In an interesting turn of events, Paul Dano, Riddler extraordinaire, who appeared as the infamous villain in the Matt Reeves film, The Batman is now the author of the super villain’s origin story titled The Riddler: Year One. Never has it happened before that an actor who has embodied the role of a comic character on the big screen gets to go home and pen the origin story of that very same character. It seems the actor/author is proving himself to be just the one who is worthy enough to claim the title of the iconic Riddler.
Related article: The Batman: Every Riddler Riddle, Ranked By How Genius It Was
Paul Dano Talks About The Riddler: Year One Inspiration
Outside the San Diego Comic-Con this year, Dano is interviewed by Joshua Yehl of IGN who poses the question: “It’s a super rare thing where an actor plays an iconic super villain in a big movie and then they get to write the comic telling us the origin story about that super villain. How’d that come about?” To that, Dano replies:
“So one of the things I do as an actor to get me into character is that I like to write out the backstory. I try my best to bring the life the character has lived to the scene and to page one and I try to get to a place where, sort of, the unconscious of the character is at work as well.
In this case, I decided to write some of that backstory as if it had come from a comic because I wanted the archetypal energy, you know, the history of Gotham and the Riddler and Batman to come with us to set. We were trying to make something that was grounded but still had all that big archetypal comic book energy.”
Also read: Matt Reeves Reveals Horrifying Barry Keoghan Joker Still ‘Incomplete’
Along with Matt Reeves, Paul Dano is currently working on The Riddler: Year One which focuses on the formative days of the supervillain when he still went by Edward Nashton. DC Comics has also released new looks and previews of the cover for the upcoming comic book and it is going to be certifiably unhinged.
“There’s two sides of trauma — Bruce Wayne has his own trauma and becomes Batman because of that and ends up doing good but unfortunately Edward Nashton goes down a different path. Riddler: Year One on a plot level is about following the numbers towards corruption but really it is an emotional horror story about trauma.”
Also read: The Batman Theory Explains Why Riddler’s Arrest Is On Purpose
Will Paul Dano Return To The Batman Sequels In The Future?
Collider once mentioned him as “More Than a Punching Bag and Comic Book Villain“. Due to his accumulated reputation for portraying such roles as ones that get roughed up and beaten down on-screen, Paul Dano’s portrayal of the Riddler was a somewhat refreshing appearance as the maniacal comic super villain who outwits Gotham City and sends Batman scattering helplessly while he watches his city burn.
Related article: Greatest Paul Dano Movies Where He Delivers A Better Performance Than The Riddler
Dano reveals in his interview reveals, “I’ve been spending the past year writing this comic because I loved our film so much — Gotham, Batman, all of it. So, if they call me, I’ll probably show up! But I haven’t really dared to dream about what I might explore because frankly, it is out of my hands… But it’d be really fun to get in there with another good actor like Barry [Keoghan].”
Source: IGN
