Batman Writer Reveals The One DC Villain Smarter Than Bruce Wayne

DC Comics writer Tom King revealed that he believes the Riddler is the most frightening Batman villain of all time because he’s actually smarter than the Dark Knight. During his San Diego Comic-Con panel, the writer for the upcoming Batman: One Bad Day – The Riddler #1 one-shot by DC Comics shared why he thinks the riddle-loving rogue makes for the most terrifying and challenging villain for Batman.

The Riddler is one of Batman’s oldest villains, first appearing in Detective Comics #140 by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, becoming one of the most notable and iconic characters in the Dark Knight’s rogue gallery. Riddler is known for his obsession and deployment of elaborate puzzles, riddles, and traps that he sets out for Batman as he tries to outsmart him with each question and game he creates – often with horrifying consequences if they’re not solved. Riddler has appeared regularly in comics, numerous animated series, and most recently, in live-action in The Batman, where the villain was brought to life by Paul Dano. Now, Tom King is sharing his take that the Riddler is so terrifying because he’s smarter than Batman.

At San Diego Comic-Con, Batman writer Tom King shared the stage with fellow DC Comics writer Tom Taylor as the pair talked about their upcoming projects coming soon to the publisher. King discussed his upcoming one-shot, Batman: One Bad Day – The Riddler, which he is working on alongside his longtime collaborator Mitch Gerads. The comic will dive into the mind of the Riddler as he murders a man and has Batman painstakingly pick up clues to figure out the villain’s true motivation. During the panel, King said that he believes the Riddler is the “most frightening” Batman villain because “he’s smarter than Batman.”

“The Riddler is the most frightening Batman villain of all time because he’s smarter than Batman.” – Tom King https://t.co/xH6MGMkUaN

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Batman has some incredibly smart villains, from Poison Ivy to Mr. Freeze, but the Riddler is hard to top when it comes to planning and executing his elaborate puzzles and riddles. He often does complicated, challenging traps that stump even Batman. The villain has scared Batman more than some other villains purely because of his twisted brilliance. So is Ridder smarter than Batman? That’s up for debate, but in the eyes of the Batman writer, that appears to be the case. It’s not an outrageous claim, but the Dark Knight has a genius-level intellect, so it’s definitely close if the Riddler is smarter overall.

It’s going to be fascinating to see the Riddler take on Batman in the upcoming one-shot from Tom King and Mitch Gerads, as the pair have hyped the comic as being the question mark-wearing villain’s version of The Killing Joke. Perhaps, by the end of the issue, readers will have a definitive answer whether the Riddler is smarter than Batman. Batman: One Bad Day – The Riddler #1 by DC Comics comes to comic book stores on August 16.