Riddler

The Riddler is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang , he first appeared in Detective Comics #140 (1948).

Known for his green, question mark-covered costume (either as a skintight catsuit or a business suit and derby hat), the Riddler is obsessed with riddles, puzzles, and word games. He delights in planning crimes and forewarning police and Batman of his capers by sending them often complex riddles.

Like most Batman villains, the Riddler has become darker in recent years. Whereas he was once portrayed as a playful trickster, he is now the victim of an intense obsessive compulsion.

The Riddler was popularized by Frank Gorshin’s over-the-top portrayal of him in the 1960s Batman television series. Comedian Jim Carrey played him in 1995’s Batman Forever.

Full history and analysis

The Riddler discovered how fun and challenging puzzles were when he was a young boy (he cheated on a puzzle in school to win a prize), and he gradually turned to crime as he matured.

The Riddler, unlike many of the other members of Batman's rogues gallery, is more of a cerebral than physical villain. Although he is quite suited for physical combat and often has weapons ready for use, he has probably always been among the least homicidal of the major Bat nemeses; indeed, one story showed him lamenting the rise of murderous villains.

His riddles are in fact a bizarre obsessive compulsion; his attempts to stop himself from sending them have met with failure. This extends to the fact he cannot simply kill his opponents when he has the upper hand, but put them in a deathtrap to see if he can devise a life and death intellectual challenge that the hero cannot escape. However, 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 that help him, usually named as Quiz and Query.

The Riddler is one of the few rogues that has deduced the true identity of the Batman. However, there is no major concern that the Riddler will leak the information, as Batman explains "What good is a riddle which everyone knows the answer to?", playing with the Riddler's obsession with riddles and the greatest riddle of all: "Who is Batman?". The Riddler however, managed to have the last laugh; he alone knows the whereabouts of the body of Jason Todd (the second Robin) and continues to taunt the Dark Knight. How Todd's body fits into the Riddler's plans is still a riddle the Batman has yet to solve.

Real names

Many adaptations of the Batman mythos have give the Riddler the real name Edward Nigma 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.

In Canadian translation of various Batman comic books, his nom de plume is "Le Sphinx" (as in the riddle-posing monster of Greek mythology that Oedipus confronted), because the French language is spoken in some areas.

In other media

• In the 1960s Batman television series and spin-off movie, the Riddler was played by Frank Gorshin and John Astin. Before the television series, the character was a minor villain, but the exposure of the series, especially with the manic portrayal by Gorshin, elevated the character in the comics to a major enemy.
• In Batman: The Animated Series, the Riddler was voiced by John Glover. For this version, the producers decided to play against the popular Gorshin image of a cackling trickster and have the character as a smooth intellectual who presented genuinely challenging puzzles.
• Jim Carrey portrayed the Riddler in the movie Batman Forever with Gorshin as his primary influence.
• In 2005, a new Riddler debuted in The Batman animated series. In this version, the Riddler has a very Gothic look, apparently inspired by Marilyn Manson, and is voiced by Robert Englund (best known for his role as a supernatural serial killer in A Nightmare On Elm Street).