Who Could Be the Riddler's Girlfriend on 'Gotham'?

Recently, Gotham producer Bruno Heller gave a spoiler-heavy interview to Entertainment Weekly and one of the many things he mentioned that fans should be on the lookout for is Edward Nygma, the future Riddler, getting a girlfriend sometime in Season 1. And if there's a character on that show who deserves to find a little love, it's Nygma. Everyone ignores, belittles, and rolls their eyes at him at the precinct. His riddles are pretty corny, but they take it to the next level — he's been told to shut up by his coworkers a few times now. Even the captain, Sarah Essen, can't deal with him. It's always seemed like that treatment was leading him towards a psychotic break where he became the Riddler, his evil alias. But maybe it's just getting him down in the dumps enough that he'll really need the pick-me-up of a new girlfriend.

Riddler isn't much of a player in the comics — his obsession with riddles, puzzles, using riddles or puzzles for evil gain, getting arrested and serving time in prison, and giving Batman the toughest brainteasers he can come up with takes up most of his time. But he used to have two female sidekicks named Query and Echo in some of the earlier comics. So it's not unprecedented for some women to be caught in the spell of Nygma.

The show has taken pains to show that Nygma isn't really becoming evil so much as he's ignored and totally looked over, so maybe getting someone who's actually willing to pay attention to him will actually slow him from becoming a super villain. Then again, if he gets a girlfriend who's not appreciative of his linguistic talents and his behavioral quirks, she could become his first victim.

The only thing we know about Riddler's mystery GF? It's doubtful that she's already in the cast. Essen would never date one of her subordinates, and the only other female cop, Montoya, is clearly in love with Barbara Kean, with no interest in anyone else. Outside of that, the only female cast members are Fish and Liza — who are otherwise occupied — and young Catwoman, who's only about 14 years old. But who knows — maybe Barbara will hook up with Ed. She seems to be in the midst of a very weird rebound period. Rather than officially break up with her boyfriend, she's moved out of town and let him stay in her apartment while she rekindles her relationship with Montoya. If things end badly for them again, her next rebound could be the Riddler. However I'll still be keeping a lookout for any new characters with an appreciation for puzzles and a soft spot for Nygma.

Images: Michael Lavine/FOX; Giphy