How Nirvana Influenced The Batman's Riddler, According to Paul Dano

According to Paul Dano, the 90s grunge band Nirvana played a part in influencing his portrayal of the Riddler in The Batman. The Batman presents the latest incarnation of the famed DC superhero and is the first iteration of the character to exist outside of the DCEU since Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy ended in 2012. The film, helmed by Cloverfield director Matt Reeves, follows Batman (Robert Pattinson) in his second year of crime-fighting, as he tracks down a mysterious serial killer known as The Riddler. The Batman is in theatres now and has so far received largely rave reviews from both critics and fans.

The Riddler has been reimagined several times for live-action adaptations over the years. Audiences have been waiting in anticipation for Dano’s portrayal, as trailers for The Batman have teased a Riddler who is much darker and more sinister than any seen on the big screen before. The last incarnation of the Riddler was played by Jim Carrey in 1995’s Batman Forever, which was a distinctly campy portrayal. While Dano’s character remains hidden in shadow or behind a mask for much of The Batman’s nearly three-hour run time, Dano gives the Riddler a truly terrifying edge that many fans have been hoping to see from the character.

In a recent interview with NME, Dano discusses his process of becoming the Riddler. While he is cryptic about many elements that make up his interpretation of the character, Dano has stated that he listens to music between takes to keep himself in character. When asked about what music he would listen to, Dano pointed to the song “Something in the Way” by Nirvana. According to Dano, the song is actually mentioned directly in Reeve’s script, so it “became hugely important” to his Riddler. Dano eluded to the refrain “the animals I’ve trapped have all become my pets” as part of the song he would come back to in particular. See his full quote below:

“Well, in the script Matt had actually mentioned ‘Something In The Way’ by Nirvana. So that right there, that song, those words, that refrain, became hugely important to me. Nirvana became a part of that [character].”

Dano’s gravitation towards this Nirvana song makes quite a lot of sense. As well as being part of Reeve’s script, the song was also used in many of the early trailers for The Batman, as it was mixed together with the new Batman theme composed by Michael Giacchino. It also plays throughout the film. The song has since become linked to The Batman for fans, and perhaps in the future will be synonymous with Dano’s Riddler.

Dano has certainly done some memorable work with his interpretation of The Riddler. As the film gets released across the world, many reviews have hailed his performance as one of the most frightening Batman villains ever, which is certainly saying something as there have been some terrifying ones in the past. Dano has been careful to not give away too much about his interpretation of the character, so if fans really want to see what Dano’s Riddler has done with all the “animals he’s trapped,” they will have to see The Batman in theatres now.

More: Does Riddler Know Bruce Wayne Is The Batman?

Source: NME

Key Release Dates