The Batman has been all over social media lately thanks to Warner Bros.’s promotional push ahead of its theatrical debut this March. While Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight and Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman have been front and center of all promo artworks, many DC fans have their eyes set on Paul Dano’s enigmatic Riddler and his origin story that sets off the masked serial killer (with a “political agenda”).
So far, The Batman movie’s gritty aspects may have fooled some into believing director Matt Reeves has directed an R-Rated version of the caped crusader. Yet the truth is far from it with the DC movie receiving a PG 13 rating despite the violent tone. However, the British Board of Film Classification has rated The Batman “15” for strong threat and violence.
It must be noted that past DC flicks in the likes of The Dark Knight trilogy and Batman v Superman were rated 12. But movies namely Joker, 2016’s Suicide Squad and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad all received 15 by BBFC. So it will be interesting to see The Batman’s level of gore, strong language, etc in comparison to past DCEU films which were criticized for being too dark, tonally.
The Riddler resented Bruce Wayne for being rich, reveals Batman tie-in novel
Pivoting to the highlight element of this week’s tidbit details from The Batman – a new tie-in novel from Random House titled “Before the Batman: An Original Movie Novel (The Batman)” has revealed Riddler’s backstory and his relationship with Bruce Wayne.
The story details (via: The Direct) of Nashton’s early years when he “always carried a book of crosswords or other puzzles” and always had them with him when going around the halls. This in turn led to Nashton being bullied by other orphans and earning him the name “Ed-weird” for his fascination for puzzles. Meanwhile, his resentment for Burce Wayne also grows for being wealthy and spoilt with even his fellow orphans “joke about how rich Bruce was.”
Nashton’s formative years have him working towards a career that he “planned to study forensic accounting” due to its similarities in “solving puzzles.” Nevertheless, it didn’t stop him from “thinking about that lucky rich kid, Bruce Wayne” while striving to make his own path.
From the looks of it, The Riddler’s antagonist journey begins with his resentment for Bruce Wayne. Though it remains to be seen if the masked villain knows the rich spoilt kid is in fact The Batman. Added, Nashton is on a mission to uncover the lies of Gotham City, with even new promotional artworks highlighting the villain’s intent. Readers can check it out below.
The 3rd poster is for Riddler #TheBatman pic.twitter.com/mGRMHpqthx
— Mikhail Villarreal🦇 (@TaurooAldebaran) February 7, 2022
The Batman merchandise for theatres in Thailand! #TheBatman pic.twitter.com/wVw6RKmGtW
— The Art of The Batman (@thebatfilm) February 7, 2022
The Batman arrives in theaters on March 4, 2022
