The Batman new footage gives first look at Paul Dano’s Riddler without mask. Watch

New footage from DC’s upcoming film The Batman has finally revealed the unmasked look of Paul Dano as the iconic villain, the Riddler. All the trailers and teasers for the film so far had shown the Riddler in his mask or from behind. Paul Dano plays Edward Nashton aka the Riddler, a killer terrorising Gotham City, in the film. The clip premiered on a talk show on Wednesday night in the US and shows an extended version of a scene earlier depicted in the film’s trailer.

Also read: The Batman teaser sees Robert Pattinson fly over Gotham, fight Riddler, fans call it ‘best marketed movie’

The clip shows the police closing in on the Riddler as he sits in a coffee shop. The cops surround the killer and Jim Gordon (played by Jeffrey Wright) asks him to surrender. The Riddler turns around with his hands up and the viewers get a look at Paul Dano’s face for the first time.

Fans were divided about the reveal. While many felt it wasn’t a big deal as people already know what Paul looks like. “I kinda feel like we need to reevaluate what people consider a ‘spoiler’, if this is a spoiler,” tweeted one fan. Others said that since the movie had kept Riddler’s face a secret till now, there was no point revealing it on a TV show just days before the release. “His face reveal was supposed to kept for theatres to keep a element of mystery to his character. Stop revealing every important scene,” read a tweet.

This isn’t the first time the Riddler is appearing in a Batman film. The character was played by Jim Carey in the 1995 film Batman Forever, which starred Val Kilmer as Batman and Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face. But the Riddler in this film is darker and modelled on a real life serial killer.

Earlier, in conversation with Movie Maker, director Matt Reeves had revealed that the inspiration behind the Riddler seen in the film was the infamous Zodiac killer. “The premise of the movie is that the Riddler is kind of molded in an almost Zodiac Killer sort of mode, and is killing very prominent figures in Gotham, and they are the pillars of society,” he said.

The Batman marks Robert Pattinson’s debut as the iconic superhero, and also stars Colin Farrell and Andy Serkis in important roles. The Matt Reeves film takes a look at a young Bruce in the first few years of him taking up the Batman mantle. The Batman releases in theatres on March 4.