Edward Nashton (Earth 1)

Edward Nashton, known publicly as the Riddler, is a former forensic accountant turned serial killer and terrorist who seeks to entrap Gotham's elite and to publicly unmask the city’s darkest truths with a series of puzzles and tortuous devices. His vendetta against Gotham put himself in conflict with Bruce Wayne, due to his ties to the Wayne Family.
== Biography ==
=== Early Life ===
==== Childhood and Teenage Years ====
Edward Nashton grew up in the Gotham Orphanage, neglected and shunned by his peers for his love of riddles and puzzles. Combined with a bitter interaction with Bruce Wayne at a young age, in which Wayne smiled at Nashton, which he took as his way of saying he was better than them because of his money, Nashton grew up quiet and bitter at those around him, especially the elite of Gotham City, feeling himself superior to everyone else who thought him invisible.
Following Thomas Wayne’s death along with his wife, Martha at the hands of an unidentified mugger, the city’s corrupt police and city officials, alongside Carmine Falcone took over the Gotham Renewal Fund and turned it into a front for money laundering, thus cutting off funding for the orphanage and forcing its orphans, Edward among them to live in poverty for the rest of their childhoods.
At seventeen, Nashton held a job as a delivery boy at an Italian restaurant known as Fumento's, which he got so he could pay for his education. One day, Nashton noticed an illegal race with a group of rich teenagers being set up through Gotham. Still angry at the city's socialites, Nashton decided to finally get back at them by placing an explosive in the car of Dex Starling. A few days later, he put his plan into action, hoping to cause a pileup and seriously hurt the racers, but another racer helped out Starling and a pileup was avoided.
==== Birth of the Riddler ====
Eleven years later, Nashton secured a job in accounting, and, after driving past it, decided to destroy his old home of Gotham Orphanage, due to all his bitter memories there. A few nights later, he snuck in and pulled the fire alarm, alerting everyone in the place to go outside, allowing him to douse the building in gasoline and burn it to the ground.
Upon realizing how oddly unsatisfying the crime was, Nashton decided to leave clues and riddles at his crimes to let the people of Gotham City know who had wronged them, gaining himself a notoriety. Thus, he reinvented himself into the psychopathic serial killer and terrorist known as the "Riddler", donning a baggy green suit and mask in his murders and other various crimes, and continuing to commit crimes unhindered for two years straight.
=== Exposing Gotham ===
==== Targeting the Gotham Elite ====
Over the course of the next two years, Riddler discovered deep seeded corruption in Gotham, tying Gotham's elite to crime lord Carmine Falcone. He then decided to use his knowledge and skills to reveal the truth of Gotham's corruption to the people of the city by way of targeting those connected to this corruption and killing them to create mass panic. Over the course of his reign of terror, the Riddler amassed a following who believed in his cause and joined him in his schemes.
==== Assassination of Don Mitchell, Jr. ====
After some careful planning and creating a list of targets, Riddler began his crusade against the corruption and stalks Mayor Don Mitchell, Jr. and his son during Halloween, before bludgeoning him with a carpet tucker. Batman was called upon the crime scene, learning of what the Riddler did. Riddler left a message for Batman to read but was scowled by Commissioner Pete Savage upon letting a vigilante tamper with a crime scene.
==== Assassination of Pete Savage ====
Riddler then kidnapped the commissioner and killed him by rigging a sophisticated rat cage to his head, forcing several rats inside to eat away at his face. He broadcasts this crime on the evening news. He left another clue for Batman, and then left a print on the car which is revealed to be from the Iceberg Lounge along with a girl named Annika Kosolov, who works there. Batman arrives there and questions the Penguin, the lieutenant of the Falcone crime syndicate, on his involvement, but gets no leads.
==== Riddles for the DA ====
At the Iceberg Lounge, the Riddler kidnapped district attorney Gil Colson and attached a collar bomb to his neck. He commandeered Colson into plowing his SUV into the crowd at Don Mitchell, Jr.'s funeral at Gotham City Hall with tape around his mouth reading "NO MORE LIES", a phone taped to his hand and a letter taped to his chest reading "TO THE BATMAN". Riddler watched this event from the balcony, looking down at Bruce Wayne before escaping.
Sure enough, Batman approached Colson, allowing him and Riddler to meet face to face for the first time. Riddler activated a two-minute timer to the bomb and forced Colson to answer three riddles relating to his corrupt dealings with the mob. Batman assisted with answering two of them, but Colson refused to answer the third; naming Carmine Falcone as the informant who tipped the GCPD about the Salvatore Maroni bust. Colson opted to die, believing himself to be a dead man either way, and the Riddler subsequently blew up his head. 
==== Rata Alada Riddle ====
As Riddler left behind a riddle taped to Gil Colson's chest, Batman incorrectly deduced the informant to be Penguin. Riddler was disappointed when the Batman captured Penguin, and instead urged Batman to realize the bigger picture. Through his riddle, Riddler led Batman and Jim Gordon to the ruins of the Gotham Orphanage, where Riddler explained the rationale behind his politically motivated crusade. Riddler sent a letter bomb to his next target, Thomas Wayne's son, Bruce Wayne, but his butler Alfred Pennyworth intercepted it first just before it exploded, unwittingly blowing up Pennyworth instead, although he survived.
==== Assassination of Carmine Falcone ====
As Batman began to realize the true context behind the botched Carmine Falcone-Thomas Wayne arrangement, Riddler releases and exploits the evidence of the Waynes' connection with Falcone, including Martha Wayne's history of mental illness, towards the public. Riddler watched from the sidelines as Batman confronted Falcone, leading to his arrest. As things get heated between Falcone and Penguin, Riddler took up a sniper rifle and assassinated Falcone, fulfilling his ominous riddle to "bring the rat into the light"; Falcone was the informant in question who tipped the GCPD about the Salvatore Maroni bust.
By killing Falcone, Riddler robbed both Penguin and Selina Kyle, Falcone's illegitimate daughter, of their vengeance against him. A witness saw Riddler escaping to a cafe, where he ordered a coffee and a slice of pumpkin pie, but was immediately surrounded by SWAT, led by Jim Gordon, and Nashton remained undeterred and continued watching the television across the counter. The SWAT team pointed their rifles at his head, and he eventually surrendered with a smug smile on his face, as he looked at Batman from outside the window. Martinez then slammed his head into the counter, and Nashton is arrested for the murders of Don Mitchell, Jr., Pete Savage, Gil Colson and Carmine Falcone.
==== Visitation in Arkham ====
In Arkham State Hospital, Riddler requested a meeting with Batman, hoping the vigilante had learned of his plans and wanted to join him in safety. In the Visitor Center, Riddler bemoaned the fact he'd failed to kill Bruce Wayne, his comments make Batman suspect he had deduced they were the same person. During the conversation, however, Riddler revealed he was actually inspired by Batman and expressed his belief that they worked together to take down Falcone. Batman, however, rejected the notion, causing Riddler to have a mental breakdown. As the interrogation continued, Riddler realized that Batman did not know about his upcoming plans, causing him to realize he had outsmarted the vigilante. As Batman attempted to get him to confess to his plans, Riddler joyously celebrated, singing "Ave Maria" as Batman struck the window in anger.
==== Befriending Joker ====
After Batman left, Riddler was returned to his cell in the Maximum-Security Ward to watch the car bombs go off around Gotham. He witnessed the bombs destroy Gotham's reservoir and flood the city, gleefully predicting the explosions. However, his followers' attack was foiled by Batman, Selina Kyle and the GCPD. After learning of their failure to kill Bella Reál and Batman's interference, Riddler's sanity finally reached a breaking point, leading him to have a breakdown in his cell, with the Joker initiating talk with him from the next cell stating, "one day you're on top and the next you're a clown", during this Riddler begins to cry. Then Joker calms him, reassuring him of his success stating that Gotham City loved a comeback story, then he gives up a riddle "the less of them you have the more one is worth", to which Riddler answered a friend, as the two began to laugh maniacally together.
=== Defeated During The Long Halloween ===
Batman defeated The Riddler, who robs a gem store, Edward gave Batman, a riddle about Holiday, who was once speared by him but Batman left the scene for the cops to take him to Arkham.
=== The Hangman Murders ===
Batman consulted Riddler about a second Holiday killer called Hangman.
== Relationships ==
=== Family ===
* Mother †
=== Allies ===
* Bev
* Ana Joon - Informant
* Riddler's Cult - Subordinates
** "Ogleman1029"
** "WarIsMyName"
** "RatchetThatShit"
** "PleaseHold"
** "xxREIGNITINxx"
** "Cheismyname"
** "ShitThatRat"
* Joker - Fellow Inmate and Friend
* Oz Cobblepot/Penguin - formal enemy now inmate and friend
* Julian Day / Calendar Man - friend and inmate
* Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter - friend and inmate
* Jonathan Crane - friend and inmate
* Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy - friend and inmate
* Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow - friend and inmate
* Harvey Dent / Two-Face - friend and inmate
* Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze - friend and inmate
* Waylon Jones / Killer Croc - friend and inmate
* Cyrus Gold / Solomon Grundy - friend and inmate
* Kirt Langstrom / Man-Bat - friend and inmate
* Garfield Lynns / Firefly - friend and inmate
* Drury Walker / Killer Moth - friend and inmate
* Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn - friend and inmate
=== Enemies ===
* Wayne Family
** Thomas Wayne †
** Martha Wayne †
** Bruce Wayne - Target
* Dex Starling - Attempted Victim
* Martin - Former Co-worker
* Zach Morley - Former Co-worker
* Richard Stone † - Former Employer
* Mr. Higgins † - Victim
* Bruce Wayne/Batman - Rival
* Dick Grayson / Robin - enemy
* Barbara Gordon / Batgirl - enemy
* Jason Todd / Robin ll † - enemy
* Tim Drake / Robin lll - enemy
* Selina Kyle/Catwoman
* Don Mitchell, Jr. † - Target and Victim
* Gotham City Police Department
** Pete Savage † - Target and Victim
** Mackenzie Bock
** Jim Gordon
** Martinez - Detainer
** Harvey Bullock
** Renee Montoya
* Federal Bureau of Investigation
* Gil Colson † - Target and Victim
* Carmine Falcone † - Target and Victim
* Alberto Falcone/Holiday † - Enemy
* Sofia Falcone/Hangman † - Enemy and Victim
* Bella Reál - Target