50 Greatest Super Villains In Comic Book History

18. The Riddler

(Write-up by Amanda Chrisman, Caped Crusades and Bam Smack Pow Staff Writer)

Edward Nygma — an intelligent man completely obsessed with riddles, puzzles and other word games — is one of Batman’s most challenging foes, as he nearly matches the Dark Knight detective in intellect. He is currently being excellently portrayed (during a time before becoming the villainous Riddler) by Cory Michael Smith on the Fox TV show Gotham.

Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the Riddler is most often depicted wearing a green suit with a green bowler hat, a domino mask, carrying a cane topped with a question mark. He is an important villain in Batman: the Animated Series as well as The Batman, and has a special place in the hearts of the fans of the Arkham video games series because of his challenges and the puzzles within them.

He might actually be one of the few villains capable of carrying out his crimes successfully without interference from Batman,if not for his crippling need to leave riddles and puzzles cluing Batman into his plans. In recent history, Nygma went legitimate, mended his ways after psychological treatment and became a private detective. He might have ended up on our list of 50 heroes if not for the events in Life After Death, where a head injury that results from a bomb reawakens his psychosis and he returns to his life of villainy.

Truth be told, we like him better that way.

Next: No. 17: Born better, at least in his mind