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brokentoys · 2 days ago

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I might've been a tad bit emotional yesterday that's 'cos stressful things are happening irl but I think it's gonna be ok, however I may still be very emotional anyway. But to get on with it, I'm not gonna pretend that Riddler is always a wonderfully depicted character. He's always had an issue with the writers just... not really knowing what to do with him. After all, even since the 90s, Eddie goes from being complete pathetic joke that gets kicked around by the other rogues, to being this completely serious character who murders kids (lol) For some reason, DC greatly struggles with Eddie's character, they don't know what to do with him. And really? I'm unsure if this is a struggle to get fans to like him, or to differentiate him from the Joker, or what they're trying to do with him.

The Riddler is, more times than not, a bad character. Despite this, I am so passionate about him because when he is written as a good character? He's a fine damn good character. Eddie has the potential of being a very fascinating character... DC just somehow doesn't know how to write him as one despite having done so in the past.

So, I'm just gonna post everything that I believe should be a consistent staple of Riddler's character and how DC can fix this issue.

Riddler's intellect

Riddler is an intellectual character. But the problem is, most Batman rogues are "super smart." Obviously, you must do things that make Eddie's intelligence stand out far beyond his puzzle traps. There are ways of doing this.

1) Being an escape artist: Throughout multiple instances, Eddie has been shown to be a very skilled escape artist, having escaped from Arkham in a matter of mere minutes, and even Penguin and Bane citing or even using Riddler as a means to escape from Arkham. Continue demonstrating that the rogues need Riddler because he knows how to break out of Arkham better and more efficiently than they do.

2) Technological genius: Something they're still mostly okay with, but yes. Riddler shouldn't just be a puzzle guy, but he should be a genius when it comes to computers and technology. Make him an outstanding hacker, make him an excellent user of computers, and even a roboticist perhaps.

3) Let him know Batman's identity: Perhaps a little more controversial but both Hush and Arkham Origins is right. Eddie should know that Bruce Wayne is Batman. This certainly helps his intellect stand out as it's not exactly something many other rogues know. (OR maybe sometimes they do. Who knows with comics) This will prove Eddie as the ultimate riddler, as well as give us plots about Eddie fucking with Bruce's personal life. It'll also make Eddie a bigger threat as he has something to his advantage against Batman.

4) Make him a mastermind. The original Hush comic was setting this up. When I say I wanted Riddler to be the Kingpin to Batman's Daredevil, I don't mean I just want him to be a crime boss. No. I mean, I want Riddler to be this guy who can get all the rogues together in these massive plots to fuck around with Batman both physically and mentally. One of the best Daredevil comics came from Kingpin knowing Daredevil's identity (Born Again). To repeat myself, we could've had stories about Riddler fucking with Bruce's personal life.

5) Drop the cheating backstory... the thing is Eddie was a cheater in his first incarnation because his character was intended to be stupid, only pretending to be smart. That has obviously changed as Riddler's character evolved. It doesn't make sense for a hyper intellect to need to cheat to solve a puzzle. Keep him as an honest character; this both shows off his intellect, and also keeps him interesting. I mean, how many criminals are compulsive TRUTHERS?

Tragic loneliness (+ the abuse)

I made a post about it a few years ago, and it still gets notes to this day every now and then. But a common running theme is that Riddler suffers from a tragic loneliness like none other. In many depictions, it's often his loneliness or abuse he endures that makes him into the Riddler. Because of how often this is depicted, I feel this should be a staple of Eddie's character. Eddie should always be this character who suffers from extreme loneliness and just can't alleviate the problem due to his other issues.

And I know it's COMMON backstory device for most of the Batman rogues to have been abused as children. Like it's an easy device to explain why a villain is Le Bad. Which, I understand that might be why DC wanna tweak Ed's backstory to avoid repetition.

But honestly? I think it's a very good backstory for Ed because it helps add depth to so many of Eddie's motives. Why does Eddie leave riddles behind? Because his father would beat him for "lying," he has an uncontrollable urge to prove his "innocence." Why does Eddie personally hate Batman so much? Not just because Batman thwarts his plans, but because Batman also reminds him of his father. Why does he dress the way he does? It's for attention, attention his parents never gave him. This also adds to the tragic loneliness, Ed had parents that never cared about him like they should.

That being said, to keep it original and not just like other rogues: KEEP his parents motives in tact!! Don't go the Tom King route and just make his parents abuse him because they were "disappointed in him" because he wasn't "good enough." This is an extremely common Parent Abuse Trope, and the concept of his parents being abusive because they're jealous of him is much more original. Not only more original, but a very real thing that happens in life. There are many cases where the parent gets jealous of their child's achievements, and wish to put them down because of it. Yes, it's the opposite of what you'd expect from a parent... but sometimes? People shouldn't be parents.

So yes, keep it a running theme that Ed gets pushed past the edge because of how people treat him. Keep it a running theme what a terribly lonely man Ed is.

Morals, and when not to go too far

Now I'm not saying Riddler has to be a "morally gray" character as I tend to depict him. But I'm also saying maybe not make him an actual child murderer. It drives me wild how often DC will depict their characters literally killing children (see Riddler, see Harley Quinn) and then somehow thinking these characters can be redeemed later down the road. Sorry DC, but you can't redeem fucking child murderers. That's a line you don't cross.

Imo, not every Batman villain has to be "ow the edge", not every villain has to be just like Joker or even have to "one-up" The Killing Joke. We have plenty of characters that fit this mold, Joker himself, obviously intended serial killers such as Pyg or Joker himself. But not every character has to be this way.

And Eddie? Isn't one of them. Two of my most favorite Riddler depictions, BTAS and Arkham Origins, depict Eddie with intentions that aren't... even that bad. In BTAS, Eddie had never targeted a civillian. He had only ever gone after those who have "wronged" him. Which was his former employee Mockridge, then Batman, Robin, & Gordon for all "preventing" his "justice." In fact, in his debut episode, Eddie was a villain that got off scot-free, and that's because his actions weren't even... seen as all that bad and were even relatable. Eddie was someone who was used by a scummy rich pig, and Eddie decided to stand up for himself / the little man. Of course, Batman doesn't agree with his methods of jumping straight to murder, but his frustrations were understandable enough for Bruce to sympathize with him, as well as the show deciding not to punish Riddler for this.

In Arkham Origins, Riddler just wanted to fight corruption. The game depicted that he was going about the wrong way regarding this. But in the end, Riddler did dream of a better Gotham, even believed he was a "better vigilante" than Batman, and thus, believed his actions were good. You may say this contradicts his depiction in Arkham City. But really...? It can still work. I mean, in Arkham City, I think his only victims / targets were the police (who are shown to be corrupt) the Arkham staff (who are shown to be abusive) and Batman & his allies. It's pretty much a similar case to his BTAS portrayal, still depicted as more ... extreme.

Then of course, we also saw this depiction in The Batman 2022. With Riddler wanting to expose Gotham's corrupt. Of course, this one takes it much further than BTAS Riddler by putting innocent lives on the line, but the concept of a Riddler wanting to "do good" is still there.

Of course, this isn't a new concept -- having villains that believe killing is the right thing. But again, the Ultra Edgy Serial Killer Villain is a trope ran down to the ground with Batman rogues. So, I'd much rather see Riddler depicted as this trope than that trope. Not to mention Riddler is also often seen as one of the more "redeemable" rogues. Having been a good guy in the comics, certain one-shot or AU comics, in the animated series comics (and was even planned to be in BTAS had it went on longer) and in certain media like Justice League Action. I feel this is further evidence as to why Riddler shouldn't be depicted as a complete cold blooded edgy serial killer.

A good balance

Many writers usually choose one extreme for Riddler's depiction: He's either a cold analytic serial killer who slaughters children, or he's a complete goofball who cannot be taken seriously. I haven't a clue WHY DC struggles with ... a good balance.

Again, to use my favorite depictions as examples: in BTAS, Eddie was a villain who can be taken completely seriously, but he also had a sense of humor. Eddie could be a little "silly" and fun in BTAS without this being his entire character or being reduced to a joke.

And while there are more jokes about Eddie in Arkham City, it was quite apparent that Eddie could still be taken seriously in AC. Both with the horrific things he did to his victims, as well as being the face of the bonus challenges. Yes, I know he was turned into an even bigger joke in Arkham Knight but uh... there's a reason why I've been exclusively mentioning Origins & City, and not Knight.

So yes, keep Eddie fun, while also keeping him serious. This is indeed a possible feat and writers don't have to do one or another.

Drop the pathetic-ness... at least to a degree.

If we're gonna make a character likeable, for the most part, don't make him a total loser. Of course, we can still keep some of Eddie's loser aspects. (Not being able to connect well with other human beings, getting on others' nerves due to his narcissism) But this doesn't mean he has to be a punching bag for other rogues.

Perhaps depict him more like he was in Assault on Arkham, make him a character who isn't totes afraid of death, a character who can often react calmly in life or death situations. Depict him more like he was in certain comics -- a man you can't disrespect or else he'll get back at you for it. For fuck sake, make him how he was in the Hush comics, openly mocks the other rogues. NOT like he was in the Hush movie adaptation, where he cries about being scared of them (well he denies it, but it's clear he feels differently) or wanting their approval that blatantly.

There are some people who obviously ENJOYS absolute pathetic loser boy Eddie. But like, realistically, it does get on the nerves of the majority of non-Riddler fans. To the average reader, it just makes him, well, pathetic, and therefore, lame. Readers would much rather look to a "badass" character like Bane or Joker.

Again, this isn't saying all of Ed's loser aspects have to be wiped clean. He can still have them! Just... tone it down a bit and stop making him a punching bag, especially for the other rogues. After all, there must be an actual reason he's survived this long in the Gotham underground.

Mental illness

Eddie was one of the first Batman rogues to be explicitly depicted with mental illness. This character has almost always had a history with mental illness. Whilst often not straight up said what his mental illnesses are, but Eddie has been strongly implied to have the following; OCD, NPD, Schizophrenia, and sometimes even drug substance abuse.

While I personally depict Eddie with schizophrenia just because I feel it's important to get the point across: Eddie is a severely mentally ill individual, and that's why he goes to Arkham Asylum instead of Black gate, he REALLY needs to be in a hospital. But I don't feel schizophrenia is a MUST for DC writers.

However, I do feel OCD and NPD is. Those feel like STAPLES of Edward's character. Eddie has been depicted with OCD since the 60s. NPD is a little sketchier because uh... oftentimes he's just depicted as arrogant, which is a crude, and ignorant understanding of NPD.

Now of course there are times when Ed's mental illness was depicted in distaste, especially during the 60s. But Eddie surprisingly has quite a few comics when it's more accurately depicted. (See Batman Chronicles #3, Batman Annual #8, I believe, etc etc) And when it, this is what makes Eddie an extremely fascinating character.

I understand DC is scared of villainizing mental illness. (Which uh, wouldn't be as big of a concern if they didn't depict Riddler as the Worst Person Ever!!11!!) But as a mentally ill individual myself, I found a lot of Ed's struggles to be relatable, even if I don't have his implied mental illnesses. And I just think it makes him a VERY interesting character. It's way more fascinating to psychologically analyze Eddie than to read just some arrogant character who just wants to prove himself to be The Smartest and nothing more.

Plus his mental illness just adds depth to his characterization. With his riddle-leaving problem being a symptom of OCD. With his NPD (when actually depicted as such and not just Arrogance) being a result of being highly neglected and abused as a child. Watching Eddie, who's clearly mentally ill, deny it and thus never getting better. Watching the struggles he has BECAUSE of these mental illnesses.

I also don't think it's necessary for him to be a drug addict. Despite me depicting Eddie as such, I don't think this is a staple that writers must do. However, it seems to be something DC likes doing now. And well... if a writer is gonna make Eddie a drug addict, add... depth to it. Don't just do it for the Lols, and don't just do it for a shallow reason such as "well he's a bad guy! Bad guys do drugs!" or "He couldn't cope with losing!!11 He has to be THE BEST 'cos he's arrogant!!11!" or "he wants to be Le Smarter. :3"

Ed being a drug addict is potential to delve further into his mental illness and address very real issues with America. One being that ... the reality of the drug crisis is the result of a mental health crisis. Many drug abusers are mentally ill, because mentally ill people are easier to exploit, and MAINLY because mentally ill people struggle to cope. With healthcare being poor and/or expensive in America, it's easier to turn to drugs instead to cope with life. Having Ed's drug addiction being a means to cope with his trauma and mental illness could open so many doors to interesting discussions and plots. Not doing such with his addictions, or even just using it to REALLY delve into his characterization, feels like a waste.

Keep the suit, please, just keep it.

STOPPPP with the weird ass designs!!! Stop with making him an Emo Kid, stop with giving him a Military Aesthetic, stop with making him a weird spandex wearing crackhead with a undershave!!! Just give him the green suit! Now there is absolutely different ways they can depict Eddie with the green suit. (See "sexy" low button shirt like King once depicted him with, a more untidy look like Arkham City had, or a elegant / extravagant look, or just his usual.)

After all, Catwoman has had MANY redesigns throughout her character's history, but they all kept the cat motif. Keep Eddie with the suit, making change it up a little if you want something original, or even give him a different color scheme. (After all, Catwoman has gone from purple + green to black) but just stop with the drastically different designs. It just gives off that DC DOESN'T know what to do with this character!!!

Conclusion

Anyways, this is REALLY long. But TL;DR: Just depict Eddie as a suit wearing highly intellect rogue who isn't the worst guy, but not the best guy either. Make him an actual intellectual challenge to Batman (who may even need help from his allies when facing Riddler) Keep him mentally ill, as well as keep him entertaining... but also a serious threat. And there you go, that's how DC should keep Riddler consistent.

This got really long but my brain literally wouldn't let me go back to bed until I address my Thots.

#( 🧩 ✧ INFERIOR PUPPETEER ✧ | OOC )#// of course ... i approve of many different ways of depicting eddie --#// flamboyant or more grim or more calm or more silly or whateves !#// but i just think ... DC's *MAIN LINE COMICS* need to be consistent with him #// bc ... it does get Frustrating when they're treating this character like they don't know what to do with him!#// when every time he pops up in a story -- it feels like a “reinvention” of the character !!!

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