| “ | Hush, Batman. Hush. | „ |
| ~ Riddler (as Hush) after shooting Batman's grappling hook. |
| “ | It was so obvious. Right in front of me the whole time. In a flash of inspiration, I saw a way to destroy you and the criminal swine who'd disrespected me in the past. I needed a new persona—my true identity had to be kept hush-hush. One by one I convinced, cajoled and compelled the others to play their part...and do my bidding. You see, Batman, this is my game, and everyone follows my rules. Even you. | „ |
| ~ Riddler explaining how he took on the identity of Hush to Batman. |
Edward Nygma, also known as The Riddler and Hush, is the titular main antagonist of the DC animated film Batman: Hush. He is a supervillain and a frequent enemy of Batman whose narcissistic need for attention leads him to strongly desire to prove himself to be the intellectual superior of Gotham's underworld and even Batman himself.
He is voiced by Geoffrey Arend and by Maury Sterling while playing Hush.
Biography[]
Past[]
The Riddler's early life is unknown but he eventually developed a special form of Obsessive Compulsion Disorder. The illness meant that he had to constantly challenge his enemies with riddles and puzzles because his psychosis compulsively drove him to prove that he was smarter than anyone else. As a result, he frequently came into conflict with the Batman and was confined in Arkham Asylum a number of times.
At some point prior to the film, the Riddler was diagnosed with brain cancer and, using the alias of Arthur Wynne, enlisted the help of renowned neurosurgeon Thomas Elliot, a close friend of Bruce Wayne, to help him. However, Elliot failed to remove his tumor, embittering Riddler against him. Afterwards, the Riddler is forced to bribe his way into using one of the Lazarus Pits to heal his cancer, and after using it, he had an epiphany and finally deduced that Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne. As a side effect, he has also developed enhanced physical abilities due to exposure to the Lazarus Pit and his pupils had become red.
Batman: Hush[]
Due to his lack of respect amongst the other supervillains within the Gotham underworld, The Riddler takes on a new persona known as Hush. As Hush, Riddler manipulates Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Bane, Harley Quinn, Joker, and Scarecrow in plots to kill Batman, while using Clayface as a double of himself that gets incarcerated in Arkham. After all of the villains fail against Batman, Riddler kidnaps Catwoman and holds her hostage in an abandoned factory to lure Batman to him. Batman puts up a much better fight than Riddler because the Riddler still talks too much and lacks the decades of hand-to-hand combat.
Batman taunts and calls him out on being the same C-Lister villain and still being a joke of the Gotham underworld. Batman threatens Riddler that once the other villains find out that he was Hush the whole time, they'll kill him and tells him that the effects of the Lazarus pit don't last forever because his strength and genius are fading away. Angered by this, Riddler managed to deliver multiple slashes with his bladed question mark staff, and then finally overpowers and nearly kills Batman, but he is stopped by a freed Catwoman. The two of them then overwhelm the Riddler and push him over a vat of molten metal. Batman attempts to save the Riddler, endangering his own life in the process, but Catwoman cuts the rope holding the Riddler up, causing the villain to fall to his death.
Powers and Abilities[]
Enhanced Physiology[]
As a side-effect of him using a Lazarus Pit to regenerate from his brain cancer, the Riddler develops enhanced durability, speed and strength. He was able to go toe-to-toe with Batman and even overwhelm him in terms of physical might. However, the only thing he lacked was the decades of hand-to-hand combat that Batman and Catwoman have despite being skilled in many other areas. He was even able to wield his new Riddler Staff with remarkable proficiency and even moderately wounded Batman three times. He would've killed Batman if not for Catwoman's intervention. However, during the showdown, his enhanced durability, speed and strength began to fade away as pointed out by Batman that the effects of the Lazarus Pit don't last forever.
Genius-Level Intelligence[]
The Riddler possess an extraordinary genius-level intellect with a highly logical mind and an aptitude for solving puzzles at remarkable speeds. While under the Lazarus Pit's effects, his intellect was momentarily boosted and he was able to finally deduce Batman's secret identity as Bruce Wayne. He was also a skilled manipulator, as he manipulated many of Gotham's notorious super villains into doing his bidding as Hush since no one would respect him or fear him as the Riddler. This includes the Joker who like his comic counterpart, is one of the most cunning of all of Batman's foes. However, during the showdown, his enhanced intelligence began to fade away as pointed out by Batman that the effects of the Lazarus Pit don't last forever.
Quotes[]
| “ | The Riddler: Ah, admiring my beauty mark? The damage to you may be more severe. Catwoman: Batman will find you. The Riddler: Of course he will. Within seconds, he'll have dissembled the device I used to turn Clayface into my doppelganger. He'll then know the effective range is ten miles, and search that radius. Which means... -we better get started. Batman will then contact Alfred to confirm that you were missing. Batman will come alone. He'll deduce I've prepared a place for our showdown. He'll compile a list of every factory and warehouse within the ten-mile radius, of which there are 62. He'll winnow that list to 14, too many to search one-by-one. Catwoman: (strains) Shut up! Shut up! The Riddler: Since I've left no other tools, Batman will revisit the name, Arthur Wynne, and check the names of the 14 places to find that only one is an anagram for "Arthur Wynne." "New Thurnary." Even allowing for traffic, he should be here any minute. Catwoman: Screw you! The Riddler: No time. Riddle me this. "The less of me you have, the more I am worth. What am I?" Answer? A friend. Catwoman: I'm going to kill you. The Riddler: You're not going anywhere except down. |
„ |
| ~ The Riddler about to kill Catwoman while revealing that he was Hush and his last plot to kill Batman. |
| “ | What's a bat to do? The briefest of reprieves, I assure you. | „ |
| ~ The Riddler about to battle Batman. |
| “ | Tonight, I'll show them all by doing what none of them could, killing the Batman! (struggles with Batman) Can you feel it, Bruce? Can you feel it all slipping away? | „ |
| ~ The Riddler taunting Batman during their fight. |
| “ | The Riddler: What do you think of me now? Batman: (punches the Riddler) You talk too much. The Riddler: (cuts Batman in the shoulder) I repeat, what do you think of me now? Batman: That you're the same insecure C-lister you were before you went into the Lazarus Pit. The Riddler: Big talk from a dead man! Batman: You tell riddles a fifth grader could solve -and you call yourself the Riddler. The sheer lack of imagination is staggering. The Riddler: You take that back! Batman: A one-gimmick hack. The joke of the underworld. The Riddler: Damn you. Shut up! Batman: You think you got the best of Ivy, Joker, and Bane? Once they find out Hush was The Riddler... they'll hunt you down like a dog. It won't be pretty. The Riddler: I'm not scared of them anymore! I'll kill them just like I'm going to kill you. (The Riddler attacks Batman who punches him back) Batman: The effects of the Pit don't last forever. I'm betting even now you can feel it. All that strength and genius slipping away just when you need it most. The Riddler: No, no! Batman: Riddle me this, who's his own worst enemy? |
„ |
| ~ Batman taunting the Riddler about his villainy and threatens him that the villains will kill him when they find out that he was Hush the whole time. |
| “ | The Riddler:(Batman and the Riddler continue fighting until the Riddler pins him down) I have you now! (they continue fighting until the Riddler gains the upper hand and stabs Batman) I win! I win! I win! Catwoman: (Catwoman uses her whip to grab the Riddler's staff aqnd throw it away) Nine lives, remember? Now let's beat the crap out of this asshole. |
„ |
| ~ The Riddler about to kill Batman until Catwoman interferes before she and Batman beat up the Riddler |
| “ | The Riddler: Don't let me die! Please! Pull me up. Pull me up! Please! Catwoman: Leave him! Batman: (Batman shoves her away while trying to pull the Riddler up) Go! The Riddler: Wait! You're Batman, you can't let me die! Catwoman: Screw this shit. (cuts the rope and the Riddler falls to his death into the molten metal) |
„ |
| ~ The Riddler's last words before Catwoman let's him fall to his death into the molten metal. |
Gallery[]
Images[]
.jpg "Hush (Riddler).jpg (100 KB)")
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Unlike in the comics, where Riddler teams up with Thomas Elliot and has him take on the mantle of Hush, Riddler takes on the identity of Hush himself, because of Riddler's lack of respect among other supervillains within the Gotham Underworld. This decision resulted in the otherwise acclaimed movie to get negative feedback from fans who were initially upset about this change.
- Though, it does make an unexpected twist, since nobody with foreknowledge expected Tommy Elliot to be actually innocent.
- This was the first time that Thomas Elliot wasn't Hush, with the second time being one of the optional outcomes in the interactive animated film, Death in the Family, in which Jason Todd becomes Hush.
- Unlike all the other versions of the Riddler who are still threats to Batman, this version of the Riddler is a C-Lister villain. This status likely changed after the events of the movie given how much trouble he caused, and him almost killing Batman at various points.
- This is the first version of the Riddler to have a question mark on his forehead, the second being his counterpart of the Harley Quinn series. However, while with this version the question mark is a scar, the Harley Quinn version's question mark is most likely a tattoo.
- Outside of video games he is the first, and so far only version of the Riddler to die onscreen.
