Edward Nygma (Gotham)

Edward "Ed" Nygma is a supporting protagonist in the Batman prequel TV Show Gotham, where he is portrayed by Cory Michael Smith. In this version, he is a police forensic investigator, who normally gives Bullock and Gordon the results of the crime scenes. He has not taken the identity of the Riddler yet and is commonly known as Ed by his coworkers. While still loving Puzzles and Riddles, and showing signs of lacking empathy, this version has not turned villainy as of yet.

Season One
Possessing a crush on his co-worker Kristine Kringle, towards the end of the season, he discovered her boyfriend, Tom Dougherty, was abusive. Confronting him to stop him seeing her again, he ended up stabbing Dougherty, this event caused him to have a simultaneous remorse and breakdown. Using his position he managed to destroy Tom's body before anyone found out he was dead, and created his first ever Riddle, a forged note from Tom claiming he had just left. While secretly the first letter of every line came to his name.

However, upon realizing this meant he could be discovered, it lead to him suffering a breakdown. In the second season it appears he has a split personality and has conversations with a darker version of himself in the mirror. Ed gets upset by his alter egos presence and warns him to leave Kringle alone.

Season Two
When Jerome Valeska and his teammates attack the Police Department killing cops, Ed saves Kringle by tackling her to the ground out of the way of the gunfire and ends up taking a bullet. Kringle appears to show appreciation to end and is later seen giving him medication after the bloody incident is over.

To confess his love to her, he practizes his speech in the police archives. However, due to his split personality his evil part gains more and more influence over him. When telling Nygma that she owes him for saving her life, Edward walks to Kringle while she speaks to three other officers. He invites her to dinner and she agrees, saying that she would like that, much to the astonishment of the other cops.

Trivia

 * It is possible he will become a villain at some point in the second season as he is seen on a statue for the "Rise of the Villains" and a voiceover in a trailer has him saying "Behold a city riddled with fear".
 * Edward working for the Gotham City Police Department is probably taken from the Arkham video game series Riddler, who was shown working for the G.C.P.D in the prequel game Batman: Arkham Origins.
 * Edward's relationship with his alternative personality is similar to the relationship between the unnamed Narrator and Tyler Durden in the 1999 film Fight Club.