The Batman Trailer Hints at Connection Between Bruce Wayne and Riddler

One of the most important things to Batman is keeping his true identity a secret, no matter which version of the character you might be watching or reading. Very few people know that Bruce Wayne and Batman are one and the same, but in the next big screen adaptation of the character, one of his most dangerous adversaries may have already cracked the code. The Batman arrives in theaters next year, and it appears as though Paul Dano’s Riddler will know Bruce Wayne’s big secret in the film, attempting to use it against him.

A new international trailer for , and it focuses a lot of its attention on Edward Nashton, aka the Riddler. This dark and gritty take on the usually vibrant character is going after Batman, potentially because he’s someone that Bruce knew at one time on a personal level. Take a look at this screenshot from the new trailer:

There’s a photo of Bruce and his parents on what appears to be Riddler’s board. A young boy with long hair and glasses, around Bruce’s age, sits near the family and stares at them. Another identical photo of the boy has a question mark over his face, hinting that he went on to become the Riddler. After all, the kid does have the classic Riddler look.

Written next to the images of the boy is the phrase “If only I knew then… what I know now…” This is implying that Riddler does indeed know that Bruce is Batman. He could simply reveal that information to the public, but Edward clearly has a much bigger goal in mind, potentially breaking both Bruce and Gotham City in the process.

This depiction of the Riddler feels more like a real-life serial killer than the wacky comic book villain that was once played by Jim Carrey. He’s dark, brutal, and honestly quite terrifying. This was the goal of writer/director Matt Reeves, who thinks this take on Batman is the scariest version of the comic book property yet. 

“This movie, I think, is probably the scariest Batman that’s been done,” Reeves told Total Film Magazine, “because the idea of what Batman’s doing – it’s scary.” 

Are you looking forward to this new take on Batman? What do you think of Dano’s chilling Riddler? Let us know in the comments!