While we obviously know the basic premise of The Batman, Matt Reeves' upcoming reboot is still shrouded in mystery to some degree, and, fittingly enough, Paul Dano's new interpretation of The Riddler is one of the more enigmatic aspects of the story.
We know Edward Nashton is a serial killer who seems to be targeting Gotham's elite, and the trailers have pretty much confirmed that he not only sets his crosshairs on Bruce Wayne, but that he's fully aware of the billionaire's penchant for donning a cape and cowl while stalking the streets as The Dark Knight.
During an interview with Total Film, Reeves shed a little more light on this latest take on the classic Batman villain, making it clear that he does have a larger agenda.
"He’s not just a serial killer. He definitely has a political agenda," said the filmmaker. "There’s a terrorist aspect to him. He’s indicting the city for what it is. And one of the things he’s doing with each of these crimes is, he’s attacking the so-called legitimate pillars of the city. The whole point of it was to put [Batman] on the path of trying to solve a mystery that was not only going to reveal the history of the city, and why it’s so corrupt, but that also is going to turn at a point, and become actually quite personal."
What this mystery at the heart of the corruption in Gotham City will turn out to be remains to be seen, but there are rumors that The Court of Owls might be revealed as the shadowy organization pulling the strings. Reeves went on to explain where the idea for The Riddler's distinctive costume originated from.
"I read Mindhunter. It made me think of the Zodiac killer, and how he actually wore this primitive costume that really is a primitive superhero costume... a rogues’ gallery costume. And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s really scary, the idea of people really wearing masks, and withholding their identities, and terrorizing people, and how scary that is.’ And so I started thinking, 'Well, it could be an origin tale for the Riddler, and it could be an origin tale for some of these other characters.'"
The Batman is set to hit theaters on March 4.