Ratcatcher (comics)

Ratcatcher
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #585 (April 1988)
Created by	Alan Grant (writer) John Wagner (writer) Norm Breyfogle (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Otis Flannegan
Species	Metahuman
Place of origin	Gotham City
Abilities	Control over an army of sewer rats Manipulation over various things with cyanide gases Use of gas gun

The Ratcatcher (Otis Flannegan) is a character appearing in American comic books and other media published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of Batman. He belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up the Dark Knight's rogues gallery. Once an actual rat-catcher in Gotham City, Flannegan sank into a life of crime. Calling himself the Ratcatcher because of his special ability to communicate with and train rats, Flannegan has used his minions to plague Gotham on more than one occasion by unleashing hordes of the vermin.

A female version of the character named Cleo Cazo / Ratcatcher 2 appears in the DC Extended Universe film The Suicide Squad (2021), portrayed by Daniela Melchior. Taika Waititi portrays the first Ratcatcher, Cleo's father.

Publication history

The Ratcatcher first appeared in Detective Comics #585 (April 1988) and was created by writers Alan Grant and John Wagner, and artist Norm Breyfogle.^[1]

Fictional character biography

Otis Flannegan used to work as a rat-catcher in the Gotham City Sanitation Department who claimed he could train rats to attack before he was eventually arrested and spent ten years in Gotham State Penitentiary after stabbing a man to death in a street fight. After being released, Flannegan kidnapped the four officials responsible for his arrest and subsequent sentence and took them to his hideout in the city's sewers, where he kept them for five years. During this period, Flannegan developed his criminal alter-ego of the Ratcatcher. Wearing protective equipment and using his animal training skills, Flannegan gathered a large swarm of rats to torture and restrain his prisoners.^[2]

After five years of captivity, one of Flannegan's prisoners escaped. Though he ordered his rats to kill him, the latter reached the surface, where Batman discovered his body, followed the rats back to Flannegan, and easily defeated him upon dispersing his rats.^[3] After being re-incarcerated, he escapes his parole hearing using a flute he carved to control rats via a high-pitched frequency, only to be foiled by Dick Grayson disguised as Batman and captured again.^[4]

During the events of Infinite Crisis, Flannegan found refuge with Gotham's homeless community. When the authorities found and re-arrested him, one of the homeless men discovers he is an OMAC while attempting to help Flannegan and vaporizes him.^[5]

When DC Comics created The New 52 to reboot their comics, Flannegan was revived and makes a minor appearance in Batman Eternal.^[6]

Powers and abilities

The Ratcatcher possesses the ability to communicate and control an army of rats and in-depth knowledge of Gotham City's sewer system and Blackgate Penitentiary's layout. Additionally, he wields a gas gun and can manipulate various objects with cyanide gas.

Other versions

Master Comics

An alternate universe incarnation of the Ratcatcher named Ransom Trappe appears in Master Comics as an enemy of Bulletman and Bulletgirl.^[7]

Mother Panic

In the Mother Panic ongoing series, a reformed and homeless Otis Flannegan moves into the basement of the hotel that Violet Paige uses as her headquarters.^[8]

In other media

Television

• A character inspired by the Ratcatcher named Patrick Fitz / Ratboy appears in the Batman Beyond episode "Rats", voiced by Taran Noah Smith.^{[citation needed]} He is a teenage runaway with rat-like features and the ability to telepathically control rats, which led to others calling him "Ratboy". He develops an obsession with Dana Tan, frequently sending her love letters and gifts before kidnapping her and taking her to the sewers to confess his love for her. After she rebuffs him, he commands an army of rats to kill her, but Batman saves her. Fitz is later caught in an explosion and presumed dead.
• The Ratcatcher appears in Harley Quinn, voiced by James Adomian.^{[citation needed]} This version is an underling of Two-Face.

Film

A female incarnation of the Ratcatcher named Cleo Cazo / Ratcatcher 2 appears in The Suicide Squad, portrayed by Daniela Melchior.^[9][10] This version is the daughter of an unnamed previous Ratcatcher (portrayed by Taika Waititi), both of whom originated as homeless individuals from Portugal until he invented technology to get the city's rat population to help them. Following his death from a heroin overdose, Cazo came to America and began a criminal career, only to be arrested for armed robbery due to her rats being considered weapons and recruited into the eponymous Suicide Squad. Joined by her pet rat "Sebastian" (vocal effects provided by Dee Bradley Baker) and wielding her father's equipment, she assists the squad in infiltrating and destroying Jötenheim, a Corto Maltesean laboratory containing Starro, forming bonds with her teammates Bloodsport and King Shark along the way.

Video games

The Ratcatcher appears as a boss in Batman: Dark Tomorrow, voiced by Jonathan Roumie.^{[citation needed]}

The Ratcatcher will appear as the main antagonist of the upcoming 2024 Virtual Reality game, Batman: Arkham Shadow.

Miscellaneous

• The Ratcatcher appears in Batman: Arkham Unhinged as a juror in Two-Face's trial against Joker, during which he votes guilty in retaliation for the latter poisoning his rats.^[11][12][13]
• The Ratcatcher appears in Batman: Arkham Knight – Genesis #1. Following the events of Batman: Arkham City, he survived an encounter with the Penguin, but lost his left eye and arm, before he is eventually killed by the Arkham Knight.^[14]
• The Ratcatcher appears in Batman: The Adventures Continue #16 as an attendee of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy's party.^[15]

See also

• List of Batman family enemies
• Pied Piper, a similarly themed Flash villain
• Pied Piper of Hamelin

References

External links

• Ratcatcher at DC Comics Wiki