Warning: The following piece contains SPOILERS for Batwoman, season 1, episode 12, “Take Your Choice.”
The latest episode of Batwoman confirmed that the classic Batman villain Mr. Freeze is a part of the new, post-Crisis Arrowverse. While there’s no suggestion that Victor Fries will be making an appearance in Gotham City anytime soon, the episode does acknowledge his existence.
The question of which characters do and do not exist on Earth-Prime following Crisis on Infinite Earths has been raised in several of the shows making up the Arrowverse. The central plot of Batwoman following Crisis has focused upon a doppelganger of Kate Kane’s twin sister, Beth, who mysteriously appeared on Earth-Prime, having come from a world where she never became the crazed killer Alice. Supergirl saw the Super Friends having to combat an evil version of Winn Schott from another reality, and Cisco Ramon on The Flash started chronicling how various villains from alternate Earths in the pre-Crisis multiverse were somehow being reborn on Earth-Prime, despite having died in their original realities.
Batman foe Mr. Freeze was confirmed as one of the villains who survived the Crisis in Batwoman, season 1, episode 12, “Take Your Choice.” The action of the episode saw both the alternate-Earth Beth Kane and Alice suffering from migraines and nose-bleeds that were determined to be a side-effect of the new universe literally not being big enough for both of them and their bodies starting to degenerate as a result. As Kate and her allies tried to think of a solution that would save Beth’s life, Luke Fox suggested that they could cryogenically freeze Beth, preserving her until they found a more permanent solution. He helpfully noted that “Bruce knew a guy with a cryogenic tank.”
While the name of Dr. Victor Fries was not said in the episode, it seems likely that he was “the guy” that Fox was referring to, as there are only so many people with cryogenic tanks that Batman was friendly with. A brilliant medical doctor and an expert on cryonics, Dr. Fries cryogenically froze his beloved wife, Nora, after she developed an incurable disease, hoping to buy the time he needed to develop a cure for her condition. Unfortunately, Fries’ employers were less than sympathetic to his problem and more concerned with the profitability of treating diseases than curing them outright. An accident which occurred as Fries fought to stop his wife’s cryogenic tank from being unplugged left Fries unable to survive outside of a sub-zero environment. Developing an armored suit and a freeze ray, Fries sought revenge upon his former employers and the world at large as Mr. Freeze.
Mr. Freeze had been previous confirmed to exist in the pre-Crisis Arrowverse, with both his wife Nora and his famous freeze ray making an appearance during the Elseworlds crossover event. However, there is no reason to suspect that Victor Fries is still an active villain in the new post-Crisis world. Indeed, the fact that Luke Fox is hopeful about the prospect of utilizing Victor Fries’ old tank suggests that he doesn’t need it anymore. Perhaps Victor and Nora Fries finally found their happy ending on Earth-Prime? It’s a warming thought and one that may be addressed in a future episode of Batwoman.
More: Arrowverse’s Earth-Prime Map Revealed: Where Every City Is Located
