A lot was different about Dr Victor Fries in his first appearance. He didn't have that name, for one thing, when he debuted in 1959's Batman #121. In fact he was known only by the pseudonym Mr Zero, and was one of a roster of joke heroes the book's creative team rolled out every once in a while for a low-stakes match-up against Batman. That began to change when he was brought into the sixties Batman TV series. When he fought against Adam West Mr Zero had his named changed to Mr Freeze (with the Caped Crusader referring to him as Dr Schivel, presumably his original name before he strayed off of the straight, narrow, and moderately temperate). As with a lot of aspects of the Batman show they were then imported to the comics, with the series bringing in more readers than ever before, the changes to Mr Freeze's name, gimmick and costume all changed. If you're a fan of Mr Freeze today you have George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach to thank. And the Bat-Usi.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
