Why ‘The Batman’s’ Allusion to the Zodiac Killer Is Equal Parts Brilliant and Terrifying
[Warning: This story contains spoilers for The Batman.]
He is arguably the most frightening version of a Batman villain to appear on the big screen to date.
Paul Dano’s Riddler in The Batman is sure to make viewers’ skin crawl, and there is an excellent — albeit terrifying — reason: the character borrows from one of the most notorious serial killers in history: the Zodiac.
The last time the Riddler was a villain on film, he was a bombastic, over-the-top creation from Jim Carrey in Batman Forever. Funny? Yes. Scary? No. Dano’s character in the Warner Bros. picture from filmmaker Matt Reeves is worlds apart.
This Riddler is an amalgamation of notorious villains, including a version of the DC character in the comic Batman: Earth One and Kevin Spacey’s John Doe in David Fincher’s 1995 film, Seven. But the allusion to the Zodiac is blatant; Reeves noted in previous interviews that the Zodiac killer was an inspiration. And that particular real-world influence is extremely unsettling for those who know the history — and it makes the film work on a whole other brilliant level.
This Riddler is an amalgamation of notorious villains, including a version of the DC character in the comic Batman: Earth One and Kevin Spacey’s John Doe in David Fincher’s 1995 film, Seven. But the allusion to the Zodiac is blatant; Reeves noted in previous interviews that the Zodiac killer was an inspiration. And that particular real-world influence is extremely unsettling for those who know the history — and it makes the film work on a whole other brilliant level.
Riddler’s costume is his own, just as the Zodiac wore a costume of his own creation for at least one of his attacks. The Riddler symbol is also somewhat like the symbol used by the real-world killer.
The Zodiac killer has been the subject of a number of Hollywood projects, the best arguably being Fincher’s 2007 film starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. In that film, just like in The Batman via Alfred (Andy Serkis), someone breaks one of the Zodiac’s coded messages by looking for a double consonant, such as in the word “kill.”
Dano’s Riddler finally reveals himself and the costume is shed, thereby relieving some of that creepiness factor. The identity of the actual Zodiac was never officially confirmed. Since 1969, The California Department of Justice has maintained an open case file on the Zodiac
Article Sourced By Hollywoodreporter.com
