Over the decades of television and film depictions of the Riddler, several talented actors have
played the over-the-top villain. But which version of the Riddler truly captures the essence of the
character? Keep watching to see every live-action version of the Riddler ranked worst to best.
Better-known for his portrayal of Gomez Addams on the original "Addams Family" TV series,
John Astin also showed up on another iconic '60s genre show. In 1967,
he was cast as the Riddler on the second season of ABC's classic Adam West-starring "Batman" series,
subbing in for the role's original performer, Frank Gorshin.
To this day, there are different explanations floating around as to why Gorshin was replaced.
Either he was busy with a gig he couldn't get out of, or he demanded a pay raise that
producers refused to give him. Whatever the truth of the matter, the result was the same:
Astin, while a great actor, was pointedly a replacement, and he felt like one.
"But I've only started with the Caped Crusaders. I'm going to confound them with conundrums.
Unnerve them with enigmas. Perplex them with puzzles. Till they wish they were dead."
Although he did a fine job with the role, Astin simply didn't have enough time to really make
the character his own under the shadow of Gorshin's work. Indeed, by the next season,
Gorshin had already been brought back as if nothing had happened.
Still, Astin did manage to give his portrayal some memorable touches,
such as a cane twirl that would later prove an influence on Jim Carrey's take.
"Batman Forever" is not a lot of people's favorite cinematic iteration of the Caped
Crusader's mythos. But decades later, this take on Batman, through the lens of nostalgia,
has aged nicely for some fans. And one of the many "imperfect" elements that
some fans have a soft spot for is Jim Carrey's performance as the Riddler.
Heavily influenced by Frank Gorshin's classic turn, this was the first live-action version
of the character to get a proper backstory and the first to be referred to by his common name
Edward Nygma. On paper, it seemed like the perfect role for Carrey, with a descent-into-madness
arc that could play to his strengths as both a comedic and dramatic performer.
But the broad, ham-fisted writing didn't tap fully into the things that made the
Riddler complex and interesting as a villain. Elements like his hubris, his deep insecurity
masked by grandstanding, and his tremendous intelligence were generally left by the wayside.
"Who the hell are you?" "Just a friend, but you can call me the Riddler."
Carrey was, therefore, stranded on an island of goofiness, left to carry the character with
just his sheer madcap energy and commitment. The performance is highly charismatic and
memorable. It is Jim Carrey, after all. But the film's take on the character is subpar.
There's no doubt that inconsistent writing on "Gotham" led to a few rough patches in
terms of character work over the years. But the Fox prequel series
deserves kudos for deepening and enriching the backstories of several Batman villains.
And that was especially true of Cory Michael Smith's Edward Nygma.
This version of Nygma was different from previous Riddlers in that the villain was
presented as a fully-rounded, three-dimensional character,
with an engrossing storyline all his own. "Gotham" introduced him as an eccentric,
ostracized forensic scientist at the Gotham City Police Department.
As he began to realize that his intelligence gave him an upper hand over the people who
mistreated and belittled him, we got to see him slowly give in to his narcissistic,
psychopathic impulses and assume the persona of a full-fledged villain.
"You wanna know why I could never love someone like you, Oswald."
"I'm warning you."
"Because you are a spoiled child who throws a tantrum any time he doesn't get what he wants!"
Smith was an absolute superstar in the role, allowing us to empathize with, be terrified of,
or absolutely loathe the living daylights out of Nygma. Many Batman fans would argue
that it was the best-ever translation of the spirit of the comics' Riddler to the screen.
If Cory Michael Smith's Edward Nygma stands tall as arguably the most perfect "orthodox" take
on the Riddler, Paul Dano's Edward Nashton is making a splash for the exact opposite
reason. The savvy retrofitting of the Riddler into the newest Batman film is a terrifying
serial killer and maybe the most out-there live-action interpretation of the character yet.
But he's so effective, so indelible, that we wouldn't be surprised if Dano's performance
ended up influencing future Riddlers for decades to come.
"You came. I've been trying to reach you."
What makes Nashton such a brilliant villain is that writers Matt Reeves and Peter Craig were able
to hone in on the most essential psychological aspects of the Riddler. The writers placed those
elements within a context that wholly reshapes who the Riddler is. The core theme of the character
has always been power; its pursuit, its exchange, the way it can shift at the drop of a hat.
On the most basic level, the Riddler is a man who renders his enemies helpless.
"The Batman" understands that disposition for the perfect horror-movie fodder it is.
Reeves's film wrings unspeakable dread out of Nashton's way of messing with Batman,
Gotham City PD, and his victims. Almost like a cat playing with a mouse.
The way the character is integrated into real-world social dynamics is similarly
pitch-perfect, his hordes of rabid social media followers mirroring the sense of
bottomless despair that today's extremist, cult-mentality-prone internet ecosystem
tends to invite. It's not the Riddler we're used to, but it's the Riddler for our times.
As the decades have brought about darker, deeper, emotionally heftier screen adaptations of the
Batman comics, the majority of the villains on the lighthearted '60s "Batman" series have
been "surpassed" by subsequent versions. That, however, is not the case with Frank Gorshin's
Riddler. The actor's take on the character essentially defined the Riddler as we know him,
from personality to mannerisms to that unmistakable evil flair.
"I am the prince of puzzlers,
the count of conundrums, the king of crime. I hold court here! No one else!"
Before the classic "Batman" show, the Riddler had been mostly relegated to minor,
one-off appearances in the comics. It was the runaway success of the character's TV
appearances that inspired DC Comics to feature him more and more prominently.
They eventually turned him into a fixture of the Batman rogues gallery.
And the inevitable influence of Gorshin's performance is the way audiences came to know him.
It wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say that Gorshin is the Riddler.
The success of Gorshin's work earned him a Primetime Emmy nod for Outstanding
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy. That led to subsequent
appearances in the 1966 film spinoff and the 1979 TV special "Legends of the Superheroes."
Every Riddler since, whether imitating it, deconstructing it, or subverting it,
has been a response to Gorshin's Riddler on some level.
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