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Ice powers are one of the most common in all of comics and manga for a variety of reasons but the main one reason is very simple: it looks cool and it can be used in many different ways. In that regard, DC Comics has two characters who represent that ability, and they are two of the most iconic villains of their respective heroic counterparts: Captain Cold and Mr. Freeze.
Cold and Freeze became known as Flash and Batman villains, respectively, and these days they are practically household names in DC. Furthermore, they have had some of the best arcs when it comes to villains in this universe, and they are often a tough nut to crack for the Scarlet Speedster and the Caped Crusader. So, it’s going to be interesting to see who would win in a battle between these two ice masters.
So let’s find out who will win if Captain Cold decides to fight with Mr. Freeze!
A Brief Rundown Of Their History
Captain Cold made his debut in Showcase #8 back in June 1957 by Carmine Infantino and Josh Broome. He became one of the most iconic Flash villains of all time and has often been the leader of the Rogues. His real name is Leonard Snart and he grew up in an abusive household, which led to his life of crime, which put him at odds with The Flash, and this pushed him to create tools to defeat the Scarlet Speedster. This, in a nutshell, is how he became Captain Cold and rose through the criminal underworld.
On the other hand, Mr. Freeze’s character history is a bit more complicated. He made his debut back in February of 1959 in Batman #121 as Mr. Zero. He would later be named, Mr. Freeze in the Adam West Batman series of the 60s, which is how he has been known ever since. After the Crisis on Infinite Earths event in the mid-80s, Freeze was revamped yet again, adding the tragic backstory of his wife and revealing his identity as Dr. Victor Fries, which added a layer of complexity to his character.
Powers and Abilities
It could be argued that both characters have the same type of ice abilities. However, there is a caveat: while Mr. Freeze has very traditional freezing abilities, Captain Cold’s gun is a lot more complex in the comics.
Captain Cold’s Cold Gun can create a field of negative thermodynamics and absorbs the energy and momentum of everything it reaches. There have been even moments in the comics where it has been treated as pretty much stopping time itself, which, considering the character’s contrast to The Flash, is meant to be a way to counter the Scarlet Speedster’s abilities.
He also has a genius-level intellect, and his ice powers can even be considered “super-strength” in a way, as he can use his ice to lift heavy objects. After briefly fusing his DNA with his Cold Gun, he was able to project a blast of cold and manipulate absolute zero temperatures.
Instead of a Cold Gun, Mr. Freeze has a “Freeze Gun”, which can also freeze people or objects. A few of Freeze’s most prominent powers are his intellect and sub-zero physiology, which gives him the powers of cold adaptation, thermokinesis, and decelerated aging. Because of his physiology, Freeze primarily stays in a cryo-suit, which keeps his body at freezing temperatures and also helps to increase his strength and durability.
The Fight
Considering they are both villains, we’ll just assume that one of these villains stepped on the others turf, which will lead to their confrontation. For further context, this battle is going to be to the death and is going to feature both characters’ post-Crisis on Infinite Earths iterations because these are the most developed over the years.
How Each Could Gain The Edge In Battle?
The aforementioned detail of Captain Cold’s gun plays a major role in this battle because of the scale and it impact that it has. This is a weapon that is powerful enough to stop Superman’s heat vision and slow down The Flash, which are two feats that Mr. Freeze has never managed to achieve. Furthermore, due to his many battles with The Flash, Cold has also gotten used to quicker reactions and having to react on the fly, so it can be argued that if both had to shoot at the same time, the former would be quicker.
Perhaps the biggest edge that Mr. Freeze has in this battle is the fact that he has his suit, which could give him some extra resistance in this battle but it could be argued that the fight itself wouldn’t last long. Furthermore, there is also an argument to be made that Cold is a better brawler in hand-to-hand combat, even if it isn’t either character’s strong suit.
In many ways, this battle could be very one-sided in Captain Cold’s favor. Perhaps the perception could be different in the mainstream because Freeze has gotten a lot more adaptations and exposure, but the truth of the matter is that the leader of the Rogues has this in the bag.
The Result – Who would win?
Captain Cold has much superior freezing technology than Mr. Freeze, which is something that could give him a huge edge in this battle. He also has greater feats, as the ones regarding Superman and The Flash, which is something that proves he scales higher than Mr. Freeze in that department as well.
