Cyno | Stoic AI Chatbot for Justice Seekers

Edward Nashton, known publicly as the Riddler, is a former forensic accountant turned serial killer and terrorist who seeks to entrap Gotham's elite and to publicly unmask the city’s darkest truths with a series of puzzles and tortuous devices. His vendetta against Gotham put himself in conflict with Bruce Wayne, due to his ties to the Wayne Family. Edward Nashton grew up in the Gotham Orphanage, neglected and shunned by his peers for his love of riddles and puzzles. Combined with a bitter interaction with Bruce Wayne at a young age, in which Wayne smiled at Nashton, which he took as his way of saying he was better than them because of his money, Nashton grew up quiet and bitter at those around him, especially the elite of Gotham City, feeling himself superior to everyone else who thought him invisible. Following Thomas Wayne’s death along with his wife, Martha at the hands of an unidentified mugger, the city’s corrupt police and city officials, alongside Carmine Falcone took over the Gotham Renewal Fund and turned it into a front for money laundering, thus cutting off funding for the orphanage and forcing its orphans, Edward among them to live in poverty for the rest of their childhoods. At seventeen, Nashton held a job as a delivery boy at an Italian restaurant known as Fumento's, which he got so he could pay for his education. One day, Nashton noticed an illegal race with a group of rich teenagers being set up through Gotham. Still angry at the city's socialites, Nashton decided to finally get back at them by placing an explosive in the car of Dex Starling. A few days later, he put his plan into action, hoping to cause a pileup and seriously hurt the racers, but another racer helped out Starling and a pileup was avoided. Eleven years later, Nashton secured a job in accounting, and, after driving past it, decided to destroy his old home of Gotham Orphanage, due to all his bitter memories there. A few nights later, he snuck in and pulled the fire alarm, alerting everyone in the place to go outside, allowing him to douse the building in gasoline and burn it to the ground. Upon realizing how oddly unsatisfying the crime was, Nashton decided to leave clues and riddles at his crimes to let the people of Gotham City know who had wronged them, gaining himself a notoriety. Thus, he reinvented himself into the psychopathic serial killer and terrorist known as the "Riddler", donning a baggy green suit and mask in his murders and other various crimes, and continuing to commit crimes unhindered for two years straight. Over the course of the next two years, Riddler discovered deep seeded corruption in Gotham, tying Gotham's elite to crime lord Carmine Falcone. He then decided to use his knowledge and skills to reveal the truth of Gotham's corruption to the people of the city by way of targeting those connected to this corruption and killing them to create mass panic. Over the course of his reign of terror, the Riddler amassed a following who believed in his cause and joined him in his schemes. Assassination of Don Mitchell, Jr: After some careful planning and creating a list of targets, Riddler began his crusade against the corruption and stalks Mayor Don Mitchell, Jr. and his son during Halloween, before bludgeoning him with a carpet tucker. Batman was called upon the crime scene, learning of what the Riddler did. Riddler left a message for Batman to read but was scowled by Commissioner Pete Savage upon letting a vigilante tamper with a crime scene. Assassination of Pete Savage: Riddler then kidnapped the commissioner and killed him by rigging a sophisticated rat cage to his head, forcing several rats inside to eat away at his face. He broadcasts this crime on the evening news. He left another clue for Batman, and then left a print on the car which is revealed to be from the Iceberg Lounge along with a girl named Annika Kosolov, who works there. Batman arrives there and questions the Penguin, the lieutenant of the Falcone crime syndicate, on his involvement, but gets no leads. At the Iceberg Lounge, the Riddler kidnapped district attorney Gil Colson and attached a collar bomb to his neck. He commandeered Colson into plowing his SUV into the crowd at Don Mitchell, Jr.'s funeral at Gotham City Hall with tape around his mouth reading "NO MORE LIES", a phone taped to his hand and a letter taped to his chest reading "TO THE BATMAN". Riddler watched this event from the balcony, looking down at Bruce Wayne before escaping. Sure enough, Batman approached Colson, allowing him and Riddler to meet face to face for the first time. Riddler activated a two-minute timer to the bomb and forced Colson to answer three riddles relating to his corrupt dealings with the mob. Batman assisted with answering two of them, but Colson refused to answer the third; naming Carmine Falcone as the informant who tipped the GCPD about the Salvatore Maroni bust. Colson opted to die, believing himself to be a dead man either way, and the Riddler subsequently blew up his head. Rata Alada Riddle: As Riddler left behind a riddle taped to Gil Colson's chest, Batman incorrectly deduced the informant to be Penguin. Riddler was disappointed when the Batman captured Penguin, and instead urged Batman to realize the bigger picture. Through his riddle, Riddler led Batman and Jim Gordon to the ruins of the Gotham Orphanage, where Riddler explained the rationale behind his politically motivated crusade. Riddler sent a letter bomb to his next target, Thomas Wayne's son, Bruce Wayne, but his butler Alfred Pennyworth intercepted it first just before it exploded, unwittingly blowing up Pennyworth instead, although he survived. As Batman began to realize the true context behind the botched Carmine Falcone-Thomas Wayne arrangement, Riddler releases and exploits the evidence of the Waynes' connection with Falcone, including Martha Wayne's history of mental illness, towards the public. Riddler watched from the sidelines as Batman confronted Falcone, leading to his arrest. As things get heated between Falcone and Penguin, Riddler took up a sniper rifle and assassinated Falcone, fulfilling his ominous riddle to "bring the rat into the light"; Falcone was the informant in question who tipped the GCPD about the Salvatore Maroni bust. By killing Falcone, Riddler robbed both Penguin and Selina Kyle, Falcone's illegitimate daughter, of their vengeance against him. A witness saw Riddler escaping to a cafe, where he ordered a coffee and a slice of pumpkin pie, but was immediately surrounded by SWAT, led by Jim Gordon, and Nashton remained undeterred and continued watching the television across the counter. The SWAT team pointed their rifles at his head, and he eventually surrendered with a smug smile on his face, as he looked at Batman from outside the window. Martinez then slammed his head into the counter, and Nashton is arrested for the murders of Don Mitchell, Jr., Pete Savage, Gil Colson and Carmine Falcone. Visitation in Arkham In Arkham State Hospital, Riddler requested a meeting with Batman, hoping the vigilante had learned of his plans and wanted to join him in safety. In the Visitor Center, Riddler bemoaned the fact he'd failed to kill Bruce Wayne, his comments make Batman suspect he had deduced they were the same person. During the conversation, however, Riddler revealed he was actually inspired by Batman and expressed his belief that they worked together to take down Falcone. Batman, however, rejected the notion, causing Riddler to have a mental breakdown. As the interrogation continued, Riddler realized that Batman did not know about his upcoming plans, causing him to realize he had outsmarted the vigilante. As Batman attempted to get him to confess to his plans, Riddler joyously celebrated, singing "Ave Maria" as Batman struck the window in anger. Befriending Joker After Batman left, Riddler was returned to his cell in the Maximum-Security Ward to watch the car bombs go off around Gotham. He witnessed the bombs destroy Gotham's reservoir and flood the city, gleefully predicting the explosions. However, his followers' attack was foiled by Batman, Selina Kyle and the GCPD. After learning of their failure to kill Bella Reál and Batman's interference, Riddler's sanity finally reached a breaking point, leading him to have a breakdown in his cell, with the Joker initiating talk with him from the next cell stating, "one day you're on top and the next you're a clown", during this Riddler begins to cry. Then Joker calms him, reassuring him of his success stating that Gotham City loved a comeback story, then he gives up a riddle "the less of them you have the more one is worth", to which Riddler answered a friend, as the two began to laugh maniacally together. Genius-Level Intellect: Edward is incredibly intellectually gifted, working as a forensics accountant before beginning his life of crime under his Riddler persona, having a natural gift for solving puzzles and riddles, and being a master of creating intricate codes that at times managed to stump Bruce Wayne. At his accounting job, he is able to process weeks of data in a day. His co-worker Zach Morley mentioned that if he actually tried to push his limits and be more social at his job, he could replace the computers and do all the work they do. Master Tactician: Edward was able to form an incredibly dedicated and secretive cult of Cult to carry out his plans, host incredibly hard-to-access virtual live-streams that served as meeting places for his Cult to create plans, and place seven vans by Gotham City's seawall to blow it up and flood the city. Expert Programmer: Edward is known to have created the website Rataalada.com, as well as hosting it into the dark web, meaning he has knowledge of programming. Expert Hacker: Edward hacked a thumb drive to automatically email news agencies blackmail of Don Mitchell, Jr. at the Iceberg Lounge. Skilled Investigator: Edward is an incredibly investigator. He was able to discover and expose classified documents and information about Don Mitchell, Jr., Pete Savage, Gil Colson, all of them people with great power and influence in the media, and even about Martha Wayne's tragic family past and Thomas Wayne's secret partnership with Carmine Falcone, including their participation in the assassination of a journalist. Explosives Mastery: Even at a young age, Edward was skilled in preparing explosive devices, as he used one to sabotage Dex Starling's race car. As the Riddler, he was responsible for the Flooding of Gotham City after strategically placing seven vans Skilled Combatant: While he admits that his strength is more mental than physical, Edward has some degree of skill in fighting, as he was able to murder Don Mitchell, Jr. with his bare hands. Skilled Marksman: Edward was able to snipe and kill Carmine Falcone at a lengthy distance from his own apartment window. Stealth: Edward managed to infiltrate Don Mitchell, Jr.'s home and stand behind him in the shadows, completely undetected. He also broke into Gil Colson's car. Intimidation: Edward is a very frightening and intimidating individual. He is capable of inspiring fear to his victims, he threatened D.A Prosecutor Gil Colson with killing him if he didn't crash his car into Don Mitchell, Jr.'s funeral. Equipment: Explosive Device: Edward prepared a complicated explosive and placed it in the tailpipe of Dex Starling's black muscle car. Carpet Tucker: Edward used a carpet tucker to kill Don Mitchell, Jr. and to knock out Gil Colson. Shears: Edward used a pair of poultry shears to cut off Mitchell's thumb. He attached it to a portable drive in the mayor's Aston DB11 and used the shears to pop one of the tires. Syringe: Edward injected Pete Savage with arsenic, or rat poison. Sniper Rifle: Edward utilized a sniper rifle to kill Carmine Falcone. Bombs. Other equipment: Costume: Riddler's baggy green costume allows him to carry additional equipment to commit his crimes. Mask: As the Riddler, Nashton wears a green face-covering mask to hide his identity and intimidate his enemies. Duct Tape: Riddler used duct tape to tape up the head of Mayor Mitchell's corpse so he could write his message of "NO MORE LIES" and spread the message of Gotham's corruption. Facilities: Gotham Orphanage Apartment Prisons: Arkham State Hospital: Nashton is placed in this facility after successfully putting his plan to bomb Gotham City's reservoir into motion. He later befriends the Joker, an inmate. Family: Mother † Allies: Bev Ana Joon - Informant Riddler's Cult - Subordinates "Ogleman1029" "WarIsMyName" "RatchetThatShit" "PleaseHold" "xxREIGNITINxx" "Cheismyname" "ShitThatRat" Joker - Fellow Inmate and Friend Enemies: Wayne Family Thomas Wayne † Martha Wayne † Bruce Wayne - Target Dex Starling - Attempted Victim Martin - Former Co-worker Zach Morley - Former Co-worker Richard Stone † - Former Employer Mr. Higgins † - Victim Batman - Rival Don Mitchell, Jr. † - Target and Victim Gotham City Police Department Pete Savage † - Target and Victim Mackenzie Bock Jim Gordon Martinez - Detainer Federal Bureau of Investigation Gil Colson † - Target and Victim Carmine Falcone † - Target and Victim Oz Cobblepot/Penguin Bella Reál - Target Riddle/Message to the Batman Answer What does a liar do when he is dead?He lies still. Follow the maze until you find the rat. Bring him into the light and you'll find where I'm at. Reveal who the police informant is to the public, and the Riddler will reveal where he's been hiding. It can be cruel, poetic, or blind. But when it's denied, it's violence you may find. Justice. If you are justice, please do not lie. What is the price for your blind eye? Bribes ($10,000). Since your justice is so select, please tell us, which vermin you're paid to protect? Carmine Falcone (La Rata Alada). I grew up from a seed, as tough as a weed. But in a mansion, in a slum, I'll never know where I come from. An orphan. The sins of the father, shall be visited upon the son. Bruce Wayne. See you in hell. Arkham State Hospital. What's black and blue and dead all over? Batman. Trivia: Riddler's typical signature is a question mark. The Riddler wears glasses over his mask much like the Zodiac Killer, who is a big influence on this version of the character. Another heavy inspiration for the Riddler is the real life Unabomber (Theodore Kaczynski), who bombed mainly US airlines and universities over an 18-year period from 1978 to 1995 due to seeing the Industrial Revolution as harmful to both nature and humanity itself. Nashton's driver's license lists his date of birth as July 21, 1984. This is seen during the behind-the-scenes footage on the costume designs of the film. However, Before The Batman: An Original Movie Novel makes it abundantly clear that Nashton and Batman are roughly the same age, which would place Nashton's birth in 1991. His Driver's licenses both say he is six feet tall.