Summary
You might not believe me, but I’m almost certain that theRiddleris about to become the next leader of the Court of Owls. Despite all ofBatman’sefforts, the Court of Owls still lurk in the shadows and do everything they can to ensure Gotham City stays miserable, and now they’re going directly after Batman — thanks to the Riddler.
The Riddler hasn’t been amajor player in Batman recently, but he has been in the shadows, appearing occasionally to seemingly set up something greater. The Riddler was one of the few people put into a machine by Daniel Captio to make the Riddler into something more — but what that entails, we haven’t exactly seen yet. But I think it could lead to a massive change in the character, thanks to new details from theBatman#155 solicitation, which is part of the same run as Riddler’s most recent appearance.
BATMAN #155 (2024)
November 6th, 2024
Jorge Jiménez
Variant Covers:
Tony Harris & Jeremy Clark, Jonboy Meyers, Björn Barends, Nimit Malavia, McFarlane Toys
After the shocking events of the last issue, Batman is reeling! But the investigation isn’t over just yet! The Court of Owls is intent on destroying Bruce Wayne’s life, while Commander Star continues to stoke the flames of civil unrest in Gotham City! It all heats up in the unforgettable new chapter of “The Dying City”!
Whatever Captio did to the Riddler seems to have given him a new ambition, as the solicitation and main cover forBatman#155 suggests that the Riddler is the new leader of the Court of Owls. This grants the Riddler near infinite power and resources over Gotham City, and he’s using it to destroy Batman.
Riddler’s New Upgrade Is Finally Making Him Joker’s Equal
The Joker and Batman’s old teacher takes an interest in the Riddler, setting the Prince of Puzzlers up for a dramatic change to his life.
The Riddler Is Batman’s Next Big Villain
I think that theRiddler has always been one of Batman’s more underrated villains. He’s hyper-intelligent and always has a trick up his sleeve. The only thing Riddler has really lacked is his ability to break free from his need to leave clues and resources to truly accomplish what he wants. If the Riddler does become the new Court leader, both of these problems are fixed, as he would have the full resources of the Court of Owls. And, ever since being changed by Captio’s machine, he seems much more ambitious and driven. With the Court of Owls under his command, theRiddler would have everything he needsto rule Gotham City.
The Court of Owls have dedicated themselves to destroying Bruce Wayne’s life.
Another major clue that makes me thinkthe Riddler is the next big Court threatis that he knows exactly who Batman is. While theCourt of Owls is a major secret societyand likely knew who Bruce was, they never seemed to go after Bruce Wayne specifically (with the only exception being the invasion of Wayne Manor duringNight of the Owls). Even still, that was more to kill Batman and not necessarily destroy anything related to Bruce Wayne. The solicitation reveals that the Court of Owls have dedicated themselves to destroying Bruce Wayne’s life, and it seems they’re doing so under the direction of the Riddler.
Is the Riddler the New King of the Court of Owls?
Batman#155 Could Give Us Answers
Currently, the major riddle I have yet to solve is exactly how the Riddler gained control over the Court of Owls. With his intelligence, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to discover the secret society, but exactly why they would decide to begin taking orders from him is unknown. The Court of Owls has never had great leadership, with their leaders mostly being unnamed characters that are never given their time to shine. It’s possible that DC finally realized the way to make the Court of Owls stand out more is to hitch them to an iconicBatmanvillain — like theRiddler.
Batman#155is available November 6th, 2024 from DC Comics!
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
