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The Riddler is one of the most crucial and enigmatic characters from Batman’s Rogues Gallery. With his flamboyant green costume dotted with question marks, the supervillain poses some really mind-bending riddles. His brainteasers have caught the world’s greatest detective off guard on more than one occasion.
Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the Riddler, aka Edward Nygma, made his first appearance in Detective Comics #140 in 1948. Since then, the character has been adapted numerous times for television and games as well as for the big screen, with his latest appearance being in Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman.
The Riddler has outwitted Batman numerous times in comic book history
The Riddler has proved himself to be a foe worthy of the Bat, and in this article, we count down his top five appearances in DC Comics over the years.
5) Batman: Zero Year
In this origin story written by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, Riddler serves as the primary antagonist. It features Riddler as more than just a silly trickster; he is the evil overlord of Gotham. A perfect supervillain for a rookie caped crusader, the Riddler tested his body as well as his mind.
Batman almost died trying to beat this version of Riddler. This Zero Year villain could be the perfect inspiration for Paul Dano's interpretation of the character.
4) Dark Knight: Dark City
It is pretty obvious that a comic with the word "Dark" in its title, twice, will be gloomy and sinister. This supernatural tale written by Peter Milligan conceived one of the most evil versions of Riddler. In Dark City, Nygma traps the Dark Knight in a labyrinth of puzzles and riddles and tries to resurrect the evil demon Barbathos.
The Riddler of the Dark City is an outright maniac. His lust for power and obsessive compulsion to kill Batman can be seen in each and every panel.
3) Batman: War of Jokes and Riddles
We all know of comics that pitted two superheroes against each other, with Civil War 1 and 2, The Dark Knight Returns, and Kingdom Come being good examples. But rarely do we get to see two supervillains clash against each other.
In The War of Jokes and Riddles, the rogues gallery chooses sides, as the king of riddles and the crown prince of crime wage war against each other for Gotham.
In this cutthroat tale of tricks and twists, the Riddler is portrayed as an expert strategist who proves that the brain is more powerful than brawn. Writer Tom King beautifully portrayed the story of a young caped crusader at one of the lowest points of his life.
2) Batman: Hush
In a popular comic story featuring new villain Hush, Riddler plays a small but key role. Written by Jeph Loeb, the comic book focuses on Riddler as the true mastermind to bring Batman down on his knees. With a strategic plot filled with twists, we see the full potential of Edward Nygma.
While the movie adapted from the comic portrays Riddler as being more powerful and smarter than his comic book counterpart, the final panels revealing Riddler's masterful plan is absolutely brilliant.
1) E. Nigma, Consulting Detective
Since his first appearance, we have always seen the Riddler engage in a battle of wits against the Bat. But what makes this story the best Riddler story of all time is that writer Paul Dini turned the concept of the character on its head.
Here, E. Nigma is a popular not-so-evil consulting detective who works with the likes of Nightwing and even the Dark Knight to solve crimes.
The tale showcases Nygma as a detective greater than the world’s greatest detective himself. His mental prowess is beyond comparison, which makes E. Nigma Consulting Detective a must read.
Note: Opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer.
