FOX’s Gotham has a spotty track record when it comes to introducing major Bat-villains early (well, a spotty track record for everything, really), and the latest is downright cold-hearted. Batman won’t be sending Mr. Freeze to the cooler just yet, but young Bruce may at least cross paths with Victor Fries, as portrayed by House of Cards alum Nathan Darrow.

As you can probably guess, Gotham and Darrow’s incarnation of Mr. Freeze won’t don the helmet and freeze gun just yet, but rather arrive as a younger married man. Per Deadline, FOX’s Bat-prequel seems (for now) to be going pretty true to form with comics:

Victor begins as one of Gotham’s preeminent cryogenics engineers. Though ferociously smart and eminently capable in his work, Victor struggles to make meaningful connections with others. The one exception is his wife, Nora, who has tragically fallen ill with a terminal disease. Victor’s love for Nora knows no bounds, and as her condition worsens, he goes to extreme measures to figure out a way to freeze her before she dies. This harrowing journey leads to his transformation into the legendary DC villain Mr. Freeze.

It’s unclear exactly when we’ll meet the next Gotham foe, or if he has anything to do with the mysterious “Indian Hill” facility of Wayne Enterprises, glimpsed in this past Monday’s “By Fire” as a supervillain factory of sorts, but it seems a likely bet. Will Gotham play it cool with a subtle, nuanced origin, or truly kick some ice? Will our please of mercy work on the cold-hearted?

We could do this all day, so learn it well. It is the chilling sound of your doom.

Check Out 100 TV Facts You May Not Know!

More From ScreenCrush