A More Sinister Riddler: Matt Reeves & Paul Dano on Their Version of the Batman Villain

We’ve already talked about how Matt Reeves’ version of The Riddler in The Batman is inspired by the Zodiac Killer, and now Reeves is breaking down more of what inspired him to include The Riddler as more of a serial killer than the jokey man obsessed with wordplay that we saw from Jim Carrey in Batman Forever.

“Early on, this idea of doing a serial-killer story popped into my head, and I started thinking about superheroes; the idea of wearing costumes,” Reeves told Total Film and went on to talk about his inspiration for the character. “I read Mindhunter. It made me think of the Zodiac killer, and how he actually wore this primitive costume that really is a primitive superhero costume… a rogues’ gallery costume. And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s really scary, the idea of people really wearing masks, and withholding their identities, and terrorizing people, and how scary that is.’ And so I started thinking, ‘Well, it could be an origin tale for the Riddler, and it could be an origin tale for some of these other characters.'”

Paul Dano, who is playing The Riddler, also shared his excitement for getting to star in The Batman. “I was sort of schoolboy-excited. It’s one of the few times when there’s a really kind of shocking [feeling of], ‘I can’t believe that I get to do this.'”

The Edward Nygma of it all

Batman’s villains can range from being alluring like Poison Ivy and Catwoman to terrifying like the Joker and Harley Quinn, to absolutely campy as all camp can be with the Riddler and the Penguin. What it seems like The Batman is doing is taking a more grounded approach to the franchise, much like Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, while still being true to why we love the world of Batman in the first place.

When it comes to Bruce Wayne, it’s a hard line to walk. You can easily fall into cheesy with his villains and particularly with characters like Edward Nygma, a.k.a. The Riddler. He’s a man who loves wordplay, so why wouldn’t it be cheesy? But what we’ve seen from the trailers is a more sinister approach to Edward’s obsession with riddles that I think is going to work incredibly well in the film.

Am I intrigued by the idea of a Zodiac-inspired Riddler because of my own obsession with the Zodiac case? Yes, definitely, but I also do think it fits well with the character in general. The Zodiac Killer taunted the public, hid answers to his crimes in riddles that are still impossible to solve, and made the San Francisco area live in fear of what he was going to do next. Applying that to a character like The Riddler makes sense for not only the world Reeves is creating but also for what we know about Edward Nygma.

(image: Warner Bros.)

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Rachel Leishman

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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