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

[itsthebatman]

Sounds reasonable. So another villain is required then - who?

e-mail or PM me to catch up, would you, old bean? Gotta head to bed - Eoin still young and exhausting to look after - the wife has just fallen asleep in the chair!

 

[RetroNaz]

Riddler - The main villain, mostly involving head games, and smaller personal issues for Batman/Gordon/etc.

Penguin - The new gotham arms dealer now that the mob has mostly been wiped out.

Black Mask? Cat Woman? - Personal story for the Bruce Wayne part of the film.

That's what I'd like to see...with perhaps less of a Gotham City wide threat. And more on the redemption of Batman.

 

[regwec]

I'd like to see Catwoman, too, but I think she would also be seen as a "soft" antagonist to Batman.

A really nasty Penguin might close the triangle quite well.

 

[breyfogle_rules]

Personally, I think the Riddler has always been a pale retread of the Joker, and Nolan knows this. Although I wouldn't mind Regwec's idea if written well.

Maybe Nolan should apply his realism to Killer Croc and have Batman fighting a giant alligator from Gotham's sewers.

 

[regwec]

Or he could apply even more realism, and have Bruce Wayne find a slug in his salad.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

Or he could apply even more realism, and have Bruce Wayne find a slug in his salad.

You've made this thread for me, and I thank you for that.

 

[breyfogle_rules]

Or he could apply even more realism, and have Bruce Wayne find a slug in his salad.

You.Are.Killing.Me.Please.Stop.

 

[Infinity9999x]

Or he could apply even more realism, and have Bruce Wayne find a slug in his salad.

t:t:

You know, that got me thinking though. A possible assassination attempt on Wayne could be the Riddler taking out the edible snails in a fancy restaurant and replace them with common garden snails, which can be quite poisonous.

 

[Doctor Jones]

"Jesus, what does that have to do with anything?"

*flicks toothpick*

 

[ClintDracula]

I'd like to see The Riddler trying to Black Mail Gordon, Saying that he knows about his Alliance with Batman and at the same time, Black Mailing Lucious/Wayne or somethin' along the lines of that

 

[COMPO]

yeah thats what i'd like to see

 

[The Riddler]

Personally, I think the Riddler has always been a pale retread of the Joker, and Nolan knows this. Although I wouldn't mind Regwec's idea if written well.

how is riddler a retread, supposedly pale at that, when the characters are polar opposites?

 

[cupcake_jimmies]

Yeah, I don't think he's a retread of Joker at all...

 

[Doctor Jones]

The Riddler is not a retread. The Riddler firstly is a narcisist, a man who loves his intellect and riddles more than himself. Joker creates chaos, Riddler is more organized, more calculating, more precise. He's my third favorite Batman villain. As much as I like the character, I think we haven't yet reached the full potential of him. Nolan could do something great with him. To me he seems like a logical next step in the third film. But I won't get my hopes up.

 

[Rodrigo90]

Nolan likes to stick to original material. So Im guessing Riddler WILL be like Joker,coming out of nowhere and doing his thing...sorry.

 

[Rodrigo90]

Heres my final interpretation,which Im particularly proud of, 007.

Edward is a bored weasel of a man in his late 20's. He is wanted by the authorities for his crimes,which revolves around theft. He is a con artist and a thief. He isnt a psychopath and has never commited murder,but has a sadistic streak. Edward commits his crimes because he feels his superior intellect grants him that permission...''because I'm smart enough to do ANYTHING''.

His skills and feats are limitless. He has a vast knowledge of many things and can learn new skills at the touch of a button.

He has a tremendous ego and is devilishly bracent. He has a juvenile tendency to only talk in questions to people (but in a cleverly serious manner) ,at the same time that is a skill,as he can analysis a person's reaction to certain questions which are difficult to answer and that person usually caves in one way or the other with results he is searching for.

His favourite hobbies include solving puzzles.

 

[Rodrigo90]

Edward has also a 'gentleman's policy'...He is not particularly bothered about committing his crimes in order to gain material things. He gains a thrill and gratification out showing off his intellectual skills. Whoever he targets,anything from store clerks to bank managers,he sets up sort of a challenge between them...it can range from anything. If Edward wins,he leaves with what he is after,if the victim wins,Edward will accept and leave. He notices that asking riddles are the most complex form of challenges, and are therefore his personal favourite and he never loses.

Wherever he goes he carries a briefcase which contains a laptop (to hack and gain info,etc,),a gun (Which is only used to threaten) and puzzle games (for his hobby and to challenge his target).

He dresses with impeccable standards. A sharp business suit,green,his favourite color...as geniuses pick that color.

He later becomes The Riddler,realising he must become more than what he already is to defeat Batman.

 

[ALittlePush]

I like it. Good ideas Rodrigo90.

 

[COMPO]

yeah I like it too, I'd like a cold calculating riddler who becomes zany when someone can't answer his riddler because he always likes the fact that he's outsmarted people kind of going with childish aspects you mentioned.

 

[Rodrigo90]

thanks guys.

 

[Texas Zombie]

I would like a riddler who is smart, witty and clever, but if you cross him or get in his way, he becomes cold and loses that twinkle in his eye. He just loses it, kinda like bill the butcher in gangs of new York(Daniel day lewis character).

He just loses it sometimes murders people in cold blood.

The one trait Every great villain has, is... Is... No fear of death.
Riddler has got to have it.

 

[Superhero 101]

anyone think Paul Bettany would make a really good Riddler

 

[chintai80]

anyone think Paul Bettany would make a really good Riddler

yea, i can see that.

also can't agree with people wanting him to be some kind of psychopathic killer. that isn't riddler's m.o.

 

[Rodrigo90]

can't agree with people wanting him to be some kind of psychopathic killer. that isn't riddler's m.o.

For a long time I couldn't fathom a movie where Riddler wouldnt be a killer. But I realised thats not what he is,not his true core. He can be a killer,but not a serial killer.

He first appeared to challenge Batman and Robin,not kill them or anybody else. He only concocted up the death trap as a last resort to defeat them,because they were doing better than Riddler expected, and even in that first issue he displayed his sadistic streak of wanting Batman to die in the trap as he was sick of him being smarter than him.

So Riddler in the movie should not be a killer,but grow to that obsessive madness of wanting to kill Batman (and others as part of his challenges),which he has never done before. He is already sadistic,and uses his sadism as part of his final challenge.

 

[jmc]

^ And the thing going against the Riddler appearing as some serial killer as some suggest is the fact that Nolan has pretty much kept the characters he's so far used true to the source material, things may have been altered to suit the world he created but overall the characterizations to date have been on par with their comic book counterparts.