The trailer for The Batman shown at DC FanDome gave us our first glimpses of many characters we can’t wait to get to know better in Matt Reeves’ reboot, like Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman, Colin Farrell’s Penguin and Paul Dano’s Riddler. Well, we didn’t see the Riddler’s face, but the contextual clues tell us that the masked killer depicted in the promo is the Prince of Puzzles. But maybe that’s just what they want us to think. What if that’s not the Riddler at all and it’s actually Hush?
A new fan theory points out that it’s not typically the Riddler’s style to hide his face. Sure, we have been told that Dano is playing a version of the villain we’ve never seen before, so that may be all there is to it. But one antagonist from the Dark Knight’s rogues gallery who does tend to cover their face is Thomas Elliot AKA Hush.
In the trailer, we see Commissioner Gordon and Batman at a crime scene where the killer has wrapped up his victim’s face with tape. ScreenRant points out that this resembles Hush’s typical bandaged-up appearance in the comics. Obviously, the Riddler is certainly involved with the mystery, as he’s the one who left Batman a coded message to crack. But it’s possible that he’s working in conjunction with Hush.
In the classic Hush comic book, it’s ultimately revealed that the Riddler is the mastermind behind Hush’s schemes. Controversially, the Hush animated movie went even further and had the Riddler as Hush’s real identity. So, the film could be flipping the script a little bit and hiding Hush’s involvement behind the Riddler in the marketing. When it comes down to it, the Dark Knight may discover that Hush is actually the one perpetrating the crimes, with the Riddler pulling his strings.
Do you think there’s anything to this Batman theory, though? Have your say in the comments below.