All of the main Batman rouges have been tweaked and changed over the years. From their origins, motivations to their designs, every Bat-villain has gone through meaningful changes since they were first introduced. One of the biggest overall changes in terms of design is the Riddler. The calculating villain has transformed his look from an outright supervillain to a more modern design, eventually adopting a suit that wouldn't look out of place in the regular world, save for some very distinct touches.

Although elements from the past still survive in his new design, the Riddler has adopted a purely modern and realistic costume in recent years. Now, CBR is taking a look back at the evolution of the Riddler's costume and all the changes that have been made to it over the years.

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THE RIDDLER'S FIRST COSTUME

Batman Silver Age Riddler

The Riddler was first introduced in Detective Comics #140 by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang. When he made his first appearance, it was in a basic green leotard. A purple domino mask and belt gave it a splash of contrasting color, and it was also covered in question marks. The question mark basically served as the Riddler's logo, which has gone on to continue over the years with different takes on the costume. This costume was also what Riddler wore when he returned to the comics in 1965 after a lengthy absence. It's very Silver Age, and very plainly a super villain costume.

His return to the comics was one of the the comics that television producer William Dozier brought to ABC when he pitched the Batman television series. It left an impression, which led to Frank Gorshin being cast as Riddler for the series. He was the first villain in the series, and he wore a variant of his comics counterpart design. The leotard was cut back a little, removing all but one question mark and making it more prominent on the character's chest.

At Gorshin's request, the Riddler was eventually given a tailored green suit and bowler hat to wear instead. The suit was covered in question marks, carrying over an element of the comics costume the leotard had removed. The comics Riddler remained in his leotard, however, at least for a few more decades.

THE RIDDLER'S SUIT

The Riddler

In the late 1980s, the Riddler began wearing a variation of the suit and bowler hat, often alternating between the leotard and the more subdued suit.  It carried over the multiple question marks across his suit. The color scheme also remained consistently green and purple, regardless of which version he appeared in.

In the '90s, the Riddler wore a different version of the costume in two major multimedia adaptations. Batman Forever put Jim Carrey in a suit inspired by the original leotard worn by Frank Gorshin in Batman. To go with the over the top look of the film, Riddler was also given a bright red hairstyle and domino mask.

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However, Batman: The Animated Series instead used the more understated version of the Riddler's costume. The question marks were removed except a large one on his tie that served as his logo. The suit was eventually replaced by a simplified leotard for The New Adventures of Batman and Robin. That series also largely ignored Riddler, not showcasing him much while he was in the leotard. These two versions of Riddler also made prominent use of a question mark cane, which quickly became an essential part of the Riddler's design.

THE RIDDLER'S MODERN COSTUME

Shortly before the New 52, Riddler received an over-cluttered look, which tried to combine the suit and leotard looks into a single costume. After the New 52, the Riddler went with an even more subdued version of his suit. He now wore a simple green suit, without any question marks in his costume besides his cane. The color scheme was kept the same, although the black became a bit more consistent in place of purple. This was the suit he wore during the events of "Zero Year," where he served as the primary villain. This served as the primary inspiration for Gotham's Riddler look too, until the final episode introduced the question mark suit as a shout-out to the original comics.

Two more Riddler designs have appeared in the New 52. In some shots (typically by artist Greg Capullo), Riddler is shown with a question mark mohawk. The Riddler also received a new suit in the Batman storyline "The War of Jokes and Riddles." The Riddler adopted a plain green suit, leaving the jacket open to reveal a new scar across his chest. Left with a noticeable scar where Joker shot him, Riddler made it the dot in a question mark across his chest. It's become his current default look. His costume has consistently changed to become less goofy, even eventually making his question mark logo into a twisted sign of his mental state instead of merely being a logo.

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