Every Live-Action Version Of The Riddler Ranked Worst To Best

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https://www.looper.com/791234/every-...worst-to-best/

BY LEO NOBORU LIMA/MARCH 7, 2022 11:46 PM EST

Like every piece of "Batman"-related media, Matt Reeves' "The Batman" has got the world talking. This latest, standalone entry in the DC Comics cinematic canon has delivered on the promises to offer fans a bold new vision for the character's storied lore, and, inevitably, fans have been poring over every little aspect of that vision. Debates about whether the film features the best Batman, the best Catwoman, or the best Penguin are all raging on, among many others. But it can be argued that no character is sparking more conversations than the Riddler.

As the first live-action film to feature the character as a primary villain since 1995's "Batman Forever," "The Batman" has revived public interest in the Riddler and spurred many fans to take another look at his many previous versions. Interpretations of the Riddler have varied dramatically in each of his five live-action depictions, from a social outcast drunk on power to a deranged serial killer to a tech genius driven mad by entitlement and arrogance. But which of those is the best live-action Riddler? Let's go right ahead and solve that particular riddle.

5. John Astin on Batman

Better-known for his portrayal of Gomez Addams on the original "Addams Family" TV series, John Astin also showed up on another iconic '60s genre show. In 1967, he was cast as the Riddler on the second season of ABC's classic Adam West-starring "Batman" series, subbing in for the role's original performer, Frank Gorshin.

To this day, there are different explanations floating around as to why Gorshin was replaced. Either he was busy with a gig he couldn't get out of, or he demanded a pay raise that producer William Dozier refused to give. Whatever the truth of the matter, the result was the same: Astin, while a great actor, was pointedly a replacement — and felt like one.

Although he did a fine job with the role on the two Season 2 episodes that featured him, Astin simply didn't have enough time to really make the character his under the shadow of Gorshin's work. Indeed, by the next season, Gorshin had already been brought back as if nothing had happened. Still, Astin did manage to give his portrayal some memorable touches, such as a cane twirl that would later prove an influence on Jim Carrey's take.

1. Frank Gorshin on Batman

It couldn't be anyone but him. As the decades have brought about darker, deeper, emotionally heftier screen adaptations of the Batman comics, the majority of the villains on the lighthearted '60s "Batman" series have been "surpassed" by subsequent versions. That, however, is not the case with Frank Gorshin's Riddler. The actor's take on the character essentially defined the Riddler as we know him, from personality to mannerisms to that unmistakable evil-smartass flair.

In fact, here's how quintessential Gorshin's portrayal was: Before the classic "Batman" show, the Riddler had been mostly relegated to minor, one-off appearances in the comics. It was the runaway success of the character's TV appearances that inspired DC Comics to feature him more and more prominently, eventually turning him into a fixture of the Batman rogues gallery, with inevitable influence from the way he was depicted on the show, as that had been the way audiences came to know him (via Nerdist). It wouldn't be that much of an exaggeration to say that Gorshin is the Riddler.

The success of Gorshin's work earned him a Primetime Emmy nod for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy (via IMDb), and led to subsequent appearances in the 1966 film spinoff and the 1979 TV special "Legends of the Superheroes." Every Riddler since — whether imitating it, deconstructing it, or subverting it — has been a response to Gorshin's Riddler on some level.