The Big Picture 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.
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.
Key points. The Riddler in the films "Batman Forever" and "The Batman" may show signs characteristic of borderline personality disorder. The Riddler in "Batman Forever" reveals an unstable, incomplete identity characterized by chaos in his moods, actions, and self-concept.
One of the other altered characteristics was that The Batman changed The Riddler's real name, which, along with the costume, transformed The Riddler into something altogether unique. In both the comics and his earlier onscreen adaptations, The Riddler's name was Edward Nygma, aka E.
The Riddler believes himself to be working to the same end as Batman, targeting the corrupt elites and the crime boss that put them in power, Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). It was Falcone's role as informant that put many of the cops and politicians where they are.
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.
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.
In The Riddler's mind, Batman is is partner. They want and need the same things. They think the same way, and they're both too smart for this mundane world. Therefore The Riddler is courting Batman and helping him stay out of danger during the grand finale.
Did The Riddler really think Batman was on his side?
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.
When he awakes, he is cured of his insanity and of his obsession with riddles, while retaining both his genius intellect and his mammoth ego. He has seemingly reformed and becomes a private consultant who takes on the murder case of a wealthy socialite.
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.
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.
In the Prelude to Batman's Wedding, The Riddler and Batgirl face off - with the evil genius expressing his love for the caped heroine. The Riddler has a new woman in his life - and it's none other than Batgirl A.K.A. Barbara Gordon.
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.
In the 2022 Valentine's Day special, Strange Love Adventures #1, The Riddler is confirmed to have romantic feelings for both women — such as The Quiz, Miss Grantham, and Jasmin Shroff — as well as men, such as Antoine Moray.
Selina often has an interesting dynamic with Edward Nygma, AKA the Riddler. Regardless, no fan could have suspected they'd ever sleep together. In Catwoman: Lonely City #3 by writer and artist Cliff Chiang, they do just that.
So, yes, Penguin is in love with Riddler, though the latter is a bit less than reciprocal. Okay, okay, Ed actively tries to kill Oswald, but that's only because the Penguin killed the woman Ed himself loved out of jealousy.
Filmmaker Matt Reeves has confirmed the character is none other than the Joker, who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Edward Nashton/the Riddler (Paul Dano).
The Batman's Riddler was orphaned, like Bruce Wayne, and his hatred for Bruce (and Gotham's corrupt politics in general) came after the Waynes were murdered and their Renewal funds were embezzled by the mob.
Who is the Riddler laughing with at the end of Batman?
In one of The Batman's final scenes, a foiled and jailed Riddler (Paul Dano) talks with an unseen figure in prison played by Barry Keoghan. Though brief, the scene leaves no doubt that Keoghan is playing Batman's greatest nemesis, The Joker.
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.
