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Warning : spoilers for Batman : Urban caption # 5 are ahead .
Batmanand theRiddlerhave been longtime enemies on the pages ofDC Comics , with their feud coming to a drumhead inBatman : Hushafter theRiddler figured out Batman ’s personal identity . Written by Jeph Loeb , with pencils by Jim Lee , ink by Scott Williams , colors by Alex Sinclair , and letters by Richard Starkings , Hushshowed how Riddler ’s smartness were both his greatest advantage and his greatest weakness , as his plan to in public release Bruce Wayne ’s identity as Batman at last backfired when the Caped Crusader convinced him that let out Gotham ’s greatest secret would no longer make the Riddler superscript to everyone else . Even so , a lallygag inquiry fromHushhas been how Riddler actually envision out that Bruce Wayne was Batman , with the 5th instalment of theBatman : Urban Legendsanthology teasing a conclusive answer .
In a flashback from the " Cheer " plot line by Chip Zdarsky , Eddy Barrows , Eber Ferreira , Diogenes Neves , Marcus To , Adriano Lucas , and Becca Carey , Jason Todd ’s Robincomes to deliver Batman from the Riddler , and mistakenly calls Alfred Pennyworth by name on his comms . But with Alfred ’s codename being " Penny - one , " it does not render all that much cover before the Riddler ultimately appears on a screen and tells Robin that he had been monitoring the room . Though this flashback takes place years before whenBatman : Hushis lot , it provides a hint at how Riddler was able to puzzle out one of Gotham City ’s most confound questions .
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While the Riddler does not explicitly say that he had just overhead Robin call someone " Alfred " and then " Penny - one , " his belated deduction of Bruce Wayne ’s identicalness inHushmakes more sense consider the morsel of information he belike picked up from this story . In the same issue , the Riddler was already astute enough to see out that Batman had get a new Robin , and tried to reel this to his vantage by screen Jason with a riddle . Withsomeone as observant as the Riddler , it is plausible to consider that know " Alfred " and the codename " Penny - one " would be sufficient to tracing Batman to Alfred Pennyworth .
The Riddler may have whiz story understanding , but assuming that he has access to a headphone book that lean Alfred Pennyworth ’s name , it would n’t exactly be that difficult to come up someone jibe the description that Robin accidentally commit . From there , he could also parse through the other compelling pieces of evidence that manoeuver toBruce Wayne ’s identity element as Batman . At that sentence , Bruce Wayne had recently taken in a son around Robin ’s age , and as one of the richest people in Gotham City , he would be able-bodied to fund his bodily function as Batman without constraints .
As one of the fresh villains that Batman has ever had to fight , thegreatest threat that the Riddler posesis his apprehension that cognition is great power . WhileBatman : Urban Legends#5 only suggest at where Riddler could have grow his suspiciousness that Bruce Wayne wasBatman , it is not altogether out of the dubiousness thatRiddlerwould jump at the chance to deduce his greatest opposition ’s identicalness from any art object of information , no matter how inconsequential .
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