History ComicBook / TheRiddler

* BadBoss: Surprisingly, Riddler is one of the few villains in Gotham who ''isn't'' one of these. Even in the [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight Arkham games]] the worst thing he does to his lackeys is [[spoiler: replace them with robots]].

* BadBoss: Surprisingly, Riddler is one of the few villains in Gotham to [[SubvertTrope subvert]] this. Even in the [[VideoGames/BatmanArkhamKnight Arkham games]] the worst thing he does to his lackeys is [[spoiler: replace them with robots]].

* CloudCuckooLander: Especially in Film/BatmanForever, Series/{{Gotham}}, the "Return of King Tut" arc in the comics, and [[Series/{{Batman}} the Adam West show]], where [[UpToEleven even]] ''[[UpToEleven Joker]]'' [[UpToEleven thought he was nuts.]]

* CloudCuckooLander: Especially in Film/BatmanForever, the "Return of King Tut" arc in the comics, and [[Series/{{Batman}} the Adam West show]], where [[UpToEleven even]] ''[[UpToEleven Joker]]'' [[UpToEleven thought he was nuts.]]

* NiceHat: It started with Frank Gorshin, but even in the comics, he's now often found wearing a snazzy green bowler hat.

** "Dark Knight, Dark City" shows that if Riddler ever stepped up his game, he would actually ''beat'' Batman.

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Temporarily during ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]'' where he wisely left Gotham while the getting was still good and tangled with other heroes, leading to a particularly embarrassing defeat at the hands of ComicBook/GreenArrow. Nygma never got over this particular defeat, and after his post-''Hush'' Humiliation Conga, he came to Star City for a rematch against the Emerald Archer. He [[TookALevelInBadass nearly killed Ollie and still managed to escape capture]].
** There was also that one time he almost got [[TheFlash Barry Allen]] arrested.

** In ''Gotham'', his abusive father relationship is AdaptedOut (presumably), in favor of being teased and bullied by his peers and others, with himself completely oblivious to it...until he [[GollumMadeMeDoIt develops a psychotic, murderous split personality]] mirroring his mild-mannered, meek one that takes him over after he [[spoiler: inadvertently murders the woman he had a major crush on and learned how to be a murderous psycho thanks to Penguin.]] Despite this, it's not hard to feel sorry for Nigma in the end.

* GoingPostal: Not as originally written, but recent adaptations tend to make him a bitter former employee of a [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries big]] [[WesternAnimation/TheBatman company]] (maybe even [[Film/BatmanForever Wayne Enterprises]]), or the [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins police]] [[Series/{{Gotham}} force]], with him turning to evil because he felt his work wasn't appreciated. He's a bit too methodical to settle for a simple killing spree, though.

** In ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' he became a villain after [[BitchInSheepsClothing his girlfriend]] sabotages his experiment and discredits him as a scientist. This causes him to adopt the Riddler persona when he goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.

* RetCanon: Frank Gorshin in the [[Series/{{Batman}} live action Batman]] created the green suit and bowler hat look as an alternative for the spandex and the slightly more sedate version in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' sealed the deal to make this the Riddler's preferred costume in the comics.

* ReluctantPsycho: He's crushed at how his insanity renders him incapable of not leaving Batman riddles that lead to his defeat.

* CaneFu: To the point where his cane in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' acts more like a blunt weapon than a walking aid.

As mentioned above, the character appeared in the 1960s ''Batman'' television series, portrayed by Frank Gorshin and John Astin; Creator/JimCarrey portrayed him in the 1995 film ''Film/BatmanForever'', and Cory Michael Smith portrays Edward Nygma in the television show ''Series/{{Gotham}}''. In addition, the character appears in many animated media and video games, including the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries''. In 2014, the Riddler was ranked as IGN's 59th [[TopOneHundredComicBookVillains Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time]].

* ButtMonkey: Jeph Loeb's ''ComicBook/TheLongHalloween'' and ''Dark Victory'' both portray him as this. [[spoiler:''Catwoman: When in Rome'' and ''Hush'' (both written by Loeb as well) avert this, however]]. Although, [[spoiler:the aftermath of ''Hush'' shown him getting beaten up by everyone he used before, and he wound up worse than empty-handed in ''When in Rome''.]]

** His [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Diniverse]] version actually ''won'' in his debut episode. While Batman and Robin thwarted his attempt to kill the CorruptCorporateExecutive who screwed him out of the profits of the best-selling video game he designed, the Riddler still got a very nice ConsolationPrize in that the executive's life was ruined because he now lived in paranoid fear of the Riddler's return.

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Temporarily during ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]'' where he wisely left Gotham while the getting was still good and tangled with other heroes, leading to a particularly embarrassing defeat at the hands of Green Arrow. Nygma never got over this particular defeat, and after his post-''Hush'' Humiliation Conga, he came to Star City for a rematch against the Emerald Archer. He [[TookALevelInBadass nearly killed Ollie and still managed to escape capture]].

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Temporarily during ''[[ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand No Man's Land]]'' where he wisely left Gotham while the getting was still good and tangled with other heroes, leading to a particularly embarrassing defeat at the hands of Green Arrow. Nygma never got over this particular defeat, after being driven out of Gotham by Poison Ivy, he came to Star City for a rematch against the Emerald Archer. He [[TookALevelInBadass nearly killed Ollie and still managed to escape capture]].

[[caption-width-right:300:''"Riddle me this..."'']]

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