WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Batman, now playing in theaters.

The Batman is a grim rendition of the Dark Knight, with Robert Pattinson's tenure in the title role exploring a dark take on Gotham City and its typically colorful slew of criminals. But there are still connections to the past in the performances, especially with the film's main antagonist. The Batman features a truly haunting take on The Riddler, as brought to life by Paul Dano. This isn't the first time that The Riddler has been portrayed in such a sinister light, however, with Dano's take on the character actually sharing some distinct similarities with the version from Adam West's Batman television series.

The Riddler in The Batman is one of the more overtly frightening takes on the character in memory. Inspired by real-life serial killers, this version uses puzzles and riddles as a means of leading Batman -- and by extension, the rest of Gotham -- to discover long-hidden secrets the villain despises about the city. For most of the film's run-time, The Riddler is treated as a horrifying figure, with a twisted sense of playfulness whenever Batman gets actively involved in the investigation. But he proves even more manic when he's captured by the police and brought to Arkham. He treats the entire conflict with Batman akin to some game where they could become friends afterward and howls in rage and grief when Batman not only refuses that idea but also reveals he hasn't even discovered the full extent of the villain's plans.

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Paul Dano's Riddler

It's an interesting way to play The Riddler, but not one without precedent. Most iterations of the character lean heavily on his smooth and calculating persona or focus on his uncontrollable and deranged side. But the blend of Riddler's manic and playful aspects -- coupled with occasional hints of his social awkwardness through his interactions with Bruce and his followers -- recalls one of the first attempts to translate Riddler for other media: the incarnation from the Batman television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. In that series, Riddler -- primarily portrayed by Frank Gorshin -- was one of Batman's major foes in Gotham and had the same hairpin trigger that Dano's performance embodies.

Both Dano and Gorshin portray the Riddler as a brilliant man with a deep disconnect to the rest of society -- though, for most of the Batman television series, Gorshin's bizarre way of thinking could be played for laughs. Notably, though, his Riddler had the same tendency to switch from a gleeful giggle to a scary scream in a heartbeat, giving the character an unpredictable edge. Both versions of Riddler are also hugely over-confident in their abilities, delivering scathing condemnations towards those they view as their intellectual inferiors. Although most versions of Riddler have that self-confidence, The Batman's version responds to accusations to the contrary with rage and bedlam, similar to Gorshin's outbursts whenever Batman would confound him.

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Riddler cracks a joke in the 1966 Batman series

While The Batman is a largely gritty approach to the concept of the Dark Knight and his world, it does have some surprising connections to a more innocent era for the character. The Batman and the Adam West-led Batman series shared the iconic villains, with Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin and Joker being the primary foes for West's hero. Now, years later, all four appear in various levels of importance in The Batman. But the shared DNA between The Batman and past incarnations of the universe come to the forefront with Riddler, with Dano's strong performance in the film feeling descended in part from the kind of manic menace that the character received thanks to Gorshin decades ago.

To see how Paul Dano's Riddler compares to Frank Gorshin's, The Batman is in theaters now.

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