\Batman has encountered lots of villains in his long span as Gotham’s protector. No doubt, his greatest foe is definitely the Joker. However, only second to the joker is a man known as the Riddler. And he loves to say “Riddle me this Batman…”
Born as Edward E. Nigma), he is arguably the smartest foe that Batman has ever had to deal with. With no superpower at his disposal, he is has a high level of deductive reasoning skills that sets him apart from other villains.
The Riddler was known for his purple mask and a costume that had question marks all over it, usually a business suit or a tight catsuit and an ever-present bowler hat. He also carries a question mark-shaped cane, which serves as a melee weapon or, in some version, a remote control device that sets off some of his gadgets.
His obsession with word games and riddles is second to none. He had this compulsion to leave complex clues on a crime scene, to give the detectives something to think about. One of his well-known quotes to Batman was:
“Life’s full of questions, isn’t it, Batman? Though, naturally, I prefer to think of them as riddles.“
―The Riddler
Top Riddler Riddles: Riddle Me This Batman
Q: What is it that no one wants to have, but no one wants to lose, either?
A: A lawsuit.
Q: What belongs to you, but others will use it?
A: Your name.
Q: I am a five-letter word and a fruit. Take out my first letter, and I am a crime, take out my second letter too, and I am an animal. Take out only my first and last letters, and I become a kind of music. What am I?
A: A Grape.
Q: I am always around but unseen. I am often avoided but never outrun. I could find you at the end of the road or even the next corner. What am I?
A: Death.
Q: I can be long, short, grown, bought, painted, left bare, round, or square. What am I?
A: Fingernails.
Q: I have keys but no locks, I have space but no room, you can enter but not go outside. What am I?
A: A keyboard.
Q: When does a painter use a trigger instead of a brush?
A: When he’s a stick-up artist!
Q: What is at the beginning of eternity, at the end of time and space, at the beginning of every end, and at the end of every race?
A: The letter “E.”
Riddle Me This Batman in The Comics
Somewhere down in his heart, Batman would be grateful for the presence of the Riddler as he keeps his mind sharp and well-honed. The Riddler is not just a master of puzzles; he is also adept in the strategy department.
He is also an expert in computer languages, engineering, forensics, and various fields of life. Even though the Riddler had gotten caught by the Batman on numerous accounts, there are some occasions that he out-witted him. Here are a few that we picked up:
1. Dominance in Batman: Zero Year
There was a plan to continue on the former storyline when there was a change in writers during DC’s ‘The New 52’. However, the new writer, Scott Snyder, was told to write a new origin story for Batman. This was what birthed Batman: Zero Year. It explored the journey of Bruce Wayne into ‘herohood’.
In this storyline, Batman faced a host of villains, both classic and new villains. However, the main villain was the Riddler. He singlehandedly put Gotham under his rule as he took over the city with an army of drones, making the city’s dwellers dependent on him. Yeah, Batman toppled his rule, but not before the Riddler had marked his presence in Gotham’s history.
2. Riddler’s Prison Escape In Forever Evil
The Forever Evil arc was one of the events in The New 52 that shook the DC universe. An evil version of the Justice League from an alternate universe overtook the earth, and in turn, salvation came from an unexpected end. A team of super-villains came together to conquer this new enemy.
Before this, the Riddler had found himself in prison, but he showed that he was only in prison because he wanted to because he soon showed how smart enough to outsmart Gotham’s security system, the Batman. He also devised new riddles that aided his escape, which showed his sheer ingenuity.
3. Another Prison Escape In Death Of The Family
In the Death of the Family storyline, the Joker was on a murdering spree in the prison where he met the Riddle, trapped in prison, The Joker threw in a poisonous gas into the Riddler’s cell and informed him that he would be dead if he does not escape the cell in two minutes.
In turn, the Riddler told the Joker that there were forty-six ways for him to escape the prison, and three could be executed within two. He escaped within two minutes. He could have escaped for a long time ago, but he was only bidding his time. The Riddler then joined up with the Joker to defeat Batman.
4. The Hush Heist
Most fans claim that Batman: Hush is one of the greatest Batman stories of the 20th Century. In a strange coincidence, everyone is out for Batman’s head. Batman knew that this was too coordinated to be a coincidence,, and he knew that someone was pulling strings. And guess who it was? Yeah, you guessed right. The Riddler!
And the crazy part of it was that the Riddle managed to convince one of the greatest detectives in the world that he was not responsible. The story has one of the best Riddle me this Batman moments.
5. Discovering Batman’s Secret Identity
The Riddler was diagnosed with cancer in Batman: Hush, and as a solution to this, he uses the Lazarus pit to restore his body. In the course of his body’s revival, his beyond normal IQ experiences a boost that makes him work out Batman’s identity.
6. Clearing Bruce Wayne’s Name
This was not really Batman being out-witted by the Riddler; Hethe Riddler form conviction actually saved himthe Riddler form conviction actually saved him. Bruce Wayne was accused of a murder he was innocent of. The Riddler, being a detective in his own right, saved Bruce Wayne and aided in the solving of the murder mystery.
Final Thoughts On Riddle Me This Batman
The line can be used in your everyday life and most people will understand that it’s coming from the Riddler because of Batman Forever. The line works as a replacement for “tell me this” and it’s a beautiful thing. The Joker used it on Batman before laying one of his classic riddles on him and it was stamped in the minds of fans worldwide.
