8 Comic Book Villains Whose Own Desires Are Their Downfall

8. The Riddler

Edward Nygma has spent more time than most trying to best the Caped Crusader. And so determined to be a thorn in Batman’s side has The Riddler been, he’s even gone as far as working out that the Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne are one and the same.

Still, when it comes down to it, the Master of Riddles always has to let Batman win. Why’s that, you ask? Well, that’s so that he can bask in his own genius.

The whole schtick of The Riddler is to conjure up the most brilliant riddles, schemes and plans known to mankind. For Nygma, however, there is always that need to showcase his own smarts and reiterate to people that he really is the smartest person in the room.

As such, for Riddler there’s no point in making a grand plan or riddle if nobody else is aware of just how fantastic his plan is. That means, Eddie always has to let the cat out of the bag when it comes to the grandiose details of his latest scheme – meaning his own ego will always stop him from truly winning.