If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.
Absolute Mr. Freeze almost already debuted in Absolute Batman, but Scott Snyder had a better idea
Scott Snyder considered making Mr. Freeze one of Bruce Wayne’s childhood friends in Absolute Batman (but realized he needed to save some villains for later)
Popverse's top stories
- Krysten Ritter wants to do a Jessica Jones/Punisher MCU team-up: "We're goth mom and dad, come on"
- Grave Seasons developers want to treat the dating sim genre with respect
- What would bring the Ninth Doctor back to Doctor Who on TV? Christopher Eccleston finally gives an answer
What makes Absolute Batman different from his mainstream continuity counterpart? His lack of generational wealth and the fact that he grew up with a mother are both major factors. Another is that Bruce Wayne had a tightknit group of friends during his childhood. Not only did these friends give him a strong support system as he navigated growing up in Gotham, but they also grounded Bruce, reminding him of what matters.
And incidentally, these childhood friends are some Absolute versions of some of his greatest enemies. There’s Waylon Jones, Harvey Dent, Selina Kyle, Oswald Cobblepot, and Edward Nygma. According to Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder, a few other familiar faces like Victor Fries were almost part of the group as well.
“I did think about a lot of others, but I had to keep it tight,” Scott Snyder says during a panel at MegaCon 2026. “I thought about Freeze and other ones. But then it just became he’s not going to have any villains if I keep pulling them in. I grew up in New York City, and I’m still friends with people that I knew as a kid, and we’ve all gone different ways, some of them very different ways. But you know, I just saw them for my birthday a couple of months ago.”
“It’s those friendships, the people that know you when you’re a raw bundle of yourself and nerves, and there’s no hiding anything, you haven’t developed any of those defenses or those layers. They know inside and out. Even if you change a lot, they still saw the beginning of you. I wanted to pick people that really feel like that.”
Need more? Here's our picks for the best DC Comics stories of all time, and here's a list of all the free DC comics you can look forward to as part of this year's Free Comic Book Day 2026 and Comics Giveaway Day 2026.
About MegaCon
Dates
-
Location
Orlando
Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news
Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy
Let Popverse be your tour guide through the wilderness of pop culture
Sign in and let us help you find your new favorite thing.
Comments
Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.