⪻𓊈ꂵꄲꉧꊰ꒒꒐ꏂ꒯𓊉⪼

Hello, smelly possum

The Riddler au I mentioned is exclusive for this blog actually! And yes ofc it's a PI au.

This Eddie is based off some of the comics I mention in my last post like King Tut's Tomb, Gotham Underground/Gotham Sirens, Detective Comics Annual, Killing Time, and other mediums. Overall his personality and events are taken from a lot of different media that will be revealed as the story goes on. And ofc my headcanons also play into it but it comes with the territory.

I'd like to think my Edward isn't too far off the canon one, but of course I only really implement personality traits and stuff that I interpret as being him.

• For one he has narcissistic tendencies but he's not a diagnosed narcissistic, the reason for this being that he's more of amalgamation of a psychopath and a sociopath.

• Since some comics and other media tend to flip flop on this a lot in my au he is an actual genius but he almost never succeeds in his schemes due to ego getting in the way. He also loves cheating and sees it as an easy way to success.

• I mentioned this in my other Riddler headcanon thing, but in the beginning of his career he wore blue contact lenses and dyed his hair black. This was a habit of his during his days in the circus but later became more of a tool to separate himself from his identity as Edward Nashton.

• This is more of a Gotham rogues headcanon but it still kinda fits. The rogues, due to being around each other for so long and having similar goals, are a very weird found family. In consequence to this Edward over the years has made it a point to play nice ever once in a while, not just to keep the peace, but for mere self preservation. Naturally he aligned himself with people he saw as somewhat on top of the food chain like Oswald, Noah and Julian. Of course he has other relationships with the rogues but these three are the ones he crafted meticulously.

• A more silly difference from canon is that he wears green and purple as his main colors no matter where he goes. Need to be undercover? Can I at least have a green tie 🥺 ?

• Has an account on some shady social media website where he gives riddles or streams mystery/puzzle games. Listen I just think he micro-doses his attention sometimes.

Dude you know I have too many 😭. I'll try my best to name my top four or three.

Batman Incorporated: King Tut's Tomb: This was my first introduction to a Riddler and Batman working together, it's my favorite comic of all time to! It's also the main premise to my detective au with Edward, Gordon and Bruce begrudgingly working together to solve various crimes that they don't trust the police department for. (That au is the basis for this blog ngl).

Detective Comics Annual Vol 1 #8: It my go-to when it comes to Riddler origin stories. I really enjoy stories that make his ability to cheat front and center. And I love the circus origin bc it's shows where his showmanship comes from! It also does a good job at showing us the relationship between Edward and his henchewomen.

Gotham Underground & Gotham Sirens: I adore any story where we get to see the rogues interacting up close and neither of these disappointed. It was also really fun seeing how close the rogues really are while also being so pathetic for one another (Ivy is a confirmed squatter ❤). These comics also show how the anti-villian trope works, everyone does good things for selfish gain and they still deal with the consequences of it. I don't think we'll get another connected plot like this and that saddens me deeply.

The Riddler: Year of the Villain: put this one here bc when I read it I was sooo ready for Edward to be taken seriously again and maybe even be in some way redeemed. Then we all know what happened so- but it was at least fun to see his dynamic with Tut after everything that happened before. I think this was a perfect way to start a new Riddler era where he gets to do some crazy shit as he tries to get his life on track and find meaning while also struggling with his past. So over all it was a good starting point, but failed the landing afterwards. (This is where my au starts off.)

Secret Origins Special #1: I don't know how I feel about a buff Penguin so, I'll just skate past that. Edward is such a specific flavor of unhinged that it's almost impressive, the art style doing wonders to make him a bit creepy to look at. I think it also captures a bit of the early stage of Riddler pretty well as he mentions that back then the silly rogues did no killing and it frightens him that even Joker has started to loose his marbles. It also does a great job at establishing that all this crime thing is a game to Edward, a game he can cheat, he misses the silver age man.

Strange Love Adventures (2022) #1: I like this story a lot because it shows how dysfunctional Edward is when it comes to romantic relationships. He seeks connection yet runs away when things get too serious (Miyu and Antoine) or that his idea of love is shaped by fantasy (Miss Grantham)

There's another comic I can't remember the name of rn that has Riddler break into Wayne Enterprises and blast off a guys arm. The guy was a former Arkham guard that made Edward's time there worse than it was by attacking him and not letting him have puzzles in his cell. I like that that comic showed how much Edward holds onto a grudge and a little bit of the conditions of the asylum that are sometimes cruel. Granted Edward is a petty but it was fun to watch him go out of his way to cause such calculated chaos just to get a moment of revenge.

On a good day he smells like a clean carpet with peachy perfume.

In Puerto Rico some of the news stations run by Telemundo have little segments that go from astrology, new household technology, comedy skits, sexology, among other things.

This is very different from my usually posts, but I'm really interested.

Dick is so annoyed I can't-

Lina caught on so quickly tho, Ed you should've let her steal this stuff for you and if you wanted to keep it then you use the gas. But yk, he's The Riddler and most likely wanted all the credit.

Going from absolutely delulu giddy to straight up getting whiplash when he sees the other trophy isn't there is funny.

His lil face 🥺. I'm just surprised he didn't keep the gloves on during the entire heist but go off with that confidence ig.

Also, love the mask designs for his henchmen.

Get his ass Lina‼️

He is making her do a workout an intense routine here jeez.

Of course they broke your cane Ed you dumbass

Honestly love that the citizens of Gotham just immediately gush over Batman and Robin despite these two literally crashing in through the ceiling.

Lina is such a diva. Also enjoy that her henchmen have little cat ears on their hats.

Dick is Lina's #1 hater and I'm all here for it.

Cutest trophy ever, you almost wouldn't believe it was secretly an explosive.

Nom

"Tragic" *He said with the most out of it stare imaginable.*

Which honestly same. Who TF flies an airplane to the ground to prove a point??? Riddler that's who.

Alfred deserves his own Alf-Pole, look how happy he is! 🥺

Look at my lil boy Grayson making his bones strong 💪

CATWOMAN (2018) ISSUE #30

Return of the spandex! The dramatic pose, the face, how did we not see he was theatre kid before. Why did he pick up his computer like that only to sit back down and use it?? Also that mischievous smile! I should probably mention I love a disheveled Edward and this run is as messy as he has gotten in awhile (especially because he was on drugs at that time).

CATWOMAN: WHEN IN ROME ISSUE #2

Other than the straps being canon, isn't he just a little guy 🥺. I'm also glad he let the impulsive thoughts win (more artist need to consider redrawing the second image btw). He definitely leans wayyyy more into stereotypical nerd here but I love him nonetheless. I like they brought back his long nose for this bc it looks great in this art style.

GOTHAM CITY SIRENS (2009) ISSUE #3 & #9

I'm definitely bias bc this is my favorite Gotham Sirens run. But I love this design bc it's the perfect balance of mischievous, just a dude and making him still look pretty handsome (why does this man bag baddies???). This run also adds to my headcanon that he dyes his hair. Not to mention his hair having a stray strand every time he is with the Sirens or Grayson is a very neat touch.

BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL ISSUE #26 & #27

At this point I'm just showing my favorite arc (King Tut I miss you 😔)... Anyways- this Edward leans more into just a dude combined with the secret fox agenda. Idk why but his hair looks like it must feel soft for some reason.

BATMAN: KILLING TIME ISSUE #1 & #6

Ironically enough despite this being one of my (many) favorite comics this is my least favorite Edward design. That doesn't mean much bc I still love it very much. It's just that he's a bit too young looking but he still gives mischievous fox vibes so I'll give it a pass. I just wish they gave him a wrinkle or two like they did with Clock King in the same comic. His hair is beautiful tho.

Btw in this AU all the rogues, Batfam and overall heroes have been doing their stick for years (DC I'm tired of the de-aging shit) so most of them (Bruce, Edward, Gordon, etc) are at their 40s-50s. With that said they are still pretty active in their shenanigans. Also bc of the years that they've been together the rogues have gotten pretty close and have a fucked up found family dynamic filled with backstabbing and cuddling.

• Edward dyes his hair a lot, especially in his early years. His natural hair color is a darkish ginger. Now a days he still dyes it semi-frecuently but he that is mostly when he is on the run. He was also blessed with strong genetics and takes good care of his hair so it's not like it is crying and falling off. He has slowly started to notice white hairs but he plucks them out if he sees them, he is not ready to face his mortality yet.

•Also he wore blue eye contacts for most of his early years and sometimes still does.

•His relationship with cleaning is a strained one at best. During times where his criminal plots start to unfold he stops maintaining his surroundings as he begins to completely put his attention to his plans. Eventually, when his schemes inevitably fail, he goes back to his base/warehouse/or whatever and is just like: ...Who did this?? And cleans it all up until the cycle repeats once more. With that said he will absolutely shame and sometimes (if the mess is bad enough) help clean the mess at his friends house bc he cares about their wellbeing —not that he'll tell them that tho—.

•When he was working at Wayne Tech he wore a prototype of the now popular blue light glasses (it didn't do anything except make him look silly). Later when he was villain be enjoyed using colored sunglasses as a replacement for his domino mask if he lost it. He does use reading glasses and actually blue light glasses nowadays, but he likes to use normal glasses at Arkham bc it makes people think he actually needs them when in reality he is just messing with them. It becomes useful when you ask a nurse to help you search for your glasses ass you memorize what their notepad says.

•Bc of the Lazarus Pit Edward's eyes do glow in the dark much like how when you shine a light at an animal in the dark. His eyes are naturally green but sometimes when he looks at the mirror for too long he can't help but feel they look like an all to familiar boiling pit he dipped himself into. Bc of the pit's unique side effects (making people like Jason somewhat supernaturally strong and agile) Edward is a definitely stronger than he once was (he himself has stated he isn't a physically strong villain so anything is better than nothing) but he isn't super strong either since he didn't get revived by the pit, only cured from it.

I'll shout to the void some more headcanons eventually but all of this is mostly pertaining to an AU my bro and me have.