Sunday, November 9, 2025

Action Figure Review: The Riddler (Batman: Hush) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   Lately I've been trying to start up a weekly livestream on Mondays at 8:30pm EST on YouTube as the latest iteration of my Barbecue's Bonfire posts that I used to post from time to time. Last Monday I tried to stream my second episode which involved me showing off some Jack o' Lanterns my family carved, talking about my dog Krypto, and doing a live review of the latest DC Multiverse version of the Riddler based on the 2003 Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee series Batman: Hush. About 25 minutes into the stream I think I cut out, though, so I did a live review of the Riddler and talked about the transition of the DC license from McFarlane to Mattel next year to myself. I blame my wife. I think that's when she started watching some One Piece and our internet just couldn't handle all the strain. Anyways, I had taken the pictures and I figure I should go ahead and also do a written review of the Riddler. I've been looking forward to this one as the designs of the characters from Hush are some of my favorites. When I think of the Batfamily and Batman's villains, their depiction in Hush is likely the first thing that comes to mind for me (stuff from the Knightfall era is probably second in most cases). Even with the story now being over 20 years old, I think the designs are still just very classic and definitive of an era of Batman comics. McFarlane has certainly visited Hush a few times now but there are plenty of characters from the series that could still be made. I still want a Hush version of Poison Ivy, Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Alfred Pennyworth before McFarlane Toys loses the license. For now, though, let's check out the Riddler, the man behind the Hush plan. Join me after the break...




The Facts:

Height: 7 inches

Articulation: Hinged toes, double swivel hinged ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid torso, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ ballsockets, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, double swivel/ hinge wrists, and barbell jointed head..
 
Accessories: Cane, collector card, and display stand.
 
Non-Scalper Price: $27 dollars






The Positives:

* Besides the Joker, I think the Riddler might have the most figures in DC Multiverse of any Batman villain. Off the top of my head there's the Arkham City Riddler, the classic jumpsuit Riddler, two Riddlers from Batman Forever, and the Riddler from The Batman. That's not counting any Riddler figures from the Batman 1966 line or the BTAS lines. What's different about this one? He's wearing a green suit. Now, we've seen this suited body many times before, so it's nothing new, but it's honestly my favorite look for the Riddler, especially during this era where the Riddler was sometimes a villain and sometimes a freelance detective and problem solver. The green color is spot on and this suited body fits Edward Nygma perfectly. He's even got a purple question mark on his tie. It's pretty accurate to the source material in design if not in style, but I'm OK with that. I like that most DC Multiverse figures look cohesive together rather than getting too artist specific in their aesthetics. 


* The portrait here is quite good. It's probably the only actual new part of the figure, so it was crucial that McFarlane's team got it right. The Riddler is wearing a very sleek purple domino mask, his hair is just a bit messy and hanging down past his brow on the sides of his head, and he's wearing a green bowler cap with a question mark design on the band. He also has a great smarmy expression on his face, fitting for a guy who believes he's always the smartest person in the room (although he usually is, to be fair). 






* I'm actually really thrilled by the painted dress shirt sleeves poking out from the Riddler's jacket and the purple buttons on jacket sleeves. Not every figure wearing a suit has had little painted details like this and they definitely help the Riddler stand out a bit more. 






* How's the articulation? Well, if you've has any other McFarlane figures with a suit body you can probably guess. These are very solid and sturdy figures with a pretty decent range of motion and some pretty extreme range in the elbows and knees. They're not terribly smooth as the articulation model hasn't really been updated since the line first debuted and there are very noticeable pins in the knees and elbows, but I still found that I could get plenty of poses that I liked and which were fitting for the Riddler. His torso movement is limited by the jacket overlay, but that's just the way things are; formalwear will definitely inhibit you like that.





* The Riddler doesn't come with many accessories. Just his cane. It's not as fancy as the canes from the classic jumpsuit wearing Riddler or the Jim Carrey versions from Batman Forever, but that seems true to the source material. This cane is rather plain, just being evocative of a question mark rather than absolutely looking like one. 








* As usual, we also get a very solid display stand and a collectible card for the Riddler. Sometime this year the stands began to chance to show the revised take on the classic DC Comics bullet logo. There's also a bio for the Riddler on the back of the card, though it's not specific to events of Hush. 






   How's the Riddler? I like him, though he is a bit underwhelming. I like the figure and I'm glad to have him as part of my lineup of Batman villains but he feels like a very simple figure with not a lot of extra, which would have been fine at the previous price points but now that basic DC Multiverse figures are selling for $27 dollars, it's definitely noticeable. Even something as simple as some extra hands, perhaps one that could be swapped out to give the Riddler the "shushing" gesture he often had in a lot of Hush promotional art and such, would have been welcome. He's Good; if you're a big Riddler fan or really want the Hush looks for characters you won't be disappointed per say, but you're not going to be overly impressed, either. 


   If you're looking for more of the Riddler I've also reviewed the DC Multiverse The Riddler (Arkham City), The Riddler (Batman Forever), and The Riddler (DC Classic), the Kenner Legends of Batman Riddler, the DC Collectibles Greg Capullo styled Riddler, Mattel's Classic TV Series Riddler, the Tiny Mights The Riddler, the Nano Metalfigs DC63 Riddler, and the Lego Riddler Chase building set.

For more DC Multiverse reviews check out the following:
Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad)
Hugo Strange (Batman: Transference)



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