Supervillain Origins: The Riddler
Edward Nigma grew up an overly curious child, annoying his parents and others with his unending stream of queries. Eventually, he decided to become the person with all of the answers, even if that meant forming the questions himself. Infatuated with puzzles, Edward eventually lost interest in ordinary jobs, and took on a life of crime. This question mark wearing persona was not only developed to steal riches, but to prove his superiority over Batman, Gotham’s greatest detective. Join WatchMojo.com as we will explore the comic book origins of Edward Nigma, otherwise known as The Riddler.
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Supervillain Origins: The Riddler
This inquisitive criminal can't resist querying the caped crusader. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origins of Edward Nigma, otherwise known as The Riddler.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline, which unfolded in 1948’s Detective Comics #140 and was expanded upon in Year One’s Detective Comics Annual #8.
Edward Nigma grew up an overly curious child in the town of Waterbury. There he annoyed his parents and other adults with his unending stream of queries. Due to this, he quickly decided to become the person with all of the answers, even if that meant forming the questions.
The trigger for his obsession was further pulled when his teacher announced a class contest. This would reward the student that solved a complex puzzle the fastest. Setting his sights on winning, Edward snuck into the school one night in order to practice until he could solve it in under a minute. Winning, he was given a riddle book as a prize. With his cheating rewarded, Edward became fixated on similar thrills. This spurred him to lose interest in an ordinary job and similarly cheat by taking on a life of crime. As a result, he formed the costumed identity of the Riddler.
This green-colored question mark persona was not only developed to steal riches and garner mass attention, but to prove his superiority over everyone around him. Above all else, Nigma wished to test his intellect against that of Batman, Gotham’s greatest detective.
In time, The Riddler became infamous throughout Gotham for his intense obsessive-compulsive disorder and intense ego, as well as his smooth-talking and quirky personality. He even distinguished himself from other villains through his inability to simply try and kill his opponents, instead placing them in elaborate traps. Eventually, he enlisted two equally deranged female assistants and bodyguards, named Query and Echo, to help him pull off larger crimes.
Due to his constant defeat, the Riddler has found himself frustrated by his powerlessness to stop tipping off Batman and the authorities. As a result, he has attempted several crimes without his trademark tactics. However, the temptation has always proven too great for the neurotic, sending him back to Arkham Asylum for treatment, and spurring him to realize that he must be crazy.
Not only a comic icon for his recognizable and iconic costume, the Riddler has become well known for making use of a question mark-shaped trick cane and "Riddlermobile." While the villain has always been traditionally shown as a deranged and comical adversary of Batman, recent interpretations have fleshed out the character. These plots included his short-lived reform, which resulted from a blow to his head, curing him of his insanity and obsession with riddles, but leaving his ego and intellect intact. As a result, Nigma became a private consultant hired to solve murders, even working alongside the Dark Knight for a short time.
One of the caped crusaders oldest and most iconic foes, The Riddler has appeared in various media over the years. Among these, he is best known for the Emmy-nominated and comical portrayal by Frank Gorshin in the 1960s Batman series. He is similarly recognized for Jim Carrey’s over-the-top interpretation of the character in 1995’s film “Batman Forever.”
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