My favorite villain is very intelligent and also stimulates the audience to activate their neurons with his funny riddles, which Batman then unveiled with absolute genius. Always smiling, always believing to be the winner, enthusiastic villain. Despite being a genius with a very high IQ, his narcissism makes him unable to see the world beyond his own bubble. He is histrionic, petty and his obsession with puzzles can be described as an extreme form of obsessive compulsive disorder.
His entire modus operandi as a criminal is based on the riddles he leaves behind every time he executes a crime, something that reaches a maniacal level. He is incapable of making meaningful or simple decisions in his life without leaving riddles in his wake, just as he is incapable of establishing relationships without any kind of manipulation. For the Riddler, games are the only way he can relate to the world.
Although the villain has become one of the Batman's most representative enemies, the Riddler was originally a minor member of the Batman's gallery of foes. Everything began to change with his insertion in the pilot episode of the television series starring Adam West. He was favored to be played by Frank Gorshin, a long-time actor.
Gorshin played the enigma villain in the first two-part episode and was an immediate success, bringing the character out of his lowly position. The actor received an Emmy Award nomination for his role and from his debut, his charismatic Riddler established himself as one of the most dangerous enemies for the dynamic duo, characterized by his unbalanced plans and his exclusive laugh.
After a series of small scams and frauds throughout Gotham, the villain decided to test the Gotham City Police Department and, of course, Batman himself, whom he considered a challenge for him. Before committing any crime, he would send out some kind of riddle or word game, the solution to which held the key to where he would strike next.
Of Gotham's villains, he is the least agile in combat. In fact, The Riddler prefers not to use force to fight Batman. His strength lies in his wits. He is the enemy of the Dark Knight who manages to turn him upside down with his riddles and puns, clues to solve the mysteries behind each of his misdeeds. Although he prefers to test his enemy's intelligence, he carries with him an electrifier, explosives and his inseparable cane in the shape of a question mark. The villain uses it to get out of trouble. With it he throws lightning bolts, darts or uses it as a bomb detonator.
Later his image was transformed for the cinema and he left the athletic tights for an elegant suit and hat without leaving his classic green, there was also a riddle in between with a tights printed with many question marks.
Information is power. The criminal who knows all the answers has always ended up falling prey to his mania for leaving clues that allow Batman to thwart his plans. However, viewers like me have always been grateful to him for creating stories that exercise the deduction skills of the world's smartest detective, because what would a detective be without clues to solve, and what better villain than the Riddler to leave them?
