Mr. Freeze (surname pronounced "freeze", based on the German pronunciation) is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain who is an enemy of Batman. Created by Bob Kane, he first appeared in Batman #121 (February 1959).

Freeze is a scientist who must wear a cryogenic suit in order to survive, and bases his crimes around a "cold" or "ice" theme, complete with a "cold gun" that freezes its targets solid. In the most common variation of his origin story, he is a former cryogenics expert who suffered an industrial accident while attempting to cure his terminally ill wife, Nora.

In the original Batman television series, Mr. Freeze was played in various episodes by George Sanders, Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach. He was voiced in Batman: The Animated Series by Michael Ansara, and by Clancy Brown in The Batman. In the 1997 film, Batman & Robin, he was portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time List ranked Mr. Freeze as #67.

Originally called Mr. Zero, he was renamed and popularized by the 1960s Batman television series, in which he was played by several actors. His character was used because the series creators had originally wanted to use the character of Two-Face (aka Harvey Dent), but network executives thought the character would be too scary for the numerous children who watched the show; as a result, an alternative villain with a physical deformity and a more serious personality, Mr. Freeze, was substituted. Initially, the producers sought Clint Eastwood to play the role, but instead later went with other guest stars.

Mister, usually written in its abbreviated form Mr or Mr. (American English), is a commonly used English honorific for men under the rank of knighthood. The title derived from master, as the equivalent female titles, Mrs., Miss, and Ms, all derived from the archaic mistress. The title master was retained and used for boys and young men, but is now less commonly used. The plural form is Misters, or the abbreviation Messrs (UK) or Messrs. (US) ( /ˈmɛsərz/). This is an English abbreviation of the French "messieurs" (French pronunciation: [mesjø]), sometimes pronounced /ˈmɛsərz/ in English.

When addressing someone directly: Mr. is usually used with the last name only ("May I help you, Mr. Thompson?"). In other circumstances, it can be used with either the last name or the full name ("This is Mr. John Smith."; "Would you please help, Mr Smith?"). In formal written address, it is usually used along with the full name, or with initials and surname.

When a man's name is unknown, "mister" is sometimes used informally by itself in direct address, as in, "Hello, mister," or "Are you all right, mister?" rather than the standard form of address, "Sir". Though not necessarily meant disrespectfully, such use may to some people seem rude.

Otto Ludwig Preminger (5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.

After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura (1944) and Fallen Angel (1945). In the 1950s and 1960s, he directed a number of high-profile adaptations of popular novels and stage works. Several of these pushed the boundaries of censorship by dealing with topics which were then taboo in Hollywood, such as drug addiction (The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955), rape (Anatomy of a Murder, 1959) and homosexuality (Advise & Consent, 1962). He was twice nominated for the Best Director Academy Award. He also had a few acting roles.

Preminger was born in 1905 in Wiznitz (Vyzhnytsia), a town west of Czernowitz, northern Bukovyna, in today's Ukraine, then part of the Austro–Hungarian Empire, into the Jewish family of Markus and Josefa Preminger. Preminger's father was born in 1877 in Galicia, at a time when it was part of the Austro–Hungarian Empire. As an Attorney General of Austria–Hungary, Markus was a proud public prosecutor on the cusp of an extraordinary career defending the interests of the Emperor Franz Josef. The couple provided a stable home life for Preminger and his brother Ingo.