Batman Wiki
Batman Wiki
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Revision as of 04:23, 4 November 2012

"Outwitting Batman is my sole delight, my joy, my heaven on earth, my very...paradise!"
―The Riddler[src]


The Riddler was an arch-nemesis of Batman. Riddler is the original clue-dropping criminal. He delights in challenging Batman and Robin with his puzzles that he leaves behind at crime scenes, always pointing to where he will be next. Although he was a high school dropout, Riddler is still intelligent enough to give the Caped Crusaders plenty of headaches solving his clues, which are often many-layered and contain several possible solutions.

Biography

Edward Nigma, also known as the Riddler, undoubtedly has the highest IQ of all Batman's foes. Cold, aloof, and possessed of a steely wit, the Riddler challenges Batman to a duel of wits by leaving a trail of riddles, puzzles and cryptograms. In fact, he is psychologically incapable of committing any crime without offering a clue as to how he can be caught. Unfortunately for the Riddler, he has met his match in Batman who's always been able to decipher even his cleverest conundrums.

In the Batman movie, he comes up with six riddles (two of which were part of a trap for Batman). At the end of the movie, he is defeated by Batman and Robin and apprehended along with Joker, Penguin and Catwoman. Interestingly enough, in the submarine showdown at the end, he is knocked over the edge and into the water twice; first when Batman ducks a punch from the Joker which hits the Riddler instead, and then when Batman (while holding the Catwoman's cat) spins him around with the telescope, making the villain extremely dizzy and knocking him into the water.

He was also one of six arch-criminals freed from prison by Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft to form her new invisible gang, but this brief cameo appearance was by a stand-in.

Even though the Riddler is constantly outsmarted by Batman, it makes him even more determined to catch Batman out with riddles that he could never solve.

Weapons and Equipment

  • Dr. Riddler's Instant Forever Stick Invisible Wax Emulsion - A waxy glue used to cement a person feet to the ground to allow escape.
  • Riddler-alarm - Installed in his hideout, they sound whenever someone is entering.
  • Steam Room - Used for holding kidnappees. The steam apparently causes their resistance to wilt.
  • Riddle Juice - Gives the victim amnesia.
  • Novelty cigarette lighter - In the shape of a handgun, it produces a flame when the trigger is pulled. Handy for practical jokes.
  • Instant Compound X - Used for making molds, ie. can produce a mask that is an exact replica of the subject's face.
  • Wake-up and Sleeping Sprays - Makes kidnapping as easy as vandalizing a public building.
  • Laughing gas - Kept in pressurized gas tanks, so it can be pumped through a building's ventilation system.

Known Associates

Just as Batman and Robin do not go at crime-fighting alone,The Riddler needs fellow partners in crime to assist him with his malicious schemes:

  • Molly (portrayed by Jill St. John): His first female assistant. Riddler disguised her as Robin to trick Batman into taking her to the Batcave and then kill him. However Batman saw through her disguise and chased her to the top of the atomic pile which charges the Batmobile. The Caped Crusader tried to save her, but she slipped and fell to her death.
  • The Molehill Mob: They are an infamous gang of hoods that hid out in Gotham City's labyrinthine subway system.
    • Harry (portrayed by Allen Jaffe): Member of the Molehill Mob.
  • The River Rat Gang: Comprised of Whiskers (portrayed by Tim Herbert), Fangs (portrayed by Marc Cavell), and Whitey (portrayed by Roy Jenson). They assisted Riddler in a plot to dispose of King Boris. They all love cheese.
  • Mousey (portrayed by Susan Silo): An affiliate of the River Rat gang. She sometimes dresses as a schoolgirl to avoid suspicion. She was often late for meetings because she had to take the bus. When finally caught by Batman, she told him that she turned to a life of crime because she was looking for kicks after she dropped out of high school.
  • Moth (portrayed by Linda Gaye Scott): His female partner in crime during his caper involving the universal wax solvent. She was game until she came face to face with the Dynamic Duo and was smitten with Batman's good looks. Though she was attracted to the Caped Crusader, she did not give up crime and was taken into custody with Riddler and the rest of his henchmen.
  • Matches and Tallow (portrayed by Michael Greene and Joe E. Tata): Simple henchmen who assisted Riddler in a plot to steal Incan Jewels that will be destroyed if exposed to oxygen.
  • Mister Van Jones (portrayed by Francis X. Bushman): A collector of silent films who lent his collection to Gotham City's Washington Square for a silent film festival. He is a Gotham millionaire and lives in a mansion in which he often throws temperance parties, serving only lemonade to his guests. Though an esteemed member of Gotham society, his love of silent films drove him to crime. He propositioned the Riddler to make a silent movie, the first of such films to be made in 40 years, starring none other than Batman and Robin as they tracked the Riddler through a series of petty crimes. Van Jones paid Riddler $100,000 for the finished picture. The Riddler doubled-crossed him, however, attempting to steal the priceless movie collection and ransom it for $1,000,000. Batman and Robin saved the day, however. It is not known what happened to Van Jones after that.
  • Pauline (portrayed by Sherry Jackson): "A star that was never born", she vented her frustrations on society by turning to crime. She played a willing role in Riddler's silent movie caper. She was taken by Batman at the Gotham City Lumber Yard. She was whisked to the Batcave and interrogated by Batman using the Truth Control Bat-tester (see Equipment) and then handed over to the Gotham City Police.
  • Siren: She worked with Riddler on one caper, using her talent to hypnotize heavyweight contenders so that they couldn't challenge Riddler's title. Mentioned that she had her own plans for Batman and Robin.
  • Betsy Boldface (portrayed by Peggy Ann Garner): She was responsible for buying food for Riddler's training diet. Also has a midnight sports telecast. Commissioner Gordon was quite taken with her, noting that she did as well as any man could do in that position.
  • Kayo and Cauliflower (portrayed by Nicholas Georgiade and Gil Perkins): Riddler's thugs.

Riddles

The Riddler constantly made riddles that revealed his next crime in an attempt to baffle Batman, but they always led to his downfall:

  • Riddle: Why is an orange like a bell?
  • Answer: Because both need to be peeled
  • Riddle: When is the time of a clock like the whistle of a train?
  • Answer: When its two to two
  • Riddle: Why is a quarrel like a bargain?
  • Answer: It takes two to make one
  • Riddle: What kind of pins are used in soup?
  • Answer: Terapins
  • Riddle: What was Joan of Arc made of?
  • Answer: She was maid of Orleans
  • Riddle: How many sides has a circle?
  • Answer: Two, inside and outside
  • Riddle: Which President of the United States wore the biggest hat?
  • Answer: The one with the biggest head
  • Riddle: What has neither nails or bones but has four fingers and a thumb?
  • Answer: A glove!
  • Riddle: There are three men on a boat with a pack of cigarettes and no matches. How did they manage to smoke?
  • Answer: They threw one cigarette overboard and the boat became a cigarette lighter.
  • Riddle: When is a person like a piece of wood?
  • Answer: When it's a ruler
  • Riddle: Question, what is it that no man wants, but no man wants to lose?
  • Answer: A law suit!
  • Riddle: What is black and white and red all over?
  • Answer: A newspaper
  • Riddle: What has branches and leaves but no bark?
  • Answer: A library
  • Riddle: What has yellow skin and writes?
  • Answer: A ball point banana!
  • Riddle: What people are always in a hurry?
  • Answer: Rushing people......Russians!
  • Robin: I've got it! Someone Russian is going to slip on a banana peel and break their neck!
  • Batman: Exactly Robin! It's the only possible answer!
  • Riddle: What is always on its way here but never arrives?
  • Answer: Tomorrow
  • Riddle: The more you take away from it the larger it grows, what is it?
  • Answer: A hole
  • Riddle: Why is silk like grass?
  • Answer: They are both sold by the yard.
  • Riddle: Why is a bear like a fallen tree?
  • Answer: Because they both lumber.
  • Riddle: What room can no-one enter?
  • Answer: A mushroom
  • Riddle: What won’t run long without winding?
  • Answer: A river
  • Riddle: When is a person like a stupid relative?
  • Answer: When it's a man-a-kin.
  • Riddle: How much dirt is in a hole 3 acres square and 200 feed deep?
  • Answer: None because its a hole
  • Riddle: What is the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end and the end of every race?
  • Answer: The letter "E".
  • Riddle: When is a bonnet not a bonnet?
  • Answer: When it becomes a young woman!
  • Riddle: Why is a welder like a woman in love?
  • Answer: Because they both carry a torch!!
  • Riddle: Said one baker to another, how do you make a dishonest shortcake?
  • Answer: Lie-berry
  • Riddle: Why is a musician’s band stand like an oven?
  • Answer: It is where he makes his bread
  • Riddle: Why is a woman in love like a welder?
  • Answer: Because they both carry a torch
  • Riddle: What kind of men are always above board?
  • Answer: Chessmen
  • Riddle: What kind of a machines have ears?
  • Answer: A train has engin(ears)
  • Riddle: When does a Boy Wonder rhyme with bubble?
  • Answer: "When he's in trouble"
  • Riddler: WRONG!!! When he's DOUBLE - SPLIT in two halves - right down the MIDDLE!!!!!!!

Appearances

Season 1

Season 3

Gallery

See