There is a lot of anticipation right now to Matt Reeves' The Batman as it will introduce a new iteration of the Caped Crusader played by Robert Pattinson. The film will also give us a new take on the classic villains that we know and love including Catwoman, the Penguin, and the Riddler which seems to be the most different and unique from the source material.
In an interview with Total Film, Reeves discussed the changes that he made to The Riddler in the upcoming film where he likens him to be more of a terrorist and revealed the character's motivations as we see him torment the Caped Crusader throughout the film.
"He’s not just a serial killer. He definitely has a political agenda, a terrorist aspect to him. He’s indicting the city for what it is," Reeves explained. "And one of the things he’s doing with each of these crimes is, he’s attacking the so-called legitimate pillars of the city. The whole point of it was to put [Batman] on the path of trying to solve a mystery that was not only going to reveal the history of the city, and why it’s so corrupt, but that also is going to turn at a point, and become actually quite personal."
Reeves also revealed that the Riddler is actually inspired by the Zodiac killer. "I read Mindhunter. It made me think of the Zodiac killer, and how he actually wore this primitive costume that really is a primitive superhero costume... a rogues’ gallery costume," he said. "And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s really scary, the idea of people really wearing masks, and withholding their identities, and terrorizing people, and how scary that is.’ And so I started thinking, ‘Well, it could be an origin tale for the Riddler, and it could be an origin tale for some of these other characters.'"
There are a lot of changes that Reeves obviously made for the Riddler since the character is traditionally portrayed as a guy in a green suit, fedora hat, and a cane who has an eccentric personality and loves to leave obscure riddles. In Reeves' version, the character is now more of a terrorist who torments the hero and the city for his own agenda which makes him more dangerous than ever before. Most people recognize the character right now based on Jim Carrey's take in Batman Forever, but it looks like that's about to change once we see the film.
Also Read: The Batman: Jeffrey Wright Throws Shade at Fan Who Made Fun of His Casting
The Batman is set to be released in theaters on March 4.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!