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

[Mister H.]

That's one of the darkest things I've ever seen in a Batman comic. Although they describe Riddler perfectly, a 'sadistic runt'.
That's the core of the character. Not to be suave or debonair, but to be annoying and really quite a coward. And in this respect he is a totally different kettle of fish to Ras or Joker. Both of whom were exceptionally brave.

This is why I think he could be a very interesting addition Nolan's to Gotham City. But his image is just so corny, you'd have to totally reinvent the way the public imagines the Riddler. Gee, Nolan's never done that before...

 

[J. Custer]

I'd like Nolan to do Riddler.... secondary to Penguin. not in a bad way but in the way Scarecrow was second to Ras. I think Nolan should go to Penguin for the main and put his own spin on the character. I have a certain picture of the Penguin portrayal that would be great. And I only suggest this because it makes for a great contrast in villans; Ra's/ Scarecrow, Joker/ Two Face, Penguin/ Riddler and a Joker/Catwoman lead in to a fourth installment. To go from Joker to Riddler...mm, I'm iffy on it. Penguin is very different from Joker, and I would like to see Nolan and co challenge themselves and write a great Penguin. Though I think Nolan and co will surprise everone and recast Joker. Eh, who the heck knows...We'll find out...but not soon enough!

 

[J. Custer]

This is why I think he could be a very interesting addition Nolan's to Gotham City. But his image is just so corny, you'd have to totally reinvent the way the public imagines the Riddler. Gee, Nolan's never done that before...

H, I have no idea what Nolan would do visually to interpret a character like Riddler. Maybe my Mom know something

seriously tho.... the green spandex with one big question mark, domino mask and a long coat and derby could work, and would make him stand out among the established freaks. but that's something that would be fun in a scenario where Riddler is in that lesser BB Scarecrow-type role and laughing in the shadows or in a montage of Batman taking down different villans.

 

[Rodrigo90]

I was watching the FBI case files last night and it was about a criminal like The Riddler in many ways.

Hawkson was his name and he deliberately used to commit crimes and leaves clues to what would occur next,although he was never caught for years.

Apparently he had a tendency to dress respectfully,even while he commited his crimes,like Jack The Ripper. They dress neat and tidy,because thats how they work their crimes and schemes,neat and tidy.

So it would explain why Riddler dresses at his finest,cause he sees his crimes as the finest.

Hawkson also stole over a million from a bank in Illinois and casually went to a posh diner and ordered tea and crumpets. I see Riddler like that.

 

[Kane52630]

The question would make a great partner for The Riddler

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Question_(comics)

 

[COMPO]

I was watching the FBI case files last night and it was about a criminal like The Riddler in many ways.

Hawkson was his name and he deliberately used to commit crimes and leaves clues to what would occur next,although he was never caught for years.

Apparently he had a tendency to dress respectfully,even while he commited his crimes,like Jack The Ripper. They dress neat and tidy,because thats how they work their crimes and schemes,neat and tidy.

So it would explain why Riddler dresses at his finest,cause he sees his crimes as the finest.

Hawkson also stole over a million from a bank in Illinois and casually went to a posh diner and ordered tea and crumpets. I see Riddler like that.

I like this and it says a lot about the riddler, everything has to be carefully planned. I'd have him as a mysterious figure and sort of an anti joker whereas the joker in TDK was thought to just be a planner but actually was part of the group, the riddler is the planner and communicates through comlinks etc. be cool if he only employed unitelligent people so that they don't betray him.

The question would make a great partner for The Riddler

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Question_(comics)

why? isnt he a good guy? :S

 

[Kane52630]

why? isnt he a good guy? :S

since when you can call a character a good guy or bad guy in Nolans batman?
plus in my idea i want the riddler seem to be the good guy on the is for the short time

 

[regwec]

I would like The Riddler to be someone so devoted to intellectual contest and tete-a-tete that he fails to consider the consequences of his essentially hobbyist approach to crime.

It is difficult to imagine The Riddler as someone who genuinely wants the sort of anarchy that might be unleashed by the defeat of Batman. He is too weak and cowardly an individual for that. But, hearing of Batman's sharp intellect, and considering his own to be sharper, he will devote himself to outwitting and humiliating his oponent. This would lead him to persue an exhibitionist, crimiminal lifestyle he wouldn't otherwise consider.

All of that could follow from Mr Reese's character arc in TDK.

 

[Rodrigo90]

Riddler should justify his crimes by his intelligence, Thinking his great intellect and thirst for knowledge can grant him the power to do what he wants.

I have a scene in the story Im writing,where Edward is about to be transferred to Arkham,after being caught by Batman,for trying to kill Gordon. Bullock (Who is a Fed here and not a Detective),tries to get Edward to reveal Batman's identity (as he knows). But Edward claims "The knowledge of knowing who he is behind that Mask Is power...and Im not sharing my power with anybody".

But Edward senses Bullock's frustration and manipulates it by making a deal. Edward claims he wants to challenge Batman personally,and he CAN defeat him. He tells Bullock that if he 'releases' him for 72 hours,he will devise a trap that will ensure Batman's capture,and Bullock can arrest them both. Edward says that he doesnt mind helping the Law and going to Arkham,as long as he can defeat Batman and prove he is smarter. Bullock agrees...BIG mistake. Edward then becomes The Riddler.

 

[regwec]

Pretty good!

I would develop my idea of The Riddler's thirst to defeat Batman intellectually leading him to become a supervillian almost unwittingly. Perhaps, as plain Reese or Nigma, he cannot access the manpower or resources needed to expose Batman publically. As a pretty grey sort of individual, he can't get sufficient attention, either. So he devises a colourful identity (which is all the rage in Gotham after the appearance of Batman, The Joker and Scarecrow), and masterminds a series of lucrative bankraids and scams in order to fund a growing mob of loyal goons. He heavily telegraphs the fact that he is the brain behind each crime, by leaving clues that directly taunt Batman.

This effectively leads to the classic Ridder, though it is grown organically from Reese's grudge against Wayne and Fox as seen in TDK. Along the way, our villain aquires a monicker (probably given to him by the media- it would be nice if his alias was in flux early in his career, with "Clueman" "Puzzleman" being used before "The Riddler" sticks), a costume and a gang of hardened criminals that he cannot control. It would be interesting if someone like Zsasz ended up in The Riddler's employ; you can imagine how uncomfortable the two would be together.

It would also explain The Riddler's whacky costume. He needs it to give him celebrity, so it would be deliberately overstated and lurid. Rather than underplaying the costume as a green suit with hat, I would overplay it, and adapt Nigma's original green leotard. It would be intentionally campy and absurd, because The Riddler would be a talented amateur trying to cash in on the supervillain craze.

The point is that The Riddler's costume would most logically be designed to be a costume, rather than a product of unusual taste (as with The Joker) or circumstance (as with Two Face).

 

[RetroNaz]

This might get me flamed, but I'd prefer to have the Riddler start off as him straight into the film.

It would be good to see Batman slowly uncrack his real persona, and to fill the audience (via Alfred?) who the Riddler is and what his condition is that causes him to be so obsessive compulsive.

I kind of find origins to be a little goofy in some of these films...and would almost appear out of place in the Nolanverse (Two Face being the obvious exception).

This is just my two cents...but it would be good to see Batman get the big win over Riddler simply by solving the greatest one of all time. Who the Riddler is, beating him at his own game. Not with a fist fight, but with the power of good old investigation work and problem solving.

I'd save the fighting a villain for a secondary bad guy in the film if I had the choice. And keep the mind games between Riddler and Batman.

 

[COMPO]

I think it would be interesting if the Riddler became the Riddler because he wanted to find out who the Batman was. I'd make him an ex reporter whom wants the big story and has always had trouble gettin the truth because the mob blocked him or the police did. The big story for now is the Batman, he wnats to know who Batman is after Reese went on TV and get the big story and his life back.

He starts to set riddles to lure Batman out and try and stop him, once he captures Batman and learns his identity he'll stop and go off somewhere basking in the fame as the man who revealed Batman but he starts to get addicted to being able to outsmart people, the police and Batman and can't stop.

 

[ronny]

I just hope Nolan doesn't kill off The Riddler. This is one of those cases where getting arrested is the worst punishment for a guy like him.
I mean, getting handcuffed, dragged into a police station and thrown in a dank cell. Just like any ordinary criminal. That's probably The Riddler's idea of Hell.

 

[RetroNaz]

I just hope Nolan doesn't kill off The Riddler. This is one of those cases where getting arrested is the worst punishment for a guy like him.
I mean, getting handcuffed, dragged into a police station and thrown in a dank cell. Just like any ordinary criminal. That's probably The Riddler's idea of Hell.

Agree with this completely.

 

[jmc]

I just hope Nolan doesn't kill off The Riddler. This is one of those cases where getting arrested is the worst punishment for a guy like him.
I mean, getting handcuffed, dragged into a police station and thrown in a dank cell. Just like any ordinary criminal. That's probably The Riddler's idea of Hell.

Yeah, he's not the type of guy you should really kill off, although someone's probably gotta die.

 

[Rodrigo90]

I think the Riddler should be killed off,knowledge is power and he has great power by knowing things he shouldn't. That should be his ruin,IMO. Knowledge destroys him.

 

[Ryan]

"Yeah. Riddler is a coward and a sadistic runt. He hides behind his traps. " Rodrigo90

I think that best describes the Riddler to me and is what seperates him from the other Bat villains. I'm glad people are going against the whole "fed gone bad" idea as I've never liked that as his new origin in the next film. I would rather that the Riddler already be on the road to ruin, much the same as the Joker was. If anything, let his origin be revealed through his actions and his purpose in the film.

Whatever the plot, I'm thinking that the primary function of the Riddler character, will be to restore people's faith in Batman as a hero.

 

[Octoberist]

I've got this idea that Riddler should talk like a broadcast reporter from the 30s. best idea ever!

 

[jmc]

Whatever the plot, I'm thinking that the primary function of the Riddler character, will be to restore people's faith in Batman as a hero.

I don't know if he will restore their faith in Batman, but I think it will come to the point were he'll do something where they have no choice but to turn to Batman.

 

[ronny]

Whatever the plot, I'm thinking that the primary function of the Riddler character, will be to restore people's faith in Batman as a hero.

Absolutely agree. I think Riddler should almost be an Antichrist figure, loved and adored at the begining but utterly loathed and revilled by the end.
I reckon Nolan should pair him with Penguin. And have Cobblepot play the role Max Shreck did in Batman Returns, an arch-villain, barely visible, manipulating things from the background, appearing weaker but actually holding all the power.
I see The Riddler as a man who would give into his vices. He commits crimes both for intellectual gratification and material gain.
What if he completely went to pot by the end? Because he got too greedy, too arrogant and let his material pleasures weigh him down.
That was The Joker's greatest strength, his nihilistic attitude to life. Riddler should the opposite, addicted to life, sucking it dry, and eventually being brought down because he can't cut and run. He always needs new thrills, to keep proving his status and power. And that should be his undoing.

 

[BestGirl]

Yeah, he's not the type of guy you should really kill off, although someone's probably gotta die.

I've been thinking that B3 should have the Riddler and Black Mask. The Riddler would live, but BM would be killed in the end.

 

[Dirt Like Me]

Whatever the plot, I'm thinking that the primary function of the Riddler character, will be to restore people's faith in Batman as a hero.

See, that's why I'm not crazy about the idea of the Riddler being the featured villain in the next movie. I want to see the story of Batman's redemption, but I don't think the Riddler is the guy to facilitate it. He strikes me as too much of a small-timer. To me, he's smart but isn't violent enough to instill the level of fear in the public that would cause them overlook the perception of Batman as a murderer.

After the Joker, I think that--without a drastic re-imaginging of the characer--the Riddler would seem pretty tame. How do you keep 'em on the farm once they've seen Karl Hungus?

That being said, I love Regwec's idea for the Riddler and think that if he was handled that way he'd make a great secondary villain.

 

[robthorn24]

My perfect Riddler characterization for B3 is as follows:

He has NOTHING to do with Coleman Reese. They need to be two separate characters here. I want the Riddler's true identity to be Edward Nashton. Edward Nygma could be another alias of his. Besides, Edward Nashton has already been established in Nolan's world (theoretically), as he has already written in to the Gotham Times.

The Riddler WILL NOT be a former member of the F.B.I., a news reporter...etc. If he is supposed to be classified as one of the "freaks" I don't want a background like that for him. In fact, I don't think I want any concrete background for him, much like the Joker in TDK. I would like him to kind of emerge from the shadows. I think this would make him that much more mysterious.

If Nolan and Co. were to stay within these guidelines, I would be a happy camper.

 

[Ryan]

I just figure its a given that this will Nolan's last Batman effort and in that, he will have to end the series with Batman being restored to the 'lovable vigilante"...if there is such a thing. Although time will take place between the events of Dark Knight and the third movie (I'm hoping for Dark Knight Returns as the title), I cannot see Nolan having such a time gap that Batman is back to hero status at the beginning of the film.
That being said, I'm figuring Riddler will be the main villain as it seems he will be big box office. Could you imagine if Heath had lived and there would have been a rematch? Ughg..such a shame
Anyways, I believe some how the Riddler character will unknowingly facilitate Batman's return to hero status. Possibly the loss of Fox's help, Coleman finding out inaccuracies (leading to Batman's identity), and the indepth nature of the riddles will lead Bruce to finally finish off that "foundation" and build the batcave.

 

[conan69]

Im no gonna go through 70 pages so Im not sure if Im repeating anything anyone has already said, but.....

The Riddler isnt The Joker. Nolan went with the Agent of Chaos thing with Joker - hence his appearance. I think Nolans Riddler will be cool and calculated. I can definitely see him wearing a combination of a suit and "droogish" appearance, with the colors associated with the character. Its possible to get a few carefully placed ?s for Nolans version.

I can see Nolans Riddler as a combination of Zodiac (in the way he taunted and spread terror) and Die Hard 3s Simon Gruber.

Edit:
Reading through some of the comments, I agree with, an would love to see Cobbelpot in there somewhere helping Riddler. I think Penguin shoudl make a appearance in Batman 3, even if its in a small supporting role.