his motivations and his vendetta against Boyle and his delivery is almost Shakespearean. You feel for Freeze and want to see him get justice for the great wrong visited upon him, but you also know that if he goes through with his plan, innocents will come to great harm. Freeze also explains that he wears his suit because, as a result of the chemicals, he can no longer survive outside of a sub-zero environment. Batman expresses sympathy towards Mr. Freeze but insists that he doesn’t have to kill innocent people to get justice for his wife. Freeze’s response is, no put intended, chilling. “Think of it Batman, to never again walk on a Summer’s Day with a hot wind in your face and a warm hand to hold. Oh yes, I’d kill for that.” As Freeze leaves to deal with Boyle, Batman manages to break free and follow him.

Later that night, at Gothcorp tower, Freeze arrives with his giant ice canon. In a genuinely funny moment, the overly dedicated valet doesn’t even flinch and just casually asks for Freeze's car keys. By the way, that’s Kevin Conroy as the valet. Something about that just makes the whole scene that much more amusing to me. Anywho, Freeze fires up the canon and starts Freezing the entire building. Batman, still suffering from his cold, arrives and attacks the henchman operating the canon before he can freeze the entire building. Freeze, being a resourceful man, breaks open a fire hydrant and freezes the stream of water to use it as a ladder to the top floor. Very cool, even if it might not sound that way on paper.

Freeze busts in and confronts Boyle. Victor starts freezing Boyle, slowly so he feels every second of it. Boyle begs for his life, but Freeze won’t have it. He has seen his wife begging for Mercy from Boyle in his own nightmares for far too long to have any to grant the man who took her from him. Batman swings in and starts mixing it up with Freeze but it turns out in addition to keeping him alive, Freeze’s suit also grants him triple the strength of an ordinary man. Batman is getting his ass handed to him when he pulls out his secret weapon, the thermos full of soup that Alfred gave him earlier. Batman dumps the soup on Freeze's helmet and the hot liquid causes the cold glass to shatter. Guess it really is the only way to fight a cold. I also just can’t help but laugh at the fact that this, one of the most celebrated episodes of this beloved animated series, the episode that won the show its first Emmy Award, the episode that reinvented a member of Batman's rogue's gallery to such an extent that this version is now considered the definitive incarnation, has Batman save the day with a thermos full of hot soup. Unable to breath without his helmet, Freeze passes out and Batman gives a reporter covering the humanitarian event the tape that proves Boyle was responsible for ruining the lives of Victor and Nora Fries.

Our episode ends on a somber note as Freeze, now in a frozen cell in Arkham Asylum, once again stares at his snow globe, begging Nora’s forgiveness and praying she somehow hears him from someplace where a warm hand waits for his. What can I say, this episode was truly phenomenal, more than deserving of the awards and other accolades it has received over these many years. Mr. Freeze is a great villain and this series reimagines him better than anyone could ever have hoped. Michael Ansara steals the show with his incredible performance as Mr. Freeze, giving us a villain that we can empathize, but still one that needs to be stopped. Tomorrow, we’ll be continuing our look at Mr. Freeze with the TV Movie, Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero.