Batman Symbolism: What 15 Most Famous Villains Really Mean

2. The Riddler - The Intellectual Equal

Riddler represents opposition for Batman's intellect which, of course, is one of his most powerful weapons. He attempts to one-up Batman in this area and what their rivalry basically provides is mental exercise for the Dark Knight. Their expertise are actually quite similar - inductive, abductive and deductive reasoning, lateral and critical thinking, pattern recognition, great knowledge of a number of different sciences including engineering, chemistry and technology, vast knowledge of philosophy, literature and geography and a near photographic memory. The difference between them is how they choose to use their intellects. Riddler likes to challenge people, Batman's likes to complete the challenges. Riddler likes to put people in danger, Batman likes to save them. He is both identical to and the complete opposite of Batman at the same time.