History ComicBook / TheRiddler

* {{Reconstruction}}: That's what happened to the Riddler when ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' dealt with him. Instead of copying Frank Gorshin's now overused take of a giggling trickster, the writers reimagined him as a usually smooth and calm intellectual BadassInANiceSuit who can genuinely challenge Batman in their contest of wits.

* DubNameChange: He is known as El Acertijo (The Riddle) in Latin America, a mostly faithful translation. Since there is no equivalent for riddler in Spanish, the translators used the word riddle instead. It worked and has a good ring to it, being one of the names that stuck in Latin America when name translations for DC and Marvel properties started to be phased out.

As mentioned above, the character appeared in the 1960s ''Batman'' television series, portrayed by Frank Gorshin and Creator/JohnAstin; Creator/JimCarrey portrayed him in the 1995 film ''Film/BatmanForever'', and Cory Michael Smith portrayed Edward Nygma in the television show ''Series/{{Gotham}}''. Creator/PaulDano will be portraying him in ''Film/{{The Batman|2021}}''. In addition, the character appears in many animated media and video games, including the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries''. In 2009, the Riddler was ranked as IGN's 59th [[TopOneHundredComicBookVillains Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time]].

* {{Adorkable}}: His ''Gotham'' version is oddly endearing before he becomes a villain; he's a science-loving NiceGuy and a hopeless romantic who has stunted social skills, speaking [[MotorMouth too quickly]] and [[SpockSpeak too formally]] at times, he has a macabre sense of humor, and he can't help but speak in riddles, much to the annoyance of others. There's even a scene where he [[MundaneMadeAwesome uses a magnifying glass and forceps to pick onions out of his lunch]]. Even after becoming a murderous villain, he's still a gigantic nerd.

As mentioned above, the character appeared in the 1960s ''Batman'' television series, portrayed by Frank Gorshin and Creator/JohnAstin; Creator/JimCarrey portrayed him in the 1995 film ''Film/BatmanForever'', and Cory Michael Smith portrayed Edward Nygma in the television show ''Series/{{Gotham}}''. Creator/PaulDano will be portraying him in the Creator/MattReeves directed solo film using the tentative title of ''The Batman'' that's set to release in June 2021. In addition, the character appears in many animated media and video games, including the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries''. In 2009, the Riddler was ranked as IGN's 59th [[TopOneHundredComicBookVillains Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time]].

* 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 returned 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 [[Franchise/TheFlash Barry Allen]] arrested.

* AwesomeByAnalysis: He's just as good as solving puzzles as he is at crafting them. He once was able to determine the exact value of the Iceberg Lounge brand T-shirts down to the cent, taking into account the thread quality, the cost of foreign sweatshop labor, and the Penguin's knack for turning a good deal.

* LoveMakesYouCrazy[=/=]LoveMakesYouEvil: His ''Gotham'' counterpart is driven entirely by this.

* TheCracker: Most contemporary versions of the character, including the ones featured in the ''Arkham'' series and the animated film ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAssaultOnArkham'', depict him as a master hacker and programmer; in the former, he manages to crack even Batman's secure feed while cloaking his own location from Oracle, and in the latter, he's the only person besides Amanda Waller herself who knows how to [[spoiler: disable the bombs wired into the members of the Suicide Squad]]. His computer genius also appeared in "What is Reality?", an episode of ''The Animated Series'' that predates both above the above and featured the then-cutting edge technology of virtual reality games; Riddler created one of his own and used it to entrap Commissioner Gordon.

* InsufferableGenius: He's the self-declared smartest man in Gotham and he doesn't mind lording it over that big dumb Bat at every opportunity.

* BiTheWay: He's occasionally depicted as bisexual; his ''Gotham'' counterpart particularly played this up, with Eddie falling ''hard'' for Penguin after inadvertently [[spoiler: killing the woman he loved]]. The comics also have him [[FoeYay flirt with Batman]] from time to time, and his obsession with the Caped Crusader, who he views as his only intellectual equal, comes across as a lover trying to reach his soulmate.

* IronicNurseryTune: A variation: he'll occasionally use classic children's jokes and riddles for his messages while giving them a deadly twist. For example, he once sent challenges to the GCPD including "Why did the cabin go on a diet?" and "What time do you go to visit the dentist?", which Commissioner Gordon successfully deduced to be a warning to be at the Gotham Lighthouse ("because it wanted to be a ''light house''") at 2:30 ("tooth-hurty"). Sure enough, a bomb goes off at that moment, destroying the building.

* LastOfHisKind: He occasionally plays this role in a philosophical sense, overlapping with LivingRelic. Riddler rose to prominence during the campy 60's period of the ''Batman'' mythos and is one of the only villains to get through that age relatively unchanged (as opposed to other villains who appeared on the Adam West TV show and in the early comic books, only to fall into obscurity). He's also one of the few villains in the rogues' gallery that doesn't go out of his way to kill people. As such, Riddler can be used to represent the Silver Age's campiness, silly plots, and wacky crimes --comic books before the 80's made things DarkerAndEdgier--n a way that even Joker can't. Neil Gaiman's "When Is a Door?" sums it up with a [[TheWoobie surprisingly poignant quote]]:
-->'''Riddler''': And there were all these guys that you never see anymore--King Tut, Bookworm, Marsha, Queen of Diamonds, Egghead...where did they all go? Batman and Robin were part of the fun--they were the straight men, but ''we'' were the stars. No one ever hurt anybody. Not really. Nobody died...you look around these days, it's all different. It's all changed. The Joker's ''killing people'', for God's sake! Did I miss something? [[EndOfAnEra Was I away when they changed the rules?..]]

* LastOfHisKind/LivingRelic: He occasionally plays this role in a philosophical sense, as he rose to prominence during the campy 60's period of the ''Batman'' mythos and is one of the only villains to get through that age relatively unchanged (as opposed to other villains who appeared on the Adam West TV show and in the early comic books, only to fall into obscurity). He's also one of the few villains in the rogues' gallery that doesn't go out of his way to kill people. As such, Riddler can be used to represent the Silver Age's campiness, silly plots, and wacky crimes --comic books before the 80's made things DarkerAndEdgier--n a way that even Joker can't. Neil Gaiman's "When Is a Door?" sums it up with a [[TheWoobie surprisingly poignant quote]]:
-->'''And there were all these guys that you never see anymore--King Tut, Bookworm, Marsha, Queen of Diamonds, Egghead...where did they all go? Batman and Robin were part of the fun--they were the straight men, but ''we'' were the stars. No one ever hurt anybody. Not really. Nobody died...you look around these days, it's all different. It's all changed. The Joker's ''killing people'', for God's sake! Did I miss something? [[EndOfAnEra Was I away when they changed the rules?..]]

** ''[[ComicBook/BatmanRebirth The War of Jokes and Riddles]]'' had The Riddler in his darkest portrayal in his history, willing to murder [[ComicBook/KiteMan someone's son]] just to ShootTheShaggyDog.

* DarkerAndEdgier: "When Is A Door" had The Riddler bemoaning the fact that comics have become grittier, asking just when did the Joker start ''killing'' people?

* OrderVersesChaos: He is kind of the Order to ''ComicBook/TheJoker''s Chaos, as riddles are somewhat like a more serious version of jokes (indeed, the two often overlap).

The Riddler is best known for his many (often silly) riddles that confound all but the Dynamic Duo, as well as his over-the-top deathtraps. He is, however, incredibly intelligent, yet considers his battles of wits with Batman to be a game - one in which he heavily respects his opponent.

The Riddler is best known for his many (often silly) riddles that confound all but the Dynamic Duo, as well as his over-the-top deathtraps. He is, however, incredibly intelligent, yet considers his battles of wits with Batman tbe a game - one in which he heavily respects his opponent.

-> ''Are you ready for some more? Explore! Find my challenges! And when you fail to solve them and lie blubbering like an ignorant child on the floor, you will know that The Riddler... is better than you!''

The Riddler is best known for his many (often silly) riddles that confound all but the Dynamic Duo, as well as his over-the-top deathtraps. He is, however, incredibly intelligent, yet considers his battles of wits with Batman to be a game - one in which he heavily respects his opponent.

As mentioned above, the character appeared in the 1960s ''Batman'' television series, portrayed by Frank Gorshin and Creator/JohnAstin; Creator/JimCarrey portrayed him in the 1995 film ''Film/BatmanForever'', and Cory Michael Smith portrayed 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 2009, the Riddler was ranked as IGN's 59th [[TopOneHundredComicBookVillains Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time]].

* VillainousFriendship: Most of the other rogues can't stand him, but he's genuinely close to ComicBook/ThePenguin and even calls him "Ozzie" more than his actual name. When Penguin believed he was going to die in battle, he granted Eddie the key to the Iceberg Lounge, and Eddie clumsily if sincerely thanks Penguin for being the only person he can really talk to in their business. In Gotham, their relationship is... ''a bit'' more complicated, but still mostly friendly.