Jim Parsons As The Riddler? Sheldon Cooper May Be The Ideal Villain Who Riddles The Batman Into Submission [Video]

Jim Parsons, perhaps best known as The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper, has openly expressed his desire to play the Riddler, one of Batman’s arch enemies.

Emmy-winning actor Jim Parsons, who is currently promoting his new animated film, Home, revealed his strong desire to portray the Riddler, one of the few villains of Batman that displayed exceptional intelligence. While on one of the press tours, Parsons was asked other potential movie roles, specifically one in the superhero genre, that he would love to perform. Instead of run-of-the-mill responses indicating a superhero, the quirky actor surprised everyone with his choice.

“I would love to play a superhero in a movie. I would like to be a villain. And… I would really like to play The Riddler. I don’t feel they’re using the Riddler very much, are they?”

Interestingly, Warner Bros. is currently using the Riddler, albeit on the small screen as an integral part of Gotham, where his pre-persona Edward Nygma is played by Cory Michael Smith. However, the Riddler was last portrayed by the brilliant Jim Carrey in 1995’s Batman Forever.

Succeeding Jim Carrey certainly won’t be an easy task. Carrey, the undisputed king of physical comedy, brought the Riddler to life with his unique gesticulations and over-the-top body language. However, as proven by the late Heath Ledger, who played The Joker in The Dark Knight, a villain can be completely reinvented despite being portrayed earlier by a brilliant and experienced actor (for example, Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton’s Batman). Jim Parsons could certainly lend his unique style of acting to the Riddler.

Despite being a very old villain, the Riddler has seen a resurgence in the recent years. He was a major antagonist in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Zero Year storyline, and has been used in each of the Batman Arkham video games. If a callback to the silver screen is in order, Jim Parsons could be an ideal candidate.

Batman has faced many villains during his expansive career. However, none displayed the flamboyance, notoriety, and most importantly, psychotic but super-intelligent brains possessed by the Riddler and the Penguin. While Jim Parsons certainly doesn’t possess the physical attributes that majority of the Batman’s latest villains have sported, he could certainly become one of the most intelligent and sarcastic villains the Caped Crusader has come across.

Having won four Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in Comedy Series, all for his portrayal of Sheldon Cooper in CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons certainly seems to be a worthy actor for the role of the Riddler.

[Image Credit | Newsarama, ImgBuddy]