The Arrow-verse is getting decidedly batty in the 2018-2019 TV season thanks to the upcoming introduction of Batwoman and Gotham City in the big multi-show crossover. Now, the Arrow-verse has confirmed the existence of a legendary villain of Batman lore within its universe, and not the way we expected. Yes, we now know that Mr. Freeze exists in the world of the Green Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, and the Legends, but Mr. Freeze isn't the one who has officially been added. Nora Fries, a.k.a. the wife of Mr. Freeze, has been cast for the big Arrow-verse crossover.
Cassandra Jean Amell landed the role of Nora Fries for the Arrow-verse crossover that will air later this year and combine the heroes of three shows as well as the star of the potential next Arrow-verse series. Not many details are available about Nora at this point, but the casting description lists her as the "wife of Mr. Freeze." Since her husband is named "Mr. Freeze" rather than his traditional civilian name of "Victor Fries" in the description, it's probably safe to say that he's the villain of Batman legend.
There's no news at this point about whether or not Mr. Freeze himself will make a live-action debut on a show other than Gotham, but does the Arrow-verse crossover really need him? There will already be a lot going on what with the introduction of Batwoman, Lois Lane (who was also recently cast), and the return of Superman. The debut of just Nora Fries could give the Arrow-verse the chance to flesh out a character generally overshadowed by somebody else. After all, how many fans know Nora best as the woman afflicted by a disease that prompted her husband to go to great (and destructive) lengths to try and save her?
I can't imagine the Arrow-verse would have announced the casting of the character (and selected the wife of Arrow star Stephen Amell to tackle the role) if there weren't plans to do more with her than stick her in a tank for the sake of Mr. Freeze. While we probably shouldn't expect to see Cassandra Jean Amell in the Arrow-verse on a regular basis, she could as Nora Fries help build the world of Batwoman without being overshadowed (or frozen) by Mr. Freeze. At this point, it could be enough to know that he exists as part of Nora's story. It's not like the Arrow-verse is going anywhere any time soon!
All of this said, Mr. Freeze could very well be the next casting announcement. Either way, DC Comics fans can look forward to even more characters traditionally out of Batman stories making their CW debuts. At this point, I'm more curious than ever about where Batwoman's Gotham will be located. If she's on Earth-1 like the Arrow-verse shows other than Supergirl, then why haven't any of the heroes of Arrow or The Flash or Legends of Tomorrow mentioned any of these characters? The best move might be to set Batwoman (if the show actually happens) on Earth-38 with Supergirl. Kara has already established that Batman exists on Earth-38, so why not Batwoman?
We'll have to wait and see. Cassandra Jean Amell is likely best known for her work on America's Top Model, and the Arrow-verse crossover will mark her return to The CW after roles on One Tree Hill and Hart of Dixie. She also landed a role on Mad Men. We won't see how she works as Nora Fries until the crossover hits the airwaves, beginning with The Flash on Sunday, December 9, then continuing with Arrow on Monday and Supergirl on Tuesday. (No Legends of Tomorrow this time around.) The four Arrow-verse shows will be back in the fall lineup next month.
