A new piece of information about the past of Edward Nashton — the Riddler from The Batman — revealed in a tie-in novel indicates that Matt Reeves’ film will develop the character’s history with Bruce Wayne in a way that Batman Foverer never managed to. With just a few weeks away from opening, The Batman seems like a guaranteed success thanks to the anticipation of what promises to be the darkest and most realistic version of the hero yet. Likewise, the movie's villains are also expected to be given an interesting new spin to fit into the detective story that both Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves have been promising.
The Batman will mark the Riddler's first appearance in a Batman movie since Jim Carrey's version in Batman Forever. Actor Paul Dano was chosen to bring to life this version of the villain who is closer to a serial killer type of character than to the classic criminal mastermind in a green jumpsuit. Here, instead of being called Edward Nygma as in other versions, the Riddler is Edward Nashton, a mysterious man who seems to have a personal feud with Bruce Wayne. In addition to the Riddler, The Batman will also feature other famous Batman villains such as Catwoman, Penguin, and Carmine Falcone.
If the childhood connection between Bruce Wayne and Edward Nashton indicated by the tie-in novel Before the Batman: An Original Movie Novel is confirmed in the film, The Batman will have the chance to do what Batman Forever tried but failed to do: create a personal history between the hero and the villain. In the 1995’ movie, Edward Nygma was a Wayne Industries employee obsessed with Bruce Wayne's prestige and fame. Nygma envied his billionaire boss and began a crusade to replace Wayne as Gotham’s most successful citizen. This premise would have yielded a very interesting dynamic between Batman and Riddler had it not been for the cartoonish tone of Batman Forever. The original idea of Nygma's hate for Wayne was lost throughout Jim Carrey's iconic but too-over-the-top performance and squandered what could have been a great Batman story.
Matt Reeve's The Batman could not be more different from Batman Forever in terms of tone. That will make it possible for Paul Dano's version of the Riddler to explore a possible personal feud between Edward and Bruce in a more serious way. The clear inspiration of this new version of the Riddler in real life criminals such as the Zodiac Killer is also an indication of how realistic and not cartoonish Paul Dano's portrayal will be. The Batman's Riddler can also serve as an element to bring together elements of the Wayne family's past with Batman's current crusade — something that the movies have not done yet.
While both Batman Forever and The Batman have created a connection between Bruce Wayne and the Riddler, the potential of the former's plotline was lost amid the film’s silly tone while the latter looks like it will make the most of the idea in a more serious context. The glaring differences between Batman Forever and The Batman reveal just how plural the Batman character and his mythos are when it comes to adaptations. After decades of movies about DC's dark knight, The Batman has a chance to build its own legacy starting in March.
