Last month, we reported thatHouse of CardsstarNathan Darrowhas signed on to portray the iconicDC Comicscharacter Victor Fries, a.k.a.Mr. FreezeinSeason 2ofGotham. This iconic character will first be introduced in tonight’s fall finale,Worse Than a Crime, airing at 8 PM ET on Fox. Before that episode debuts,USA Todayhas the first photos of Mr. Freeze, brandishing his iconic freeze gun.
Executive producer John Stephens revealed at the WonderCon convention in April that they will introduceDC Comicsvillains such as Mr. Freeze, Clayface and the Mad Hatter inGotham Season 2. This is the first character to be cast in that group, who will also return in the 12th and 13th episode of this season, along with Victor’s wife Nora (Kristen Hager). When asked what drew him most to this character,Nathan Darrowsaid it was Victor’s connection to his wife.
“Victor has one central intimate human connection, and that’s with his wife. There’s something really, really interesting and vulnerable and difficult about that. Of course, that is threatened by her illness. In some of the research I did on the character as he has evolved in the comic book, he has a more tenuous connection with humanity and his own humanity, and she’s it. He is applying all his talents and skills and energies to maintaining that.”
Victor Fries made hisDC Comicsdebut in Batman #121 back in February 1959. His wife Nora, however, was created specifically forBatman: The Animated Seriesin 1992, before she was brought in to the comics. We won’t see Nora until the show returns from its midseason hiatus on February 29. That episode will show how his wife’s mysterious illness takes a toll on Victor, andNathan Darrowrevealed that he’s glad her exact ailment isn’t revealed.
“I really kind of love that it’s referred to as a ‘mysterious illness.’ It’s not just comic books, though. Look to Shakespeare and you’re going to see things like that. You’re going to see where a person has something that’s mysterious and it’s threatening their life, and it’s never refereed to but we just know it. It’s almost like it has greater weight because it’s not named as like, “Oh, she has this type of cancer.”
This iconic villain was also previously portrayed by stars such as George Sanders,Eli Wallachand Otto Preminger during the originalBatmanTV show’s run. He was also played on the big screen byArnold Schwarzeneggerin 1997’sBatman & Robin, a portrayal that some fans thought “ruined” the character. When asked aboutArnold Schwarzenegger’s portrayal,Nathan Darrowadmitted he never sawBatman & Robin.
“Well, it depends on your definition of the word ‘ruined.’ I have to plead some ignorance here. I never sawBatman & Robin, and I’ve seen bits of the oldTV showbut I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything involving Mr. Freeze. I looked at some artwork and there’s these backstories that’s written about the character. I grabbed some of that. I find the character to be like a lot of the characters on the show: What becomes interesting is this ‘villainy’ is really something that is revealed out of a person in some particular circumstances with a particular history and what they care about combined with their own level of fear about being alive and being in the rather difficult world ofGotham.”
Take a look at the first photos fromGothamfeaturing the villainous Mr. Freeze, before tuning into theGothamfall finale tonight at 8 PM ET. We also reported last week that fans will get a sneak peek atnew footagefrom the highly-anticipated movieBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceduring tonight’s episode.
