Decipher the Riddler's Symbols in The Batman Trailer to Reveal a Secret
Viral marketing for The Batman movie challenges amateur sleuths to solve the Riddler's puzzles for a reward. In the DC reboot from filmmaker Matt Reeves, enigmatic serial killer Edward Nashton (Paul Dano) is out to unmask the truth behind the Dark Knight detective — and his alter ego, the reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson). Like the trail of cryptic clues that brings Batman out of the shadows and into the criminal underworld of Gotham City, a series of mysterious symbols spotted in the latest trailer for The Batman asks the question: can you solve the Riddler's riddles?
Deciphering the cryptogram, which first appeared on a standee distributed to movie theaters, reveals a message for Batman: "You are el rata alada," or "you are the winged rat." One fan on a message board dedicated to The Batman created an incomplete cipher to help crack the Riddler's codes as they appear.
Warner Bros. Pictures has launched the interactive website Rataalada.com, greeting players with the question mark-riddled boot screen and command-line interface of an old-school DOS. Typing "Y" to proceed, the Riddler challenges you to correctly answer three questions "and justice will be your reward."
- Question 1: "Those who make me are likely to break me."
- Answer 1: "The Law"
- Question 2: "What's black and blue and dead all over?"
- Answer 2: "Batman"
- Question 3: "I can be easy or a dead end. Careful when you cross me."
- Answer 3: "The Street"
If you best the Riddler at his own game, he lets you in on a secret. Click through for a reward: a sketch artist's rendition of the Batman.
Refresh the page, and the Riddler asks if you've been to the Iceberg Lounge: the hangout of rising gangster Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot, a.k.a. the Penguin (Colin Farrell). Answer "Y" or "N" and the Riddler gives you your reward: yet another cryptic clue and a warning to "stay vigilant."
Players are encouraged to check back on the website for more clues up through the release of The Batman.
Starring Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell, The Batman opens exclusively in theaters on March 4.
