Movies News Talk
Once playing the most underappreciated version of DC's Riddler in the less-known film Batman: Assault on Arkham, Matthew Gray Gubler, most recognized for playing Dr. Spencer Reid in Criminal Minds, Among Batman's most identifiable enemies in a long rogues gallery is the Riddler, true name Edward Nigma. Live-action and animation have seen the character make several appearances; Paul Dano recently gave the Riddler in The Batman an edgy interpretation. This representation challenged the conventional view of Riddler as a more delightfully chaotic persona as portrayed by Jim Carrey and Frank Gorshin.
Riddler, along with such cinematic masterpieces like Joker and Penguin, has been one of the most prolific Batman villains in movies thanks to his notoriety. His work in DC's animated Batman films and beyond greatly supports his live-action visits to both movies and TV shows. Apart from Criminal Minds, Gubler's most well-known acting performances are Simon in Alvin and the Chipmunks and Paul in 100 Days of Summer; yet, his performance as Edward Nigma in an underappreciated Batman spinoff film is criminally underlined.
Animated spinoff of the immensely popular Arkham video game series produced by Rocksteady Games is Batman: Assault On Arkham. It mostly stars Task Force X, two years before they would premiere in live-action in 2016's contentious Suicide Squad, and The Riddler in a key part. Instead of being the major enemy of the film, Riddler is really the target of Amanda Waller, who plans to assassinate the ridiculous villain presumably because he is too smart to be kept alive. Waller therefore sends the Suicide Squad to kill Riddler in Arkham Prison.
Riddler's ingenuity enables him to persuade the Suicide Squad to instead break him out of prison on the stipulation that he disarms the bombs placed in their necks. Ultimately, Riddler's scheme works in one-upping Waller since he keeps his promise and gets out of Arkham ahead of the events in the Arkham video game series. Gubler's performance of the turbulent genius is among the best in his long running of Animated films, therefore confirming his mastery of playing related characters across his acting career.
The way Matthew Gray Gubler presents Dr. Spencer Reid has numerous similarities with Riddler. Though apparently suffering with their individual personality issues, both have great brains and unique personalities. Their peculiarities also include a lack of empathy to varied degrees, which helps to explain Riddler's dark nature even from his apparently lighthearted attitude. It also difficult to overlook the similarities between the darkly criminal foundations for Batman: Assault On Arkham and Criminal Minds.
Having played Jimmy Olsen in 2011's animated All-Star Superman, Matthew Gray Gubler already has expertise voicing DC characters. Sadly, Gubler's acting career does not feature the Riddler in any capacity. Short of return in another animated series or Elseworlds movie, it also falls to the DCU's Batman to offer a live-action Riddler part to Gubler, though whether he will appear so soon after Dano assumed the villain in The Batman looks to be somewhat improbable. Though mostly underappreciated, Batman: Assault on Arkham's interpretation of the Riddler is probably the last Gubler will be seen in the part and ought to be appreciated for its several virtues.
Made by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, Batman: Assault on Arkham is a 2014 animated superhero movie. Set in the canon of the Arkham video game franchise, the movie follows the Suicide Squad as they try to breach Arkham Asylum in order to recover a key piece of technology from the Riddler. Matthew Gray Gubler plays The Riddler and Kevin Conroy plays Batman in the superb voice cast of the movie.
The movie is noted for its mature and brutal tone, its emphasis on the Suicide Squad, and its fascinating treatment of The Riddler. The movie also explores the moral conundrums the people must make and their complexity. Batman: Assault on Arkham is highly worth seeing if you enjoy the Batman universe—especially if you enjoy Riddler.