Riddler
From Free net encyclopedia
The Riddler, real name Edward Nigma, is a DC Comics supervillain and 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 bowler hat), the Riddler is obsessed with riddles, puzzles, and word games. He delights in forewarning police and Batman of his capers by sending them often complex riddles. Sometimes he is shown to drive a "Riddlermobile," a green car with "???" on the license plate. In the animated series, he carries a trick cane.
Portrayals of the Riddler have become darker in recent years. Whereas he was once portrayed as a playful trickster, he is now the victim of an intense obsessive compulsion. This was perhaps best shown in a 1999 issue of Gotham Adventures, in which he tried to refrain from leaving a riddle, but failed: "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.
Contents |
Full History and Analysis
Edward Nigma discovered puzzles when he was a young boy, and he gradually turned to crime as he matured. Issue #2 of Justice by Alex Ross suggests that his father physically abused him, which left him with a compulsion to tell the truth, materializing through the telling of riddles; as well as a desire to prove his superiority by outwitting everyone around him.
The Riddler, unlike many of the other members of Batman's rogues gallery, is much more of a cerebral than physical threat. Although he is capable at physical combat and often has weapons ready, he has historically been among the least homicidal of the Caped Crusader's foes; indeed, one story (Secret Origins Special) showed him lamenting the rise of murderous villains ("What's happened to us? the Joker's killing people, for Christ's sake!").
His riddles are in fact a bizarre obsessive compulsion; his attempts to stop himself from sending them have met with failure. He cannot simply kill his opponents when he has the upper hand, but has to put them in a deathtrap to see if he can devise a life and death intellectual challenge that the hero cannot 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 who help him, usually named a combination of Quiz, Query or Echo.
The Riddler is one of the few of Batman’s enemies to have deduced the hero’s secret identity. After using one of Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pits to cure a fatal brain tumor, he was able to use the "clarity" it gave him to work out that Batman was Bruce Wayne. However, there is no major concern that the Riddler will leak the information, as the Batman explains "What good is a riddle which everyone knows the answer to?"
After the Riddler discovered that, he believed that his life would become much simpler; instead, it got much worse. Having irritated the newcomer villain Hush and the Joker, Nigma was stripped of his deductive powers and, fleeing the two, left to rot as a member of Gotham's vast and invisible homeless population. A chance encounter with an ex-NSA codebreaker gave Nigma a positive environment in which to recover his mind. During that stay Nigma experienced an induced flashback that led him to realize that his father had beaten him that many years ago, and that his father, unable to grasp that his son was brilliant, believed that Edward had cheated and beat him out of jealousy. Once Nigma realized that, he also realized that his compulsion was borne out of a strong desire to tell the truth to prove his innocence in deception.
Having made that connection, the Riddler decided that a change was in store. He spent 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 returned and killed the codebreaker -- who had pieced together his identity but couldn't act on it -- then promptly stole 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 capability. It is notable that he has apparently lost the desire to plant riddles or clues at his various crime scenes, although he still enjoys riddles in an abstract sense, and will occasionally make subtle references to them in the course of his crimes. After attacking and nearly killing Green Arrow and Arsenal, Nigma managed to once again escape before the Outsiders arrived to save them.
Riddler later showed up in Infinite Crisis #1, with a group of villains attacking the Gotham City Police Department while they dealt with the chaos resulting from the finale of Day of Vengeance. Nigma was back in his green suit and talking in riddles, but it is unknown if he has adopted the classic suit once again for good or if he was just wearing it during the assault so he would be recognized.
Nigma managed to slip away following the attack, and has not been seen or mentioned since. The cover to 52 Week 4, featuring a question mark drawn in blood on the floor, has led to some speculation amongst fans that Nigma may pop up again in the course of the miniseries, although it has been shown in previews that the Question comes to Gotham during this time.
Real Name
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.
In the French and Quebecois translations of various Batman titles, his nom de plume has been translated to Le Sphinx, as in the riddle-posing monster of Greek mythology that Oedipus confronted.
In Italy he's called Enigmista, the literal translation of "Riddler".
In Mexico and 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".
Quizmaster
The Riddler has a counterpart in an anti-matter universe called the Quizmaster, who is a member of Lex Luthor's Justice Underground.
Other Media
1960s Batman
Frank Gorshin played the Riddler in the 1960s Batman television series and spin-off movie, with John Astin substituting a few times on the series. Before the television series, the character was a minor villain, but the exposure of the series - especially with the manic (and extremely popular) portrayal by Gorshin - elevated the character in the comics to a major enemy.
Gorshin also portrayed the Riddler in Legends of the Superheroes in 1979. Although he appears in the first episode of the 1960s "Batman" Riddler was the only one of the four major villains (the others being Joker, Penguin, and Catwoman) who never entered the Batcave. The TV Movie Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt rectified this omission.
Superfriends
Image:LoDriddler.jpg The Riddler had his first turn in animated form in the Filmation Batman installments first seen on "CBS Saturday Morning" in 1968 as part of The Batman/Superman Hour. He later appeared in Hanna-Barbera's Challenge of the Super Friends 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.
Batman: The Animated Series
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 yet odd intellectual who presented genuinely challenging puzzles.
Nigma was a game designer fired by a greedy executive, who sought revenge as the Riddler by kidnapping him and placing him in an elaborate maze deathtrap despite the Dynamic Duo's interference. As a testament to his ingenuity, the Riddler was one of the few villains in the animated series who emerged victorious in his first appearance. While he did not kill his victim, the Riddler escaped Batman and had the satisfaction that his former employer was now permanently gripped with a paranoid fear of his return. As with the other versions, this Riddler had a fondness for elaborate deathtraps that Batman would often escape from by "cheating" (using methods that Riddler didn't think of.) 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, though his episodes are typically ranked highly among fans.
Despite being a part of the original thirteen members of the Legion of Doom, the Riddler has not appeared in Justice League Unlimited's third season due to the so-called "Bat-Embargo."
Batman Forever
Jim Carrey portrayed the Riddler in the 1995 movie Batman Forever with Gorshin as his primary influence. This version employed a device called "the Box", disguised as a 3D imager for TVs that extracted victims' thoughts and transmitted them into Riddler's head, making him smarter. Robin Williams was eventually cast in the role, but he turned down the part, and rumors vary as to why. This incarnation influenced the one in New Batman Adventures, the continuation of Batman: The Animated Series: The producers decided to redesign the character to look more like Carrey.
The Batman
In 2005, a new Riddler debuted in The Batman animated series. In this version, the Riddler has a gothic look and is voiced by Robert Englund, best known for playing Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street. Beyond the vastly redesigned appearance, however, he is similar to the Batman: The Animated Series version of the character in personality and puzzle-posing.
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 so the Riddler could work on his real scheme: to hack into Gotham's city hall 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 an electric shock. Riddler comes extremely close and only fails because Batman tricks him into stepping in front of his electrocuting machine.
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. The Riddler is also the head of a gang of computer hackers.
de:Riddler es:El Acertijo fr:Sphinx (Batman) he:איש החידות it:Enigmista (Batman) ja:リドラー