DC Just Proved The Riddler is Always Going to Be Batman’s Most Tragic Villain

The Riddler may be one of the most well-known members of Batman’s rogues’ gallery, but DC Comics has just reaffirmed why that’s actually a major tragedy. For years, Edward ‘Eddie’ Nygma has delighted in showing off how much of a genius he is, crafting puzzles and death traps to prove how much smarter he is than the Dark Knight (though that’s rarely ever been the case). And yet, underneath the lime-green costumes and question mark imagery, there’s something more to Riddler. A side of Eddie he seemingly wants to embrace, yet can’t ever seem to commit to.

For those who have followed his career over the years, fans know that the Riddler hasn’t always been an over-the-top villain. He’s tried walking the straight and narrow path, putting his genius to good use as a private eye. Yet no matter what kind of changes he puts forth, Eddie can’t help but backslide into costumed criminality. Now, an emotional confrontation with his greatest enemy shows just what Riddler’s deal is and why he’ll never rise to be his best self.

Riddler’s Psychosis is So Much Worse Than Fans Thought

Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez’s epic relaunch of Batman continues with issue three, taking place shortly after Robin’s dust-up in the previous issue. While in the hospital waiting room, Bruce catches a televised roundtable featuring his old nemesis Hugo Strange, and Anna Zeller, one of the newest doctors at Arkham Towers. Zeller is advocating for her new device, the Crown of Storms, a technology that can rework one’s electrical impulses to help combat mental illnesses. Curiously, this technology is being partially funded by the Wayne Family endowment, something that catches Batman by surprise.

While Batman tries to learn more about the connection between his family’s endowment and Zeller, chaos is spreading through the Wayne Experimental Sciences Building. The Riddler has broken in, and he’s dispatched a couple of security guards. He easily disables the security measures protecting the treasure he’s come seeking: Zeller’s Crown of Storms. But before Eddie can get his hands on it, Batman arrives. He expresses disappointment in Riddler, asking why he’d throw away his recent advances with Nygmatech to play this tired old game again.

But something’s wrong with the Riddler. As he attacks Batman, Eddie issues a series of riddles that reveal his obsession is getting worse. Riddler even shows Batman a grocery list, written out as a series of riddles that took Eddie hours to make. Riddler wasn’t breaking in to steal the Crown of Storms out of some desire to play the game. His compulsion for riddle-making has gotten so bad, Riddler was hoping to use the Crown to make it stop. Or at least, get him sent to Arkham, where he’s heard word of Zeller secretly testing the Crown on patients.

The Riddler is Doomed to be a Batman Villain Forever

What’s so sad about this is that this actually explains a lot of Riddler’s back-and-forth journey. Back in the pre-New 52, Eddie had a good, well-received stint as a private eye, only to go back to villainy after a bomb exploded in his face (which is fair, I guess). During The Riddler: Year of the Villain one-shot from just a few years ago, Eddie set out on a journey to improve himself, only to backslide immediately. And as Batman pointed out in this issue, it wasn’t that long ago that Eddie founded Nygmatech, a company specializing in cryptographic technology.

There’s clearly a part of Eddie that knows he’s wasting his talents being the Riddler. I mean, let’s face it, egotism aside, he’s a smart guy, and he’s proven he can put his intelligence to good use. But he’s legitimately unwell. His obsession with riddles drives almost every decision he makes, and as time has gone on, it’s only gotten worse for the Riddler. Any time the poor guy tries to do better, his compulsions drag him back down because Eddie’s yet to find the help he needs to properly manage his psychosis.

Sadly, due to the status quo nature of comics, it’s unlikely the Riddler is ever going to find the fix he needs. Sure, it’s not impossible for villains to end up working more on the side of good than evil (just look at Catwoman or Harley Quinn). But Eddie has arguably tried to improve himself multiple times to no avail. No matter how much he tries to change, it seems like the Riddler’s always going to end up as the Batman villain he was born to be.

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