For Edward Nashton, a.k.a The Riddler, Thomas Wayne (Luke Roberts) bears the blame, which carries over into jealousy for the orphan Bruce who was raised in the lap of luxury. The Ridder's provided backstory gives us the emotional motivation behind the Riddler's choice in targeting the wealthy elite as part of his plan.
Although Thomas Wayne was dead, The Riddler targeted Bruce Wayne, believing him to be no better than his father. The Riddler was intelligent and resourceful enough to discover Batman's secret identity, but ultimately never did because he believed that Batman was on his side.
The Riddler's motive stems from his heartbreaking upbringing and resentment towards the wealthy class, particularly Bruce Wayne. He targets those involved in embezzling money meant for the orphanage where he grew up.
So is Ridder smarter than Batman? That's up for debate, but in the eyes of the Batman writer, that appears to be the case. It's not an outrageous claim, but the Dark Knight has a genius-level intellect, so it's definitely close if the Riddler is smarter overall.
The Batman (2022) - Riddler talks about being an orphan
Who is the real villain of Batman?
Why Was the Dark Web the True Villain in The Batman? Riddler, in his real identity as Edward Nashton, made it clear to the Bat in the scary Arkham Asylum that he was always a loner. He never had family or friends and was always bullied, even at the Wayne Manor-turned-orphanage.
Joker may be one of the smartest and most cunning villains in DC history, but even he knows not to try and outsmart the Riddler. While the Joker is a criminal genius rivaled by almost no other villain in fiction, even he knows the Riddler is his intellectual better.
As well financially Lex Luthor is doing better, so there's nothing really that Lex has to worry about Batman and I highly doubt Lex Luthor is questioning his intelligence to Batman. Lex Luthor is the smartest Human in the DC universe.
And while they fight, Gotham crumbles down around them. Riddler openly despises Joker in this storyline and even though Joker stops Batman from killing Riddler, that doesn't make the two villains friends.
Why did Riddler think he and Batman were working together? The Riddler has every reason to think he and Batman were in cahoots: The Batman was actually the one to reveal Gotham's corrupt underbelly by solving Riddler's clues, and he even brought Falcone "into the light" so Nashton could bump him off.
Origins. The Riddler's compulsion stems from parental abuse that he endured as a child. After Edward got high scores on some important tests in school, his father, unable to grasp the fact that his son was brilliant and believing he had cheated, beat him out of envy.
Although there are no publicly available statistics to support his IQ, it is believed to be between 150 and 155. He might qualify as a genius. With an IQ of 150, Elon Musk belongs to the "GENIUS" category, and with a score of 155, he belongs to the "HIGH GENIUS" category.
Hulk and Banner are two distinct entities. Banner remaining inside of Hulk doesn't change Hulk's IQ. Which Hulk? If we're talking Savage Hulk, I'd put his IQ right around 99 on the Current “Wechsler IQ Classification” scale.
Batman's lack of superhuman abilities makes him especially vulnerable to physical trauma, as his body cannot withstand continuous beatings without severe consequences. Batman's past trauma and lack of emotional healing make him easily manipulated by his enemies, who use his fears and personal losses against him.
Like all the best villains, the Riddler has good ideas with wildly misguided execution. He's a ruthless serial killer, but he targets public figures who masquerade as noble, well-intentioned people but actually lead secret double lives as reprehensible monsters.
Scarecrow is arguably only successful because of the help he gets from the Arkham Knight (Jason Todd, who later becomes Batman: Arkham's Red Hood), but he's also intelligent enough to know he needs a partner to take Batman down. Unlike Joker, he doesn't mind sharing the spotlight to accomplish his goals.
For starters, Langley asserts that Batman, despite popular opinion, does not have a mental illness. The Dark Knight exhibits some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, but not enough to warrant a formal diagnosis.
After Riddler's failed attempt at mass murder, he is seen wallowing in his cell. He hoped Batman would help him get the vengeance he so desired but the Bat decides to be better and help the victims instead. The crying, screaming Riddler is consoled by a jailmate.
So what's his diagnosis? Edward's persistent deficits in social communication and interaction—as well as his restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior and interests—point to autism spectrum disorder. And if that assessment is correct, his riddles could even be seen as a learned social interaction strategy.
