Riddler
| Riddler | |
|---|---|
| File:RiddlerGA.JPG Cover of Green Arrow vol. 3, #35 featuring the Riddler. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics #140 (October 1948) |
| Created by | Bill Finger Dick Sprang |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Edward Nashton |
| Team affiliations | Assorted Batman rogues Secret Society of Super Villains |
| Notable aliases | E. Nigma, Edward Nygma, Eddie Nashton |
| Abilities | - Genius-level deductive reasoning - Vast esoteric knowledge |
The Riddler (Edward Nashton, alias Edward Nigma or sometimes Nygma) is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman, and more recently a partial ally to Batman. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Dick Sprang, the character first appears in Detective Comics #140 (October 1948).
Character overview
The Riddler is obsessed with riddles, puzzles and word games. He delights in forewarning both Batman and the police of his capers by sending them complex clues. As the Riddler, the character is often depicted as wearing a domino mask either with a green suit and bowler hat, or a green jumpsuit. He carries with him a brass cane that is shaped like an elongated question mark, and is known for his catch phrase, "riddle me this, riddle me that".
Like most major Batman villains, the Riddler has become a darker, more three-dimensional character in recent years; whereas he was once depicted as a playful yet sane trickster, he is now typically portrayed as a smooth-talking, yet quirky, victim of an intense obsessive compulsion. This was first introduced in the 1965 issue of Batman (titled, "The Remarkable Ruse of The Riddler") in which he tries to refrain from leaving a riddle, but fails. This compulsion has been a recurring theme, as shown in a 1999 issue of Gotham Adventures, in which he tried to commit a crime without leaving a riddle, but fails: "You don't understand... I really didn't want to leave you any clues. I really planned never to go back to Arkham Asylum. But I left you a clue anyway. So I... I have to go back there. Because I might need help. I... I might actually be crazy."
The Riddler was popularized by Frank Gorshin’s over-the-top, Emmy-nominated portrayal in the 1960s Batman television series. Jim Carrey played the Riddler in the 1995 film Batman Forever with Gorshin as his inspiration. The character was also featured in Batman: The Animated Series and The Batman.
Fictional character biography
The Riddler's criminal modus operandi is so deeply ingrained into his personality that he is virtually powerless to stop himself from acting it out. He cannot simply kill his opponents when he has the upper hand; he has to put them in a deathtrap to see if he can devise a life and death intellectual challenge that the hero cannot solve and escape. However, unlike many of Batman's themed enemies, Riddler's compulsion is quite flexible, allowing him to commit any crime as long as he can describe it in a riddle or puzzle. He often has two female assistants, named Query and Echo. His name, Edward Nigma, is a pun on the word enigma, which means riddle or mystery (Edward Nigma: E. Nigma).
In his very first appearance, Nigma was depicted as an employee of a carnival who enjoyed cheating his customers out of their money with his bizarre puzzles and mindgames, most of which were rigged in his favor. He soon finds himself longing for greater challenges and thrills, and dons the guise of the Riddler to challenge Batman, whom he believes could possibly be a worthy adversary for him.
Some notable writers, such as Alex Ross and Shane McCarthy, have suggested that the Riddler's compulsion stems from parental abuse that he endured as a child. After scoring high on some important tests in school, his father, unable to grasp the fact that his son was brilliant, beat him out of envy. This, in theory, left him with a strong internal desire to tell the truth, and prove his innocence. This desire manifests itself in the form of his obsession with riddles.
Others, like Chuck Dixon, suggest that his madness, as well as his descent into crime in general, have roots in a yearning to rise above anonymity that he possessed as a youth. It is in Dixon's 1995 origin story for the Riddler that the famous 'puzzle contest' backstory is introduced. After a teacher announces that a contest over who can solve a puzzle the fastest will be held, a young Edward Nigma sets his sights on winning this, craving the glory and satisfaction that will come with the victory. He sneaks into the school one night, takes the puzzle out of the teacher's desk, and practices it until he is able to solve it in under a minute. As predicted, he wins the contest and is given a book about riddles as a prize. Through this book, he develops a deep fascination for brainteasers and conundrums. This may have been what fueled the fire for a few aspects of his modus operandi. After finishing school, Nigma spends a short period of time as a "productive member of society" before engaging in criminal activities. He starts off by indulging in several instances of minor and petty theft, but a longing for something bigger, and more theatrical soon surfaces.
After several failed attempts to put gangs together, Nigma, now calling himself the Riddler, encounters Batman on a rooftop during one of his robberies. Previously believing that the Dark Knight was nothing more than a mere myth, Nigma narrowly evades capture, and first encounters his future sidekicks, Query and Echo, shortly afterwards. He hires them right away, and together, the trio concoct a plan to rob one of Gotham City's biggest banks. Their next scheme centered around the "ransom" of a large number of priceless antique fiddles. During the exchange process, the owner of the fiddles turned out to be Batman in disguise. Query and Echo were apprehended immediately, and Batman tracked the Riddler down to an opera house and defeated him.
In Batman: The Long Halloween, the image of a smooth-talking egomaniac is thrown out in exchange for the embodiment of a minor supporting role, serving more as a source of information for Batman rather than an all-out serious threat. He first appears when Carmine "The Roman" Falcone hires him to figure out who the Holiday Killer is. Despite giving several reasonable theories as to who is behind the killer's identity, the Roman eventually loses his patience, and orders his daughter, Sophia, to force the Riddler to leave. Upon exiting Falcone's office, the Riddler is attacked, but for some reason left alive, by Holiday. The attack was planned to coincide with the holiday of April Fool's, and several items pertaining to it were left at the scene. He appeared again in the same chapter of the story that Harvey Dent gets disfigured in, when Batman comes to him for information about the attack.
He plays a slightly larger role in the story's sequel, Batman: Dark Victory, in which Batman turns to him to figure out the significance of the lost games of hangman that are left at the scenes of the Hangman killer's crimes. He later showed up as a member of Two-Face's jury during the Hangman's trial.
In the one-shot "Riddler and the Riddle Factory", the Riddler becomes the host of an underground gameshow that focuses on digging up dirt on celebrities. Many of the famous people that he humiliates end up committing suicide shortly afterwards, suggesting that perhaps the Riddler did more than just inspire their deaths. In the end, his actions turn out to be a front for his attempts to find the hidden treasures of "Scarface" Scarelli, a Gotham City gangster who lived long before Batman's reign of crimefighting.
In the three-part Legends of the Dark Knight storyline "The Primal Riddle", the Riddler engineers what could possibly be called one of his greatest deathtraps: Batman is thrown into a narrow pit that is slowly filling up with water. The walls are electrically wired, and a set of bumpers are the only thing that prevents the water from touching the walls and causing Batman to die by electrocution. The only options Batman appears to have are death by electrocution and death by drowning, but as always, Batman manages to tamper with the traps design and develop a route of escape.
Riddler had a working relationship with The Cluemaster, although he initially resented the villain for seemingly copying his modus operandi. In their first encounter, he set his fellow rogue up with a bomb and sent Batman off chasing riddles that would lead to its defusal, as well as away from his real plan: to steal a vast amount of priceless baseball merchandise. The two teamed up on a few occasions afterwards, and were working together on a big scheme shortly before Cluemaster's apparent death in the pages of The Suicide Squad.
He seems to be more rational and cautious than his fellow rogues. During the Batman crossover storyline No Man's Land, after Gotham City is ravaged by an earthquake and Arkham Asylum frees its inmates, Riddler elects to flee Gotham rather than stay behind in the lawless chaos that ensues.
It is during this period that he makes the poor choice of attacking Black Canary and Green Arrow in Star City, where he is easily defeated. This event helps lay the foundations for Riddler's future confrontations with Green Arrow (see below).
Hush
In the 12-part storyline Hush, it is revealed that Riddler suffers from cancer, which also afflicted Dr. Thomas Elliott's mother. Riddler uses one of Ra's Al Ghul's Lazarus Pits to rid himself of the disease, and offers Elliot the chance to cure his mother as well, provided he pays a large sum of money. However, Elliott is in fact eager for his mother to die in order to inherit her fortune. Elliott, who goes on to secretly become the masked criminal Hush, explains he wants to get revenge on his childhood friend Bruce Wayne. The two of them agree to work together and the Riddler sets Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Joker, Clayface and Scarecrow out to destroy Batman, with Ra's and Talia Al Ghul, Lady Shiva and Superman being temporarily drawn into the scheme as well.
During the psychotic break that follows exposure to the Lazarus Pit, Riddler deduces Batman's secret identity, and that the late Jason Todd was once Robin. He then tells Clayface to shapeshift into a replica of Jason in order to torment Batman, who is haunted by the former Robin's death. Batman first thinks that Riddler had stolen Jason's corpse and hid it outside of Gotham Cemetery, but it turns out that Jason is alive the whole time. When the Riddler threatens to expose Batman's secret identity, however, the Caped Crusader mockingly labels it an empty threat, pointing out that if Riddler revealed the answer to the riddle "who is Batman?", it would become worthless, something Riddler wouldn't be able to stand. In addition, Batman warns him that if he reveals the secret, it would give Ra's al Ghul a vital clue that he used a Lazarus Pit without his permission, and the League of Assassins would subsequently retaliate against him.
Aftermath
The fallout from Riddler's failed scheme is played out in Batman: Gotham Knights #50-53. In the story "Pushback," Hush reappears and beats Riddler senseless across a rooftop. Seeking refuge, Riddler goes to the Joker and the Penguin. He offers to tell the Joker who had killed his wife if the Clown Prince of Crime would protect him from Hush. The Joker agrees, but eventually Hush, with the help of Prometheus, defeats him, forcing the Riddler to flee for his life.
In Detective Comics #797-799, the Riddler faces a great humiliation at the hands of Poison Ivy. In this encounter, the Riddler seeks shelter from Ivy only to be humiliated. Riddler and Ivy then face off in a physical duel, which Ivy wins easily.
Riddler is stripped of his deductive powers and left to rot as a member of Gotham City's vast and invisible homeless population. A chance encounter with an ex-NSA codebreaker gives him a positive environment in which to recover his mind. During that stay, he experiences an induced flashback that leads him to realize that his father had abused him many years ago. Envious of his sons academic achievements in school, and unable to understand his brilliance, his father believed he had cheated in his accomplishments, and beat him out of jealousy. Once Riddler discovers this, he also realizes that his compulsion is born out of a strong desire to tell the truth to prove his innocence of deception.
Having made this connection, the Riddler spends some of his vast fortune, acquired over many years of crime, to get minor plastic surgery and extensive tattooing, covering most of his torso with his trademark question insignia. He returns and kills the codebreaker- who had pieced together his identity but couldn't act on it- then promptly steals a priceless scroll out from under Batman's nose. Since then, the Riddler has spent most of his time either legally amassing a huge fortune or attacking various heroes in order to prove his newfound power.
After orchestrating a brutal series of assaults on Green Arrow, as revenge against his defeat at his hands during the No Man's Land era, Riddler gravely injures and almost kills both Green Arrow and Arsenal. He once again escapes before the Outsiders arrive to save them. Sometime between this incident and the events of Hush, the Riddler was hired to steal artifacts imbued with mystical powers from one of Star City's museums, and then distract the authorities so that the related rituals could be commenced. He sends Team Arrow on a wild goose chase around the City, and then reveals that he has an atomic bomb housed in the stadium where the Star City Rockets play. However, as a side effect of the ritual performed with the artifacts, the city is plunged into complete darkness, and Green Arrow uses this to his advantage, moving in and apprehending the Riddler.
Riddler later shows up in Infinite Crisis #1, with a group of villains, which includes the Fisherman and Murmur, attacking the Gotham City Police Department. He is next seen escaping Arkham Asylum during the world-wide supervillain breakout engineered by the Secret Society of Super Villains in Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special #1, which takes place only days after the prior supernatural disaster. Riddler re-appears as part of the Society's "Phase Three" attack on Metropolis. He is defeated by the Shining Knight and is struck in the head by the Knight's mace.
Riddler Reformed
In Detective Comics #822, The Riddler returns, having spent much of the previous year in a coma due to the one-sided fight against the Knight. He has seemingly reformed, and is now a private consultant on the murder of a wealthy socialite. Hired by the socialite's father, he proves that a photo of Bruce Wayne apparently implicating him in the crime depicts an impostor, and briefly works with Batman to investigate the crime. As a result of his coma, The Riddler has apparently lost his compulsion for riddles, but retains both his intellect and his mammoth ego. Furthermore, he suffered severe memory loss; upon emerging from his coma, he barely remembers his own name. He does not appear to remember that Bruce Wayne and Batman are one and the same, though he does harbor some suspicions of once knowing something about Bruce Wayne.
In Detective Comics #828, Riddler is a guest along with Bruce Wayne on board a ship during a party. During the party, an old friend of Bruce's falls overboard and is mauled to death by sharks. The Riddler appears to solve the case with the suicide of the apparent murderer, and quickly takes the credit. However, Batman finds evidence that the suicide was a setup to divert attention away from the real killer. Bruce suspects foul play, and eventually tracks down the killer, whom Riddler is also close to catching before Nigma is bludgeoned over the head by a shark-tooth club. The killer pushes Batman out the window, and is about to drop him to his death, when Nigma wraps his tie around an arrow, lights it on fire, and shoots it into the killer's back. As the assailant rolls around screaming, Nigma taunts him, refusing to douse the flames. Batman extinguishes the flame, and responds to Nigma's assertion that they're now allies with hostile dismissal.
In Detective Comics #837 Riddler is hired by Bruce Wayne to track down an experimental drug developed by Wayne Enterprises currently being tested for muscle stamina and cellular regeneration which has been stolen by a lab assistant named Lisa Newman. He discovers that Newman is staying at the same Athenian Women's Help Shelter as Harley Quinn. With Harley's help he defeats Newman and returns the drug to Wayne Enterprises, earning Batman's trust for the time being.
In Countdown #42, Riddler claims to Mary Marvel that he has gone straight and is now a detective. The two join forces to defeat Clayface, and after witnessing Mary's new malicious approach to crime fighting, suggests that she consider finding a mentor to help her control her powers. Or at the very least get some anger management.
As of the 2008 miniseries Gotham Underground, Riddler has yet to return to his villainous ways, and is investigating The Penguin's involvement with the events of Salvation Run. He saves Dick Grayson, who was under cover during the Gotham Gang War between Penguin and Tobias Whale and deduces he is Nightwing but cannot uncover his secret identity. Recent solicitations for an upcoming issue of Detective Comics also mention Riddler will become involved in a murder investigation alongside both Batman and the Gotham City Police Department [1].
Powers and abilities
The Riddler has no superhuman abilities, but is a criminal strategist of great cunning. He isn’t much of a hand-to-hand opponent so he often employs guns as he is an accomplished marksman. He sometimes employs weaponry disguised as puzzles, such as jigsaw pieces that explode, or pistols shaped like question marks. The Riddler is usually accompanied by a number of thugs to provide muscle for his schemes.
He is shown to be skilled with engineering and technology, plaguing Batman and Robin with bizarre deathtraps that are often unique and elaborate in design. In his new occupation, he is shown to have supreme detective skills that may even rival those of the Dark Knight.
Alternate versions
As one of Batman's most famed and popular adversaries, the Riddler has been featured in several comics which are not part of the official DC continuity.
- In the Elseworlds mini-series Thrillkiller, Nygma is a psychiatrist who counsels Barbara Gordon. Doctor Edward Nygma, author of Riddle Me This — What do We Really Mean?, keeps Barbara dosed with increasing amounts of valium and encourages her to mix with people she actually loathes. Nygma wears a green suit and the cushions of his couch bear the pattern of the Riddler's outfit. Alfred, her butler, takes the drugs away from her at the request of her father Commissioner Gordon who regards Nygma as a quack.
- The Riddler has a heroic counterpart in the antimatter universe called the Quizmaster, who is a member of Lex Luthor's Justice Underground (that Earth's version of the Secret Society of Super Villains) which opposes the evil Crime Syndicate of Amerika. He first appeared in JLA Secret Files 2004 #1. Similarly, on Earth-3, the Riddler's heroic counterpart (simply Riddler) is married to Three-Face (Evelyn Dent) and is the stepfather to the Jokester's daughter, Duela Dent.
- The character was featured in several issues of Batman and Robin Adventures. In his first appearance, he holds an entire Christmas party hostage, convinced that Batman and Robin are amongst the crowd. This issue is also the debut of his two assistants, Query and Echo, in the DCAU continuity. In a later issue, he kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and threatens Gotham City with a deadly nerve gas. Since Batman and Robin fail to show up, Batgirl is forced to take on the Riddler alone and save her father.
- The Riddler was featured quite prominently in Batman: Gotham Adventures, a spin-off of the TNBA series.
- In the Batman Adventures series, The Riddler makes yet another attempt to go straight in issue #2. Issue #11 shows that while reformed, The Riddler struggles to avoid the temptation of crime as well as planting riddles. To remedy that, Batman recruits The Riddler to answer a great riddle: How did The Penguin succeed in becoming mayor of Gotham City? In the process, he is heavily injured in #12 by The Clock King. At the end of the issue, he ends up in a coma. The series was canceled before The Riddler's fate could be resolved. The story planned for the Riddler would have him emerging from his coma stricken with amnesia, allowing him to solve the greatest riddle, "Who Am I?"[2]
- An alternate version of the Riddler appears in the Emperor Joker storyline, in which is a member of the Joker's Justice League. After learning of the Joker's plans to destroy the Universe, he leads the League in an uprising against him. The Joker's vast and amazing powers cause the plan to fail, and the entire League is destroyed as a result.
- The Riddler also appeared thrice in Justice League, working alongside Parasite to battle Superman in various bombing conspiracies, most likely to be led by the coalition of The Riddler and Parasite.
Names and variations
Many adaptations of the Batman mythos have given the Riddler the real name Edward Nigma (or Nygma) or E. Nigma. Occasionally his full name has been given as Edward E. Nigma. Some have depicted this as a false name and his real name as Edward Nashton, who legally changed his name to Edward Nygma. Most recently, his origin in Countdown states that Nashton is his original name.
In the French and Quebecois translations of various Batman titles, his nom de plume has been translated to Le Sphinx referencing the riddle-posing monster of Greek mythology that Oedipus confronted. Sometimes, he's also known as L'Homme-Mystère, which means "the Mystery Man" in French.
In Germany, the villain has been called Mr. Sphinx, as well as Der Rätselknacker (the riddle cracker).
In early Polish editions of Batman comics Riddler was translated as Zagadka (The Riddle); in Batman Forever Riddler was known as Człowiek-Zagadka (Riddleman)
In Italy he is called Enigmista, the literal translation of "Riddler".
In Latin America, the Riddler is known as El Acertijo, which literally means "The Riddle". In Brazil, the character is named Charada, which also means "Riddle".
In Spain, the Riddler is known as Enigma.
In Denmark, the Riddler is known as Gækkeren, which, loosely translated, is a person, who plays tricks on others, though not necessarily through the use of riddles.
In Sweden, the Riddler has been known as Gåtan, which is Swedish for "the riddle", and sometimes Gåtmannen (=Riddleman).
In Russia, he is called Ребус (Russian for Rebus). In some translations, the Riddler is also called Человек-загадка (Chelovek-zagadka; literally, "the Mystery Man") or Человек-вопрос (Chelovek-vopros, "the Question Man").
In Finland, the Riddler is known as Arvuuttaja. (Translates directly to "Riddler" or "Puzzler.")
Other media
Television
Batman (TV series)
Frank Gorshin played the Riddler in the 1960s Batman television series and spin-off movie, with John Astin substituting once on the series. The popular television series was inspired by the first Silver Age appearance of the Riddler, with the premiere episode being an adaptation of this issue (Batman #171). Before the television series, the character was a minor villain with only three appearances in two decades, but the exposure of the series - especially with Gorshin's extremely popular interpretation - elevated the character in the comics to a major enemy. Riddler's real name was never mentioned in the TV show. Gorshin also portrayed the Riddler in Legends of the Superheroes in 1979.
The Batman/Superman Hour
The Riddler made his first appearance in animated form in the Filmation Batman installments first seen on CBS Saturday Morning in 1968 as part of The Batman/Superman Hour. While he didn't appear in The New Adventures of Batman episodes, he is shown briefly in the opening theme, wearing a red costume, rather than his traditional green. He is also referenced in one episode.
Super Friends
He later appeared in Hanna-Barbera's Challenge of the SuperFriends as a member of the Legion of Doom. Playing off the Gorshin model, this Riddler is a hyperactive lunatic whose contrived riddles baffle all but Batman and Robin. He was voiced by Michael Bell.
He made his only solo appearance in a Super Friends short episode, "Around The World In 80 Riddles", where he sprays Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin with a chemical to reduce their intelligence to that of two-year-olds.
DC animated universe
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In Batman: The Animated Series, John Glover voiced the Riddler. For this version, the producers decided to play against the popular Gorshin image of a giggling trickster and have the character as a smooth intellectual, who presented genuinely challenging puzzles. In this incarnation, Nygma is a game designer fired by a greedy executive name Daniel Mockridge for suing after not getting royalties for a game he created called "Riddle of the Minotaur." He seeks revenge as the Riddler by kidnapping Daniel and placing him in an elaborate maze deathtrap. As a testament to his ingenuity, the Riddler is one of the few villains in the animated series who emerges victorious in his first appearance; while he does not kill his victim, the Riddler escapes Batman and has the satisfaction that Daniel Mockridge now lives in fear of his return. As with the other versions, this Riddler has a fondness for elaborate deathtraps that Batman often escapes from by "cheating," or finding flaws in the trap's design and exploiting them; for instance, Batman deliberately went after the flying Hand of Fate device, hotwired it to his palmtop computer and flew towards the center of the maze. The Riddler then chastises that Batman is not allowed to tamper with the Hand of Fate, but Batman snorts he doesn't believe in fate.
In his second appearance on the show, he traps Commissioner Gordon inside a deadly virtual reality video game, which Batman is forced to enter in order to save him. While dodging the traps laid out in the construct and chasing clues, Batman discovers that he can change and mold his virtual body into forms that will better suit the tasks at hand, and he uses this newly-discovered ability to fool the Riddler into causing his program to overload. During the confusion, Batman escapes the construct with the Commissioner, and the Riddler's mind is briefly trapped inside the virtual reality device.
In the final episode the character appeared in, he has seemingly reformed, and a wealthy owner of a toy company hires him to produce a line of puzzles and games that are aimed at children. He deliberately hides clues in the company's advertisements that correspond to crimes that he will eventually commit. After a confrontation with Batman, the Riddler vows to rid himself of his enemy once and for all, and lures him into one last death trap. Batman manages to escape yet again, much to Nygma's chagrin. He is sent back to Arkham Asylum, smitten with rage. His only other appearance on the show was a small cameo in the episode "The Trial", but he has been referenced and alluded to in a few other episodes, as well.
The series' creators admit they didn't use him very much because his character often made story plots too long, too complex, or too bizarre.[citation needed] The writers described this problem with the Riddler in an article in Comics Scene #43, published by Starlog.[citation needed].
The Riddler is only seen briefly in The New Batman Adventures episodes: first in a dream sequence, then in a rather short appearance where he is robbing a bank. Despite his lack of appearances in the series, he was prominently featured in Batman: Gotham Adventures, its comic book continuation. He is featured in the episode, Judgement Day, where the Judge cuts the rope suspending a giant book in the air, sending it crushing down on the Riddler. Due to the previous nature of the Judge's attacks, this may have killed him.
He also appears in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Knight Time", where he is in league with Bane and the Mad Hatter. A Riddler Drone, along with Two Face and Killer Croc, fights Batman Beyond in the opening to "Terry's Friend Dates A Robot".
As part of the original 13 members of the Legion of Doom, the Riddler was originally slated to appear again in the DC Animated Universe in the third season of Justice League Unlimited, but apparently due to a "Bat-Embargo" enforced by Warner Bros., this did not occur.
The Batman
In 2005, a new Riddler debuted in The Batman animated series. In this version, the Riddler returns with a gothic look (much like Rozz Williams or Marilyn Manson) and is voiced by Robert Englund. He is also given a more detailed and sympathetic back story than previous incarnations.
In the fourth-season episode "Riddler's Revenge," he reveals that he was a scientist who, along with his beloved assistant Julie, developed a chip designed to augment the human brain, allowing those interfaced with it to achieve superhuman feats of memory and calculation. This device caught the eye of a predatory businessman named Chuck Gorman, who hounded him to sell the rights, but he refused. The device then horrifically malfunctioned on its first demonstration, a demonstration apparently orchestrated by the very businessman whom he had turned down. Blaming him for his disgrace, Nygma set out to destroy both him and everything he held dear. He rigged the businessman's house with a series of intricate traps, only passable by solving riddles. Batman managed to break the businessman out, much to Nygma's fury. It was only years later that both Nygma and Batman determined that it had been Julie, not the businessman who had sabotaged the chip; having realized, from her point of view, he was a lunatic, she took Nygma out of the way to have success herself, enjoying the fruits of his research until the truth was revealed and she was arrested along with Riddler. It was also revealed in this episode Nygma as a child was fascinated about puzzles, but his father didn't appreciate his interests, and preferred to keep him playing baseball and such.
In his first appearance, the Riddler plants riddle bombs across the city and sends Batman and Detective Ellen Yin to stop them from detonating. It all turns out to be a diversion (the bombs contain lime gelatin instead of explosives) so the Riddler can work on his real scheme: to hack into the computer database at Gotham City Hall (the location of the very first "bomb") and steal valuable information. After capturing Batman and Yin, he attempts to play a game of 20 questions to guess Batman's identity, while Batman is connected to a lie detector. If Batman lies, Yin receives a progressively stronger electric shock until the voltage becomes fatal. Riddler comes extremely close and fails when Yin uses the Riddler's ego to trick him into stepping in front of his electrocuting machine by claiming to know who Batman is. Riddler also appeared in the episode "Night and the City," in which he makes a deal with the Joker and the Penguin that whoever discovers Batman's identity will have control of the city.
Other appearances
The Tiny Toon Adventures short Bat's All Folks parodied the character as 'Question Mark'.
Riddler appeared in the Robot Chicken episode "Endless Breadsticks" voiced by Patrick Warburton. When he gives a riddle at the dinner table, his wife tells him "Just ask for the salt."
In the The Simpsons episode Revenge is a Dish Best Served Three Times, Ned Flanders appears as 'The Diddler'.
The Riddler appeared in the Question's Vertigo Comics series, being convinced to become a "big-time villain" by a prostitute met on a bus. He hijacked it and began asking riddles, killing and robbing anyone that got them wrong. The Question quickly subdues him by asking him philosophical riddles in return. He is outwitted and has a nervous breakdown before being set free as a reward for getting one last riddle right.
Recently the name "Edward Nashton" appears as a person writing to the Gotham Times as part the viral marketing campaign set up to promote the The Dark Knight. [1]
Movies
Batman (1966)
Frank Gorshin reprised his role as the Riddler in the 1966 film Batman, alongside three other villains from the TV series. As in the series, Gorshin's Riddler is calm and calculating at one moment, then wild and unstable the next. He compulsively sends Batman and Robin clues, which in the film leads to some minor tensions with his fellow criminals.
Batman Forever
While Tim Burton was slated to direct Batman Forever, his intention was to have Michael Keaton return as the title character, and use the Riddler (Edward Nygma) as the main villain, who would be portrayed as a menacing psychopath with a question mark shaved into his hair. Robin Williams was the first choice for the role, but he turned it down. Burton went on to cast Micky Dolenz, who screen tested for the role.[3] Dolenz's involvement ended once Joel Schumacher was hired to direct. Schumacher instead decided to bank on Jim Carrey for the role. Michael Jackson approached Schumacher about the role but Schumacher felt that there wasn't a place for Jackson in the film.[4] Carrey had stated that he was attracted to the "stalker" angle added to the character in the script. Nygma is shown to be obsessed with his idol Bruce Wayne, his turn to crime a result of Wayne's rejection of his mind-manipulation invention. Throughout the film, Nygma obsesses over Wayne, copying Wayne's appearance down to a facial mole, and he prevents Two-Face from killing him. This version of the Riddler employs a device called "the Box", disguised as a 3D imagery device for TVs, that extracts victims' thoughts and transmits them into the Riddler's head, making him smarter and contributing to his descent into madness. In the end, Batman damages the Box with a Batarang, and Riddler's intelligence (as well as his sanity) is lost. Throughout the film, he plants a series of riddles for Batman to find, which lead to the disclosure of his identity. At the end of the film, he is captured in Arkham Asylum and, in his madness, begins screaming that he is Batman.
In Batman & Robin, when Bane breaks into Arkham Asylum's storage room to get Mr. Freeze's cryogenic suit, both Two-Face and Riddler's costumes are visible in the foreground.
Nolan series
Director Christopher Nolan took the helm as director of the new Batman franchise with the 2005 film Batman Begins and the upcoming 2008 film The Dark Knight.
- David Tennant has expressed an interest in portraying the Riddler in a future Batman movie, as has Frasier star David Hyde-Pierce.
- In the viral marketing for The Dark Knight, Edward Nashton, one of the alias of The Riddler, is credited for writing an editorial in The Gotham Times Volume 2 which features an article about a Batman statue being added to the Wax Museum as well. Madame Soleil's Wax Museum was used in a 1966 episode of the Batman TV series, where the Riddler used a Batman statue to smuggle in a 'Universal Wax Solvent' from France, to be used later against Batman. Anthony Michael Hall was rumored for the role; however, it has been revealed that Hall is playing a reporter named Mike Engel.
- While doing press for The Dark Knight, Gary Oldman alluded that the Riddler would be the villain in the proposed third film.[5]
Justice League New Frontier
Riddler makes a cameo in Justice League: The New Frontier among some other Batman villians during the famous speech by John F. Kennedy.
Super Max
According to Latinoreview, the Riddler is one of the villains locked up in SuperMax.
Video games
The Riddler has also appeared in several video games based on Batman. He was a boss in Batman: The Animated Series, The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the SNES, The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega CD and various video game adaptations of Batman Forever. The SNES game had Riddler re-using the Riddle of the Minotaur Maze from "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?" (but this time with the Gordons as hostages) and the chess board from "What Is Reality?". In the Sega CD game, which had fully-animated cut scenes, John Glover reprised his role as the Riddler.
In the PC game Toxic Chill, Riddler teams up with Mr. Freeze, and leaves this riddle to Batman and Robin: "What gets hotter when it gets colder?" The majority of the game is spent gathering clues whilst battling Freeze, Riddler, and the Riddler's gang with help from Batgirl and Alfred. The answer turns out to be...Gotham City! It turns out that Freeze has been building a weather machine to cause a super-blizzard, and Riddler has been secretly been double-crossing him by dumping chemicals under the ground into lava tubes, shaping an enormous question mark upon spewing up from the ground, triggered by the cold winds. However, Batman and Robin manage to stop his chemicals from emptying into the bay. The Riddler then attempts to destroy a light house, finishing his symbol with a dot. Batman captures him and hauls him away to Arkham before he is able to do this final devious act. Nygma is forced to share a cell with Freeze, who presumably exacts revenge on Riddler for betraying and nearly killing him with the hot chemicals. The Riddler in here closely resembles the one in Batman: The Animated Series in the game, but his personality more closely resembles that of the version portrayed by Frank Gorshin.
He is mentioned by the JLA's Watchtower recorder in Justice League Heroes. The message, sent to Batman, is "Just now, a toy sells death".
He is also seen in a trailer for the upcoming Lego Batman: The Video Game
Action figures
Riddler has made several appearances as an action figure as part of Kenner's Batman: The Animated Series, Legends of Batman and Batman: Knight Force Ninjas lines, Mattel's The Batman line, and Art Asylum's minimates line. He has also been produced as a Heroclix. Five different Riddler figures were produced for the 1995 Batman Forever line, including one version that says phrases from the film.
The Riddler is one of the rarest of Kenner's Super Powers Collection line. He is a repainted Green Lantern figure that was only released in South America. He was also part of the line of action figures called the DC Comics SuperHeroes from Toy-Biz.
Three versions of the Riddler have appeared in the DC Direct line, two based on his first appearance and one based on his look in the Hush storyline. The Japanese toy company Yamato has also produced a figure of him.
Music
A song based on the character entitled The Riddler was performed by rapper, Method Man and was featured on the Batman Forever soundtrack.
Roller coasters
Riddler's Revenge, the world's second tallest and fastest stand-up roller coaster is themed after the Riddler. It is located in Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California.
See also
Notes and references
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External links
- DCDP: Riddler - DC Database Project
- Edward Nygma's Puzzle Web Site : puzzles, games and stories featuring the animated series Riddler.
- Riddler on DCComics.com
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