| “ | Riddle me this, Batman! | „ |
| ~ The Riddler's catchphrase. |
| “ | Huzzah, Huzzah! | „ |
| ~ The Riddler's victory call or his form of excitement |
The Riddler is a major antagonist in William Dozier's Batman series and the 1966 film.
He was portrayed by the late Frank Gorshin (who also portrayed Bele in Star Trek, Brother Septimus in Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and Hugo Strange in the animated series The Batman) in the 1966 film and Seasons 1 and Season 3, and John Astin in Season 2.
Biography[]
The Riddler from the popular television series was inspired by the first Silver Age appearance of the Riddler, with the premiere episode being an adaptation of Batman' #171, which was itself the third ever appearance of The Riddler in comics. Gorshin's portrayal of the character was loosely inspired by Richard Widmark's portrayal of psychopathic gangster Tommy Udo in the filmKiss of Death.
In the film, he was seen in the United Underworld, teaming up with Joker and Catwoman in order to disband the United Nations. Riddler devised the Combination Trap so Joker can play the role of being the Jack-in-the-Box who'll send Batman flying toward the Penguin's exploding octopus.
Personality[]
| “ | Royalty? You've never met royalty? And just whom do you think stands before you, my cherub? I am The Prince Of Puzzlers, The Count Of Conundrums, The King Of Crime! I hold court here, no one else! | „ |
| ~ The Riddler, announcing himself |
Just like many other versions of the character, the Ridder boasts of his high intellect (especially relishing in what he did and found and thought that was "sheer genius") and being the smartest there is. He is an expert at making riddles and shows enjoyment in manipulating people and also playing tricks on many people like the sneaky individual that he is; oftentimes using these skills to commit crimes and evade capture, and sometimes cracking jokes in public to make himself seem charismatic and harmless.
As explained by Batman, he has a pathological need to belittle his enemies and poke fun at them to prove himself to be smarter than them, that of which manifests in his thought-provoking riddles, and The Riddler constantly makes riddles that revealed his next crime in an attempt to baffle and confuse Batman in order to manipulate him. Which helps showing why Riddler is often unhinged and sometimes seen laughing uncontrollably at Batman and Robin in amusement during his riddles as if he was pulling pranks on them.
It must be noted that Riddler is shown to be one of the most dangerous villains Batman has faced, especially the dramatic shift from Riddler's crazy, wild-eyed, maniacal behavior in the first season and then in later seasons, he is then shifting into a more cold, calculating, commanding, domineering and dead-eyed nemesis with an excitable, loud side to him, lives underneath Gotham, has henchmen that he happily torments and abuses to make them comply to him and follow his orders and has managed to successfully trap Batman and Robin more than one time (as well as trying to kill Robin with a chainsaw machine while Riddler took Batman's saying of being there in "no time" to prevent him from arriving proactively and Robin was then forced asleep with a sleep spray Riddler used on him), which makes him become far more unpredictable and formidable than how his mischievous cackling and arrogant behavior implies.
It's also shown he is so clever that he can use his lunacy to his advantage as well, as he managed to trap Batman and Robin while he escaped once and Batman thought he was defeated with rope, which gave Riddler the opportunity to run and lean into a room with levers to pull a trap lever to trap Batman into a room with walls of bulletproof glass. When he obtained a rare old book of The Incas treasures, he lured Batman and Robin to get their feet stuck to the floor with an emulsion bottle called "Dr. Riddler's Instant Forever Sticking Invisible Wax Emulsion" so they can "stick around" before he threw said bottle at the fire alarm and tried to light a bomb on fire to blow up Batman and Robin with the riddle "The more you take away, the more it grows".
He's also a creative menace, since he was able to get chefs to help him create pies that are filled with sleeping cream and nuts with the quip "Nuts to you!" as he threw this at the officer to make him pass out, and also sending his chef henchmen to throw said pies at two office clerks of the Payroll Office, and holding them all hostage to force them to watch his movie he made with his sleep pies and also predicted the appearances of his "unwitting stars" being Batman and Robin being there to stop him and also somehow managing to gain recorded footage of their presence and seeing them get tricked into going to the wrong building out of misdirection meanwhile Riddler and his henchmen laugh at them.
However, despite his dastardly talents, Riddler is a poor fighter often providing little challenge for Batman and Robin physically. He is also very cocky; often letting his ego and insanity ruin his own schemes, especially since his riddles leave clues so open and out there, it always lead to his multiple downfalls.
Quotes[]
- 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: Terrapins
- 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 (Library)
- Riddle: Why is a musician’s band stand like an oven?
- Answer: It is where he makes his bread
- 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!!!!!!!
Trivia[]
- Frank Gorshin was a fan of the Batman comic books since childhood and he said he liked the Riddler as a character.
- Frank Gorshin left the show after the first season due to wage disputes so the role went to John Astin during the second season. His portrayal was disappointing to viewers so Frank returned for the third season.
- Frank Gorshin was one of Jim Carrey's favorite actors, Carrey played a version of the character in Batman Forever, and shares many similarities in the portrayal.
- Allegedly, Frank Gorshin disliked the Riddler's original spandex costume, so he requested another. This led to the development of a brand new costume consisting of a green suit with question mark patterns and a bowler hat, which would eventually be adopted in later incarnations of the character, becoming his most iconic look.
- John Astin carried a question mark shaped cane prior to the original comic book character.
- The Riddler's real name Edward Nygma is never mentioned nor are his origins.
- The Riddler was the most recurring character in the first season, appearing in eight episodes.
- This version of the Riddler has brown hair and brown eyes, while his mainstream counterpart has black hair and blue eyes.
- This version of the Riddler has tried kissing women on stage without their consent (causing them to shriek), which counts as a act of sexual assault or battery.
External Links[]
- Riddler on the Batman Wiki
[]
 Villains
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Joker | Penguin | Catwoman | Riddler | Mr. Freeze | The Archer | Black Widow | Bookworm | Egghead | Clock King | Queenie Goldstein | Sandman | Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft | Cabala | Minstrel | Shame | False Face | The Siren | Undine | Chandell & Harry | King Tut | Louie the Lilac | Mad Hatter | Cornelia | Baby Jane Towser | Lydia Limpet | Zelda the Great | The Puzzler | Olga, Queen of Cossacks | Marsha, Queen of Diamonds | Lord Marmaduke Ffogg | Lady Penelope Peasoup | Ma Parker | Freddy the Fence | Lola Lasagne | Nora Clavicle | Colonel Gumm | Minerva | Killer Moth | Calamity Jan | ||
