New promo art of The Batman provided to eager fans by Warner Bros. might have given away some previously unforeseen plot details that perhaps tell us more about the film than the studio had planned.
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The first piece of new art shows Riddler’s signature green spray-painted question mark completed by the profile of Batman’s cowl. Within the curves of the marking is writing, as one would find in a journal, assumedly penned by Edward Nygma (Nashton in Matt Reeves’ script) himself.
The words, when deciphered, put together a message addressed to the Dark Knight that reads, “Dear Batman, I now know what I must become.”
Other than a hint that somebody has watched Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, that sentence can mean any number of things, but popular film reviewer Mr. H thinks he knows what it really tells us.
With the aid and analysis of the YouTuber, we learn a little bit about what possibly motivates The Riddler and much more.
He believes the note teases that The Riddler is “inspired by Batman” to an obsessive fanboy level.
The British vlogger believes that the trailers suggest this when they repeatedly show Edward either speaking directly at the Caped Crusader or trying to get his attention.
Another promo image shows a silhouette of The Dark Knight’s cowl covered in newspaper clippings of Bruce and the Bat side by side, further playing into the idea that this iteration of the Riddler is obsessed with Batman.
Taking this imagery into consideration, Edward may consider himself, as Mr. H put it, to be a sort of “lost boy figure” (in a seemingly unintended allusion to Batman’s cinematic outings under Joel Schumacher) who drops in out of nowhere, metes out his brand of justice, and rises to fame.
Further, the Riddler’s collection of paraphernalia and news articles may serve as a sign such a pathology but it may also be evidence that Riddler knows both identities are one in the same person.
Like The Joker in The Dark Knight, Mr. H has hopes The Batman presents a striking redefinition of Riddler that fits the world Matt Reeves has crafted for Robert Pattinson, although he is cautious about Edward being downgraded to something akin to an online troll or incel.
Seeing the rise of Batman play out, Riddler may be thinking, “I can be this” and aspire to rise above his suspected “underground incel culture”.
Though this piece of speculation is unconfirmed, The film takes place in Year Two of Bruce Wayne’s vigilante career, so it makes sense that he’s earn himself at least one crazed fan.
Related: The Batman: Fans Claim To Solve Riddler’s Riddle in the Trailer
Alongside these two posters possibly hinting at the Riddler’s motives, Warner Bros. also released two more pieces of general promo art.
One shows the film’s Jim Lee-designed logo, revealed ahead of FanDome in 2020, superimposed over a shot of Pattinson in a red tint akin to the previously shown camera test footage.
The other shows Pattinson with his cape wrapped around him in a pose evocative of Val Kilmer’s take on the Caped Crusader on the poster for Batman Forever, in yet another allusion – albeit this time intentional – to Schumacher’s colorful films.
Of course. these are just theories put forth by Mr. H Reviews, and thus may or may not be close to the mark. While his speculation is fairly logical, one thing is for certain: the Riddler knows something and will pluge Gotham into chaos in order to get Batman on the case.
The Caped Crusader uses his shrewd detective skills to solve the mystery in The Batman when it comes out next March.
What do you make of Mr. H’s theories regarding the Riddler’s role in The Batman? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!