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Jim Carrey hasn't seen 'The Batman’ but still has 'mixed emotions' about Paul Dano's Riddler

Riddle me this: Does Jim Carrey's Riddler have anything in common with the Paul Dano version? 

By Vanessa Armstrong
Jim Carrey in Batman Forever

Matt Reeves’ The Batman is a darker take not only on the Bat but also on his main nemesis, the Zodiac Killer-inspired Riddler. This version of the Riddler, played by Paul Dano, is very different from the flamboyant, spandex-wearing Riddler Carrey portrayed in Joel Schumacher’s 1995 Bat-flick, Batman Forever.

The clear difference between these two adaptations is clear, even if you’re someone like Carrey who hasn’t seen Matt Reeves’ recent film. Carrey said as such in a recent interview, and also suggested that he wasn’t super-thrilled with what he knew about Dano’s portrayal of the character. 

“It’s a very dark version. I have mixed emotions about it,” Carrey recently told Unilad (via Variety) about The Batman’s Riddler. “To each his own and all that. I love [Paul Dano] as an actor, he’s a tremendous actor.”

But, “I do worry. There’s a spot of worry in me over gaffer-taping people’s faces and encouraging people to do the same,” Carrey added, referencing what Dano’s Riddler does to his victims. “Some sickos out there that might adopt that method…I do have a conscience about the things I choose…I know there’s a place for it, and I don’t want to criticize it, but it’s not my kind of thing…it’s very well done, those movies are very well done.”

Carrey is making the interview rounds to promote Sonic the Hedgehog 2, where he plays the bomb-throwing villain, Robotnik. Carrey defended Robotnik’s bomb-throwing ways, however, saying that they were “cartoon bombs and no-one gets hurt.” 

Explicit violence aside, Carrey and Dano’s Riddlers are also different in pretty much every other way. Carrey’s was loud, used too much Manic Panic hair dye, and liked to undergo various acrobatic movements whenever he spoke. In contrast, Dano’s Riddler is nebbish, and someone you’d never notice if you passed him on the street unless he was wearing the trademark saran wrap and leather mask. They both, however, appeared to have a thing for puns (anyone have a thumb drive?), so there are some similarities between the two, at least.

You can see Dano in The Batman in theaters now. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 opens wide April 8.