The Batman fans finally got some new material from the upcoming movie today, albeit from an unexpected source. Pages from the film’s 2022 calendar have leaked online, revealing our best looks yet at Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit, the Batmobile, Selina Kyle’s motorcycle and, most exciting of all, Paul Dano in his Riddler outfit.
As we glimpsed in the trailer, this version of the Prince of Puzzles will be very different from any take on the villain we’ve seen before and you can check out the calendar in question below:
In place of his snappy green suit, bowler hat and question mark cane, Dano’s Riddler sports a bulky overcoat with a grey face mask and a metal strip covering his mouth. The only nod to his traditional look are the glasses he wears on top of his mask. Though The Batman trailer released last summer told us to expect this character design, the leak has sent social media into a widespread debate about it.
Some fans are up for this reinvention of the Riddler and others are not, while a lot of folks are appreciating how director Matt Reeves is clearly heavily inspired by the Zodiac Killer with his interpretation of Edward Nygma – or Edward Nash, as he’ll be known in The Batman.
https://twitter.com/AlrightOldSport/status/1395038970522779655
https://twitter.com/codyforhire/status/1395037463752716288
Regarding the riddler getting hate in #TheBatman I only have one question. Did you see the Batman trailer? This is not a surprise. I don’t get why people are acting shocked. 🤷🏻♀️
— Oooommm (@SteadyAsWeGo) May 19, 2021
The Zodiac Killer is clearly a huge inspiration for the design of the Riddler pic.twitter.com/5s0JaLjmHI
— Matt🎬 (@mattlikesfilm) May 18, 2021
The Zodiac Killer vibes Riddler is giving off in Matt Reeves’ THE BATMAN is the exact reason why I know he’s going to blow our minds pic.twitter.com/lO6JnolYZD
— W (@Uber_Kryptonian) May 18, 2021
IDC WHAT ANYONE SAYS PAUL DANO’S RIDDLER DESIGN SO FAR IS SICK AF AND HES SUPPOSE TO BE BASED ON THE ZODIAC KILLER AND HE ACTUALLY LOOKS MENACING AND SCARY AF pic.twitter.com/fUkJqq1pgk
— sabrina 🦇 (@nightwaynes) May 18, 2021
Others are slightly more on the fence, but respect that we’ve already had a lot of classic Riddlers on screen in the past.
https://twitter.com/channel_pup/status/1394804091814137856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Meanwhile, some really don’t care for it, calling the look at “bad Doctor Doom cosplay.”
This new Riddler looks more like a bad Doctor Doom cosplay then a Riddler. Maybe it might just be me, but maybe he needs a spandex onsie with a question mark on pic.twitter.com/IFYXHiiBJY
— Jess Kate (@QueenStodge) May 19, 2021
For those that don’t like it, remember, The Batman is set in the Dark Knight’s early days, so Riddler’s got time to change.
https://twitter.com/Browntable_Ent/status/1394811323226202118
Don’t get mad. Just be patient.
Don't get why people are mad just cause the Riddler doesn't have the cane or Batman doesn't have flashy and tactical gear
Reeves already said that Bruce hasn't been Batman for a long time and characters like Selina, Riddler as well as Penguin as just starting out. pic.twitter.com/Q97lJlUZca
— Matt🎬 (@mattlikesfilm) May 18, 2021
It’s not like we’ve never had worse supervillain designs.
https://twitter.com/ECNALHANID/status/1394833362137894914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
DC fans should know by now to wait until we get to see the movie in action before judging it. The Riddler’s redesign is a bold one, for sure, but it seems to be a perfect fit for the tone of Reeves’ universe. In any case, we’ll find out if it was the right decision when The Batman swoops into theaters on March 4th, 2022.