10 Comic Book Villains Humiliated By Batman

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.