Summary
Danny DeVito’s Penguin and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mister Freeze from theBatmanfilm franchise have partnered up for a deep discussion in a mini-comic. The comic by cartoonist Dan Schkade, shared on Instagram, features them talking philosophy as they ponder life and death. This more serious take on these iterations of the characters is far more intriguing than fans may have initially believed it could be.
Arnold Schwarzenegger played Mr. Freeze in the 1997 filmBatman & Robin, while Danny DeVito starred as the Penguin inBatman Returns(1992). DeVito’s portrayal was much more lauded as his villain had nuance and fitwithin Tim Burton’s Batman universevery well. Contrarily, Schwarzenegger’s Freeze has been criticized for a surplus of frozen puns in a less-than-stellar film.
While the two never interacted within this film universe, it wouldn’t seem like a partnership that would be wanted. This iteration of Mr. Freeze has never been seen as a philosopher despite his being a brilliant scientist. Schkade’s comic is changing this perception very effectively.
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Dan Schkade’s comic takes inspiration from an interview DeVito and Schwarzenegger had inInterview Magazine,published June 18, 2025. It occurred during a discussion stemming from Schwarzenegger’s role in the Netflix series,FUBAR,in which they talked about life and death. Placed into the context of the world of the Batman movies, the conversation takes on a new level of intrigue. This interactionturns Mr. Freeze intoa man who does not see a positive side to death, not believing in what’s been said about the afterlife when it comes to seeing people again.
Freeze’s musings are very grim, painting a bleak picture of what comes after life ends. Yet it also contains a moment in which the villain says he won’t be sitting next to Penguin, when he will miss everything. This almost makes the two appear to be friends, instead of as independent villains with very little attachment to one another. Frequently, comic villains are seen as having few attachments, allying with other evildoers to meet common goals and thwart superheroes. Here, however, there is a sense of camaraderie that these characters never shared on screen.
Mr. Freeze & Penguin Would Make a Great Villain Duo
Though Schwarzegger’s Mr. Freeze won’t go down as the best iteration of the character to exist in multimedia, this comic version shows what could have been. Had he been taken more seriously and been given the chance to interact with a different villain,Batman & Robincould have had one of the most unexpectedly great villain duos.Danny DeVito andArnold Schwarzenegger have worked well on projects together, but this philosophical discussion as their villainous personas from Dan Schkade proves they could have been a truly compelling and complimentary evil pair. Mr. Freeze and the Penguin aren’t likely friends, but they could’ve delivered aBatmanfilm worth lauding for its villains alone.
