10 Comic Book Villains Humiliated By Batman

4. Riddler - Batman Universe

Batman Universe Riddler Green Arrow
DC Comics / Nick Derington

Batman Universe is an absolute gem of a comic. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and with art from Nick Derington, the series spotlights Batman in a time-travelling, universe-spanning adventure that takes him all the way from present day Gotham City to Thanagar, then back in time to the Wild West (where he meets Jonah Hex), all the way back to the present yet again.

The series starts off somewhat innocuously however, with a simple confrontation with the Riddler. Only, Batman can tell something isn't quite right. The Riddler's riddle this time was simply "when is the Riddler not the Riddler?", and both the Dark Knight and Alfred agree that this is way below Nygma's usual standard.

After chasing Riddler down and asking why he's stolen a priceless Fabergé egg, Batman also expresses concern at Nygma's behaviour. It comes off as sincere concern (Batman is compassionate to most of his rogues, after all), but there's an element of condescension there about how Riddler just isn't riddling like he used to that is too funny not to notice.

It gets a little more pronounced once Green Arrow shows up, with Bats exclaiming to Riddler that he's "embarrassing himself in front of Green Arrow". It's dead funny, and while Riddler has undoubtedly faced greater upset in the past, Bats treating him less as a worthy adversary and more as a person whose wellbeing he's concerned for wouldn't have done wonders for Nygma's ego.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.