Riddler
The Riddler was always my favourite villain growing up. I can’t exactly pin point why, maybe it was my love for Jim Carrey or just how utterly bonkers the character always seemed to be, whatever it was something about him hit a nerve and I have been pretty darn eager to see him return to the big screen ever since. Just to make it clear, I don’t want to see another Batman Forever Riddler, that is not what I’m saying. Fans of this iconic character deserve better and should be rewarded with something more than a cheap Joker rip off, which is what Riddler can easily become in the wrong hands, but how to do him justice? And why bother at all?
There are not many men or women in Gotham that can match Batman/Bruce Wayne in the intelligence department. Batman always seems to somehow come out on top, out smarting his opponents with his incredible detective skills. So what better option than to thrown in an utterly mad, genius level psycho and have him rampage around Gotham on some sick killing spree. Think of a Se7en type scenario, with Riddler leaving puzzle after puzzle, riddle after riddle, all linked to freeing his latest victim from some horrific fate and Batman having to use his most underutilized skill, at least so far in film, his crime solving nous. This component of Batman’s skill set has been something fans have been crying out for for years. We came somewhat close in Nolan’s movies but it really wasn’t enough, the world wants and needs to see Batman at his finest, solving the impossible and detecting the undetectable.
Such a bloodthirsty depiction of the Riddler might be somewhat of a surprise to the casual fan who only has Carey’s incredibly camp offering to go by but Edward Nigma has a precedent for some very violent and gruesome behaviour. The story Dark Knight, Dark City involves, among other things, Riddler kidnapping babies, hanging victims, bathing Batman in blood and then forcing poor old Bruce to slit the throat of an unbaptised child. I’m not suggesting a literal translation of this story, that might be a bit much, but you can see where I am going with this. If done right and placed into Zack Synder’s dark and shadowy DC universe, Riddler could be an instant hit and provide Batman with not only his most harrowing on screen crusade to date but a chance to use some of his most valuable and virtually ignored skills.
Wrap Up
There are so many fine choices to be made here. Batman is only rivaled by Spider-Man in terms of depth of villain, so you could literally run down the list, pick a name at random and come out with a legitimate adversary that would be perfect for Batman to do battle with. Joker is bound to turn up but as to which other characters will be plaguing Gotham is really up in the air. It could be Hush, it could be Black Mask, it could be a return for Riddler, or it could be someone completely different, Killer Croc for example is already apart of Suicide Squad. Who knows what the future will actually hold for Ben’s aging vigilante but there is no doubt any one of these guys would certainly be worthy of both yours and Batman’s attention.
Samuel Brace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=yIuEu1m0p2M
Originally published July 2, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
