How The Batman Could Make The Riddler Scarier Than The Joker

With the gothic tone already established for Matt Reeves’ The Batman and The Riddler confirmed as the film’s antagonist, the Gotham City villain could be even more frightening than the Joker. Though Joker is certainly a menacing figure – and usually Batman’s scariest rogue – there’s ample potential for this version of the Riddler to be more unsettling, as his riddles appear to lose their playful quality, and instead resemble something akin to a scene from the Saw franchise.

From the currently released information for The Batman, it’s clear Warner Bros. wanted to make it feel unique compared to every other Dark Knight movie from over the years. As such, it makes perfect sense to stray from flashy, extroverted villains, and instead deal with one who succeeds through their anonymity. The hazmat suit of the Riddler is a long stretch from the flashy suits of the Joker or the bulging muscles of Bane, but this potentially makes him perfect, as he is able to subvert everything that’s been established about Gotham’s villains and their showmanship through various prior films.

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And given that The Riddler has had some legitimately unsettling appearances in the comics, there’s a lot of source material available to make sure that this Riddler is a genuinely good movie villain. After witnessing the likes of “Batman: Dark Knight, Dark City” – a comic that literally features Riddler summoning demons and leaving babies in death traps – it’s readily apparent that the potential for this more terrifying edition of the villain was always there, just never properly considered for the big screen.

Can The Riddler Be A Scary DC Villain?

It’s worth looking at the figure of the Riddler himself, and why this also has the potential for him to be one of the most intimidating Batman villains yet. Where the Joker considers himself and Batman fated rivals – which no doubt helped the many successful and serious movie portrayals of the Joker - the Riddler doesn’t have the same inherent desire to antagonize the Bat. He’s usually only serving as his enemy either to prove himself smarter than “The World’s Greatest Detective”, or because the Dark Knight has caught him trying to prove it to someone else. In fact, for a decent period in the comics, the Riddler actually served as an ally to Batman, wanting to prove his intellect on the side of good for a (temporary) change. This actually serves to make the Riddler more unsettling in the context of The Batman, as it appears he may think of himself as an ally to Batman, based on the “secret friend” title the card he gives the Dark Knight.

What’s the one thing scarier than an enemy who thinks a rivalry was destined to be? An enemy who doesn’t even realize he’s the enemy, and there is the suggestion that The Batman‘s Riddler could potentially also be attempting to be a vigilante. His determination to unveil the truth to Gotham about the corrupt officials and police officers he seems to be after could simply blind him to the trail of blood and suffering he leaves behind him. A version of the Riddler who is a misguided figure attempting to do what he thinks is right could prove to be far more terrifying, as he’s not intending to be evil – in fact, this is his way of trying to be a hero.

Is Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne Ready To Be Batman?

Robert Pattinson the Batman Bruce wayne color

The Batman of course features Robert Pattinson’s version of Bruce Wayne, who in the film has not been the Dark Knight for very long, and things get tenser still. With a more long-serving Dark Knight, it’s a well-established trope that he is prepared for anything – whereas one newer to the scene and less acclimatized to the supervillains of Gotham is going to naturally make more mistakes. Which makes it all the more harrowing that it is this version of Batman that is going up against the Riddler.

Though he’s not exactly a tough foe physically in most imaginings, the Riddler makes up for this in his sheer intelligence, ability to plan, and cunning. He’s an enemy the Dark Knight has to be incredibly prepared for, meaning this film raises a clear and worrying question: what happens when Batman isn’t at all prepared for the Riddler? It’s not Batman’s fights against Bane or Killer Croc, where a lack of awareness can be solved by sheerly exchanging blows for long enough – it’s a matter of learning the unpredictable and calculated nature of the villain, and eventually outwitting him, which seems certain to provide more of a challenge in the film.

What Makes The Batman’s Riddler Different?

While the Clown Prince of Crime has starred in a series of borderline horror roles on the big screen between The Dark Knight and Joker, he’s also appeared often enough that he’s become somewhat expected, as even audiences uninitiated to the world of comics are well aware of what to expect from the violent chaotic figure. The Riddler on the other hand is a figure who has barely featured in the roster of Batman films, and when he has, has done so as an underrated villain played by Jim Carrey for entirely comedic effect. Dropping the question mark clad suits and spandex and swapping them for a hazmat suit is a smart choice for a more serious Batman film, and may potentially play on the preconception of the Riddler as a silly figure in order to elicit even more unease than would have been possible otherwise. Nobody is going into The Batman expecting the same character from Batman Forever, naturally, but that doesn’t mean that pre-established versions of the character don’t play an important part in making this version of the Riddler feel just that extra bit special.

Of course, the Riddler’s most obvious initial fear factor isn’t in how he looks, but rather what he does, and how unnervingly well he does it. It’s clear from the trailer of The Batman that Edward has been kidnapping Gotham’s residents, and leaving some with notes that both detail he intentions, and no doubt serve as clues as to his villainous plans. Though it can’t yet be known why he takes who he does, many don’t appear alive, suggesting this Saw comparison is even closer to reality than it may initially appear.

What This Means For Future DC Films

Although it might sound strange to say this could be one of the most important villain roles in DC movie history, it’s also certainly not a lie. Both in comics and film, DC has long suffered from overusing the Joker, and while this has created some phenomenal content, it’s also meant there are swathes of Gotham’s roster of villains that are criminally underused. Should The Batman prove that a figure once considered silly and gimmicky like the Riddler can be considered a legitimately terrifying threat, it stands to reason that this will encourage future endeavors to look elsewhere for their antagonist, instead of turning to the clown once more.

Admittedly, this development appears to have started already – with Birds of Prey featuring Black Mask as its villain, and The Suicide Squad choosing Starro as the antagonist to face down its motley crew of heroes. But it’d mean far more for The Batman – a more serious film – to use an under-appreciated villain like the Riddler, as it adds a sense of legitimacy to similar Batman villains, like Scarecrow or the Mad Hatter.

With Batman being one of the most successful and beloved superhero franchises, it can only improve things to have creators be able to have a free range of their creative choices. Proving that the Riddler, a figure formerly regarded as goofy, can be the kind of entity that puts some horror villains to shame is only going to allow for more creative freedoms – as well as establish a new precedent for the character, should The Batman be as well-received as initial impressions suggest it will be.

Next: The Batman: How Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit Compares To The Dark Knight

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