Compared to the kinds of villains who usually menace Gotham City, Mr. Freeze is one of Batman’s most sympathetic villains, since his actions are guided by a single tragic event: the terminal illness of his wife, Nora Fries. Keeping her cryogenically frozen until a cure can be found, his path to villainhood is motivated purely to find a way to save the life of the woman he loves.
Despite how difficult his goal may seem, Freeze has seen himself reunited with his wife a few times over the years. However, it has often led to tragic circumstances that go on to chill the villain’s already icy heart. Now, we're taking a closer look at how the tragic story of Nora Fries has been resolved from the animated world were she debuted to DC's main comics continuity.
What Happened to Mister Freeze's Wife in Batman: The Animated Series?
The first instance of Nora Fries returning from her frozen state occurs in the DC Animated Universe, where she debuted in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Heart of Ice.". In the animated film Batman and Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero, Mr. Freeze was on the verge of finding a way to cure his wife’s disease and kidnaped Barbara Gordon who had the same rare blood type as Nora. Batman and Robin go to save Barbara at the oil rig that Freeze is hiding in. The oil rig explodes but the heroes manage to save both Barbara and Nora, with Freeze seemingly killed.
Nora is eventually revived when Wayne Enterprises funds a transplant. It is revealed at the end of the film that Freeze is alive, as he cries frozen tears of joy upon hearing the news. His happiness is short-lived though, as The New Batman Adventures episode 'Cold Comfort' revealed that Mr. Freeze never bothered to contact Nora once she was revived. She went on to marry the doctor who revived her instead. The reason Freeze never contacts his wife is because his body had deteriorated completely, leaving his head attached to a robotic body. With no purpose left, Freeze’s motivation changed from wishing to save his wife to seeking revenge on the rest of the world.
How Nora Fries Became Lazara
Mr. Freeze’s DCAU origin involving Nora was eventually transported to the comics. He would attempt to bring her back to life in 2005’s Batgirl #69 and #70 by Anderson Gabrych and Pop Mhan. In the story, Freeze had made a deal with Nyssa al Ghul to create a machine for the Secret Society. In return, Nyssa promised to revive Nora, but when Casandra Cain's Batgirl is captured, she convinces Freeze that Nyssa cannot be trusted and the desperate Victor thew Nora into the Lazarus Pit himself.
This results in Nora absorbing the full powers of the pit, and she returned as the villainous Lazara, with the ability to conjure flames and reanimate the dead. Driven mad by the power and attacking everyone she saw, Freeze desperately tried to convince her to stop. Batgirl briefly apprehended Lazara and asked Freeze to use his freeze gun on her. Victor refused, detonating a freeze-based bomb to collapse the building they were in. Batgirl later saw Freeze and Lazara running together into the night. This would be the last time Nora Fries appeared in the Post-Crisis era.
How Nora Fries Became Mrs. Freeze
In the DC Rebirth era storyline 'Cold Dark World' by Peter Tomasi and Dough Mahnke, Freeze was given an antidote to cure his wife by Lex Luthor as part of his wider efforts during DC's "Year of the Villain" storyline. The serum works and Nora is revived and adopted the villain moniker of Mrs. Freeze. The super-villain couple began operating as a criminal duo, but Freeze noticed his wife’s behavior becoming more brutal than his own, believing that it was Luthor’s serum that was corrupting her.
When Freeze tried to convince Nora to stop, she responded by sticking a needle into Freeze that raises his body temperature to a fatal point. Batman has Freeze cryogenically frozen, whilst Mrs. Freeze hides out in Canada, escaping the law. With the roles now reversed, Batman can’t help but lament that Freeze’s fate is worse than Nora’s was because he had no one to love him or wait for him as Nora did. Since then, Mrs. Freeze has seemingly joined the latest incarnation of the Wildcats, a superteam that is operating out of Gotham.
Despite his goal to see Nora revived, the times that it does occur seem to make things worse for Mr. Freeze. Whilst he manages to bring her back from the dead, they never become fully reunited and their love story ends up becoming all the more tragic.