The Batman Viral Website Releases All Of Riddler's Notes — And His Journal
It's been one week since "The Batman" dropped, and it turns out the Riddler (Paul Dano) had one more perfectly timed plan up his sleeve. The website featured in the film, rataalada.com, has completed its cryptic series of riddles and delivered a cache of images and notes from the masked killer himself.
The website, which Batman (Robert Pattinson) and James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) plug in to unearth one of the Riddlers' sinister clues in the movie, first appeared as an ARG around the time of the movie's premiere. Initially, the green-font, early-internet styled site offered up riddles like, "Fear he who hides behind one," and offered a mysterious zip file as a reward for anyone who solved multiple riddles.
The mother lode of Riddler clues
Now, the site is rewarding those of us who waited patiently (or lazily) for other people to break the code, offering up a zip file containing the Riddlers' notes to anyone who visits the web page. First, though, the disembodied typer offers up one last message: "You've come this far. Now, let's see if you're willing to discover more. While you unmask everything that has yet to be revealed, I'm safe here. With my new friend. We will see you soon."
This appears to be a clear reference to the last scene we see from The Riddler in "The Batman," in which he befriends a maniacally laughing prisoner played by Barry Keoghan. Director Matt Reeves has explained that, though Keoghan appears to be The Joker, the scene was the last remnant of a supporting character that got cut from the edit, not necessarily a teaser for a role in a future movie. Still, this final message hints pretty obviously at The Riddlers' shadowy companion — the "we will see you soon line" seems much more deliberate a teaser than that somewhat ambiguous prison scene.
Along with the Riddler's message, visitors also receive a zip file called "know_what_i_know," which includes 24 files compiled from the killers' question-mark-covered conspiracy board. A nine-page journal dated June 10 to July 21 (five months before the movie starts, if we assume it's from the same year) devolves into scribbled, repeated phrases including "Confront them. Torture them" and "I know what I must become."
While the journal appears to be a treasure trove of disturbed ranting and possible Easter eggs, the photo files are largely high-res versions of images and scraps of paper we saw in the movie. Among them are magazine covers spotlighting the public exploits of people who would later become The Riddlers' victims, and a blueprint for that gnarly rat trap torture device. No doubt, there are "The Batman" clues aplenty for anyone who's willing to study these creepy images and unhinged ramblings.