The Riddler Stops Playing Games...

The Riddler has made Batman solve a plethora of riddles escape from numerous traps solve endless puzzles collect thousands of ridd trophies and race through several deadly tracks under Gotham making you almost wonder where he had the budget or time to do such a thing to begin with yet time and time again Batman has always been able to beat his challenges no matter how impossibly difficult they may seem which causes the Riddler to slip into a mental break more often than he liked to screaming in his cell ripping on his hair wondering how Batman is always able to do it some somebody tell me do you hear me somebody tell me how he did it but in Riddler one bad day the Riddler manages to do something no villain has ever been capable of accomplishing before what that accomplishment is is making Batman break his one and only code to never kill that's not correct because you're not including kg Beast Joker penguin shut up see when most people look at the Riddler they think of a silly redhead and a green onesie with a big old question mark on his chest that just shouts riddles a fifth grader could solve but there's much more to the than that because he is a villain that really shouldn't be glanced over at all and I'll tell you why first of all he's hella intelligent like young shelden intelligent having a genius level intellect that allows his mind to work in the most complex of ways like his exceptional ability to manipulate almost anyone to achieve his goals whether it be through blackmail most prominently or outwitting his opponents turning any situation to his Advantage coupling that together with his level of unpredictability where one day he may seek attention or praise and the next chaos and destruction it makes him one of the more difficult villains to anticipate and to deal with for Batman zeroy year is the perfect example of why the rther is extremely dangerous I mean the guy basically manipulates his way to the top until he topples the structure of Gotham right down to its very Foundation he does this by bombing key points of the city sending Gotham Into the Dark Ages and threatening to release a bioweapon if the government decided to step in with Riddler acting almost like the one above all with everything always constantly being monitored and ran by him but Against All Odds Batman would defeat the Riddler by the skin of his teeth but the mere fact that the Ridler would be capable of a feat like this proves my point alone that he's a villain not to be taken lightly the reason he's usually not is mostly rooted in the way that the Riddler handles most of his schemes by playing games that involve his crimes like leaving clues or riddles that more often than not lead to his own downfall where if he just did his schemes without leaving clues or riddles he'd probably get away with every crime he ever had the intent of committing and that alone is pretty scary to think about because there's a moment in the comic I'm going to talk about in a sec where the Riddler is basically being forced by Arkham St do something he doesn't want to do so the Ridler begins listing off names the security team's loved ones no riddles no games just plain threats telling each of them that once he breaks out he'll set in motion a series of events that will lead to all their fam's horrible deaths and in Gotham Arkham's like one big revolving door so much so that if Riddler says he's going to break out and kill your family specifically that is more likely to happen than you waking up in the morning and The Riddler is so convincing in the way he tells these guards that he's going to kill their families almost like they're in the presence of the Grim Reaper or something they all end up killing each other to save their families Riddler didn't even have to lift a finger or tell a riddle and it's probably the darkest thing the Riddler has ever done in my opinion it may just be me but I really prefer when the Riddler is written to be a villain with a deadly intellect that should be taken seriously rather than him being written as a bumbling buffoon who just spouts riddles there's something terrifying about a villain with endless knowledge who uses that said knowledge to inflict the most horrendous acts onto others in the most competent of ways possible like how the Riddler in another bit offhandedly says that he gave Joker the idea to [ __ ] Barbara and that it was one of his schemes he decided to shove cuz he didn't think he'd ever go through with it cuz it wasn't like him but as you'll see in the story this Riddler isn't like the Riddler we all know this is a riddler who's changed and let go of the gimmicks that have always held him back with the only question left to answer being what exactly is the limit to the Riddler's Mercy hope yall enjoy now beginning the story we're set in some office bu building with a pretty unremarkable dude on the phone with his wife discussing what they're going to do about their daughter trying to skip soccer practice as he's Gathering his belongings to clock out for the day and head on home he bumps into one of his co-workers on the way out going to a different floor overhearing his conversation with his wife about his daughter the cooworker is reminded of a small picnic him and some of the work buddies went to and how his daughter played in the mud for hours arriving to the dude's floor he says his goodbyes to his coworker and while heading out of the building waiting on an Uber home he texts his wife about what his coworker mentioned about the time that they all went to the picnic together and how times back then felt so much simpler until everything just suddenly goes black it's loaded now it'll be up we've got it slow down for this frame by frame here we go so this Monday that's John Oats our victim there just got off work usually takes the train but decided to call a car that day now watch on the left here and here's the Riddler the gun's out by the time we catch him with the camera here you see that right hand now in real time this is just a few seconds but no hesitation or anything can't see if he says anything we looked didn't see movement in his mouth looking like he did and there's the shot people start to panic running from the noise Riddler brings the gun down to his side doesn't Target anyone else people still running he drops the gun next to the body of Oats it stays there until we get it very calm no screaming or anything like that professional still not talking as far as we can tell we've got a patrol car now coming his way an officer half the block down sprinting toward him shouting he hears that no doubt and he turns to the camera and he smiles where is he he's not coming he says and I quote him directly here Edward's not worth my time do you know what the oldest riddle is from ancient Sumer for TH or so years ago there is a house where you enter blind and leave seeing what house is this John Oats you popped him in the head in broad daylight on on Wayne and jordano then waited for the cops to come you got a reason you owe him some money you lose to him at poker or something maybe he slept with your girlfriend you got a girlfriend a Schoolhouse so is that a no on the girlfriend you don't like that one okay Riddle Me this how' The Joker know you'd be home with Babs that day how do you know where you live how did he get past your security we both know him he's a weird guy complicated but never much of a planner hey Eddie how's tricks I want to know this whole one bad day thing but I've got no idea where to start Well Jack how about the commission's daughter I have the whole thing staked out but it was so easy I got bored with it I'll give it it to you for a song that would be perfect Eddie and tell you what I'll throw in a dance for click [ __ ] you okay Gordo you seem upset oh no did people find out about Sergeant Essen how you know [ __ ] her and then forced her to transfer so you could hide your sexy Affair from your pregnant wife she worked for you man she had a career and then well we know what came then don't we poor thing you come in blind and leave seeing what house is this flashing back to the R's childhood we're set in a school for boys with him being scolded for receiving a 92 on his latest exam from Professor yellen's class Eddie tries pleading with the Headmaster that he got the third highest score in the class and it would have been first if not for some stupid riddle at the end however it matters a little to the man going about this like it's routine the Headmaster tells Eddie to bend over while he finds the proper instrument of punishment for Eddie being in third place as Eddie apologizes endlessly but it makes no difference smacking Eddie over and over again the Headmaster would scream Edward Tierney are you the son of a [ __ ] are you the son of a [ __ ] while Eddie would scream back that he isn't he's his father's son he's the Headmaster son he's his son back to the present a funeral is for John Oats after his life was cut horribly short by The Riddler amongst those grieving Bruce Wayne watches from the sidelines ashamed that his villains always take the lives of those undeserving while mourning for JN oats his widow Miss oats can't help but notice that the most important man in Gotham has attended the funeral as Bruce says he arrived because he saw what happened in the paper while talking they share an umbrella together with Miss oats struggling to put into words exactly how she feels about her husband's death yet Bruce tells her to take her time offering to be a shoulder to cry on whenever back to Eddie childhood in Professor yellen's class Eddie answers every question flawlessly yet when arriving to the final question being a riddle Eddie becomes completely stumped with the riddle being what is the English word most commonly spelled incorrectly Eddie answers enough and hands the exam over to Professor Yellen afterwards while going over the exam with the class Eddie feels confident that he managed to Ace the exam but Yellen just says the word incorrectly incorrectly was the answer to the riddle at the end of the exam Eddie disappointed Professor Yellen goes goes on to say that anyone can absorb information and spew it back out on an exam but what Yellen wants is for Eddie and his other classmates to learn what to do with that knowledge because there are going to be thousands of questions sprung up every day and the ugly or beautiful part of it all is that only Eddie can solve them himself after which Eddie walks to his father's office repeating the word incorrectly over and over again as he pulls out his father's gun from his desk putting it up to his head saying riddle me this and pulling the trigger multiple times to find the gun empty so Eddie simply bends over his father's desk waiting for another one of his punishments flashing forward to the present Batman is on a ruthless Endeavor to make sure anyone that was ever affiliated with the Riddler is brought to justice for JN oats and his barav family breaking the Riddler's lackes in every way he knows how even almost feeding one of them to a pair of sharks to learn why the Riddler even killed JN oats but every one of them just says the same thing they don't know why while over at Arkham the Ridler had to be moved to solitary because he just keeps convincing several villains to kill themselves and throughout all of this no one can piece together why the Riddler has expressed such a drastic change killing people out in broad daylight with no Rhyme or Reason ditching his usual Mo of leaving some form of clue or riddle convincing inmates to kill themselves attacking and Ming the Arkham staff none of it makes any sense so Batman tries to look for where it all started where the Riddler was born to maybe make sense of Riddler's recent Behavior so FL ring back to Eddie's childhood Eddie threatens to report Professor Yellen and to have him fired from the school for adding riddles at the end of his exams feeling it's unjust to have it be graded as a regular question and should just be extra credit but professor yelen doesn't really take Eddie seriously and sort of just laughs in his face telling Eddie that he really believes in him only for Eddie to Simply ask why why do you hate me Yellen says that he doesn't hate him and that it's just learning to find the answers so don't stress so much it's only a riddle after all and keep in in mind Yellen says this because he has no idea of the turmoil Eddie deals with day in day out with his father being the Headmaster I bet with the added context it would make a hell of a lot of a difference with that Eddie leaves anger that his plan to remove the riddles from the exams didn't work with tears streaming down his face so that Night Eddie devised a plan to beat yellen's riddle by sneaking into his father's office to find yellen's exams laid out for the following week find the answer and finally beat yellen's riddles with the riddle being what disappears when you say its name back in the present Batman breaks into Eddie's Father's House dodging several shotgun blasts demanding to know when was the last time he saw his son setting Down the Gun he simply says to Batman that his son is an idiot going on to say that when Eddie was a year and a half old he could read learning Greek Latin at the age of five he learned calculus by 12 he had another dozen languages and was showing genius level aptitude in every topic such as literature genetics music theory he was a goddamn Prodigy he dedicated his entire life to nurturing his intellect and exposed him to every corner of Academia every teacher claimed Eddie would become a great man when he grow up possibly better than the wayes and even the Luthers but even so Eddie is still an idiot to him after which his father says that Eddie was blessed with a gift blessed and he wasted it on games as such Eddie ruined his life and his father's after listening Batman then asks where Eddie's mother is only to arrive at her apartment bloodied and brutally murdered left to rot for days when as asking the neighbors a lot of them had no clue what even happened except for one person who heard everything from the apartment next door now the neighbor doesn't talk about her in the highest regard but he does mention that she used to work the corner a lot in the city sometimes she'd bring home a couple of clients and things would get a little Rowdy but never like this see one night it started out as usual until a lot of commotion began almost out of nowhere a lot of tussling and some stuff breaking but through it all was Eddie asking questions questions after questions like Where Have You Been why did you leave what did you do Eddie's mom kept pleading for a second to explain but it was just [ __ ] question after bloody [ __ ] question for ages right until he finally just stopped so Eddie's Mom finally catches her breath and says give me a second to explain and then just nothing she's about to start talking and nothing a few minutes later he hears Eddie walk out of the front door like nothing happened locks the door and went on his merry way telling Batman that he hopes he catches that son of a [ __ ] and gives him some [ __ ] answers of his own soon Batman arrives on the top of gcpd answering Gordon's call using the bat signal and explains that there was a bit of a situation with the Riddler and Arkham now while removing the Riddler from solitary back to Cell Block C things got a bit messy see because in the process of his transfer per Gordon's order Riddler looks to one of the guards named Andrew and simply says hey hey Andrew before you listen to Gordon here please remember that you have three children Maya Caroline and cait who go to Brent Community School on Conway and that I have escaped from Arkham over 3 dozen times and I will again and I will find them and I will kill them then looks to each and every other guard saying Chris Daryl Gil Christopher Raphael Ron Connor Josh I feel like I know each of you and your dear sweet soon to be dead families and yet it's like we're meeting for the first time there's a fun riddle in there somewhere what happens next is a bloody massacre with security killing each other left and right to protect their families from the rider's wrath who do you meet for the first time and also the last time an Arkham guard no it's too specific you'd have to be here who can you meet for the first time but never again a bunch of Dopey cops with bullets in their heads no I'm not getting it it's very frustrating in this is why I need to talk to him he just makes things make sense Gordon do you think you could call him again I'd very much appreciate it Jesus Christ back at the top of gcpd Gordon tells Batman that there's nothing more he can do everyone's scared of him and he's lost five guards the morning after to protect their families and no one will step up to the The Riddler now telling Batman that Gotham needs Batman more than ever to stop the Riddler because he's not at all the man he used to be flashing back to Edd's childhood at the school basketball court Professor Yellen takes a few shots asking if Eddie likes basketball he's never seen him play Eddie replies that he doesn't have time for games he has to study so Yellen asks why Eddie studies to which Eddie says he studies for the normal reasons to get good grades to get into a good college to get a good job to live a good life however Yellen tells Eddie that there won't be any point in any of that if Eddie never stops to just have fun finally adding that he graded the tests this morning and noticed something a bit weird because at the last second he changed the riddle at the end of the test to a riddle he saw in the paper that went first you eat me then you get eaten what am I yet Eddie wrote silence almost as if Eddie I don't know cheated so Eddie demands yelling not to tell his father but yelling's like nah man I'm going to tell him anyway cuz I think it'll be for the best in the end so Eddie kicks Yellen in the head and just starts bashing his head against the ground going Professor Yellen oh oh no I'm sorry please I'm so sorry here sir let me help you up it'll be okay I'm sorry but don't tell Dad about this though because if he knew you don't know him he's not who you think he is he doesn't play games like we do he doesn't know how to have fun he thinks you just have to win at everything he really doesn't know how joyful it can be to just let go oh Professor ask me that again that riddle I missed now that you mention it I think it would be just a blast to solve what was it oh yes first you eat me then you get eaten what am I a fish hook do you ever get tired of of being right you killed your mother I've killed a lot of people I'm not a very nice person besides at least mother got to live to a fine old age I wasn't the one who freaked out during a sword fighting movie making my parents walk me home through Crime Alley ending their Happy Days a tad early do you want me to be dazzled should I clap I knew who you were did you know me I did I do you're an idiot no Batman actually I'm not between our games solving the riddles on giant typewriters I used to go into your Mansion during the day I wanted to check on you make sure you were doing all right getting close to solving whatever it was we were working on there was loads of security but it was all very predictable really I did that quite a few times over the years I have fond memories of seeing you asleep in your bed not to mention dick and Jason and Tim and little Damian I liked watching them grow up and go out on their own I still visit them now and then not that they notice lies in the unimpressive safe in the living room behind the portrait of your parents there was some light spending money a few 100,000 I took $1 once to see if you notice I bet you did so that mystery's done but in the safe in your bedroom which is much more thoroughly protected which is actually very well done really there you keep one little scratched Pearl your poor mothers I presume you want me to hit you no I don't like when you hit me it hurts in fact from now on anytime you touch me for whatever reason whenever I get free and I will I'm going to kill a robin maybe not one of the boys maybe Stephanie or Cassandra but someone you may ask wouldn't I do that anyway well if I did then I wouldn't have a threat that you'd care about so it's really a win-win then again you're Batman you're not supposed to care about your children more than say some random somebody and you probably think though you are wrong that you can protect these Wards of yours so let's do this instead if you touch me ever again I will kill a random person someone you and I don't know just a stranger who's going about their day and then nothing never knowing it was you not listening that cost them their life you want me to kill you you could beat me that way it is in fact the only way you could but you won't and so I will walk away out into my city while you stand and watch and some time will pass and you will come to me and beg for my charity Edward have you considered that you are the one who should be begging no there see in the end I win I knew that I would from the beginning that's why I did it with Clues if I fought you straight it would just be this you being pathetic me free to do anything everything I've wanted so I tied one hand behind my back so you would have a chance so it would be a challenge so it it would be fun I wanted to be fun for so long we did that and it was all right I enjoyed seeing how you'd get me the next time you were good you were fun I was fun and then one day this one of my henchmen spent time with a woman who said she was my mother I I went to see her my father's diance his shameful mistake that I was to redeem him for a person can be a riddle too and usually the answer is mommy what did Mommy do and there she was in front of me and I could finally know why I am this way Bruce I'm not like you simple crime killed my parents I will fight crime whatever no I'm more complex than that and I was about to be solved so I asked her some things and she opened her mouth and and before she could answer I reached out and I strangled her as she died I watched The Life come out of her I don't know I don't know I didn't want the answer I got tired of being right I got tired of puzzles and challenges and riddles you and I it's the same over and over I lay out the Maze and you run through it but I'm not going to play games anymore handicap myself to fight you for the thrill I'm sorry but I'm done with that now I don't want to win or lose anymore I don't care about that you're very smart and good and I'm smarter and better so I'm just going to live my life and you can live yours is that why you did it you killed that man to show me what you could do without Clues without a pattern how can I ever stop you that's why a wife doesn't have a husband children don't have their father for this stupid message the fence in the back of the yard is open there's a car on the outside waiting for me I have a room prepared at the Gotham Plaza a sweet 78c I'll be staying there for the foreseeable future I didn't kill that man to deliver this stupid message no I killed him because I knew I had to tell you how things were now that if you so much as touched me ever again I would kill a random person and I knew you wouldn't believe me and you test me and well he's dead isn't he and a wife doesn't have a husband and a child doesn't have a father so there now you know what you did one final time you got to the end of the Labyrinth and there's your answer any other questions goodbye Bruce I'll see you around just please remember will you riddles are fun but I'm [Applause] not after walking out of Arkham a free man everyone all over Gotham spreads the story of how the Riddler made Batman scared and Batman's reputation begins to crumble due to this coinciding with that the Riddler created a website where people can send him money so to be in the Riddler's good graces a while later villains like black mask attempt to stop the Riddler but all fall The Riddler could practically walk around anywhere and just shoot innocent people like it's GTA and just get away with it because of the reputation he quickly amassed and the cherry on top of it all the Riddler goes out of his way to torment each member of the bad family and in some petty way and through it all standing at top of JN O's grave Batman Ponders on how he can even possibly stop the Riddler this time but every idea becomes a dead end so Batman pays a visit to Jon's Widow as Bruce Wayne to tell her why the Riddler killed her husband explaining that the Ridler was playing a game with Batman and Batman didn't understand the rules because of that her husband suffered the consequences of his neglect she pauses to take it all in for a second and then in a fit of rage asks why Batman didn't know the rules isn't that his job and why is the rer just out and about causing chaos in Gotham isn't Batman supposed to do something isn't Batman supposed to stop him you live in Gotham and what do you get Bruce looks at how the rer destroyed an ordinary person's life and how he continues to do it every single day Bruce finally realizes what he has to do carrying on were placed outside of the rider's apartment with Batman watching him nobody dares step to the man and for those who try bad things come their way Gordon simply tried parking across the street and watch him only to get a call from Barbara that her cats had been poisoned Gordon even tried bringing in the National Guard to stop the Riddler but the governor simply said that his son has been missing for a week and hung up now if the Riddler walks into any Bank the bank is legally obligated to give the rler whatever he wants the top five mob families in Gotham also put out the word to never touch nigma after the ritler killed all five of their wives and even the most insane of Batman's villains won't go toe totoe with the Riddler they all used to think he was a joke but now they're in awe of him so one night while the Riddler listens in on a conversation between Batman and Gordon discussing how to take him out via a tapped gargoyle Batman basically says that he was foolish to think that the Riddler could never change foolish to think he'd always stay the same he tells a riddle you solve it Case Closed Batman assumed the Riddler could never question himself and that he couldn't change but that was his greatest mistake thinking he knew him Batman was smart and a fool just like him as Batman continues saying that right now the Riddler's listening in from his room all by himself The Riddler assumes that Batman can't change that he can't question himself that there is no limit to the Batman's mercy and The Riddler assumes that what he's listening to isn't a recording that this is a live broadcast and Batman is at the top of the gcbd saying these things and in the most haunting set of panels I could ever read that literally gave me goosebumps Batman says riddle me this Edward though we meet but once you know me forever thereafter what am I and everything goes black ending the story I have to say without a doubt that this is probably the darkest Rider story I could have ever possibly read I just love the puzzle the story creates for itself that you have to solve and piece together the further and further you keep reading like the mystery to what led Eddie into becoming the Riddler in the first place showing that the Persona was but a reflection of his late professor and how upon meeting his mother again much later in his life shattered his psyche inspiring him to shed the weak and pitiful Persona of the Riddler to become the intelligent and ruthless Eddie he always was buried deep down it's such a good story with many little subtle details scattered throughout that show you his subconscious inspiration for the Ridler like for instance the riddles his Professor used or how his Professor mainly wore the color green so on and so so on I also love this comic for how it shows how truly brutal The Riddler can be when throwing away all the petty games and riddles that were always the leading cause in him being done in also how he literally takes Gotham by the balls and makes it his City how he manages to make Batman fear Him and ultimately break his one and only code to never kill it's such a spectacular comic with phenomenal writing by Tom King and Mitch dards this book also holds a very special place in my heart since I have a signed copy of the comic that I actually got signed by Mitch dards if few years ago Mitch RS is a pretty awesome dude and if I'd suggest any of his work the most it would have to be Mr Miracle that's probably my favorite of his work he's ever done but with that this is going to bring an end to the video and I also just want to say really quick that I have a couple more videos lined up for the remainder of the year that I'm just working extremely hard on for you guys that I just want to make the best possible videos I possibly can make and with that check out my Twitter make sure to leave a like And subscribe and as always I'll catch y'all on the flip side

Channel: Mullet-Man Comics

Views: 178,163

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Id: FXPUDW5YqPY

Length: 30min 59sec (1859 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 09 2024