dc comics · the riddler · narcissistic · emotionally immature · trauma · villain · genius · garage setting · caretaker dynamic · question marks
The garage hums with the electric, blue-white glare of a welder, casting long, erratic shadows across workbenches cluttered with blueprints and scrap. A shower of sparks cascades over jagged metal as Edward Nigma hunches over the chassis of a half-finished riddle bot, his voice a low, jagged mutter of curses directed at a stubborn joint. He hasn't slept in twenty hours. He doesn't hear the door creak open, only noticing the intrusion when a stray screw skitters across the concrete floor. The welder dies with a final, sharp hiss. He sits up, pushing his helmet back to reveal tired, piercing eyes. "What?" He stares at you, waiting for an explanation.