Paul Dano, who plays the Riddler in The Batman, offers his input on the existence of multiple Batman continuities. Before his debut as the iconic comic book villain the Riddler, Dano was known for his performances as quirky, oddball characters such as Hank in Swiss Army Man. He also earned a name for himself through offbeat villain performances such as John Tibeats in 12 Years a Slave and Eli Sunday in There Will Be Blood. With his first foray into DC films, Dano garnered high praise for his role as Edward Nashton, also known as the Riddler, a serial killer who goes after wealthy and powerful citizens in Gotham City and leaves riddles for law enforcement and his nemesis, the titular hero Batman.
In the Matt Reeves-directed film, Dano starred alongside Robert Pattinson as the Batman himself, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, and Colin Farrell as the Penguin. Dano offered a darker take on the zany villain, keeping in line with the noir ambiance of the film as a whole. Reeves' The Batman, though unique in many ways, came after several iterations of Dark Knight-centered stories, including Tim Burton's 1989 Batman starring Michael Keaton and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, starring Christian Bale. In addition, Ben Affleck most recently played the Caped Crusader in the DC Extended Universe.
In a video for GQ, Dano offers some insight to his approach in preparing for the role, saying that Reeves' fresh direction gave him plenty of freedom. The actor - a Batman fan himself - also defends the existence of several Batman films and continuities, saying that the reboots have allowed the comic book-based stories to adapt to the modern world. Check out what the actor says below:
“By Matt having such a specific point of view and a new one, it gave me a lot of freedom, you know, like this is this Riddler, I'm not gonna worry about the other ones or the comics. I tried to take all the archetypal energy I could from the comics, and I read a ton of them, and I'm writing a comic now about the Riddler, and I was shocked by how much I loved putting out the film and engaging with that fan base, being, again, a fan myself, and how much fervor there is around The Batman.
I also think that, like, that's why - why would we keep making these, right? It’s to reinterpret. And it’s to reinterpret for the times as well, to keep investigating a character in a world. So, I think for people like Matt and Tim Burton and Chris Nolan, and then whoever’s gonna carry it next, I think it’s gotta be an artist with a point of view who’s taking that character and that city for the time that we’re in.”
Will Dano's Riddler Appear in The Batman 2?
Dano's perspective draws similarities between Batman and other literary staples such as Shakespearean dramas, demonstrating the appeal of taking age-old archetypes and applying contemporary stories to them. Though comic book stories are not generally compared to literary classics by some of the public, their impact and importance cannot be understated, and their modern popularity offers the perfect vehicle for creating commentary not only about the genre itself but about the world outside it. The Batman offered a fresh take on Batman stories as well as the narrative of the tortured hero, and it remains to be seen how The Batman 2 will continue to complicate that point of view. As for Dano's character, the actor has stated his eagerness to return as the Riddler.
Although The Batman 2 was announced in April 2022, not much is known about the film beyond the involvement of Pattinson and Reeves. Given the Joker (Barry Keoghan) tease at the end of The Batman and a longer deleted scene including the character, it seems likely that Reeves has plans for the classic villain in a future movie. Additionally, since Dano's Riddler is imprisoned but still alive at the end of The Batman, perhaps he will feature in the next movie as well. Two spinoff series set in The Batman universe are also in the works, and a recent report states that Reeves is developing multiple Batman villain movies, which could also potentially play into the plot of The Batman 2 or be set up by the upcoming film.
Source: GQ
