Highlights

• The Riddler's iconic riddles range from wacky to thought-provoking, showcasing his cleverness and wit.
• Some of The Riddler's riddles have become more memorable over time, earning him a place among Batman's Rogues Gallery.
• The Riddler's riddles can be found in various mediums, including comics, video games, animated series, and movies, leaving viewers and victims constantly guessing.

One of the best things about this fantastic DC Batman villain is his interesting riddles. They leave both viewers and his poor victims constantly guessing, which takes the sharpest of minds to solve. This is why he is usually bested by Batman.

Nevertheless, the many representations of this wonderful villain have left a plethora of exciting riddles filled with either a shocking death, a change in plot, or just a secret revealed about The Riddler's life and thought process. However, some are undeniably more memorable than others, especially after the release of DC's new film, The Batman.

Updated October 21, 2023, by Jeremy Brown: The Riddler's iconic riddles range from wacky and zany to clever and thought-provoking. Ever since he burst on the scene with his first riddle, Edward Nygma has shined in almost every appearance he's made. From comic books to video games, live action television series to animated series and even multiple movies, the Riddler can deliver some fun and some wit. He may not be as iconic as the Joker, but the Riddler has earned his place among Batman's Rogues Gallery with the riddles he delivers.

20 “Why is corn so hard to escape from?”

This riddle is more pun than clever, but still it's a lot of fun and helped develop where the character would be headed. The Riddler delivered this line in his very first appearance in Detective Comics. It may not be his best, but it was his first and has stood the test of time.

The answer may be a little difficult unless the guesser knows a little Spanish. But the Riddler is doing a great job of playing on words while also bringing his first riddle.

• Introduced in: Detective Comics No. 140
• Answer: Maize

19 "Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum saw it. Can you see it?"

Sometimes the Riddler would deliver a riddle with the answer hidden in his questioning. The Arkham Asylum video game presented this puzzle as Batman is trying to solve a mystery.

While searching for the next clue, the Riddler gives him this hint involving a pair of classic fictional characters. It also reveals the answer in the question as two people who are equally balanced in the riddle.

• Introduced in: Arkham Asylum
• Answer: A see-saw

18 "What is always on time but never arrives?"

The 1960s Batman television show was as campy as the come, and the Riddler was every bit as silly as the rest of the show. He delivered some wild riddles that don't seem like they make sense. But sometimes he had a doozy.

This riddle actually takes some thought to solve, but it also serves as a pretty good existential question. There's past, present and future, but there's something that never arrives for any of us.

• Introduced in: Batman
• Answer: Tomorrow

17 "I feel your every move. I know your every thought. I'm with you from birth, and I'll see you when you rot."

This riddle can stump the smartest person in the world. Gotham's version of the Riddler presented this to Detective Gordon during the Fox series. It will have most people focused on the body, until they realize certain parts don't fit.

It's a complex riddle that causes the person asked the riddle to first look inward and then look outward. It presents to people like a mirror, which is exactly where the Riddler was headed.

• Introduced in: Gotham
• Answer: Your reflection

16 "My greatest of my strengths is that I know my worth. I hug myself so tightly at every birth."

The Riddler managed to capture Batman in one of the comics and invited the Caped Crusader to play some games before Gotham City was destroyed. Batman is tied up when the Riddler asks him this riddle. Batman actually answers incorrectly.

The World's Greatest Detective answers "a blade," which the Riddler finds amusing. It's soon revealed that Batman was just stalling and has produced a utility knife to cut through the ropes tying him, as well as the answer.

Introduced in: Batman comics

Answer: A knot

15 "Where does a 500-pound gorilla sleep?"

After appearing for the first time in Batman: The Animated Series in its 40th episode, The Riddler would return just five episodes later. The episode in question was titled "What Is Reality" and centered on the villain trying to erase all evidence of his Edward Nygma identity. Batman is tasked with entering a VR world Commissioner Gordon's mind had been trapped in by The Riddler, and the only way to save him was to solve a series of riddles.

One of the riddles in question poked fun at the idea of a threat being so imposing there's nothing that could be done to stop it. This could have been The Riddler's way of shedding light on just how big of a threat he was, or his understanding that Batman is a never-ending force of justice that can't be slowed by any natural means.

• Introduced in: What is Reality
• Answer: Anywhere it wants

14 “We're five little items of an everyday sort, you'll find us all in a tennis court.”

Jim Carrey's portrayal of The Riddler in Batman Forever wasn't a take that worked for everyone, but it's hard to deny how committed he was to the role of Edward Nygma. It's never clear what he's exactly trying to get out of his riddle solvers, and often is playing a mental chess game. Some of his riddles are straightforward and require connecting the dots, while others rely on wordplay and cleverness.

For instance, this one has people thinking at first of five simple objects often associated with tennis courts, but the answer is more about the phrase 'a tennis court' when spelled out. That's why the riddle itself is delivered via a written message and not verbally.

• Introduced in: Batman Forever
• Answer: Vowels

13 "I have billions of eyes, yet live in darkness. I have millions of ears, yet only four lobes. I have no muscle, yet rule two hemispheres. What am I?"

In his very first appearance in Batman: The Animated Series, the villain known as The Riddler managed to leave quite an impression on the caped crusader. Edward Nygma has always done a good job of painting himself as clever, cunning, and dangerous.

His debut on the 40th episode of the animated series titled If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich introduced a generation of kids to his twisted games. Games which he uses to manipulate the answer to the riddle posted above; the human brain.

• Introduced in: Heart of Steel: Part II
• Answer: The human brain.

12 "13, 15, & 8" (Overarching Batman Forever riddle)

It's one thing to create a single riddle that's hard enough to not solve immediately, but easy enough for someone to ultimately find a solution, but it takes a mind operating at another level to string several riddles together into one big mystery box.

That's exactly what The Riddler manages to do in Batman Forever as the answers to the three main riddles culminate in a string of numbers. These numbers correlate to letters of the alphabet falling at these spots when counting them out and resulting in 'MRE'. No, this doesn't have to do with military food rations but rather stands for Mr. E. This has a dual meaning as it works for both the word mystery poking fun at his games, but also Mr. E which works for either of his identities as Mr. Enigma and/or Mr. Edward Nygma.

• Introduced in: Batman Forever
• Answer: MRE

11 “I can be cracked. I can be made. I can be told. I can be played. What am I?”

When looking at Batman's villains, the Joker is considered his arch-nemesis, but the painted clown isn't too different from the caped crusader's other green-donning villain The Riddler. Back in 2017, the Batman comics displayed a showdown between the two in an event called the "War of Jokes and Riddles".

This entry's riddle and its answer are meant to poke fun at the Joker. The Riddler sees himself as absolute, so of course, someone who loves riddles would want to poke fun at something like jokes, which he probably finds inferior in every possible way.

• Introduced in: The Batman: War of Jokes and Riddles
• Answer: A joke.

10 “When is a secret suddenly a rumor? When is a rumor suddenly a fact?”

The Riddler is a character who relishes the fact that he is almost always smarter than the person he is dealing with. That's what makes Batman such a formidable foe, as he matches wit and intellect and thus inspires the Riddler to try harder.

This riddle works because it isn't trying to be funny, but rather it is saying that any information one wants is readily available, provided they ask the right questions. It is from a 1995 comic called Batman: Riddler that was said to directly connect to the movie Batman Forever.

• Introduced in: Batman: Riddler
• Answer: When the proper question is asked.

9 "If you are justice, please do not lie. What is the price for your blind eye?"

Anyone who caught trailers for The Batman before it hit theaters likely remembers hearing this exact riddle. It established the creepy tone and cadence the Riddler wanted the world to hear him as. Throughout the entire movie, it's clear that the Riddler from its universe is hell-bent on getting vengeance. All of his riddles have to do with justice, morality, and the truth.

As Bruce Wayne comes to learn of the corruption in Gotham City, the Riddler hopes that it creates an understanding that Batman has a lot more work cut out for him than simply beating up petty criminals.

• Introduced in: The Batman
• Answer: Bribe.

8 "The less of them you have, the more one is worth."

Compared to the rest of the riddles in The Batman, on the surface, this one seems a bit simple, but in context, the layers are truly unraveled. Fans who stick around for the post-credits sequence witnessed a discussion between the Riddler and an inmate assumed to be the Joker.

These two working side-by-side seem like a nightmare scenario for any version of Batman but add in that Bruce Wayne in this universe is in his early days, and boy does the possibilities of what can happen in a sequel truly become daunting to theorize about.

• Introduced in: The Batman
• Answer: A friend.

7 "I can start a war or end one. I can give you the strength of heroes or leave you powerless. I might be snared with a glance, but no force can compel me to stay. What am I?"

While there may have been a multitude of representations of The Riddler, Edward Nygma's exploration into madness in the TV series, Gotham has got to be one of the best. Many fans were able to witness how he got to that stage and some even preferred him to some good guys like Jim Gordon.

After all, with this kind of riddle, it's hard to not admire his mind and desire for puzzles and riddles. Especially when they are fueled by his love for the unavailable Kristen Kringle. It's a sad riddle but one that opens up the truth about how Nygma feels.

• Introduced in: Gotham
• Answer: Love

6 "What does a liar do when he's dead?"

As one of the more recent riddles fans have been witness to, this is one of the more memorable. This is due to the fact that many viewers were instantly given a taste of what this villain is capable of and how his mind works. It was the perfect riddle to prepare Batman for the events that are approaching.

It's the first exploration into The Riddler's motives, mind, and madness, proving this man is a force to be reckoned with and that anyone in power, who also lies, is in severe danger.

• Introduced in: The Batman
• Answer: He lies still.

5 "Which president wore the biggest hat?"

It may not have been classed as one of the best versions of The Riddler, but it certainly had the comedy aspect behind it. Even if it may be a little more like a pun than a tough riddle.

Nevertheless, the Riddler is the first enemy Batman faces in this version of the show, taking place in the 60s. Due to the timing and the rather interesting acting, many fans are able to get an instantaneous idea of how The Riddler works and the notion that he may not be as scary as many thought. Which seems like a huge understatement.

• Introduced in: Batman
• Answer: The one with the biggest head.

4 "It can be cruel, poetic, or blind. But when it’s denied, it’s violence you may find."

When it comes to The Riddler, he doesn't typically give Batman or the victim a lot of time to solve his challenging riddles. This is entirely the case in The Batman where the corrupt district attorney, Gil Colson was put under a considerable amount of pressure to solve this riddle. Luckily, Batman was there to help out and solve the conundrum.

This scene is another representation of how The Riddler thinks and his obsession with this moody hero. It's a riddle that was undeniably meant for Batman, just Colson seemed to get the brunt of the thinking and panicking.

• Introduced in: The Batman
• Answer: Justice

3 "Hope shines brightly in a city this dark, find the source of the signal, and you'll soon hit your mark."

The Arkham Knight video game was a hit among DC fans and gamers alike. It's a gritty exploration into the dark corridors of Gotham and brings along some wonderful quotes from villains and heroes alike.

Certain riddles made many players stop and think about the answers and often try to quiz other people to see if they can come up with the answer as quickly as they did. However, this one was an exception. It wasn't the most challenging riddle to solve but perfectly pushed the plot line through and allows the player to think and work just like Batman.

• Introduced in: Arkham Knight
• Answer: The Bat Signal

2 "What is the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end, and the end of every race?"

Some of The Riddler's problems are relatively hard to solve. However, this one is often known to be one of the hardest yet the most obvious when the answer is revealed. Which seems to be the perfect way to describe such an intelligent villain.

This isn't exactly a riddle, more a play on words, which is what throws both fans and Batman off, making it an extremely memorable riddle to see.

• Introduced in: Batman
• Answer: The letter "e"

1 "If you look at the numbers on my face, you won't find 13 anyplace."

Batman Forever might not be the most revered film in the world, but it did bring a pretty hilarious version of The Riddler, brought on by Jim Carrey. It also brought into light a new perspective on how The Riddler thinks, works, and feels about Batman and the state of Gotham. Nevertheless, it's a great riddle that can either be solved in an instant or will be on the viewer's mind forever.

• Introduced in: Batman Forever
• Answer: A clock

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