Warner Bros. and DC's The Batman is the latest live-action interpretation of the Caped Crusader and his universe, and it appears this incarnation of the character will face enemies that are going to be relatively grounded. However, a digital artist has imagined Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel as one of the most iconic and far-from-grounded villains in Batman's rogue's gallery: Mr. Freeze.
Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman will follow Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight during his second year of crime-fighting. Based on the first trailer for The Batman, Reeves is going for a similar tone and aesthetic to that of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, where Gotham City and the villains are relatively realistic compared to the superpowered and non-human foes the Caped Crusader has faced in the comics.
Of course, future installments of Reeves' Batman film series could dive further into the more fantastic side of the DC Universe, which would mean villains such as Mr. Freeze could be introduced. Now, a digital artist known as m.design34 has unveiled a new piece that imagines Diesel as Mr. Freeze, complete with the character's classic glass helmet and Cryo-Suit. As fans likely know, Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze designed the cryo-suit after a tragic lab accident lowered his body temperature to sub-zero levels, forcing him to wear the outfit in order to stay alive. Batman: The Animated Series reimagined Mr. Freeze's origin story in an episode that introduced his terminally ill wife Nora Fries, whom Victor was keeping cryogenically frozen until he could find a cure for her illness.
Prior to this reimagining, Mr. Freeze was introduced in the comics as one of the 'joke' Batman villains and was actually named Mr. Zero. The new tragic origin story from Batman: TAS offered fans a more complex take on Mr. Freeze, and it also provided a more sympathetic reason for his criminal deeds, which now served as a means to fund his research. This fresh take on Mr. Freeze has since been incorporated into the comics and was adapted for the character's appearance in Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin, in which he was portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
While Vin Diesel is more known for his tough-guy roles in the Fast and Furious and the Chronicles of Riddick films, fans shouldn't discount his ability to portray a sympathetic Mr. Freeze. After all, Diesel broke hearts as the voice of the titular robot in The Iron Giant and demonstrated his dramatic acting chops with his role in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan.
Still, it appears Reeves' Batman universe is sticking to grounded villains like Catwoman and the Penguin for the time being. Of course, the director has already confirmed The Batman takes place in its own universe, separate from the rest of DC's live-action films, so perhaps Diesel could portray the ice-powered Mr. Freeze in a different corner of DC's multiverse.
The Batman is scheduled to be released in theaters on March 4, 2022.
Source: m.design34/Instagram