Edward Nigma (Arkhamverse)

Edward Nigma


Alias(es)	Enigma The Riddler
Appeared in	Batman: Assault on Arkham
Status	Alive
Actor	Matthew Gray Gubler

Edward Nigma worked in the Gotham City Police Department's Cyber Crimes Unit. During his tenure, Nigma gathered extortion data files to uncover corrupt political officials and attempted to discover Batman's secret identity - concluding it was either Harvey Dent or Bruce Wayne. Due to his obsessive-compulsive need for attention, Nigma became determined to be the most outlandish of Gotham's criminals. As the Riddler, he concocts an elaborate series of clues and riddles around his crimes then tests the wit of law enforcement. Batman proved to be a worthy opponent and deduced his plans. Soon, Riddler was dedicated to creating a mystery Batman couldn't solve in time.

Biography[]

Batman: Assault on Arkham[]

Two years before the Arkham Asylum Incident, the Riddler was captured and forced to work for Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad. To ensure his cooperation, a nano-bomb was implanted in his neck, with Waller in control of it. The Riddler, however, managed to diffuse his bomb by putting enough currents of electricity through his body to fry it and managed to escape.

A week later, back in Gotham, the Riddler contacted Waller in order to boast his genius over her and to tax her with riddles, but Waller only let him brag long enough for her soldiers to pinpoint his location. Waller ordered her soldiers to kill him, but her plans were foiled when Batman broke in, beat up her guards and interrogated the Riddler, believing that he knew where Joker had hidden a dirty bomb that he stole. Riddler knew nothing of Joker's plan, however, and Batman took him back to Arkham Asylum. Waller then sent out a new Suicide Squad, composed of Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Black Spider, Killer Frost and King Shark, to Arkham Asylum under the pretence that the Riddler stole top secret information about her Suicide Squad operation, but she only let Killer Frost know of her real motive: To kill the Riddler.

After the squad had a confrontation with the Batman, Killer Frost broke off from the group and tracked down the Riddler calmly reading from a riddle book in his cell. He stated that he was expecting someone to come after him, as he arrogantly believed himself too clever for Waller to keep alive. As Killer Frost moved in to assassinate him, she asked that if Waller wanted him dead, why didn't she just explode his own nano-bomb. He stated that it was the same reason that she wanted him dead in the first place: because he knew how to diffuse them. This was enough reason for Frost to keep him alive, even though his annoying personality caused her to instantly hate him.

Riddler and Killer Frost managed to regroup with the rest of the Squad, and he promised to deactivate all of their bombs if they were able to get him to the Medical Facility. After the Squad managed to mow down the SCU officers blockading the Medical Facility, the Riddler confiscated a gun from one of the fallen guards. They managed to make it to the facility and Riddler revealed his plans to use the electro-shock therapy machines to fry their bombs. Black Spider volunteered to keep a lookout while the rest of the squad was hooked up to the device. The Riddler sent enough currents through them to deactivate most of their bombs, save for King Shark, whose thick skin prevented the electricity to work on him. Shark's head then exploded when an enraged Waller detonated the bombs.

When Captain Boomerang asked why Black Spider's bomb didn't explode, as he wasn't hooked up to the machine, the Riddler figured out why and laughed. He was able to deduce that Black Spider was actually Batman, as he defeated the real Black Spider during the earlier fight and switched costumes with him. The real Black Spider, in Batman's costume, was killed when the bombs were detonated. Riddler took out the gun he stole and tried to shoot Batman, but the Dark Knight dodged his shots and threw a Batarang at the Riddler, embedding it in his shoulder, and then knocking him out.

After the Joker broke free and set all the patients of Arkham loose then activated his bomb, the Riddler took advantage of the ensuing chaos and made his escape into Gotham.