Entertainment

Jim Parsons As The Riddler? We'd Buy That

by Nick Romano

Riddle me this: which actor would be perfect to play the role of The Riddler in a future DC comic book movie? How about The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons? He certainly has the gangly build and personality for such a character, and he recently told MTV News UK that he would really like to toy with the Caped Crusader as the infamous reader of riddles. I mean, he's basically been bred for the part.

The truth is, the character has not been properly utilized in live action. Since Jim Carrey famously portrayed The Riddler in the Val Kilmer-led Batman Forever, we've only seen this Batman nemesis on the FOX prequel series Gotham . Cory Michael Smith portrays Ed Nygma beautifully, but we want to see Parsons have a whack at the role.

He's already had a ton of practice in playing the easy-to-love-but-hard-to-comprehend Sheldon Cooper on CBS' The Big Bang Theory , and this character has a lot in common with the master of the convoluted clue. Though Warner Bros. has not made any plans to include The Riddler in one of their future DC movies — not even in the super villain mash-up movie Suicide Squad... yet — we should start the online campaign.

Here's hard evidence that he'd be a great addition to the character's legacy, based on his role on the hit sitcom.

1. Sheldon Has A Strange Obsession With Batman

Parsons has played Cooper for a solid seven seasons, and, in that time, he's made his character's fascination with the Dark Knight abundantly clear. He even has near-psychotic moments when he sits in a dimly-lit room and pretends to be the hero. If that doesn't scream nut job, I don't know what does.

2. Sheldon Has A Dark Side

For all of his scientific ramblings about String Theory and black holes and what not, there's a side to Sheldon Cooper with which fans have become well acquainted. That's the side that sees him fabricating technology that would theoretically enable him to make peoples' heads explode. Sounds diabolical enough for The Riddler, doesn't it?

3. He's Already Pretty Difficult To Understand

Thanks to his years pursuing theoretical physics at Caltech, not to mention his even longer early years tormenting his mother with ideas of breeding real-life griffins, Cooper speaks in a lingo that's all his own. Half the time, we don't even know what he's saying, but we just nod our heads along to feel like we're part of the group. That's why I identify with Penny so much.

4. He's A Genius... And He Knows It

It's one thing to be a genius, and it's an entirely different ball game when you know it. There have been many Batman villains to possess this egotistical quality, and it's led to them attempting to conquer all of Gotham City and inflict their will on those with lesser minds. If Cooper's intellect had an even more sinister side, he could rule the world with an iron fist.

5. People Already Think He's Crazy

People fear what they don't understand, and sometimes they even lock them up in a mental institution. When Cooper's mother first realized her son was, shall we say, gifted, she definitely considered the possibility that he was off his rocker. As it turns out, his ramblings were just the result of his unique personality. Nonetheless, The Riddler was locked up in Arkham Asylum on more than one occasion.

6. He's Had One Or Two Mental Breakdowns

If Jim Carrey's performance of The Riddler was any indication, psychotic breaks are a must in order to bring this character to life. Cooper has had his fair share on the show, one of which was his romp through a children's ball pit, even though Karen Walker famously warned us all that it's a "pit full of pink eye" on Will & Grace.

7. Parsons Knows How To Look The Part

There's that smile — the one that strikes terror into the hearts of innocent civilians, the one that causes goodhearted citizens to head for the hills, the one that could give even grown men and women nightmares for days, the one we'll never forget... and Cooper has it!

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