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Femmes-Fatales β Request - The Riddler Redesigned
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Published: 2016-04-09 16:10:41 +0000 UTC; Views: 4530; Favourites: 75; Downloads: 24
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Description
For placing first in the commenting contest I held, DanFalcon won two request drawings. The first of these two ended up being a redesign for the Riddler. I was given a little bit of direction, particularly depicting him with a darker shirt and basing the design around his modern suited look. I added additional elements, such as the Converse sneakers, the question mark buttons on his vest, and a pair of goggles.Thanks to DanFalcon , Batman's Rogues Gallery grew by one with this piece. I've already redesigned the Joker, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Ra's al Ghul and Bane, all of them can be seen in my gallery.
Since this design is technically meant to be part of my head canon universe, I'd like to ask those of you who have been following this project - how do you see the Riddler fitting into my head canon? What kind of new twists would you like to see in his origin?
Enjoy!
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Comments: 34
I've always thought Eddie could beΒ a more main-event type villain.
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Very good. I think of Riddler as a geek pushed too far and can't let go of all the times he was picked on. I think Riddler was abused by his father for being "stupid" and picked on by high school bullies for being a brain. Plus no one recognized how truly smart Edward was over the years so finally he snapped.
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Thanks!
If he's a brainiac, why would his father call him stupid?
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Well in the comics it was because Riddler's father felt inferior compared to his son. So calling him stupid was a put down.
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You know, it would be nteresting to imagine an Edward that's so terrifyingly brilliant that even at a young age he rules his household as if he were king of the castle. He'd treat his lowly average IQed father like trash and as little more than a slave, merely kept around to feed him and do the chores. Then when he outlives his usefulness, ol' Eddie disposes of him. The Riddler could be taken in such darker places methinks, particularly since he's all too often presented as a comedic villain no one actually takes seriously.
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I agree, people see him as a knockoff of Joker and don't take him seriously. Here's a suggestion for his origin that goes along with what you're suggesting.
Eddie is a tyrant at home because his parents don't really understand that he's a genius and he's consider a freak at school. The students see him as a nerd and a freak while the teachers see Eddies as being extremely smart but fail to recognize he's a genius. Eddie begins to feel that only intelligent people have any worth and those who are athletic or dumb are just cheap labor until robots can replace them. Finally Eddie goes to collage and meets people who are intelligent and recognize his abilities. Eddie is finally considered special by people outside his family, and begins to see himself as the leader of the intelligent elite until one day someone smarter comes along. Eddie is devastated, he's not special but "inferior." So Eddie goes from being a sociopath to a pre-Riddler and kills the person who is a bigger genius than him. Though it felt good to kill, Eddie finds himself doubting his superiority, maybe someone else is smarter? So he begins to commit crimes, at first he gets a rush for getting away with it, but eventually stops because no one knows that Eddie committed the crimes that baffled the police. No knows that Eddie is superior, so he leaves riddles. The papers give him a name, the Riddler. Eddie feels superior, until some freak dresses as a bat solves Eddie's riddles and Eddie is arrested. Eddie can't be seen as inferior, as dumber, so he becomes the Riddler.
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Do you think much of that has to do with the '60s TV show?
I certainly like the idea of Riddler having a superiority complex, where he needs to be the best. Going one step further, I could imagine him being part of a special class in school - along with Barbara Gordon. Imagine the possibilities there, considering I have her as being the most intelligent member of the Bat Family in my head canon. Perhaps Eddie's quite miffed at her ending up at Wayne Enterprises.
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Oh definitely from the '60's show and somewhat from Batman Forever.
Personally I would make Riddler older than Barbara and have him be in the same class with Batman. I think Calculator is Oracle's nemesis. But it is your canon and Barbara is one of the most intelligent members of the Bat Family. So yeah that's a great idea, though I also think maybe add Kristen Kringle from Gotham.Β
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Yeah, I was going to cite that film as well. Although, I wouldn't underestimate the power of the '60s Batman.
Riddler can still be older than Babs. Much like my Harley, Babs rocketed through her classes and went to university early. Yes, Calculator was ORACLE's nemesis - but Gail Simone also gave us a fabulous rogues gallery while she penned Batgirl. And obviously Babs is Batgirl in my world, not Oracle.
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I never would have thought Edward Nigma would look good in converse. Jokes aside, this design looks absolutely phenomenal. He is exactly what I wanted to see done with this character's design.Β
As far as backstory, I have one cooked up for him.
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Thanks so much! I'm pleased that you like this piece. So, what's the backstory you have cooked up for him?
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Well it goes a little something like this:
Edward Nigma had long been a disappointment in his family. His father was the only parent he had growing up and the man was burly and an avid sports fan. Naturally, when young Edward displayed more academic talents than athletic ones he was immediately resented by his disappointed father. Edward was naturally disheartened by this, and after several years of having his multiple academic achievements ignored he left home shortly after his graduation.
Β Edward had a knack for puzzles, often keeping multiple on hand. Sudoku, crosswords, he couldn't get enough. However, the only thing he loved more than puzzles was an intellectual challenge. He loved to push his mind to its absolute limit, searching for solutions to problems and then quickly moving to another. However, this fascination soon ran dry when he realized there was no longer a challenge. What he needed was a consequence that pushed him to perform his absolute best, something where his failure would be completely undesirable. his logical answer? Crime.
He planned several bank heists from the comfort of his own home and computer, pilfering hundreds of thousands of dollars from outside the sight of prying eyes. However, as a fair individual he would leave clues at the scenes of his crimes. After all, where'es the fun in competition if your opponents are handicapped?
He considers the Batman to be his only intellectual rival, and as such holds a great deal of respect for Gotham's Dark Knight. However, despite his plethora of riddles left behind, he is remains only member of Batman's rogues to have not been captured by the Dark Knight detective.
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You know, I always loved the idea that Catwoman was the one rogue Batman could never capture. Although, I never place her in the same bracket as the rest of his villains. She's more of an antihero, has been for decades now. Probably since the Bronze Age.
It was interesting seeing the way in which you and another commenter brought in how his father shaped the Riddler's mental state. It's ultimately what prompted me to put a twist on the put-upon Edward Nigma characterization, to where good ol' Eddie is in fact a sociopath who terrorizes his father and treats him as little more than a slave due to his obvious intellectual superiority.
This same theme of inferiority/superiority prompted me to consider who else would be his equal - to which I immediate thought of Babs. Yes, there's Batman - but Batgirl would be even more interesting as a nemesis for the Riddler.
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I see him as the only one who never gets caught because he doesn't really go out to do the crime. He's just that notorious figure in the shadows. Although now that you mention it, Catwoman's anti heroic tendencies most likely shaped the character of Black Cat over at MArvel. I can;t help but notice they share more than just a few passing personality traits.
Babs as an adversary? That sounds like a match made in heaven.
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Did you notice how Marvel made Black Cat Queenpin after DC had Selina run a criminal empire? Coincidence, I think not.
I do think their personalities are a little different though.
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I did indeed notice that. It can't be just a coincidence. I wouldn't be surprised if they had Black Cat join the Avengers since Catwoman joined the Justice League.
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They seem intent on keeping her as a villain for the moment, which I'm not a fan of at all.
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You can blame Superior Spider-Man for that one. Damn them for having Octavius punch her in the face, which somehow undoes entire decades worth of romance and character building she had with Peter.
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Weren't they pushing the evil thing post-OMD?
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Not as much as they did post SSM
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I see... Still, when it comes to comics writers are always building on what writers prior to them were doing. As such, it's important to trace it back to the point of origin for character shifts.
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Oooh, I like this a lot! Y'know I've been planning on cosplaying Eddie at my next comic-con. I might just end up taking some ideas from this look. I especially love the vest, with the purple flaps and the question mark buttons. So cool.
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Thanks! I'm glad you like the look!
Given the fact that the Riddler is mostly an off-the-rack character, it wouldn't be too hard to cosplay as him. Although, most stores don't really carry suits in his colour. XD
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Oh, you'd be surprised at the variety my local thrift store has. They once had a spot-on purple jacket that I used to dress as Joker for Halloween.
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Ah yes, thrift stores... Where you can always count on finding a good pimp suit. And old wedding dresses.
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Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
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Not really. Marks him as one of the more richer and showin' it villains. BTW, did you see my birthday gift?
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You think so? When drawing him, I didn't particularly think I was drawing him to look rich. Almost the opposite in fact. The Converse were meant to reflect more of a starving artist feel for him.
And - yes I have! I hadn't gotten around to commenting on it as I had/have a lot of notifications to go through.
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