60 Years Later, DC's Greatest Riddler Makes The Batman’s Villain Look Tame

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Matt Reeves and Paul Dano gave audiences an undeniably iconic version of Riddler in The Batman, but their take on the character has more in common with the real-life serial killer Zodiac than it does with the fictional rogue from DC Comics. In the main continuity comics, Riddler is a flashy criminal who wants people to see him, not someone who hides in the shadows.

And when it comes to being flashy, no version of Riddler is as animated and wild as Frank Gorshin's take on the character in the classic 1966 Batman TV series. This high-energy take on one of Batman's most famous foes brought the character to new heights and turned him into one of the Caped Crusader's most loved antagonists.

Frank Gorshin's Riddler Had Style

While Dano's Riddler looks creepy, he also looks very uncomfortable, with his head covered in plastic wrap and a leather mask. It may be neat to see on screen, but to wear it has to be horrible, which is why this version of Riddler never took off as a Halloween costume.

Frank Gorshin's Riddler, on the other hand, had two amazing looks. The skintight suit with a giant question mark on the chest resembled the character's comic book design at the time. But the suit and tie look was for the show and really proved popular. This outfit has a sense of style to it that few supervillains ever achieve.

The suit and tie look even made its way to the comics, and this is how Riddler is usually depicted in the books today. While Riddler's gimmick is in itself kind of goofy, his look screams cool. And it's all thanks to Gorshin, who hated wearing the spandex and asked for something less revealing.

Batman '66 Saved Riddler From Obscurity

While it may be hard to imagine today, there was a time when Riddler wasn't one of Batman's most famous rogues. Before the 1960s live-action series, Riddler had only appeared in a handful of stories and hadn't been seen in the comics for almost two decades. When it came time to figure out who the Caped Crusader should face off against in the first episode of the series, the show's creative team selected Riddler to ease the worries of executives.

As the story goes, ABC, the network that Batman would run on, was uneasy with the odder-looking Batman villains like Joker and Penguin, so the decision was made to feature the little-known Riddler in the pilot episode. Sure enough, the plan worked, and Batman became a hit series.

And with the success of the series, Riddler became one of Batman's most popular rogues. The character would go on to appear as a member of the Legion of Doom in Super Friends, be the main villain in two movies, and have countless appearances in the comics. And as for his famous catchphrase, "Riddle me this!" that was also created for the show. Without Batman '66 and Frank Gorshin's over-the-top performance, Riddler would likely still be wallowing in comic book limbo.