The Riddler (real name Edward Nigma[1]) is a supervillain with a penchant for charades and riddles. Despite not being taken seriously by other criminals,[4] he is an agent of and strategist for the Light.[5]
Physical appearance[]
Riddler is a thin man of medium height. He has brown eyes and brown hair in a flat-top, a spiky quiff with long sideburns and a rectangular head. He also has a gap between his two front teeth.
His Riddler costume is a colorful two-piece suit. He wears a dark green shirt and a lighter green jacket with a high collar; the shoulders are a darker green. A question mark is emblazoned on his left shoulder. He has a purple tie with a green question mark tie-pin in the middle. He also wears black pants with a green belt and question mark buckle, and triangular green glasses with a purple frame.[5]
History[]
Early life[]
Nigma started his supervillain career in 2008.[6]
2010[]
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While imprisoned at Belle Reve Penitentiary, the Riddler tried to get on the good side of Icicle Sr., the head of the prisoners, but failed because everyone saw him as a joke. He again tried to approach the capo and the prisoners during lunch, but was once again rejected.
When a massive escape was attempted, the Riddler somehow managed to escape during the confusion when no one else could.[4]
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In a dimension without any children under the age of 18 (caused by a magic spell by Klarion and other sorcerers), Riddler infiltrated Gotham's STAR Labs. While Sportsmaster incited a riot outside to keep the police occupied, Riddler was able to sneak out with the last sample of Starro.
Later, Riddler and Sportsmaster presented the Starro tentacle to the Brain and other members of the Light.[5]
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Riddler staged an ambush of the Team by baiting them with Cheshire and the echinoderm samples. The Team made short work of Riddler and his allies, Mammoth and Shimmer. Riddler was bound and gagged by Zatanna.
What the Team did not know was that the ambush was meant to fail, and only served as a ploy to smuggle the echinoderm aboard the Watchtower.[7]
2014[]
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Riddler met with Lex Luthor at the Museum of Antiquities's Babylonian wing.[8] The Light's plan to release Tiamat required for artefacts to be unearthed without it being traced back to them. Riddler spent months feeding clues to archeologist Helena Sandsmark so that she would organize a dig, without realizing she had been steered.[9]
2015[]
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Sandsmark refused to give up the artefact, so Riddler kidnapped her.[9]
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As the Team found the other artefacts, Riddler sprung the last part of his trap. He made no secret of his presence in the docks, which lured Nightwing and Alpha Squad back to the city.
Riddler and Psimon built traps for the Team to overcome, which were easy enough for Nightwing to solve. The Light could afford to give back Dr. Sandsmark and Riddler took a fall, surrendering the last fragment of the Tiamat statue—or rather, a fake meant to buy the Light time for their final steps.[9]
Appearances[]
- Season 1
- 11. "Terrors"
- 19. "Misplaced" (no lines)
- 25. "Usual Suspects"
- Young Justice: Legacy
Background information[]
- In the comics, the Riddler is one of Batman's greatest enemies, with a knack for committing crimes solvable only by answering riddles that he leaves behind at the crime scene.
- Young Justice marks the Riddler's 11th animated appearance. The character's animated debut was in 1968 as part of The Batman/Superman Hour, and since then, he has appeared in the original Super Friends, Challenge of the Super Friends, The New Adventures of Batman (opening sequence only), the DC Animated Universe (Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures and Superman: The Animated Series), The Batman, Batman: Under the Red Hood and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.