The Dark Knight Rises Riddle Me This: The Riddler Characterization Thread

[GREEN =w= DAY]

Edward Norton is my number 1 pick for Nigma/Riddler

who cares if he's the Hulk?

look at Ryan Reynolds; he's doing both Green Lantern and Deadpool

 

[Rodrigo90]

I think The Riddler will have some connections to Harvey Dent.

As it said in the viral marketing Gotham Times. A small print by Edward Nashton...

"Dent Cannot Be Believed".

 

[subzero]

Nolan's version of Joker is darker and more serious then in the cartoons and since we cannot have Joker again maybe his characacter from the toons could be impersonated by the Riddler played by Cristoph Waltz, he seems the perfect man for playing a psychopath mastermind.

 

[Jordacar]

^Col. Landa in Basterds would be a great model for Riddler, the kind of guy who doesn't need guns or bombs or knives, but can turn your soul inside out just by talking to you.

 

[subzero]

exactly

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Waltz was immense in Basterds. I would be happy with him as Riddler. Or maybe even Black Mask.

 

[subzero]

he knows how to play a psychopath he would be more suitable as the ridller , anyway I opened a thread only about this

http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=332834

 

[Astro13Zombie]

For his costume.....how about something like what this fellow is wearing?
Minus the piercings of course.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Looks like Alex from A Clockwork Orange. Not feeling it.

 

[Rodrigo90]

I think,if we want to see a more serious Riddler,is juvenile antics must be cut. The plot about his jealously, trying to see who the smartest is a bit silly for the movie. It has to be something deeper and serious.

 

[ronny]

No, keep his childish motive in it. He's a guy with a single goal, a guy who persues that goal with aggression and stunning intelligence, but that goal is the most pathetic thing imaginable.
At the end he's just an annoying **** trying to get everyone's attention. People like that are the perfect villains - in real life and in comics.
Like it or not, people like Eddie Nashton often change the world because of their longing for recognition and respect.
So I reckon it's rather important to keep.

 

[subzero]

do you want him childish and lame? watch again batman forever because Nolan won't do such crap .

 

[Rodrigo90]

But the whole "Im smarter than thou" thing is childish and this will reflect in his personality. You cant have a serious villain with that motive...itll be tacky.

 

[Two-Face]

Do Riddler like Joe Deo from Se7en movie. Kevin Spacey was great in it as well I suggest you watch Se7en.

 

[Two-Face]

Do Riddler like Joe Deo from Se7en movie. Kevin Spacey was great in it as well I suggest you watch Se7en.

 

[subzero]

Let's face it, Riddler is a lamer version of Joker . Batman Forever had the Riddler acting insane and crazy just like the Joker. The diference is that this kind of acting can be made with good taste if the actor is good and with bad taste if the actor is really bad like Jim Carey was. So even if he'll have his "insane" parts like Dark Knight Joker those need to be done in style by someone really charismatic .

Watch this 2 sequences from Inglorius Basterds and you'll get my point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qAVAHI_3ak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzgVY7lxSlA

The character Hans Landa would be a great Joker or Riddler.

 

[ronny]

But the whole "Im smarter than thou" thing is childish and this will reflect in his personality. You cant have a serious villain with that motive...itll be tacky.

Nope, it's vital to his character and so cannot really be considered childish if done correctly.
Let's look at the motives of other villains shall we?

Joker - No motive whatsoever, constantly shifting plans and schemes.
Scarecrow - "You enjoy the reversal." A little man who likes reducing others to childlike states of terror.
Ras Al Ghul - Making the world a better place by targeting decadent societies.
Two-Face - Simply wanted to eliminate those he saw as scum.

The Riddler's need for acknowledgement and attention is not tacky in any way whatsoever. It only becomes so if he starts whining about it like an infant.
He's too sophisticated for that. His facial tics may betray his emotions, but he would never outright declare that he only lives to outsmart Batman.
It should be something others use as a taunt against him, all that pomp and all he really ammounts to is a loser with an overinflated ego.
It would work. Trust me.

 

[Rodrigo90]

Well. Theyve changed a lot about the characters so far. Two-Face into a vigilante,for example. Im sure it wouldn't do harm to change Riddler in some way.

 

[ronny]

Two-Face is often a vigilante in the comics. So your point is baseless.
Nolan didn't just invent that version of the character. He was just smart enough to figure out that the most commonly depicted version of Two-Face didn't work. Neither in the comics or on film.
Dent has always been better as a warped, psychotic moralist. And that is exactly how the best Two-Face stories portray him.

 

[jmc]

But the whole ''Im smarter than thou'' thing is childish and this will reflect in his personality. You cant have a serious villain with that motive...itll be tacky.

You're assuming it can only come off as childish. Zodiac basically went the whole I'm smarter than you route, and he's a real criminal.

 

[GaiusBaltar]

Oh, if I mentioned all the times I've seen a terrific performance in a good film where the main antagonist main motive is to prove he's intellectually superior to the good guys?

In fact, our very own Hans Landa from "Inglorious Basterds" fits that bill.

Because it's more than proving you are smarter and can beat your opponent... It's feeding a sense of self-worthiness and megalomania that has present in many negatives people in History, which is not tacky. It's also proving you're right. If you beat someone and you have an idelogy behind you (like believing your actions are justified because the Law is on your side - yeah, I'm talking about the Fed idea) then your ideology seems better.

In fact, that was the Joker's only motive in The Dark Knight: to prove he was intellectually superior, to prove he was right, to feed his broken ego. Childish? Maybe. Tacky? Well, it didn't seem so to me.

 

[Mindreaper21]

This took a while to get, but it was worth it. Say what you want about The Riddler, but until you do research, you know nothing. THIS is why The Riddler is my favorite.

 

[Backdrifter]

Jude Law as the Riddler:

 

[Rodrigo90]

Im talking about his personality. What do you hope to see? A more serious Riddler,or something like Jim Carrey and Frank Gorshin? Cause I dont want to see another Riddler with annoying laugh.

I just think the whole "Im smarter and better than you" angle was done in Forever,and the thing about his broken ego and trying to prove things is too similar to The Joker. Another motive,could potentiality take away his childish personality and make him more serious. Any other suggestions on his motive and reason? I like that about him taking out less smarter people.

 

[jmc]

Whether it's been done before is irrelevant, it's the execution that matters.