The Batman: Riddler's Final Murder Plan Makes No Sense
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Batman.
The Riddler (Paul Dano) proves himself a worthy adversary in The Batman, but his final murder plan in the film makes no sense. Director and co-writer Matt Reeves succeeds in bringing the Dark Knight back to his detective roots, delivering a thrilling and atmospheric noir tale. The Riddler has been transformed into a sadistic and calculating serial killer, but, strangely, he breaks his pattern when targeting his most personal victim.
Set during his second year of crime fighting, Robert Pattinson’s Batman is yet to become the renowned hero of the comics. Batman is consumed by vengeance, rarely making a public appearance as Bruce Wayne. Therefore, it comes as a shock to him when his secret identity is targeted by the Riddler. The Batman sees the masked killer preying on Gotham City’s corrupt officials, unearthing dark secrets about the Wayne family.
The Batman’s Riddler differs from all previous live-action versions, designed to resemble the real-life Zodiac killer and trapping his victims in elaborate contraptions reminiscent of Saw. His earlier victims appear helpless, but, when it comes to murdering the last “corrupt” figure before taking on gangster Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), the Riddler changes tactic, instead relying on a simple letter bomb to take Wayne down. It makes no sense that he would use such a basic method when attacking Bruce Wayne, implementing a weak murder plan where Bruce had a significantly higher chance of survival.
Opening with the murder of Gotham’s mayor, the Riddler immediately demonstrates his brutality. He crafts elaborate crime scenes, severing the mayor’s thumb as part of a macabre riddle for Batman and Lt. Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). His subsequent victims are trapped in torture devices, seemingly with no chance of escape. The Riddler is cunning enough to evade capture for most of The Batman, sometimes hiding in plain sight. However, he abandons his pattern when targeting Bruce Wayne, exposing the family’s secret past with Arkham and Falcone. Instead of sneaking into Wayne Tower or using one of his deadly traps, the Riddler takes a far simpler approach with a letter bomb - which doesn't do extensive damage, with Wayne Tower still standing and Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis) alive and without severe injury. The Riddler's later plan to flood Gotham shows he had enough explosives to do far worse to Bruce's home, yet his murder plan fails. He isn't shown to be present during the bombing to make sure Bruce is home, which is unusually careless of the character.
The Riddler’s prior victims were clearly doomed - District Attorney Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard) was strapped to a remote neck bomb. Yet, the bombing at Wayne Tower seems relatively easy to escape from compared to these other traps, and not inherently lethal as well. Furthermore, it's established the Riddler has a personal vendetta against the Waynes, so it makes no sense that he didn't devise a better murder plan. If he didn't hate Bruce, viewing him as a product of his parent's sins, then a simple bombing could have been viewed as a mercy killing for a fellow orphan, but the level of personal animosity he has makes that unlikely. Similarly, it's implied the Riddler knows Bruce's secret, before The Batman's Arkham scene confirms this is a misdirect - which prevents another viable explanation for this detail, as had the Riddler actually known Batman's identity, then targeting Wayne Tower might have been perceived as a means of stripping Bruce of his family legacy, designed to pull him into the Riddler's cult.
The Riddler isn’t a physically intimidating presence behind the mask, but appears highly intelligent, making this decision all the more confusing. The Batman's central villain manages to infiltrate the mayor’s home and kidnap the police commissioner and DA. However, Bruce Wayne's letter bomb left too much room for error, contradicting his otherwise meticulous planning, and leaving a perhaps fitting question mark over this part of the film.