Summary

• Riddler gets a chance to rise to Joker's level with help from Dr. Daniel Captio.
• Daniel Captio's manipulative history with Batman and Joker suggests Captio can't be trusted.
• Captio's plan to change Riddler's mind could make him more effective than ever before.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman #147!The Joker had better be mindful because the Riddler is on his way to unlocking his full potential. Edward Nygma might be trapped in prison, but a bit of assistance is offering the King of Conundrums freedom he's never known.

Try as he might, the Riddler has never been able to rise to the Clown Prince of Crime's level. Time and time again, Nygma has lost to Batman and has never been able to prove how superior his intellect truly is. But a helping hand from the most unexpected person could turn the Riddler into his most efficient self yet.

Batman and Joker's Old Teacher is Offering to Improve the Riddler

In Batman #147's backup story "Show the World" by Chip Zdarsky, Miguel Mendonca, Enrica Eren Angiolini, and Clayton Cowles, the Riddler is locked up in Blackgate Penitentiary after being arrested by Zur-En-Arrh. Nygma is getting on Two-Face’s nerves when one of the Failsafe robots monitoring the prison comes by and demands that Riddler come with them to meet with Warden Daniel Captio. Riddler meets with Captio out in the yard where the warden is preparing for a sparring match with several prisoners.

Captio says that he can make people like the Riddler better through conventional and unconventional means.

Almost as soon as Riddler arrives, several villains, including Victor Szasz, attack Captio. However, the doctor easily handles the criminals and has a conversation with the Riddler. Captio reveals how interested he is in minds like Nygma’s, fascinated by how someone with such great intelligence continuously winds up in prison with nothing to show for their life. Nygma bitterly blames Batman, but Captio refuses to accept that saying that, saying that the Dark Knight isn’t what’s holding the Riddler back, but his own ego.

Captio’s words cut deep into the Riddler. But Nygma accuses Captio of being just like him, saying that the warden is just as driven by Batman as anyone else, even calling Captio a ‘villain’. But Captio rebuffs the Riddler’s accusation, saying he’s here to help Batman by ‘correcting’ criminals like the Riddler. Captio says that he can make people like the Riddler better through conventional and unconventional means. He takes Nygma to a chamber and asks the Riddler if he’s prepared to ‘change his mind’ for good.

Daniel Captio Brought Out the Best of Both Joker and Batman

When Bruce Wayne was traveling the world, he eventually met Dr. Daniel Captio, one of the world’s leading experts on the human mind. Bruce wanted to master every part of his brain to aid his upcoming war on crime. Captio took Bruce under his wing and taught the young man how to prevent himself from feeling pain and how to manipulate the fear of others. Captio even showed Bruce how he could fragment his mind and create alternate personalities like the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh.

Dr. Daniel Captio's work with Batman and Joker can be seen in Batman: The Knight (2022) and Batman's "Joker: Year One" storyline!

Shortly after Batman’s debut in Gotham, Captio traveled to Gotham, arriving shortly after the Joker had just come out of his chemical bath. Seeing the scared and meek being Joker was, Captio offered to teach the Joker just as Captio had taught Batman. Joker agreed and Captio put Joker through the exact same training Batman went through. Joker even went a few steps further than Batman did and created not one, but three personalities, all nestled in one another within Joker’s mind.

Joker repaid Captio’s tutelage by taking him hostage and holding him captive for years. However, Captio was able to manipulate the Joker’s fondness for Batman’s Zur-En-Arrh personality and helped Joker bring Zur-En-Arrh to the forefront of Bruce’s mind. Zur-En-Arrh discovered Captio in Joker’s prison and released him. The two began working together as Zur-En-Arrh embarked on a mission to eliminate crime worldwide. After taking control of Blackgate Penitentiary, Zur-En-Arrh made Captio the prison’s new warden while the new Batman began arresting criminals en masse.

What Does Daniel Captio Really Want with the Riddler?

As Blackgate Penitentiary’s warden, Daniel Captio seems genuinely interested in helping his inmates be better. By the way his and Nygma’s conversation went, Captio appears to want to forcefully correct Riddler’s mind so that he’s no longer driven by a compulsive need to prove that he’s better than Batman. Of course, this is less rehabilitation for the Riddler and more brainwashing. But Captio believes that this can help Edward finally move past his obsessions and finally put Riddler’s intellect to better use.

... it could potentially help Riddler create a new personality...

Of course, that assumes that Captio is telling the truth and isn’t misleading the Riddler. One must remember that Captio is not as altruistic as he seems. He’s manipulative and duplicitous and sees people as objects to study. Not to mention, Captio trained the Joker knowing full well the kind of deviant mind the villain possessed. But instead of helping him, Captio made the Harlequin of Hate far worse, essentially making Captio responsible for the most depraved actions and crimes the Joker ever committed.

So what does this mean for the Riddler if Captio isn’t out to forcefully turn him into a good person? Assuming that Captio’s device can do what he helped Batman and Joker learn to do, it could potentially help Riddler create a new personality, one just as free and unrestrained as Zur-En-Arrh or the Joker’s hidden selves. Captio speaks to the idea of making a Riddler without an ego, which admittedly has always held Nygma back. While there’s a chance that this machine could improve Riddler’s life, it could also make the Batman rogue more dangerous than ever.

The Riddler is Finally Reaching His Full Potential

Could the Riddler actually be on his way to becoming a good person? It’s not unlikely. But under someone like Captio, there’s no guarantee. Riddler has always been his own biggest enemy when it comes to success. By changing Nygma’s mind and freeing him from his ego, Captio could be doing Nygma a favor and helping him put his mind to good use. But it’s also possible that this could majorly backfire and give Riddler an upgrade that will finally turn him into a true Joker-level threat.

Batman #147 is available now from DC Comics.