If U Fail the Rikabi the Riddler Event Can U Try Again

Comic book supervillain

Riddler
Textless comprehend of Batman (vol. ii) #23.ii: The Riddler (November 2013). Art by Guillem March.
Publication data
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #140 (Oct 1948)[1] [two]
Created by	Bill Finger Dick Sprang
In-story information
Change ego	Edward Nigma (later on Nygma or Nashton)
Team affiliations	Legion of Doom Secret Society of Super Villains Surreptitious Six Injustice League Suicide Squad
Notable aliases	Enigma Patrick Parker[ citation needed ]
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Criminal mastermind Skilled inventor, engineer, and escape creative person Utilizes complex riddles, puzzles, and lethal contraptions

The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma and Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published past DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in Detective Comics #140 in October 1948. He has become one of the near indelible enemies of the superhero Batman and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

In his comic book appearances, the Riddler is depicted as a criminal mastermind in Gotham City. He has an obsessive compulsion to incorporate riddles, puzzles, and expiry traps in his schemes to prove his intellectual superiority over Batman and the police. His real name–Edward Nigma–is a pun itself; an "enigma" is a person or thing that is difficult to understand. With this self-conscious use of an elaborate gimmick, the Riddler's crimes are often theatrical and ostentatious. The character commonly wears a domino mask and either a green unitard decorated with question mark prints or a green suit and bowler hat. A black, green, or majestic question mark serves every bit his visual motif.

The Riddler has been adjusted into numerous forms of media, having been portrayed in live action by Frank Gorshin and John Astin on the 1960s tv set series Batman, Jim Carrey in the 1995 movie Batman Forever, Cory Michael Smith on the 2014 Play a trick on series Gotham, and Paul Dano in the 2022 film The Batman. John Glover, Robert Englund, Wally Wingert, and others accept provided the grapheme's vocalization ranging from animation to video games.

Fictional character biography [edit]

Criminal career [edit]

The graphic symbol's origin story recounts Edward Nigma's fascination with puzzles from a young age.^{[3] [iv]} Later a teacher announces that a competition volition be held over who can solve a puzzle the fastest, Nigma sets his sights on winning this, peckish the glory and satisfaction that will come with the victory. He breaks into the schoolhouse at night to practice the puzzle until he is able to solve it in under a infinitesimal. Due to this he wins the competition and is given a book of riddles as a prize. His cheating rewarded, Edward embraced the mastery of puzzles of all kinds, somewhen becoming a funfair employee who excelled at cheating his customers out of their money with his bizarre puzzles and mind games. He shortly finds himself longing for greater challenges and thrills and dons the disguise of the "Riddler" to challenge Batman, assertive him to be a worthy adversary. In his beginning run into with the Dynamic Duo, Riddler first tried to confound the crime-fighters with his infamous double-entry Riddle Clues and then tried to impale them both in a booby-trapped drinking glass maze on a pier, sealing the door so they couldn't go out the structure earlier it exploded, merely for Batman and Robin to escape and the Riddler "vanishing" after getting knocked into the sea by the explosion, leaving only his trademark "?" floating in the h2o.

In Batman: The Long Halloween, the Riddler appears as an informant. The Riddler is hired past Cherry "The Roman" Falcone to tell him the identity of the Holiday killer. Falcone eventually loses his patience with Riddler and has his daughter throw him out on the 1st of April. Outside Falcone'due south he is confronted by the Holiday killer who fires several shots at him without harming him due to it beingness April Fool's, the killer also leaves several items pertaining to their identity at the scene. This may exist why Riddler was left live, as matters are traditionally reversed on the holiday. He appeared over again in the same chapter of the story in which Harvey Dent is disfigured when Batman comes to him for information about the attack. He plays a slightly larger role in the story's sequel Batman: Nighttime Victory, in which Batman turns to him to effigy out the significance of the lost games of hangman that are left at the scenes of the Hangman killer'south crimes. He later showed upwards every bit a member of Two-Face'south jury during the Hangman'southward trial.

In Catwoman: When in Rome, he joins Selina Kyle on a trip to Italia in search of his young man rogue'due south origins. It is there that he manipulates her into believing that some of Batman's most dangerous foes are after her. He has his henchmen use several gimmicks and weapons used past the Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze and the Joker to accomplish this. He hopes to extract Batman's real identity from her, just to his dismay, she really doesn't know or care. The Riddler appears in The Question serial, being convinced to become a "big-time villain" past a prostitute he meets on a motorbus. He hijacks the double-decker and begins asking riddles, killing and robbing anyone that gets them incorrect. Question speedily subdues him by request him philosophical riddles in render. He is outwitted and has a mental breakup earlier being set complimentary equally a advantage for getting one last riddle right.^[5] In the i-shot "Riddler: The Riddle Factory", the Riddler becomes the host of an underground game show that focuses on digging up dirt on celebrities. Many of the famous people that he humiliates end up committing suicide shortly afterward, suggesting that peradventure Riddler did more than simply inspire their deaths. In the terminate, his actions turn out to be a front end for his attempts to detect the hidden treasures of "Scarface" Scarpelli, a Gotham City gangster who lived long before Batman's reign of crimefighting.

In the three-function Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight storyline "The Primal Riddle", written by Steve Englehart, the Riddler engineers 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 fix of bumpers are the simply thing that prevents the water from touching the walls and causing Batman to die by electrocution. The simply options Batman appears to have are death by electrocution and decease by drowning, but as always, Batman manages to tamper with the trap'due south design and develop a route of escape.^[6] After Harley Quinn briefly breaks free of her devotion to the Joker, she attempts to hold up a large party at Wayne Manor, only to find that the Riddler is targeting the building as well. The two gangs appoint in a firefight, simply Harley gains the upper hand when Large Barda (who was secretly allied with her at the time) interrupts the conflict and captures the Riddler and his men. During the storyline, Riddler makes abiding allusions to a "mystery" that is hidden within the mansion, and subsequently his apprehension, impairment done to the edifice causes the entrance to the Batcave to open. Riddler sees this, and so declares that he has "solved the riddle of Wayne Manor".^[7] During this flow, he attacks Black Canary and Light-green Pointer in Star City, and he is hands defeated. This consequence helps lay the foundations for Riddler's future confrontations with Green Pointer.

During a crisis caused when Wonder Woman'south Lasso of Truth was broken, resulting in the laws of truth breaking down and causing reality to be shaped by the perceptions of individuals, ane of the symptoms was when Batman found himself unable to solve whatever of the Riddler's riddles but was nonetheless still able to defeat Riddler as Riddler himself could not solve the riddles either – most likely reflecting the public thought of Riddler's puzzles being insoluble – claiming that he managed to "improvise" to defeat Riddler. His depression reputation among heroes and villains was reflected when the Flash noted that Batman having trouble with Riddler was a clear sign that the world was ending.^[8]

Batman: Hush [edit]

In the 12-part storyline Batman: Hush, it is revealed that Riddler suffers from cancer (specifically a brain tumor), which as well afflicted the mother of Dr. Thomas Elliot. Riddler uses one of Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pits to cure himself and offers Elliot the take a chance to cure his mother too, provided he pays a large sum of money. Withal, Elliott is, in fact, eager for his female parent to die in order to inherit her fortune. Elliott, who goes on to secretly go the masked criminal Hush, explains he wants to get revenge on his childhood friend Bruce Wayne. The two of them concord to work together and Riddler sets Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Joker, Clayface and Scarecrow out to destroy Batman, with Ra's, Talia al Ghul, and Lady Shiva being temporarily drawn into the scheme as well.

During the psychotic break that follows exposure to the Lazarus Pit, the Riddler deduces Batman's secret identity; he and so reveals his knowledge to Hush. He has Clayface shapeshift into the form of Batman's presumed deceased protégé Jason Todd in society to torment Batman, who is haunted by the erstwhile Robin's expiry. Batman first thinks that Riddler had stolen Todd's corpse and hid it, simply information technology was revealed in a later storyline, Batman: Nether the Hood, that Todd was alive the whole time and had personally played a function in Riddler and Hush's scheme. When the Riddler threatens to betrayal Batman'south hush-hush identity, the Caped Crusader mockingly labels information technology an empty threat, pointing out that if Riddler revealed the answer to the riddle "who is Batman?", it would become worthless, something Riddler would not exist able to stand. In improver, Batman warns him that if he reveals the underground, 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 later on retaliate confronting him.^[nine]

Aftermath [edit]

The fallout from the Riddler'southward failed scheme is played out in Batman: Gotham Knights #fifty-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 pregnant married woman Jeannie if the Clown Prince of Law-breaking would protect him from Hush. Joker immediately agrees, but somewhen, Hush, with the aid of the impostor Prometheus, defeats him, forcing Riddler to flee for his life. In Detective Comics #797-799, the Riddler seeks shelter from Poisonous substance Ivy only to exist humiliated. Riddler and Poison Ivy then face off in a physical duel, which Ivy wins easily.

As revealed in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #185-189, the Riddler is stripped of his deductive powers and left to rot as a fellow member of Gotham City'south vast and invisible homeless population. A adventure encounter with an ex-NSA codebreaker gives him a positive surroundings 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 agone. Envious of his son's academic achievements in school, and unable to sympathise his brilliance, his male parent believed he had cheated on 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 evidence his innocence of deception. Having made this connection, the Riddler spends some of his vast fortunes, acquired over many years of crime, to get minor plastic surgery and extensive tattooing, covering most of his body with his trademark question insignia. He returns and kills the codebreaker – who had pieced together his identity but couldn't act on it – so promptly steals a priceless curl out from under Batman's nose. Since then, Riddler has spent virtually of his time either legally amassing a huge fortune or attacking diverse heroes in club to prove his new-found ability.

Afterwards orchestrating a brutal series of assaults on Dark-green Pointer, as revenge against his defeat at his hands during the "No Homo's Land" era, Riddler gravely injures and well-nigh kills both Green Arrow and Arsenal. He over again escapes before the Outsiders arrive to save them.^[ten] Sometime between this incident and the events of Hush, Riddler was hired to steal artifacts imbued with mystical powers from i of Star Metropolis's museums, and then distract the authorities so that the related rituals could exist commenced. He sends Squad Arrow on a wild goose hunt effectually the city and and so reveals that he has an atomic bomb housed in the stadium where the Star Metropolis Rockets play. Notwithstanding, equally a side effect of the ritual performed with the artifacts, the city is plunged into complete darkness, and Green Pointer uses this to his advantage, moving in and apprehending the Riddler.

Riddler later on shows upwardly in Infinite Crisis #1, with a group of villains, which includes the Fisherman and Murmur, attacking the Gotham City Police force Department. He is next seen escaping Arkham Asylum during the worldwide supervillain breakout engineered by the Secret Lodge of Super Villains in Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special #1, which takes place only days after the prior supernatural disaster. Riddler reappears as office of the Society'due south "Phase Three" assail on Metropolis. He is defeated by the Shining Knight and is struck in the caput by the Knight's mace.

Riddler reformed [edit]

In Detective Comics #822, the first of a series of issues written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini, the Riddler returns, having spent much of the previous twelvemonth in a blackout due to encephalon harm afterwards being struck in the caput by Shining Knight. When he awakes, he is cured of his insanity and of his obsession with riddles, while retaining both his genius intellect and his mammoth ego. He has seemingly reformed and becomes a private consultant who takes on the murder case of a wealthy socialite. Hired by the socialite'south father, he proves that a photograph of Bruce Wayne apparently implicating him in the crime depicts an impostor and briefly works with Batman to investigate the offense. He has suffered severe memory loss from the blackout, and he barely remembers his ain name. He does not appear to think that Wayne and Batman are ane and the same, although he does harbor some suspicions of one time knowing something amazing about Wayne.

In Detective Comics #828, the 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. Riddler appears to solve the case with the suicide of the credible murderer, and rapidly takes the credit. However, Batman finds prove that suicide was a setup to divert attending abroad from the existent killer. Bruce suspects foul play, and somewhen tracks downwardly the killer, whom Riddler is too close to catching before Nigma is bludgeoned over the head by a shark-tooth club. The killer pushes Batman out the window and is well-nigh to drop him to his expiry, when Nigma wraps his tie around an pointer, lights information technology on fire, and shoots it into the killer'southward back. As the assailant rolls around screaming, Nigma taunts him, refusing to douse the flames. Batman extinguishes the flame and responds to Nigma's exclamation that they are now allies with hostile dismissal. In Detective Comics #837, Riddler is hired by Bruce Wayne to track down an experimental drug developed past Wayne Enterprises, currently being tested for muscle stamina and cellular regeneration, which has been stolen by the lab banana Lisa Newman. He discovers that Newman is staying at the same Athenian Women's Help Shelter as Harley Quinn. With Harley's assist, 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 directly and is at present a detective. The two bring together forces to defeat Clayface, and afterward witnessing Mary'southward new malicious approach to criminal offence-fighting, suggests that she consider finding a mentor to help her control her powers or at the very least get some acrimony management counseling. Later on a serial killer surfaces on the streets of Gotham City, the Riddler homes in on closing the instance, just to detect that the killer is really one of his former victims out for revenge. The swain, whose girlfriend was defenseless in the crossfire of a gunfight betwixt Nigma'southward gang and security guards, captures Riddler and attempts to kill him, but Batman intervenes just in time and saves his one-time foe'south life. In the 2008 mini-serial Gotham Cloak-and-dagger, Riddler investigates the Penguin'south involvement with the events of Conservancy Run. He saves Dick Grayson working undercover during the Gotham Gang State of war between Penguin and Tobias Whale and deduces that Grayson is Nightwing. He appears in Battle for the Cowl: The Hole-and-corner, where he is hired past the Penguin to detect Blackness Mask. To that end, he tracks down Selina Kyle, meeting up with Harley Quinn and Toxicant Ivy in the procedure.

In the Gotham City Sirens storyline, Toxicant Ivy is controlling the Riddler, keeping him in a nigh vegetative state so she can motility into his business firm. When a villain named Boneblaster decides to brand a name for himself by killing Catwoman, the fight ends up there. The business firm is severely damaged, merely Riddler is freed from Ivy's control in the process. Seeing his house in shambles, he takes his question mark cane off the wall and begins to savagely beat the already downed Boneblaster.^[eleven] In the tertiary issue, Riddler attempts to solve a pair of unlikely suicides, the first being the second-all-time female tennis player in the world, the second an ace race machine driver. During his re-enactment of one of the deaths, he is visited past both Catwoman and Toxicant Ivy, seeking his help in locating Harley after her abduction. Due to the events of the showtime issue, and Harley's mental state, he quickly declines and brushes off Toxicant Ivy's threats.

In his efforts, he discovers that these deaths are in fact homicides orchestrated by a serial killer who leaves subtle clues to the next victim within the body and time of expiry of the electric current victim. While attempting to alert the media, he provokes Dick Grayson, who is now acting as Batman. Almost instantly, Riddler deduces that the Batman before him is a new 1. Additionally, Riddler reveals that the next victim will exist the sister of the second victim, a young romance writer, something that Dick needed Alfred Pennyworth and the Batcave computer to effigy out. In the cease, Dick goes off to confront the killer, while Riddler agrees to look after the intended victim. After a brief, merely an expected misunderstanding about Riddler's intentions with the young woman, Dick phones in to denote that he has apprehended and questioned non one, only iii killers about their intentions, only got no answers. Riddler almost leaves the woman to her life, when the lights go out unexpectedly. Riddler immediately concludes that Dick has non captured all of the killers, and pulls the adult female out of harm'southward way when a bomb goes off in forepart of her bookstore.

While Riddler and the writer hide as the smoke clears, three costumed assailants, enter the wreckage, looking for their victim to mark with their adjacent riddle. The ii men are led by a woman going by the moniker Conundrum, and their costumes sport black and green color schemes along with disturbingly familiar question marking emblazoned on their outfits. Every bit Riddler stealthily disposes of the 2 grunts with his cane, Conundrum takes the writer hostage at gunpoint. Riddler deduces that Conundrum and her men are all college students who specialize in police sciences. Due to his famous rehabilitation, Conundrum'south group decided to fill the void with their debut murders. Puzzler admits that Riddler was her idol and that information technology would be a shame to kill him.

At this point, Riddler announces that Batman is en route to their very location, something both Conundrum and the writer have difficulty believing. Riddler claims that since his reform, he and Batman have become close and that his pikestaff now has its own GPS that alerts Batman to his location whenever the question mark is twisted. Noting her disbelief, Riddler calmly asks Conundrum with a smirk, "Why is this man grin?". But equally the Riddler finishes his question, Dick shows up and knocks Conundrum out. Riddler then admits that he is completely baffled that Batman is indeed there since he was only stalling for time until he idea of something, leading him to wonder if there truly is a Bat-signal in his cane (a panel during Riddler'southward "bluff" shows that there is indeed a Bat-betoken in his cane, as a green question mark alongside a map shows up inside the Batmobile's window). After the ordeal is over, the young writer hugs Riddler, thanking him for saving her life. Afterward, she and Riddler get out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, under Dick'due south covert surveillance. Dick admits that Riddler is indeed on a path of recovery, but must still exist watched. Afterwards washing upwardly in the men's room, Riddler sees a gossip evidence on airtight-circuit television, showcasing a plainclothes Harley getting into a car with Hush disguised as Bruce Wayne. He and then calls Selina and tells her to plow on her television. Sometime after, Riddler arrives at his office to find his secretary jump and gagged at her desk, with Harley, Ivy, and Selina waiting in his office. The women tell him that they are existence framed for the murder of a young woman whose body was dropped into their pool, and they need his help to prove that they had no part in it. After examining the woman'due south body, he finds that the women were telling the truth, but to be attacked by Dr. Aesop.^[12]

Return to villainy [edit]

In Tony Daniel'southward "Life Later on Expiry", Riddler appears early on in the story at a gala party attended past Arkham, Dick Grayson, Huntress, and Oracle, hired by Penguin to find the Black Mask. As he chases Catgirl away from her robbery of the venue, the Riddler is rocked by a flop detonation, the trauma re-awakening his psychosis. Cackling, rambling and insane, he terminates his contract with Cobblepot and disappears. In "Riddle Me This", the Riddler withal "acts" every bit a individual eye and teams with Batman to solve the murders of a mysterious sorcerer named Sebastian Rothschild (aka Sebastian Blackspell). Blackspell is apprehended, just only later on Batman suspects Riddler went to keen lengths to orchestrate the ordeal, including poisoning himself with a almost lethal dose of Joker gas to skirt suspicion and act on a grudge between him and Blackspell.

Riddler'south return to villainy is cemented in "Eye of the Beholder". Investigating the Sensei'south attack on the Jade Society, Batman (Dick Grayson) is ambushed past Riddler and a young woman introduced as Enigma, Riddler's daughter. Riddler and Enigma escape, delivering the Jade Society member list to Gilda Dent. Riddler is paid but is more than interested in another reward, which Gilda promises after one more chore. This occurs in "Pieces", where Gilda reveals herself to her estranged husband Harvey, who is now the disfigured criminal Two-Face. She hires Riddler and Enigma to assistance 2-Face up best Mario Falcone and reclaim his coin. The plan works; Riddler and Enigma defeat Batman and reunite the Dents. The Riddler is rewarded with multiple dossiers of himself. When Enigma calls him a has-been, Riddler retorts with a new riddle: "What's green and majestic and bleeds profusely?". Enigma'due south response is cut short past her scream, implying that the Riddler has murdered his own girl.

The New 52 [edit]

In DC'south 2011 relaunch of all of its monthly titles, The New 52, Riddler appears as an inmate at Arkham Asylum in Batman #1. Redesigned in the style of the new titles, he sports a light-green mohawk in the shape of a question marker. Riddler appears in more traditional form in the short that concludes Batman #15 "And Here'southward the Kicker", the third function of "Death of the Family". After information technology is revealed that Joker has secretly hijacked Arkham Aviary, Riddler is depicted as a current inmate, calmly biding his time and taunting guards. Only when Joker appears and reveals his great respect for Riddler (as the villain whose unsafe intellect has kept Batman "precipitous"), he uses Joker-gas to force Riddler to prove he could accept escaped his cell anytime he wanted. To his chagrin, Riddler does and becomes quite alarmed when Joker shares a write-upwardly of his program to ambush Batman. Joker admits Riddler will have little role in his designs only should stick around for the "prove" anyhow.

The Riddler fabricated an appearance in Batman, vol. 2, #21, the opening volume of the "Zero Twelvemonth" arc, where his surname is changed from Edward Nigma to Nashton or Nygma. The Riddler later appears in both the second and third chapters of the "Zilch Twelvemonth" storyline. In the canon, the Riddler is Batman's first masked supervillain and is non just able to best Batman twice, merely also takes control of Gotham, causing it to become a flooded wasteland where only the intelligent are meant to survive. Although the Riddler continues to exist steps ahead of the Dark Knight, he is somewhen defeated by the combined efforts of Batman, Commissioner James Gordon and Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Play a joke on. He is afterwards moved to Arkham Asylum.^[xiii]

Riddler appeared one more time in New 52 in the last iii issues of Flash. Holding a presumed expressionless Heat Wave earnest, information technology is revealed that the Riddler designed a range of deadly drones effectually Key City, drones that he had out-sourced to the CCPD. Alongside the Trickster (whose arm Edward had placed a flop in), Riddler begins ruthlessly punching and chirapsia the Wink (Barry Allen) before the speedster is quickly rescued by the Pied Piper. Riddler then threatens to have his drones open up fire on the citizens of Central City once more than. However, he is eventually defeated and imprisoned by a uniformed endeavour between the Wink and the Rogues.^[14]

DC Rebirth [edit]

The Riddler makes his kickoff true appearance in the new DC continuity relaunch, DC Rebirth, in Batman #nineteen. An inmate of Arkham one time over again, he rather cooperatively assists Blight in unlocking a high tech door, allowing Bane access to confront Batman.^[15]

In the eight-part story arc "The War of Jokes and Riddles", commencing with Batman Vol. 3 #25, flashbacks to a year later on the events of "Zero Twelvemonth" take Batman recounting the details of a state of war betwixt Riddler and Joker. He is first seen in custody at the GCPD, assisting them in solving a variety of crimes, including locating Joker's whereabouts, before stabbing a police officer to death 26 times. Blackmailing the budgeted guards with details of their children and families, Riddler walks out freely before intruding into Joker'south function. Riddler seemingly offers the Joker a partnership, acknowledging that if either of the 2 men individually kills Batman, the other will be left forever unsatisfied. Nonetheless the Joker shoots Riddler in the stomach and chop-chop departs, Batman actualization through the window and giving chase. Left in a puddle of his own claret, Riddler rose to his anxiety and limped out of the part, seemingly unfazed.^[sixteen] Edward quickly healed from the wound, etching a question marked shaped scar over the wound, earlier murdering Dr. Jaime Knowles. Riddler is then seen meeting with Poison Ivy, discussing the Joker's need to rid anyone who could potentially kill Batman before him. The duo is so ambushed by gunmen working for Cerise Falcone under the orders of the Joker to kill Riddler inside the hour. However, Poison Ivy attacks the gunmen with her vines, assuasive Edward and herself to leave.^[17]

Riddler somewhen formed his team, consisting of himself, Toxicant Ivy, Scarecrow, Deathstroke, Clayface, Killer Croc, Two-Confront, Firefly, and Victor Zsasz.^[eighteen] Waging war on Joker's team across Gotham, Riddler is responsible for poisoning Charles Chocolate-brown'due south son, resulting in his transformation into Kite Man who joins upwardly with Joker's team consisting of Cluemaster, Deadshot, Mad Hatter, Man-Bat, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Solomon Grundy, and Ventriloquist.^[19] The war continues, with Riddler and Joker claiming territories across Gotham, earlier Riddler, who had convinced Batman to side with him during the conflict, blackmails and interrogates Kite Man into giving up Joker's location. Even so Batman, after a brief fight betwixt him, Riddler and Joker, becomes disgusted by Riddler's actions and quickly grabs a blade, breaking his one rule of no killing in order to stab Riddler. However, Joker, who finally begins to laugh again, prevents Batman from doing and then.

The present-day Riddler shows upwardly next as a member of the Lodge who have placed Deathstroke on trial for appearing to accept reformed. Riddler, using Hector Hammond's abilities, convinces the Society that Deathstroke is indeed evil by showcasing a simulation of Deathstroke killing them all right before Deathstroke himself is kidnapped.^[xx] In the Watchmen sequel Doomsday Clock, Riddler hosts an hush-hush meeting with the other villains to talk near the Superman Theory. The coming together is crashed by Comedian who shoots Riddler in the leg.^[21]

Characterization [edit]

Skills and abilities [edit]

The Riddler is a criminal genius capable of extraordinary lateral thinking in decoding and formulating puzzles of all kinds. Every bit a private detective during the time he was reformed, he demonstrated investigative skills that rival those of the Night Knight. However, Batman's observations annotation that "[Nigma] exhibits personality disorders consistent with a fanatic narcissist, egocentrism, and megalomania crossed with severe obsessive coercion".

Similar nearly of Batman's enemies (and Batman himself), the Riddler has no superhuman abilities only is a highly cunning criminal strategist. He is not peculiarly talented in fisticuffs (although his endurance has grown from having to engage in it over the years), but sometimes employs weaponry that exploits his gimmick, such as exploding jigsaw pieces, question-mark-shaped pistols, and his infamous question-mark staff, known to house a wide diversity of technological devices and weapons. He is shown to exist skilled with engineering and technology, having confronted Batman and Robin with unique and elaborate deathtraps. He is too well known for being Batman's well-nigh intelligent adversary, and with a flexible theme to his crimes compared to similar criminals: all the Riddler requires is to exist able to describe his threatened crime with a riddle or puzzle. Riddler once tried to commit crimes without leaving any clues using self hypnosis; however, he learned too late that while he was asleep his unconscious listen left riddling clues, causing Batman and Robin to capture him.^[22]

All the same, the threat that Riddler really poses is somewhat inconsistent beyond his various stories. His well-nigh formidable depictions emphasize his intelligence and cunning, portraying him as i of few rogues capable of seriously taxing Batman's mental prowess, while also willing to take the precaution of obtaining firearms to deal with the superhero. Some contempo depictions, however, take placed a derogatory focus on his flamboyant gimmickry, and (like nigh of Batman's enemies) relative lack of major victories, portraying him equally footling, overconfident, relatively harmless, and held in low esteem. The latter approach has proved polarizing, with some fans finding information technology wasteful in light of the graphic symbol'due south classic status and history of compelling stories, while others argue that most of his popularity has come from media other than his comic storylines and enjoy the notion of knowing that his "real" threat level is overrated. Since The New 52 reboot, Riddler has been consistently depicted as a serious threat, with notable successes.

Relationships [edit]

The Riddler has a working relationship with the Cluemaster, although he initially resents the villain for seemingly copying his modus operandi. In their start come across, he sets his young man rogue upward with a flop and sends Batman off chasing riddles that would lead to its defusing, as well as away from his real plan: to steal a vast amount of priceless baseball game trade.^[23] The two squad up on a few occasions later and piece of work together on a large scheme before long before Cluemaster'southward apparent death in the pages of The Suicide Squad.^[24]

DC Comics' 2022 Valentine'southward Day special, Strange Love Adventures #ane, introduced the people the main continuity Riddler has had a romantic interest in, including a man named Antoine Moray and the women Miss Grantham, Jasmin Shroff, and the villain The Quiz (Miyu Tangram), confirming that canonically he is bisexual.^[25]

Other versions [edit]

As i of Batman's most famed and popular adversaries, a number of alternate universes in DC Comics publications permit writers to introduce variations on the Riddler that are not part of the official DC continuity, variations in which the character's origins, behavior, and morality differ from the mainstream setting.

Joker [edit]

Edward as he appears in Joker.

A radically different interpretation of the Riddler is featured in Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo's Joker. In this version, he wears a solid green jacket with question marks on the very back of it and a circle of question mark tattoos around his abdomen. His cane serves the purpose of helping to prop him up, due to a disabled leg. In the story, he sells an unknown substance to the Joker, who identifies him equally "Edward".^[26]

Thrillkiller [edit]

In the Elseworlds miniseries Thrillkiller, Nygma is a psychiatrist who counsels Barbara Gordon. Doctor Edward Nygma, writer of Riddle Me This — What Do We Really Mean?, keeps Barbara dosed with increasing amounts of Valium and encourages her to mix with people that she actually loathes. Edward wears a greenish adapt and the cushions of his couch bear the design of the Riddler's outfit. Alfred, Barbara'southward butler, takes the drugs abroad from her at the request of her father Commissioner Gordon, who considers Edward to exist a quack.^[27]

Batman: Earth One [edit]

The Riddler appears in the graphic novel serial Batman: World One.^[28] This version of the graphic symbol is a nameless serial killer who puts people in life-threatening situations, all while questioning them in riddles, claiming that if they get it correct, he will spare them; in fact, this is all a ruse, as he kills them regardless of whether they answer the riddles he proposes or not. Even though he is not obsessed with finding answers to almost riddles, the Riddler does have an obsession with learning the Batman's identity, which he considers to be the "ultimate riddle".

In Book 2, vi months after the decease of Mayor Oswald Cobblepot, the Riddler goes on a killing spree in Gotham City, hoping to get Batman's attention. After a bombing, Batman chases the Riddler, only falls off a roof in the process of attempting to catch him. Though Batman finds the Riddler's sewer-based hideout, he fails to terminate him from bombing a rapid transit train. Using discovered clues, Batman deduces that these killings were not random; they were actually targeted, specifically that the Riddler is targeting the people who are trying to accept over the remains of Cobblepot'due south criminal network. Bruce is later accused of beingness the Riddler after the real Riddler frames him in an attempt to divert James Gordon's investigation, but Jessica Dent is able to provide Bruce an alibi and then he is not arrested. In the eye of a riot at the law precinct caused by the Riddler, Batman pursues the villain in a machine hunt and eventually subdues him with Waylon Jones' aid. The Riddler is subsequently arrested past the Gotham City Police Section and brought up on 43 charges of murder.^[29]

Batman/Guess Dredd: The Ultimate Riddle [edit]

In the Batman/Approximate Dredd crossover Batman/Judge Dredd: The Ultimate Riddle, the Riddler uses a reality-manipulating wand-like device he acquired during the Zero Hr crisis to pull Batman, Dredd, and six alien warriors together, intending to pit Batman against the other warriors and get him killed. Notwithstanding, Batman and Dredd are able to work together to overcome their opponents, culminating in Dredd shooting Riddler in the shoulder and Batman claiming the device, subsequently using it to render the survivors dwelling.^[30]

Justice [edit]

The Riddler's appearance in Alex Ross' 12 issue series Justice suggests a new motivation, that, as a child, he had been beaten past his father whenever he told a lie, to the extent that he was now psychologically incapable of telling a lie. His riddles are his method of subverting his condition and then that he is notwithstanding technically telling the truth, but always in as ambiguous a manner equally possible.^[31]

Antimatter Universe [edit]

The Riddler has a heroic counterpart in the antimatter universe called the Quizmaster, who is a fellow member of Lex Luthor's Justice Clandestine (that Earth's version of the Injustice Gang) which opposes the evil Law-breaking Syndicate of Amerika. He first appeared in JLA Secret Files 2004 #i. He later has the right half of his face burned past Ultraman, leading him to don a half-face and temporarily have on the name "Enigma". He final appeared in the Trinity series. Equally the New Earth Riddler slowly became a lighter, less criminal figure, Enigma became a darker figure in this series, attempting to bring together forces with Despero and Morgaine le Fay to perform a ritual that volition allow them to 'supplant' the Trinity of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman and gain the ability to manipulate the multiverse. In the course of the serial, it is revealed that Enigma seeks this power to salve his girl after she was mortally injured, simply the ritual fails when Despero is replaced past 1 of his henchmen in an attempted coup, creating an imbalance that destabilizes reality until Trinity's allies can regain enough of their own memories to aid their loved ones come dorsum to themselves. Similarly, on Earth-3, the Riddler'due south heroic counterpart (simply Riddler) is married to 3-Face (Evelyn Dent) and is the stepfather to the Jokester'due south daughter Duela Dent.^[32]

Emperor Joker [edit]

In the "Emperor Joker" storyline, the all-powerful Joker creates an alternating Riddler, known every bit "Enigma", to exist a member of the Joker's League of Chaos along with alternating versions of Toxicant Ivy and Bizarro. Afterward learning of the Joker's plans to destroy the universe, he leads the League in an uprising against him. The Joker's vast and astonishing powers crusade the program to fail, and the entire League is destroyed as a event.^[33]

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again [edit]

The Riddler can be heard maxim "ruh-riddle me this" in Batman: The Nighttime Knight Strikes Again.^[34]

Kingdom Come up [edit]

The Riddler appears in the miniseries Kingdom Come, having been invited to a coming together of the Flesh Liberation Forepart past Lex Luthor. In this alternate future, the Riddler has become an old, baldheaded man wearing glasses with question marking-shaped rims. He still indulges in his habitual riddling, asking "Who is the Riddler?" when Luthor referred to him by his real proper noun. He appears to have been invited to the coming together only upon the insistence of Selina Kyle, equally Luthor does not appear enthused by his presence.^[35]

Batman: Crimson Mist [edit]

In the third upshot of the Batman vampire serial Batman: Crimson Mist, the Riddler appears in a morgue where he shoots the mortician who was about to start an autopsy on a corpse where the Riddler had stored a big number of drugs. The Riddler in that appearance has a big question mark-shaped scar on his face up and another one on his chest with his navel existence the dot. While shooting he cites what would be his final riddle: "When Genius becomes dope plus 'Due east' how does she redeem herself? Answer: By turning 'Heroine' which minus the E is 'Heroin', lots of information technology and redeemable for lots of cash," at which vampire Batman appears and scolds the Riddler for graduating from robbery and extortion to drug trafficking and murder. In a panic, the Riddler begins to burn down at Batman only to find that his bullets take no outcome on him. Stunned, the Riddler asks Batman what he is, to which Batman replies: "The answer to life'southward every riddle: death and hungry darkness." With that, Batman proceeds to bleed the Riddler of his blood.^[36]

The Batman Adventures [edit]

In The Batman Adventures #two, the Riddler makes yet another try to become straight.^[37] While reformed in issue #11, the Riddler struggles to avoid the temptation of crime every bit well equally planting riddles. To remedy that, Batman recruits the Riddler to answer a not bad riddle: "How did the Penguin succeed in condign mayor of Gotham City?".^[38] In the procedure, he is heavily injured by the Clock King, which ends upward with him in a coma in issue #12.^[39] The series was canceled earlier the Riddler's fate could be resolved. The story planned for the Riddler would have him emerging from his blackout stricken with amnesia, allowing him to solve the greatest riddle: "Who Am I?".^[xl]

The character was featured in several issues of The Batman and Robin Adventures. In his starting time advent, he holds an entire Christmas party hostage, convinced that Batman and Robin are among the crowd. This issue is as well the debut of his two administration, Query and Echo, in the DCAU continuity. In a later consequence, he kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and threatens Gotham Urban center with mortiferous nerve gas. Since Batman and Robin fail to show up, Batgirl is forced to have on the Riddler alone and salvage her begetter.

The Riddler is featured prominently in Batman: Gotham Adventures, a spin-off of Batman: The Animated Series.

Injustice: Gods Among Usa [edit]

In Injustice: Gods Among Us's prequel comic, when the Justice League come to remove the patients of Arkham, only to be resisted by Batman and Nightwing, the Riddler watches the argument between the heroes in silence. He was about to make a riddle merely Cyborg orders him to be silent. Cyborg next plans to remove him but is stopped by Batman when he activates a virus he had uploaded into Cyborg years ago.^[41] Riddler is freed by Harley Quinn alongside all the other inmates to attack the heroes. The Riddler is seen about to crush Batman's head with a large rock just hesitates as he tries to recall of a riddle to say earlier committing the act, allowing the Green Arrow to knock him out with a boxing glove arrow, before being browbeaten down by Robin.^[42]

Teen Titans Go! [edit]

In the tie-in comic to the Teen Titans animated series Teen Titans Become!, i issue focused on a villain named "Kwiz Kid", whose plan was to stump Robin with riddles in an attempt to become a date with Killer Moth'south girl, Kitten. Kwiz Kid is possibly a younger version of the Riddler as he bears a number of similarities to the Riddler in both style and physicality, even downward to wearing a green accommodate with a question mark as his symbol.^[43]

Batman: White Knight [edit]

The Riddler made a minor advent in the 2017 series Batman: White Knight. Riddler, along with several other Batman villains, is tricked by Jack Napier (who in this reality was a Joker who had been force-fed an overdose of pills by Batman, which temporarily cured him of his insanity) into drinking liquids that had been laced with particles from Clayface'southward torso. This was done so that Napier, who was using Mad Hatter's engineering to command Clayface, could control them by way of Clayface'southward power to control parts of his body that had been separated from him. Riddler and the other villains are then used to attack a library that Napier himself was instrumental in building in one of Gotham City's poorer districts. Later on in the story, the control lid is stolen past the Neo-Joker (the second Harley Quinn, who felt that Jack Napier was a pathetic aberration, while the Joker was the true, beautiful personality), in an try to get Napier into releasing the Joker persona. Riddler also appears in the sequel storyline Batman: Curse of the White Knight, being among the villains murdered past Azrael.

In other media [edit]

Meet also [edit]

• List of Batman Family adversaries
• Enigma (DC Comics)

References [edit]

1. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 299. ISBN0-8160-1356-X.
2. ^ Fleisher, Michael Fifty. (1976). The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Book 1: Batman. Macmillan Publishing Co. pp. 315–317. ISBN0-02-538700-half dozen . Retrieved 29 March 2020.
3. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Yr By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 55. ISBN978-1-4654-8578-6.
4. ^ Riddler is number 59 Archived 2009-05-11 at the Wayback Machine, IGN.
5. ^ The Question #26
6. ^ Legends of the Nighttime Knight #109-#111
7. ^ Harley Quinn #6-#vii
8. ^ JLA #64 (May 2002)
9. ^ Batman #619
10. ^ Green Pointer #50 (July 2005)
11. ^ Gotham Urban center Sirens #one (June 2009)
12. ^ Gotham City Sirens #9 (Feb 2010)
13. ^ Rogers, Vaneta (July 17, 2014). "SCOTT SNYDER Reflects on ZERO Twelvemonth Finale & Its Spiritual Cousin GOTHAM". Newsarama. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016.
14. ^ Flash #l, #51, #51. 25/v/2016
15. ^ Batman #19 three/15/2016
16. ^ "DC Comics Rebirth Spoilers & Review: Batman #25 Teases Total War of Jokes & Riddles in ane Page & Reveals Why the Joker & the Riddler Are at State of war! Plus More Batman & Catwoman Honey!". Inside Pulse.
17. ^ Batman Vol. 3 #26 (07/05/17)
18. ^ Batman Vol. 3 #28 (8/two/2017)
19. ^ Batman Vol. 3 #27 (7/19/2017)
20. ^ Deathstroke #25. DC Comics.
21. ^ Doomsday Clock #6 (July 2018). DC Comics.
22. ^ ''Batman'' #179, March 1966
23. ^ Detective Comics #705-#707
24. ^ Detective Comics #810
25. ^ Ram Five on Twitter: "From his POV, yeah."
26. ^ Joker
27. ^ Batman: Thrillkiller # 1-iii
28. ^ Batman: Earth I Vol. 1 (July 2012)
29. ^ Batman: Earth I Vol. 2 (May 2015)
30. ^ Batman/Judge Dredd: The Ultimate Riddle
31. ^ Justice #5
32. ^ JLA Clandestine Files 2004 #1
33. ^ Emperor Joker #ane
34. ^ Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again #ane-three
35. ^ Kingdom Come #2
36. ^ Batman: Crimson Mist
37. ^ The Batman Adventures #2
38. ^ The Batman Adventures #11
39. ^ The Batman Adventures #12
40. ^ "Batman Adventures: Tribute - The Comic - Ty Templeton". Worldsfinestonline.com. Retrieved Dec 25, 2010.
41. ^ Injustice: Gods Among Us #xv
42. ^ Injustice: Gods Among Us #16
43. ^ Teen Titans Go! #15

External links [edit]

• Riddler at DC Comics' official website
• Riddler on DC Database, a DC Comics wiki
• Edward Nygma's Puzzle Web Site : puzzles, games and stories featuring the animated series Riddler.

cablefornabdis.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riddler

Share this post