The Batmans Riddler Is Gothams Answer To Watchmens Rorschach

The Batman’s Riddler Is Gotham’s Answer To Watchmen’s Rorschach

Paul Dano debuts as Riddler in The Batman, but this is a unique version of the villain – almost like Gotham’s version of Watchmen’s Rorschach.

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The Batmans Riddler Is Gothams Answer To Watchmens Rorschach

The Batman’s Riddler looks to have strong parallels with another iconic DC character – Watchmen’s Rorschach. Rumors always held that Matt Reeves’ The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, was destined to be a darker interpretation of the Caped Crusader. Even so, few were expecting the intensely dour, angst-ridden tone of The Batman’s first trailer. As well as a vengeful Pattinson and a noir-ish Jim Gordon, The Batman’s trailer also introduced Paul Dano as Edward Nashton, otherwise known as The Riddler. Gotham is faced with a series of gruesome murders, and the enigmatic perpetrator is leaving messages at the crime scene addressed to the city’s local vigilante. But where The Riddler is usually a straight-up villain in Batman stories, Dano’s iteration is more in line with a certain mask-wearing Watchmen icon.

Written by Alan Moore and released in 1986, Watchmen redefined superhero comics, painting a morally ambiguous world where the lines of hero and villain blurred together. Among the colorful crop of criminal-catchers was Rorschach – a vigilante in a black and white ink blot mask who fought criminals when it was legal, and still remains active even after the law shifts. Rorschach became somewhat of a cult figure following Watchmen’s release, and even more so after the 2009 Zack Snyder movie, but the original character was far darker, with right-wing leanings that were more pronounced in Moore’s comic books.

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Although The Batman has only shown brief glimpses of The Riddler (potentially, the trailer didn’t really show him at all), but already there are clear parallels between Nashton and Rorschach. The most obvious similarity are the methods Riddler and Rorschach employ to take down anyone they deem unjust. Rorschach and Riddler use their intelligence and investigative skills to identify targets and then pursue them alone. Unlike many superheroes of the DC universe, Riddler and Rorschach go straight for the kill, acting as judge, jury and executioner for their targets. Watchmen’s Rorschach was notorious for his black and white morality and staunch refusal to sway from his own sense of justice – a trait that ultimately got him killed. Paul Dano’s Riddler appears to be similarly devoid of mercy. Both of his victims in The Batman’s trailer are killed in grim fashion, sending a message to other criminals in Gotham City.

Riddler appears to be targeting figures of corruption in Gotham City, finding no shortage of targets. The Mayor of Gotham is branded a liar after having his head covered in duct tape, and The Riddler later crashes the funeral party, quite literally. In The Riddler’s mind, any of the Gotham City elite who aren’t squeaky clean are fair game. In Watchmen, Rorschach’s principles and approach are almost identical. The masked vigilante is trying to clean the inherently unclean system of his city, and even when he uncovers the unprecedented level of conspiracy laid by Ozymandias, Rorschach refuses to accept anything less than total justice. Rorschach is one of the most complex comic characters ever created, and as his mask suggests, it’s not always easy to determine his mindset. But it’s evident that Rorschach holds a utopian ideal that he aspires to and strives towards, driving his vigilantism. By all accounts, The Batman’s Riddler has assigned himself the same task.

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Both Watchmen’s Rorschach and The Batman’s Riddler represent the thin line between vigilantes like Batman and those who go “too far” – or the characters fans should cheer, and those they should vilify. Although Rorschach remains Watchmen’s most popular character, The Batman’s Riddler is being touted as a villain, so it’s interesting how similar the two are. If the parallels continue when Paul Dano’s character is finally unleashed in The Batman, The Riddler might show even the same right-wing leanings that dwelt within Rorschach in Watchmen.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/batman-riddler-rorschach-watchmen-parallel-explained/

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