Even after 32 years since the release of Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series, the four seasoned show still seems like a quality watch. Worthy of celebration and binge-watching, the 1992 series brought in dark visuals, compelling stories, and incredible characters that impressed fans, once and for all. But among all the profound things that the show did, Timm indefinitely created a better version of one Batman villain.
Yes, we’re talking about Mr. Freeze who previously appeared in Adam West’s 1966 show Batman. Played by three different actors in West’s three seasoned show, the villainous character was unfortunately turned into a joke, which was later perfected by Bruce Timm in his Batman: The Animated Series. Voiced by the late actor Michael Ansara, Mr. Freeze in Timm’s series eventually got his deserving respect as an iconic villain.
Bruce Timm Wanted to Reinvent Mr. Freeze in His 1992 Show
Looking back at the 1992 show Batman: The Animated Series, it is always a pleasure to relive the moments and the iconic characters that were flawlessly created by Bruce Timm. Even after decades, there’s rarely any Batman show that can stand on par with the four seasoned series that changed the trajectory of DCAU. Therefore when the show turned 25 years old, Timm celebrated the anniversary at the New York Comic Con 2017.
Attending the event and sitting for an interview with Science Fiction, Bruce Timm addressed questions about different elements of the show. During the Q&A, Timm was asked about the characters that he wanted to introduce or reinvent in Batman: The Animated Series. Naming various characters throughout the history of DC that lacked enough screen time, Timm noted finding his fascination in Mr. Freeze.
“We knew going in that we were obviously going to do Batman and Riddler and Catwoman, but we were really interested in doing characters that had not gotten a lot of screentime. Either in the cartoons or in the movies at that time, so we were really excited to do Two-Face and reinvent Mr. Freeze,”
Mr. Freeze was introduced as a recurring villain in the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Heart of Ice”, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program. Further, discussing how he was interested in giving the character his deserving spotlight and screen time with the 1992 show, Bruce Timm addressed the character’s previous appearance.
Timm was Disappointed in Adam West’s Version of Mr. Freeze
While Bruce Timm was interested in doing justice to lesser-known iconic DC characters, his take on Mr. Freeze was a bit questionable, especially after the character appeared multiple times, previously. Take for example, in Adam West’s 1966 show Batman, the villainous character was played by three different actors, which offered him enough screen time. So what made Timm reinvent the character in his Batman: The Animated Series?
Speaking with the outlet, Bruce Timm subtly expressed his disappointment in Adam West’s version of Mr. Freeze. Implying how the 1966 show simply ruined the essence of the character by turning him into a joke, Timm, therefore, noted his desire to give Mr. Freeze his deserving revival in Batman: The Animated Series. Willing to scoop out the silly undertone of the character Timm wanted to give him a deeper meaning.
“Take him from being… and not to knock on the Adam West era version of the character, but he was kind of silly with ice-puns, and we thought we could make that character a little deeper.”
Eventually, Bruce Timm managed to perfect the character of Mr. Freeze, who was turned into a joke by Adam West’s Batman show. Voiced by the late actor Michael Ansara, Timm’s 1992 show featured the villain in his true form as per DC Comics. Meanwhile, answering the question about character reinvention and introduction during his interview, Timm mentioned his interest in Ras Al Ghul and Scarface.
Batman: The Animated Series is available on Max.
