Enigma (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
Enigma is a name used by two fictional character
s, both supervillain
s in the . The character first appeared in Teen Titans Vol. 3 #38 and was created by Geoff Johns
and Tony Daniel
. A villain in Trinity
has also used the name. Both characters have a connection (however loose) to the Riddler.
, but like most of the members during that time period she left. During this period, she was known as the Riddler's Daughter, and seemed to be friends with Duela Dent
("The Jokesters"). She is not as talented at riddling as she would like to be (mostly they are just bad jokes), and she wields a question mark-shaped cane as a weapon.
One Year Later
, she is a member of Deathstroke
's villainous Titans East
, now known as Enigma. During a battle, she says to Dent "Wait'll dear old daddy gets a load of us!", implying that they may be sisters, or at least think they are. Enigma and Duela were later psychologically torturing Raven
inside a hall of mirrors. There, she revealed that she joined Titans East as a way of getting her father to accept her.
It is revealed that the Joker's daughter is actually the daughter of the Jokester of Earth 3 and was part of the Riddler family. In Enigma's first post-Teen Titans appearance, the main DC Universe Riddler claimed Enigma to be his daughter.
Recently, she appeared alongside Riddler
while fighting Batman. At the story's conclusion in Batman #712, the Riddler asks her "What's purple and green and bleeds profusely?" Enigma's response is cut short by her scream at what is implied to be the Riddler committing or attempting suicide.
, a mysterious man, whose face is half-obscured by a metal mask, and wielding a powerful staff, joins forces with Morgaine Le Fey
. His true name is unknown, but he takes the moniker "Enigma", from what Le Fey initially called him. Along with Morgaine, he plans to conquer the Keystone Universe, a.k.a. New Earth, the current mainstream DC Universe, by forcibly integrating the personality of the Trinity, the group formed by Superman
, Wonder Woman
and Batman
, and collecting artifacts related to their personal origins.
The costume and theme are suggestive of The Riddler
, who often goes by the alias Edward Nigma/Edward Nygma (although the half mask is also suggestive of another Batman
villain--Two-Face
as it appears Enigma's face is scarred in the same way as he is) but Enigma's true identity is deliberately kept a secret until later in the series.
Approaching to the revelation, several clues are scattered throughout the miniseries: the Riddler claims to recognize the modus operandi
of Enigma as his own, therefore asking Dick Grayson
more time to disculp himself. Morgaine, feeling Edward Nygma life-force while he was at Madame Zodiac
's mansion, claims that Riddler and Enigma share the same life-force, or a similar one. Enigma seems to have a personal connection to the antimatter earth
, as evidenced by an emotional outburst when Despero
suggests conquering it. This is confirmed when Enigma teleports himself to a base orbiting the Anti-Matter Earth.
Eventually, Enigma is unmasked when he attempts to sap Superman's powers via red sunlight radiation, but reversed in wavelength, which is ineffective over a being of New Earth; this spurs Superman into scanning Enigma's body with his X-ray vision, confirming that he's the Antimatter Riddler. His backstory is later recounted: As the Quizmaster, Edward Nashton had formed the Justice Underground to challenge the Crime Syndicate's superiority. Eventually, Nashton's face was burned by Ultraman's heat vision, with his wife and infant son killed, and his daughter's body nearly destroyed. In retaliation, Nashton set out to change the anti-matter universe, using the power of the Trinity to do so. Enigma and his allies successfully steal the Trinity's power, only for them to return as godlike beings. Enigma realizes that what they got was not the totality of the power they could have accrued, and devises a plan to complete this power, bickering with Morgaine over her usage of power (she had thoughtlessly destroyed most of Europe in her lashing out against the world). Ultimately, their second attempt fails when the godlike Trinity returns, and Morgaine strikes a deal with Krona
, hoping to gain his power by giving him to living soul of Earth, in return for the human soul within Enigma's robotic aide, S.P.H.E.R.E., the soul of Enigma's daughter, to replace it, with Morgaine holding her power over her. Enigma refuses, and attacks Morgaine and Krona, only for S.P.H.E.R.E. to send him to the safety of the anti-matter universe. Enigma later returns, having gained the aid of the Crime Syndicate, to help defeat Krona. When the Earth's worldsoul is released, it rejects Krona, and restores Enigma's daughter to life, fusing her soul with that of Krona's Void Hound. When the conflict is over, two return to the anti-matter universe, hoping to give its inhabitants hope.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s, both supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
s in the . The character first appeared in Teen Titans Vol. 3 #38 and was created by Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
and Tony Daniel
Tony Daniel
Antonio Salvador Daniel AKA Tony S. Daniel is an American comic book writer and artist, known for his work on various books for DC Comics, including Teen Titans, Flash: The Fastest Man Alive and Batman.-Career:...
. A villain in Trinity
Trinity (comic book)
Trinity is the title of an American weekly comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted during the first week of June, 2008. It ran for 52 issues.-Conception and production:...
has also used the name. Both characters have a connection (however loose) to the Riddler.
Fictional character biography
Not much is known about Enigma, but she briefly joined the Teen Titans after Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
, but like most of the members during that time period she left. During this period, she was known as the Riddler's Daughter, and seemed to be friends with Duela Dent
Duela Dent
Duela Dent is a fictional character in the DC Universe. She is a former member of both the Teen Titans and Titans East. Introduced under the alias of Joker's Daughter, she has also used the aliases "Catgirl", "Scarecrone", "Riddler's Daughter", "Penguin's Daughter", "Card Queen", and...
("The Jokesters"). She is not as talented at riddling as she would like to be (mostly they are just bad jokes), and she wields a question mark-shaped cane as a weapon.
One Year Later
One Year Later
"One Year Later" was a 2006 storyline event running through the DC Universe. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Comics Universe following the events of the Infinite Crisis event, to explore major changes within the continuities of the many...
, she is a member of Deathstroke
Deathstroke
Deathstroke the Terminator , originally simply the Terminator, and known by the Teen Titans as Slade, is a fictional character, a supervillain and sometimes antihero in the DC Comics Universe. He is a mercenary and assassin who first appeared in The New Teen Titans #2...
's villainous Titans East
Titans East
Titans East is the name of several DC Comics teams. The teams appear in the Teen Titans comic books and animated series. The comic book incarnation of Titans East first appeared in the "Titans Tomorrow" storyline, which is set in the future. The first modern incarnation appeared in Teen Titans vol....
, now known as Enigma. During a battle, she says to Dent "Wait'll dear old daddy gets a load of us!", implying that they may be sisters, or at least think they are. Enigma and Duela were later psychologically torturing Raven
Raven (comics)
Raven is a fictional superheroine who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26 , and was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez...
inside a hall of mirrors. There, she revealed that she joined Titans East as a way of getting her father to accept her.
It is revealed that the Joker's daughter is actually the daughter of the Jokester of Earth 3 and was part of the Riddler family. In Enigma's first post-Teen Titans appearance, the main DC Universe Riddler claimed Enigma to be his daughter.
Recently, she appeared alongside Riddler
Riddler
The Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
while fighting Batman. At the story's conclusion in Batman #712, the Riddler asks her "What's purple and green and bleeds profusely?" Enigma's response is cut short by her scream at what is implied to be the Riddler committing or attempting suicide.
Second Enigma
In issue one of the Trinity seriesTrinity (comic book)
Trinity is the title of an American weekly comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted during the first week of June, 2008. It ran for 52 issues.-Conception and production:...
, a mysterious man, whose face is half-obscured by a metal mask, and wielding a powerful staff, joins forces with Morgaine Le Fey
Morgaine le Fey (DC Comics)
Morgaine le Fey is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. She debuted in The Demon vol. 1 #1, , and was created by Jack Kirby...
. His true name is unknown, but he takes the moniker "Enigma", from what Le Fey initially called him. Along with Morgaine, he plans to conquer the Keystone Universe, a.k.a. New Earth, the current mainstream DC Universe, by forcibly integrating the personality of the Trinity, the group formed by Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
and Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, and collecting artifacts related to their personal origins.
The costume and theme are suggestive of The Riddler
Riddler
The Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
, who often goes by the alias Edward Nigma/Edward Nygma (although the half mask is also suggestive of another Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
villain--Two-Face
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
as it appears Enigma's face is scarred in the same way as he is) but Enigma's true identity is deliberately kept a secret until later in the series.
Approaching to the revelation, several clues are scattered throughout the miniseries: the Riddler claims to recognize the modus operandi
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
of Enigma as his own, therefore asking Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
more time to disculp himself. Morgaine, feeling Edward Nygma life-force while he was at Madame Zodiac
Madame Zodiac
Madame Zodiac is a fictional character, a comic book witch published by DC Comics. She debuted in Batman Family #17, , and was created by Bob Rozakis and Don Heck.-Publication history:...
's mansion, claims that Riddler and Enigma share the same life-force, or a similar one. Enigma seems to have a personal connection to the antimatter earth
Earth-Three
Earth-Three is a fictional alternate universe set in the . It is the Earth of an alternate reality in the DC Multiverse. It first appeared in Justice League of America #29 .-Pre-Crisis:Its history is a mirror image to the Earth we know...
, as evidenced by an emotional outburst when Despero
Despero
Despero is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Justice League of America #1 Despero is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Justice League of America #1 Despero...
suggests conquering it. This is confirmed when Enigma teleports himself to a base orbiting the Anti-Matter Earth.
Eventually, Enigma is unmasked when he attempts to sap Superman's powers via red sunlight radiation, but reversed in wavelength, which is ineffective over a being of New Earth; this spurs Superman into scanning Enigma's body with his X-ray vision, confirming that he's the Antimatter Riddler. His backstory is later recounted: As the Quizmaster, Edward Nashton had formed the Justice Underground to challenge the Crime Syndicate's superiority. Eventually, Nashton's face was burned by Ultraman's heat vision, with his wife and infant son killed, and his daughter's body nearly destroyed. In retaliation, Nashton set out to change the anti-matter universe, using the power of the Trinity to do so. Enigma and his allies successfully steal the Trinity's power, only for them to return as godlike beings. Enigma realizes that what they got was not the totality of the power they could have accrued, and devises a plan to complete this power, bickering with Morgaine over her usage of power (she had thoughtlessly destroyed most of Europe in her lashing out against the world). Ultimately, their second attempt fails when the godlike Trinity returns, and Morgaine strikes a deal with Krona
Krona (comics)
Krona is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Green Lantern #40 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane.-Fictional character biography:...
, hoping to gain his power by giving him to living soul of Earth, in return for the human soul within Enigma's robotic aide, S.P.H.E.R.E., the soul of Enigma's daughter, to replace it, with Morgaine holding her power over her. Enigma refuses, and attacks Morgaine and Krona, only for S.P.H.E.R.E. to send him to the safety of the anti-matter universe. Enigma later returns, having gained the aid of the Crime Syndicate, to help defeat Krona. When the Earth's worldsoul is released, it rejects Krona, and restores Enigma's daughter to life, fusing her soul with that of Krona's Void Hound. When the conflict is over, two return to the anti-matter universe, hoping to give its inhabitants hope.