Spider-Man 2’s Alfred Molina Cast as Mister Freeze in Harley Quinn

Alfred Molina, who played Dr. Otto Octavius in Spider-Man 2 and provided the voice of Destiny in Justice League Dark, will join the voice cast of Harley Quinn as the DC Universe series enters its second season beginning this spring. Fans, who did not know what to expect from the series when it began, won’t have to wait long to see its return, as we now know the animated series will be coming back a lot sooner than we anticipated, landing the first week in April. The Molina news came during an episode of the DC Universe talk show DC Daily, in which producers also revealed that Family Guy veteran Sanaa Lathan will play Catwoman on the series.

The April date more or less tracks with how DC Universe handled its other animated project, Young Justice, which returned for half-seasons that would bookend a live-action series. Executive producers Patrick Schumacker and Justin Halpern went on DC Nation to discuss the upcoming season, which included teasing some story ideas as well as announcing the new casting.

In the show’s second season, “Harley has a target on her back,” Shchumacker explained. “The male supervillains from Batman’s rogues gallery don’t take too kindly to the ascendancy of the female super villain, and begin to conspire against her. I think that’s about all we can say, but you will see a lot more villains from Gotham.” He added that Catwoman will also be a recurring character, not just a one-and-done.

“We will dive into Harley’s love life as well as Ivy’s love life,” Halpern added. “That will be a big part of the second season.”

The role of Mister Freeze, which Molina will provide in the series, is one of the most tortured and relatable of Batman’s villains — something that Molina would likely compare to his take on Doc Ock.

“The great trick in Spider Man 2 was the inhibitor chip which he loses, so he loses all his inhibitions,” the actor once told ComicBook.com. “He loses all sense of what’s right and what’s wrong, and he just focuses on what he needs to do. That larger than life thing grew out of a very real situation, and I think that’s why it was so satisfying, for audiences, because Doc Ock didn’t exist just as a cartoonish character. He didn’t suddenly just turn up with all the arms and start killing people and wreaking havoc. He grew into it, as it were, and we see the development. We were witnesses to his destiny, which kind of, I think, is what audiences really locked onto.”

The second season of Harley Quinn will debut on April 3. DC Daily airs…well, daily…during the week on DC Universe.

Are you excited to see what happens in Harley Quinn‘s second season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!