Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze is widely regarded as one of the worst villains from all the Batman movies, but Victor Fries deserves another role in a future film. Over the last thirty years, the Dark Knight has been the lead of his own movie seven times, which has allowed for some of his biggest enemies to appear. There have been the highs of Heath Ledger's Joker but also plenty of lows, including Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze.

For the villains at the center of these low points, the good news is that they have often been properly realized later on. Tommy Lee Jones' version of Two-Face was a disappointing adaptation of the character in 1995's Batman Forever. Still, Aaron Eckhart's Two-Face properly brought the complex foe to the screen just thirteen years later in The Dark Knight. Similarly, Batman & Robin's version of Bane was redeemed through Tom Hardy's excellent performance in The Dark Knight Rises. The later versions of the characters are the ones who audiences remember fondly, and it's time that Mr. Freeze receives the same treatment.

Related: Who Is Bane? Batman's Comic Villain Origin & Powers Explained

To this point, Batman & Robin's version of Mr. Freeze is the only attempt to bring the character to the big screen. It's safe to say that it didn't go well. Batman & Robin is plagued with issues, but Schwarzenegger's ice-pun-filled version of the character is near the top. The movie brushes past the heart of the villain's story — that Mr. Freeze is trying to save his dying wife — to make him comedic relief with zero depth. For more than twenty years, this version of Mr. Freeze is, unfortunately, the only one that audiences have experienced.

After such an inadequate translation to the big screen before, the idea of doing a new take on Mr. Freeze is one that is full of potential. The one good thing that the past version did for the character's future is set the bar so low. Any attempt to use Mr. Freeze would surely remind people of what came before, but a great story and performance can allow them to forget past misfortunes. If audiences can forget about lacking versions of Two-Face and Bane to embrace the newer and better versions, the same can be true for Mr. Freeze. If given a chance, there is a great story to tell centered around a villain who has fallen into crime to save someone he loves.

At this point, there is no immediate clear future for Mr. Freeze on the big screen, though. Matt Reeves is not believed to have Mr. Freeze as a character in The Batman, but with the film already re-using The Riddler, Penguin, and Catwoman, there is potential for Freeze to be incorporated in a sequel. That said, if he is not going to be used in Warner Bros. and DC Films' shared universe anytime soon, he'd also be a great candidate to get a standalone film after Joker's success. Whenever Mr. Freeze is finally used again, the next iteration of the Batman villain will hopefully deliver on the promise of the character.

MORE: Batman Movie Villains Have Bad Deaths: Here Are The Worst

Key Release Dates