Posted in: Comics | Tagged: adam west, Batman, batman the animated series, dc comics, mr freeze

Batman '66: The Villain Most Affected by the TV Series

With the release of Batman '66 today, it made me think of the old Adam West / Burt Ward television series and the effect it has had on comics. Some of it is well known, like the fact Batman was selling horribly until the series premiered. But some of it is a little more subtle. The Animated series is credited for doing a few important things like introducing Harley Quinn and creating an origin story for Mr. Freeze. But did you know that there was no Mr. Freeze until he showed up in the form of George Sanders on the small screen?

In 1958 DC introduced Mr. Zero, a freeze-gun toting villain in the same vein of Captain Cold and a half-dozen other Golden Age thugs. Zero was a joke foil for the Caped Crusader similar to Killer Moth and never taken seriously. After a few popular appearances by Sanders and later Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach, DC changed the character's name and added the "must-remain-cold" affliction and the rest is history. Now because of the 1966 Batman series we have one of the most iconic and sympathetic villain in the rogues gallery. I hope that the digital comic will not only bring Mr. Freeze into the series, but will go through the various looks/actors as they are doing with the Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt Catwomen.

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