Riddle me this, Riddle me that.

The Riddler, whose real name is Edward Nigma (or spelled Nygma by some writers) is a petty, wicked and exceptionally deep and dark character.

Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, Nygma made his first appearance in the comics in Detective Comics #140, in 1948.

Abused by his father when he was young, Nygma has a compulsion to always tell the truth, and probably because of his inferiority complex, Edward has an extreme desire to prove his intelligence and superiority to others, which emerges through his complex riddles.

Even though he doesn’t have any superhuman abilities, with a genius-level intellect, escapology and detective skills, the Riddler is one of the most valid opponents to the Batman, challenging the hero with intricate puzzles and deathtraps.

The Riddler’s popularity grew when Frank Gorshin portrayed the character in the Batman tv series in the 60s; Jim Carrey also played the character in Batman Forever, portraying him as a crazed, over the top individual.

The Riddler was also featured in the Batman: Arkham video games series, voiced by Wally Wingert. In the games, in order to demonstrate his superior intellect to Batman, Nygma placed trophies and organized intricate riddles for the Dark Knight, which he has to solve sometimes even to save lives.

The Riddler is an extraordinary character for many reasons: he is evil and extremely intelligent, and he is not scared to fight other villains to prove his points.

In The War of Jokes and Riddles, in fact, Riddler ended up in a battle against the Joker, who is also known for his complex schemes and abilities; that’s why there’s such rivalry between them: it’s not about who will kill the Batman first, it’s about who’s the smartest between the two, and who’s the best villain. Everything the Riddler does is shaped around his personality, from his crimes to the reason why he commits them, which makes him a very peculiar character, and an oustandingly interesting villain.