Pop Culture References in Wizard101: Empyrea – Quizzler

Quizzler – The Joker and The Riddler
https://wiki.wizard101central.com/wiki/Creature:The_Quizzler
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(character)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riddler

Bat and your wizard have battled their way to Medulla’s headquarters within Sepidious. The last of Medulla’s minions is all that stands between you and Medulla. Quizzler is the last minion standing.

Quizzler greets you as if you are Bat’s sidekick, the Wizard Wonder. He delays you and the bat by giving a riddle and a Knock-knock joke to solve before advancing.

Quizzler is a mash-up of both The Joker and The Riddler.

The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book Batman on April 25, 1940. Credit for the Joker’s creation is disputed; Kane and Robinson claimed responsibility for the Joker’s design while acknowledging Finger’s writing contribution. Although the Joker was planned to be killed off during his initial appearance, he was spared by editorial intervention, allowing the character to endure as the archenemy of the superhero Batman.

In his comic book appearances, the Joker is portrayed as a criminal mastermind. Introduced as a psychopath with a warped, sadistic sense of humor, the character became a mostly harmless, comical prankster in the late 1950s in response to regulation by the Comics Code Authority, before returning to his darker roots during the early 1970s (although some of his more comedic characterization was kept for many incarnations of the character). As Batman’s nemesis, the Joker has been part of the superhero’s defining stories, including the murder of Jason Todd—the second Robin and Batman’s ward—and the paralysis of one of Batman’s allies, Barbara Gordon. The Joker has had various possible origin stories during his decades of appearances. The most common story involves his falling into a tank of chemical waste that bleaches his skin white and turns his hair green and lips bright red; the resulting disfigurement drives him insane. The antithesis of Batman in personality and appearance, the Joker is considered by critics to be his perfect adversary.

The Joker possesses no superhuman abilities, instead using his expertise in chemical engineering to develop poisonous or lethal concoctions and thematic weaponry, including razor-tipped playing cards, deadly joy buzzers, and acid-spraying lapel flowers. The Joker sometimes works with other Gotham City supervillains, such as the Penguin and Two-Face, and groups like the Injustice Gang and Injustice League, but these relationships often collapse due to the Joker’s desire for unbridled chaos. The 1990s introduced a romantic interest for the Joker in his former psychiatrist, Harley Quinn, who became his criminal sidekick and girlfriend before finally escaping their abusive relationship. Although his primary obsession is Batman, the Joker has also fought other heroes, including Superman and Wonder Woman.

One of the most iconic characters in popular culture, the Joker has been listed among the greatest comic book villains and fictional characters ever created. The character’s popularity has seen him appear on a variety of merchandise, such as clothing and collectible items, inspire real-world structures (such as theme park attractions), and be referenced in a number of media. The Joker has been adapted in live-action, animated, and video game incarnations, including the 1960s Batman television series played by Cesar Romero and in films by Jack Nicholson in Batman (1989), Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008), Jared Leto in the DC Extended Universe (2016–2021), and Joaquin Phoenix in Joker (2019); Ledger and Phoenix each earned an Academy Award for their portrayals. Mark Hamill, among others, has provided the character’s voice in media ranging from animation to video games.

Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson are credited with creating the Joker, but their accounts of the character’s conception differ, each providing his own version of events. Finger’s, Kane’s, and Robinson’s versions acknowledge that Finger showed them an image of actor Conrad Veidt in character as Gwynplaine (a man whose mouth is disfigured into a perpetual grin) in the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs as an inspiration for the Joker’s appearance, and Robinson produced a sketch of a joker playing card.

The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton)(E. Nigma or enigma is something hard to understand or explain according to Merriam-Webster. It comes from the Greek word that means “to speak in riddles”.) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in Detective Comics #140 in October 1948. He has become one of the most enduring enemies of the superhero Batman and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

In his comic book appearances, the Riddler is depicted as a criminal mastermind in Gotham City. He has an obsessive compulsion to incorporate riddles, puzzles, and death traps in his schemes to prove his intellectual superiority over Batman and the police. His real name–Edward Nigma–is a pun itself; an “enigma” is a person or thing that is difficult to understand. With this self-conscious use of an elaborate gimmick, the Riddler’s crimes are often theatrical and ostentatious. The character commonly wears a domino mask and either a green unitard decorated with question mark prints or a green suit and bowler hat. A black, green, or purple question mark serves as his visual motif.

The Riddler has been adapted into numerous forms of media, having been portrayed in live action by Frank Gorshin and John Astin on the 1960s television series Batman, Jim Carrey in the 1995 film Batman Forever, Cory Michael Smith on the 2014 Fox series Gotham, and Paul Dano in the 2022 film The Batman. John Glover, Robert Englund, Wally Wingert, and others have provided the character’s voice ranging from animation to video games.

The current list of all the (known) Empyrea references can be found here.

Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references but I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.

Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages

Quizzler image is from Wizard101, and is copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment.

All Batman related images are copyright DC Comics.

The Joker mural image is borrowed from Esquire.com. Individual images are copyright Warner Animation, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and DC Comics

The Riddler mural image is borrowed from DigitalTrends.com. Individual images are copyright 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and DC Comics

Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.