The second trailer for The Batman is notable not only for giving additional screen time to Zoe Kravitz's Selina Kyle and Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobblepot but also for obscuring Paul Dano's Edward Nashton, aka the Riddler. Considering the actor was long ago confirmed as the classic DC comics villain, the creative lengths the filmmakers have gone to hide his face may suggest it's not the one fans expect to see. Specifically, that Dano secretly could be portraying another iconic Gotham rogue whose visage would be a dead giveaway; someone like The Joker.

Consider it a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

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Paul Dano as the Riddler in The Batman

In the footage's opening moments, a man sitting at a diner counter is swarmed by police, but the camera angle prevents viewers from seeing his face, beyond a glimpse of his distinctive glasses. An officer then pushes his head onto the counter, which again serve to conceal his face. The only way to know for certain that he is, indeed, the Riddler is when the camera lingers on question mark squiggled in the foam of his coffee.

The next time we see Dano's character is when Batman visits him in Arkham Hospital. But as the steel roll-up door begins to reveal the inmate behind the glass, the camera cuts away to the Dark Knight. The next time he'ss shown, the Riddler is on television with his face hidden behind the full mask and glasses.

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Paul Dano as the Riddler in The Batman

So why would director Matt Reeves and the trailer's editor go to such lengths to keep the Riddler's face from view? Traditionally, the Riddler has no distinguishing facial features; he usually wears a domino mask and green costume, frequently adorned with question marks. There seems to be little reason to hide Dano's Riddler from audiences -- unless he's hiding a revealing facial feature, such as Two-Face's half-burned face, or the Joker's signature smile.

The gang that debuted in The Batman's 2020 teaser, and is shown again in the new trailer, would appear to lend support to the notion of The Joker's involvement. It's long felt strange that the gang members would seemingly seek to emulate the Clown Prince of Crime, with their white faces and painted smiles (here black instead of red) if there were no Joker in this cinematic version of Gotham. Although the white-and-black motif might fit with the Penguin's style, signifying the gang is connected to him, there's no denying the makeup reads ... clown-ish.

No matter the reason behind hiding the Riddler's face, it's clear there are still plenty of reveals left for audiences. And if one of them were to be The Joker, it would definitely be an unexpected take on the classic villain (although the character is no stranger to having multiple interpretations). And it would tie in perfectly to The Batman's apparent theme of deception, and the call for "no more lies."

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