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Who is the Riddler? The Batman villain's comic book history explained - toddrievens

Who is the Riddler? The Batman villain's comic record history explained

The Riddler in comics and movies
(Image credit: George Marston)

"Riddle me this, Batman!"

The Riddler is unmatchable of Batman's most iconic foes, to the bespeak where his catchphrase has become a pop finish touchstone all its own (Key & Peele's hilarious 'Batmans' sketch being a primary example). That popularity goes all the elbow room back to the '60s Batman TV express, in which Frank Gorshin played the Riddler with manic glee as one of the Caped Crusader's main recurring enemies.

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Merely Riddler's mirthful book history goes rearmost fifty-fifty farther, to 1948's Tec Comics #140, and his backstory and place in Batman lore aren't quite what you might expect from his pop culture portrayals.

And with The Batman soon presenting a new movie version of the character with a markedly several visual aspect and attitude than the brainish menace of the Silver Eld, it's high clip we dug into the comic volume past of the Riddler to solve the mystery of the man known as 'Edward Nygma.'

So put one acros your thinking caps and aim ready to puzzle over the comic book history of the Riddler, and what it could mean for Paul Dano's portrayal of the character in The Batman.

Who is The Riddler?

The Riddler

(Image credit: DC)

Asking 'Who is the Riddler?' seems a bit funny, given the character's gizmo and reputation, just the resolution is slightly harder to come away than one power expect. As with many DC characters, at that place have been multiple iterations of the Riddler over his just about 75 years in the District of Columbia Creation, with the character varying within reason in from each one of the publisher's ordered continuity reboots.

At the same time, there are just about constants throughout the Riddler's history that define him As a character, even when his appearance operating theater personality undergoes slender shifts thanks to continuity changes.

Since his earliest Golden Maturat years, the Riddler has almost literally tatterdemalion his gimmick right along his question mark-bedecked sleeve, with the fairly straightforward concept that helium's a criminal organize who is obsessed with outsmarting Batman, the world's greatest detective, while also obsessionally going him increasingly hard to solve riddles that offer clues to his next crime.

All the way through the Metallic Age (the comic book geological era usually thoughtful as lasting from the late '50s to the early '70s) when Riddler leapt into pop music culture stardom thanks to the Batman TV show, he was unrivaled of Batman's biggest recurring adversaries - though his crimes and schemes, as with most villains of the era, were far more whimsical and madcap than in reality cryptic or minatory.

In those days, Riddler's real name was Edward E. Nigma (the pun should exist obvious), and his origin was a somewhat contrived story settled around a childhood fixation with winning a contest to solve a difficult riddle for a prize - which grew into an obsession with outsmarting people through riddles.

(Image credit: Direct current)

Later, succeeding the '80s consequence Crisis on Infinite Earths, which rebooted and relaunched DC persistence, Riddler's history was changed somewhat. In the new continuity, Riddler's very name was Edward Nashton, with Edward Nygma being a pseudonym, and his obsession with riddles comes from an obsessive pauperization to tell the truth which he developed during his abusive childhood, in which his parents constantly accused him of lying and unsportsmanlike.

This created a twofold pathology for Riddler in which he mat up compelled to confide crimes and engage in acts of deception, patc also finding ways to blot out the Sojourner Truth of his crimes behind the facing of riddles (trust us, you North Korean won't come up this singular condition in the DMC5 rating).

In afterward reboots, this lineage is largely maintained, though again his real name is somewhat castrated, back to Edward Nygma (or s stories imply that this is still a pseudonym, and atomic number 2's also put-upon the nickname 'Eddie Nash,' a derivative of Edward Nashton, his post-Crisis key).

The most late version of Riddler's villainous bloodline, grooved in the 'New 52' earned run average, adds a new twist, somewhat derived from Jim Carrey's '90s motion picture version of the Riddler from Batman Forever, with Edward Nygma instantly coming into difference of opinion with Batman not simply due to his ain desire to outsmart the Caped Crusader, simply as region of his caper at Wayne Enterprises where he worked as a 'strategist' for Bruce Anthony Wayne's uncle Philip Kane, the company's CEO at the time.

When Nygma uses Wayne Enterprises resources to try and assassinate Bruce Wayne, his failed plot exposes him as a criminal, and helium enacts his subdue plan to take over Gotham.

This scheme, told in the history Batman: Zero Year by Dred Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, involves Nygma using his riddles and a host of advanced tech to grasp the whole city of Gotham hostage, leading Bruce Wayne to develop and codify the character and methods of being Batman, positioning Riddler As one of Batman's earliest and nigh mephistophelian villains in the up-to-date version of his continuity.

The Riddler in the DC Universe

The Riddler

(Visualise credit entry: DC)

In the eld since his origin and identity were ab initio rewritten back in the situatio-'Crisis' era, Riddler has developed from a gimmicky A-one shepherd's crook into a dastardly, and even deadly outlaw originator.

In his post-'Crisis' incarnation, Riddler started verboten American Samoa an enigmatic criminal informant to the mob, American Samoa shown in stories much as Batman: The Long Halloween and Catwoman: When In Rome, which showcased Riddler's early years as a burgeoning costumed malefactor.

But Riddler's greatest moment in this era came in the 2002-03 story Batman: Hush, in which Riddler, having uncovered David Bruce Wayne's identity, chooses to enjoyment his noesis to team up with Tommy Elliot, ane of Bruce's childhood rivals, who blames Bruce's parents for foiling his attempt to murder his parents for their insurance money.

Batman: Hush roped in nearly all of Batman's major villains thanks to Riddler's machinations, with Riddler finally revealing to Batman that he knows his secret identity element - only prizes the secret farthest more than any satisfaction he'd get from telltale it - and sets Batman on the path to discovering that his long standing former sidekick Jason Todd had secretly been resurrected.

(Icon citation: DC)

In the years after Batman: Hush, only in front 2011's 'Novel 52' rewrote DC continuity again, Riddler attempted to reform somewhat as a semiprivate investigator using his own skills of detection and lateral thinking, which equal those of even Batman. However, equally is usually the casing for common people like the Riddler, he eventually returned to villainy.

When the DC Universe was rebooted again with the 'Untested 52,' Riddler was also given a fresh start, leading to the previously detailed Batman: Null Twelvemonth storyline, which updated Batman's earlier adventures for the new continuity.

That's the version of Riddler that has stuck around since, with the subsequent 'Rebirth' era of DC following up Zero Year with the story Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles, in which Riddler engages in a gang war with the Joker (as implied by the rubric, by nature).

He's since appeared A a regular part of Batman's cast of villains, even playing a role in the DC Universe/Watchmen crossing Doomsday Clock.

The Riddler in movies and TV

Paul Dano as The Riddler

(Image credit: DC)

Like we said, most everyone knows Frank Gorshin's iconic TV personation of the Riddler from the '60s Batman TV show and its accompanying movie, even if just for the visual of his green, question-marked suits. And if not from the '60s Batman show, many fans beyond question know Riddler from his cold, calculating portrayal atomic number 3 a knowledge base genius with a penchant for death traps in Batman: The Animated Series.

Riddler has likewise appeared in all but all other Batman cartoon adaptation, with the early '00s show The Batman (no relation to the movie) putting forth a particularly distinct version of Riddler every bit a young computer hacker with a totally different feel. And he was brought to television in live-action again A a core recurring villain connected the Batman prequel show Gotham, played aside Corey Michael Smith.

But when it comes to progressive movies, there's actually only one edition of the character - Jim Carrey's weird and wacky version from Batman Forever, in which Edward III Nygma is a jilted Duke Wayne Enterprises employee World Health Organization uses his essential reality technology and obsession with riddles to menace Batman and his new sidekick American robin, absorbing altogether the knowledge and secrets of Gotham City through unknown devices sold to consumers as VR enhancements for their TVs.

Carrey's Riddler is far closer to Gorshin's cackling, corny TV version than any laughable book incarnation, with a bizarre, performative humour and a closet full of glam-rock panach, question mark-themed beaded jumpsuits.

(Image course credit: Warner Bros.)

Information technology's maybe not a mystery and so why the upcoming film The Batman will take a decidedly different come near to the Riddler with Paul Dano's delineation, who doesn't wear a business courting or leotards like his comic book and motion picture predecessors, but a creepy honey oil coverall decked prohibited with a single, strange interrogation point symbol - reminiscent of attestant accounts of the still-unidentified real-world serial murderer known as the Zodiac.

Alike, trailers for The Batman seem to show Riddler as a deadly genius who ropes Batman into his schemes through a series of murders, before apparently launch a Gotham-wide plan of destruction and mayhem - not unlike his arc in Batman: Cipher Year.

The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Zoƫ Kravitz as Catwoman, Colin Farrell every bit Penguin, and many more new incarnations of standard Gotham City characters, is due come out in theaters in March - so we'll have to wait until then to see exactly how the new movie Riddler volition line rising with the character's portrayal in laughable books.

Until then, fans wish keep champing at the bit to start resolution all the puzzles left bottom by the unaccustomed celluloid version of the Riddler, one of Batman's most enduring and beloved villains, who lovers of the Caped Crusader possess been clamoring to see return to the big screen for years.

The Riddler is high on the listing of the trump Batman villains ever.

I've been Newsarama's resident Wonder Comics practiced and pandemic comic book historiographer since 2011. I've also been the on-the-spot reporter at most major comical conventions such as Comedian-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Flimflam, and C2E2. Outdoor of humourous news media, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many an heavy riffs. (They/Them)

Source: https://www.gamesradar.com/riddler-batman/

Posted by: toddrievens.blogspot.com

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